Last week, we started Homeschool Super Heroes Week with my interview about family discipleship. Today I’d like to share a few basics of family discipleship.
Start with Scripture
If you’re wondering where to start, always begin with Scripture, God’s Word. The Bible is the final word on all areas of life, so show your kids how important it is on a daily basis.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Find a time you can meet as a family daily to read God’s Word and pray. Modeling this as a family will instill the importance of Scripture to your children.
We ate breakfast together each morning. Since Steve finished eating before the kids, he led our family devotions at breakfast. After reading & discussing Scripture, we prayed together.
You might be saying…my husband has to get to work. We can’t do morning devotions.
Until a few weeks ago, I simply encouraged families to find another time. However, I heard two dads that drive to work share their own story. One of the dads decided to his family would get up 30 minutes early to have family devotions. You can imagine how that went over with 2 teenagers. But they were consistent & attitudes changes. It was important to dad to start their day with Scripture. So, they found a way to do so.
How can you start with Scripture?
Serve Others as a Family
We are commanded to serve the poor and watch out for widows & orphans.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deeds. Proverbs 19:17
Religion that is pure & undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans & widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
How can you do this as a family?
We reached out locally & globally as a family. We did different things at different stages of our family life. One of those included family mission trips. Tonight, Steve will be sharing about our mission trips, how we afforded to pay for the entire family, and how dad can take time off work for a mission trip. We started taking family mission trips when Hunter was 3 or 4 years old.
So, don’t wait until your kids are teens and have busy lives. Make a habit of reaching out to the poor, the widows & the orphans when your kids are young. It will be natural for them to continue as teenagers.
Multi-Generational
God made his covenants with multiple generations…
I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Genesis 17:7
Involve grandparents as much as possible. If your own parents are not Christians, adopt an older couple at church for your kids to have “spiritual grandparents”. My parents have always & continue to be involved in the spiritual lives of my own kids, but they don’t live in town. So we had an “adopted” grandma. Miss Marsha babysat my kids and spent time with them. My girls even interviewed her when they worked through a unit in Polished Cornerstones, by Doorposts.
Church is a great place for your kids to see multi-generational believers in practice. However, church should be a supplement to your children’s spiritual growth. Family discipleship begins in the home, not at church. (More on this in a future post)
Scripture Always
As your kids are growing up, always refer back to Scripture. In your homeschool, study subjects through the grid of Scripture. When you make decisions, look to Scripture to follow God’s leading. In discipline, use Scripture so your kids know it is God who leads you as you train in Godliness.
Scripture should be the foundation for all you do. In order to follow Scripture, you must know God’s Word.
One thing I wished we had done better is memorizing Scripture as a family. My kids memorized lots of Bible verses through Awanas and we practiced with each child. As they outgrew Awanas, I wished we had continued Scripture memory as a family.
Like I said at the beginning, these are just basic ideas to get started in family discipleship. Each of these ideas can be expanded in your family life. I hope to share more stories of family discipleship over the next few weeks.
Encouragement for You
Tuesday afternoon, Kelli Becton shares about ways she is discipling her family in homeschooling. Thuesday evening, Stephen Beck shares stories about his family mission trips & how you can take one too. You can listen for free right here.
Question: How do you have family discipleship with your own kids? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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