Relationship with Jesus isn’t like going through kindergarten through high school, in that you’re only qualified once you graduate. Instead, as with Jesus’ disciples, relationship with Jesus is about spending time with Him along the way and sharing Him with others. No diploma or super hero status required.
The zero entry “devotion driven discipleship™” strategy encourages us to start simple with those God has entrusted to us.
Kids ask for plenty of stuff. They ask for snacks and wishes and goodnight kisses. They ask for help tying shoes and smearing on glue. They ask for pushes on swings and a great deal of things. Yes, kids ask adults for a lot – but, “disciple me!” – usually not! (At least, not at my house!) The closest I ever got to having one of my children asking me to “disciple” them was when my sweet little Christianna, all of about six, asked me to read the Bible with her. That was one of my very favorite moments of young motherhood. However, it was just one moment out of years of mothering five kids. My kids asked me for plenty of things but not “disciple me!” Still, regardless of whether or not our kids actually articulate the request, I do believe that they are asking us something very important. The next generation entrusted to us wants to understand why we believe in Jesus. Even if they’re not speaking the overt questions, they want to know who God is to us, what He has done in our lives and why faith matters. Making Disciples in Our Own Homes In the days and years of relationship, we have the amazing privilege of meeting with God in our own lives and then making Him known to the next generation. What’s more, regardless of what the kids in our lives call us, if we call ourselves followers of Christ, then we have been given a great commission: “Go into all the world and make disciples…” What better place for us to do this than with the people already entrusted to us? This is a really big deal – to teach the next generation to love God, to know His Word, and to wholeheartedly live for Him. But, how do we do this? In the midst of all the things they are asking us, we’re already busy doing 1,000 things every day. How do we fit discipleship into our life, too? How do we make disciples in our own homes? Discipleship happens one conversation at a time. Day by day, month by month, year by year. Discipleship happens in the midst of all the questions we’re asked and answers we’re giving. Discipleship is something we can weave in and through the fabric of our days and times with our kids. God’s Call for Discipling Our Kids What’s more, discipleship is part of God’s plan for families. When He established Israel as a nation, one of the first things He told them to do was to start teaching their kids about Him. He said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7) Daily along the way, God wanted His people to highlight their love for Him and what His Word says. Since Jesus called His followers to make disciples, then we can see His command in Deuteronomy to apply to us today, too. He wants these talking points to be part of our conversations whether we’re staying at home or on our way somewhere, whether we’re getting up in the morning or going to bed. Personal Devotion Leading to Relational Discipleship What we talk to our kids about in discipleship can, first and foremost, be born out of our own devotions. When we meet with God – be that in His Word, in prayer or in any of the ways that we can come to know Him – then we have the privilege to make Him known to those entrusted to us. We tell them about what God wants to do in their lives by starting with what God is doing in our own lives. We get to share with our kids our “Jesus Stories,” to help them see what real relationship with God looks like. At Family Disciple Me, we call this the “Seek Him Speak Him” mindset. Sometimes it helps to have guides along the way, which is why the Family Disciple Me ministry exists. We can personally be encouraged by the blogs and podcasts, then we can put that inspiration into practice through biblical, meaningful conversations using the app resources (coming by Spring 2024!). With Family Disciple Me, you will be encouraged to SEEK the Lord in your own life then turn around and SPEAK Him into those around you. One verse, one truth, one theme at a time, you will be inspired to disciple your kids out of what God is doing in your life and devotions. Let’s face it: your kids will probably not ask you to “disciple” them any more than mine did. However, our kids’ lives are asking the questions, and Family Disciple Me helps us intentionally answer them through the amazing, life-changing, eternity-impacting adventure of discipleship. Be encouraged! ❤️ Tosha Add Your Heading Text Here
As my husband and I raised our five children, I began to realize that our kids’ minds start out similar to an empty Connect Four grid, waiting to be filled.
Sharing Christ with the next generation is doable, one conversation at a time. We can skip the intimidation, because conversations are simple, enjoyable and meaningful.
What we believe matters, because it guides what we say and what we do. This should be true in each of our lives, and this is certainly true in discipleship. The Family Disciple Me “Statement of Faith” as a ministry reflects the “Statement of Faith” my husband Kelly studied and wrote for Vanguard Church when we founded it in 1997. Vanguard’s Statement of Faith remains true even today because the Word of God does not change. I owe Kelly a debt of gratitude for allowing me to incorporate Vanguard’s statement of faith we are using here. What We Believe About God There is one God, creator and ruler of the universe, who is an infinitely perfect Spirit, co-equal and co-existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, 26, 27 and 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2) What We Believe About Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, tempted as we are, yet without sin. He freely died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. He then resurrected Himself after three days in the tomb to overcome the power of sin and spiritual death. Afterwards, He returned to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to the Church. He is now our High Priest, petitioning God the Father on our behalf, giving spiritual gifts to all believers as the Head of His Body, the Church. He will rapture the believers of the Church Age, will judge all people, and will rule this world forever. (Matthew 1:22,23; John 1:1-5, 5:22, 27-29; Acts 1:9; John 8:46, 14:16-18, 26, 15:26, 16:7; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:3,4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 1:20-23, 4:7-13; 1 Thessalonians 4;13-18; 1 Timothy 6:15-18; Titus 2: 13-14; Hebrews 4:14, 15, 6:19-20, 7:25; Revelation 19:15, 16, 20:11-15) What We Believe About the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is God, sent by Jesus, to restrain evil; to convict people of sin, righteousness, and judgment; to baptize believers in Christ into the Body of Christ; to regenerate, indwell, and seal believers, and to continually fill us with the power of God, in order that we may live lives under the Holy Spirit’s daily control. The Spirit gives believers spiritual gifts for the sake of ministry. (Matthew 28:19,20; John 3:5, 16:9-11; Acts 1:8, 16:7; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:11, 12:1-11, 13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) What We Believe About the Holy Bible The Holy Bible is the everlasting, unchanging, inspired Word of God: it does not lie, but tells the Truth. It was written by people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as the complete revelation of God, holding all truth necessary for faith and life. (Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 12:6, 19:7-10, 119:1-5,160; Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) What We Believe About Humanity All people are created in the image of God, but through the disobedience of Adam, sin entered the world. In this way, death came to all people, because all sinned. This state of total depravity eternally separates every person from a relationship with God and can only be remedied by placing one’s personal faith in a REAL relationship with Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:27, 3:1-19; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-18, 23, 5:12,6:23, 10:9, 10, 13) What We Believe About Salvation Eternal salvation is exclusively based on believing that Jesus is God in the flesh, that He was crucified, buried, and resurrected on our behalf to take away the penalty of sin for the world. Having accepted this salvation, people are justified by faith, through grace. Therefore, through justification, believers may have peace with God, begin the process of sanctification, and have the promise and hope of eternal life. (John 3:3-21; Romans 5:1, 6:23, 10:9, 10, 13; Galatians 2:20, 3:26; Acts 4:10-12; Ephesians 2:8, 9; 1 John 2:2) What We Believe About Eternal Security It is God’s sovereign choice to both save the individual and keep that person for eternity. Thus, salvation is by the grace of God and not by the self-effort of the individual. (Romans 8:29-30, 33-39, 9:10-24; Ephesians 1:3-14,4:30; Hebrews 6:1-8; John 6:39-40, 10:28-29) What We Believe About Ordinances Following justification, water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are the ordinances Christ gave the Church. These are practiced as personal acts of obedience, and as expressions of the person’s faith in the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These acts express one’s thankfulness for salvation and intent to live a life of personal holiness, but not the means by which one receives salvation. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Matthew 28:19, 20; John 6:25-59; Mark 1:4-8; Acts 8:26-38) What We Believe About The Church The Church is the Body of Christ, made up of people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ and look to Him as their Head. The Church assembles for corporate worship, for equipping, for the work of the ministry, and for accountability. The primary responsibility of the Church body is to fulfill the Commission of Christ. The Church is governed by overseers who are qualified to guide the affairs of the Church with regard to doctrinal position and church discipline. (Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:11-13; Colossians 1:18; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4) What We Believe About Marriage We believe that marriage is defined in the Bible as a union between one originally born male and one originally born female. (Genesis 2:20-25; Ephesians 5:22-23) What We Believe About Angelic Beings Angels are spirit beings, never having been human, created by God as divine messengers sometime before the existence of the world. Angels cannot reproduce and do not possess the infinite qualities of God. Their purpose is to worship God, serve believers, announce impending judgment, and inflict judgment. Demons, however, are angelic spirit beings in rebellion to God but still subject to God’s control. These beings, which are all under the archangel Satan, have the capacity to influence people in their thoughts and actions, but demons’ destiny is Hell. (Matthew 10:1, 12:24-26, 25:41; Judges 9:23; 2 Peter 2:4; Luke 4:33-35, 8:28-32; 1 Timothy 4:1 , Ezekiel 28:18-19; Jude 1:6-7; Revelation 12:9, 20:2, 7-10; Colossians 1:16; Luke 24:39; Hebrews 1:14, 13:2; Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Genesis 3; Matthew 22:30; Luke 20:36; Job 38:4-8) What We Believe About End Times The Rapture of the Church is the next dispensation following the Church age in the Bible, when people who are alive and have placed their faith in Christ will be immediately raptured to Heaven. Following
