Gospel Saturated Homes
As a children’s ministry, we are committed to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation. We are thankful to partner with parents in this endeavor. Today I would like to suggest five ways to help you make the gospel a part of your home.
Parents, talk about your testimony and how God continues to work in your life.
Followers of Christ are to share and proclaim what God has done in their lives through Jesus Christ. This should be true in our homes. We should tell our kids how God has saved us and how he continues to work in our life.
Certainly, tell age-appropriate details about your conversion story to your kids but don’t neglect to share your testimony AND about God’s continued work in your life. Share with them what He is doing now and how he is changing you. Help them understand how you continue to reflect on His grace and mercy to you through faith in Jesus.
Share the gospel with your kids faithfully over time.
The gospel is a message that is to proclaim. And it is to be shared with your kids when they are young, as they grow, and when they are older. Make it a habit to regularly, at different times and places to, share the gospel with your kids. When they are younger, they need more of just the facts and not many implications or reasoning. But as they grow and develop the ability to process more information and think more abstractly, we can increase our discussions on the gospel’s implications.
Tell your kids the truth of the gospel. Tell them of how Christ died for our sins. Don’t hind from them the reality that mankind is sinful and in need of saving. Tell them that Jesus came in accordance with the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus’ coming and dying on the cross was always part of God’s sovereign redemptive plan, and Scripture testifies to that fact. Tell your kids that Jesus was buried and rose on the third day in victory over sin and death. Tell them that he appeared to many eyewitnesses who saw him after his resurrection.
Model forgiveness to each other and your children.
As we think about how to have our homes full of the gospel, we need to model the forgiveness that God has given us. In the Lord’s prayer, we see that forgiveness matters significantly. And the implication is that we will not be forgiven if we do not forgive others. That draws attention to the impact the forgiveness we have been given should have on how we treat others. And this giving of forgiveness demonstrates the grace and mercy that God has shown us through Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:12-13 talks about the importance of showing forgiveness to one another. We should ask for forgiveness from each other as husband and wife. We should ask for forgiveness from our kids when we sin against them. As we do this, the sweet aroma of the gospel will fill our homes.
Parent with the gospel in mind.
As parents, we obviously want our kids to learn to be helpful and well-functioning members of society. We want them to know how to act and live. We want them to understand how to take care of themselves and others. This, however, cannot be the end of our parenting pursuits. We want to see heart change and not mere behavior modification.
Our greater concern must be that they put their confidence in God. And namely Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in our parenting, we must not seek to merely mold correct behavior. We need to dig deeper into the wellsprings of our child. We must minister and speak to their inner person. We need to speak to their heart and proclaim the gospel so that they put their complete confidence and trust in Christ.
Their greatest need is to repent and put their faith in Jesus.
Pray for your kids.
Scripture is clear that prayer is a non-negotiable part of a Christian’s life. Throughout the OT and the NT, we see passages encouraging and calling us to commune with God in prayer. We have examples of God’s people spending time in prayer.
Moses communed and spoke with God. Abraham talked to God. The People of Israel cried out to God. David communed with God. Solomon at the dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 6:14-42). The prophets cried out to God.
Jesus himself modeled a life of communing with God in prayer. (Matthew 14:23; 19:13; 26:36-44; Mark 1:35; 6:46; 14-32-39; Luke 3:21; 5:16; 9:18; 22:32; John 17) Jesus also taught about prayer (Matthew 6:9-15).
So, parents, pray for your children. Pray for them individually, as a couple, with your kids, in front of your kids, and with others from the church.
The power of the gospel.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The gospel is good news that we need to share with our kids. If you would like to talk more about how to do this in your home and more specific ways this can occur, please reach out to Pastor Eric.