Marriage Series - The Church Planter's Family Part 2

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

What do you want more than anything else for your children? I’m sure you want your kids to be healthy and smart and responsible and honorable.  You want them to be hardworking and respectful and kind. I hope all of these dreams and desires you have for your children are fulfilled. But what do you want for them more than anything else?

Christian parents who want good things for their children want them to know and love Jesus. We want our children to walk with him and follow him.  I think this desire is especially strong in church planters and pastors.  We long for our children to experience God’s grace in their lives.

But how? What should we do as Christian parents to help our children embrace the faith? 

When my firstborn son was just six years old, my wife Gail attended an international conference in Nairobi, Kenya focused on the children of missionaries.  At that conference, a lady shared research she had done with dozens of missionary families who lived in many different nations, came from many different countries and denominations, and raised their children in many different ways.  Some were very strict, others not so much. Some of the parents took their children to church many times per week, others, only once or twice a week.  Some had daily devotions with their children, some did not. Some sent their children to boarding schools, some had children who studied at home or at a nearby school.

The researcher wanted to know which practices of these missionary parents would most help children follow in the faith of the parents and walk with Christ. What factors in raising children were crucial?  What was the key to raising children who would follow Jesus as adults?  

Do you know what this researcher discovered?  It’s not how often you pray with your children or how often you go to church. It’s not how strict or liberal you are with your discipline. In this study, the only common factor among parents who raised kids who grew up to follow Jesus was that the parents provided a warm and loving home. That’s it. Parents who raise kids who follow Jesus provide warm and loving homes.

The researcher recognized that decisions about prayer and devotions and school choice are important.  But from the research, the most important key to raising kids who grow up to follow Jesus is providing a warm and loving home.

When Gail shared this insight with me, I said to myself, “I can do that. I can provide a warm and loving home for my children.” Now I am far from a perfect parent. I have said and done things that I regret. But one thing is sure, from that day onward, I made certain that by my words and my actions, my children knew they were loved and accepted and appreciated in our home. I made sure there were moments of tenderness and lots of hugs and expressions of affection. To this day, our three children follow Jesus. Warmth and love are not a guarantee that children will follow the Lord, but without a warm, loving home, it’s not likely they will.

Ephesians 6: 4 speaks to parents saying, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger.”  Heed these words my fellow church planters. Be kind and tender, warm and loving with your children as you bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #WarmAndLoving