"And Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I will be with you always, even to the end of the ages.'" (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV (c)1979)
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. As His ambassadors, it is our privilege to tell the world the Good News! We have talk about building godly character and habits in our children. We also discussed mentoring our children and being planted in a local church. Now it's time to talk about winning the lost and making disciples with our children. What a glorious privilege!
This an extension of both mentoring and being planted in a local church. Local churches are in the business of winning souls and making disciples, fulfilling the Great Commission. Find out how your local church does it in the city where you live. Get involved!
A Gospel Outline
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. As His ambassadors, it is our privilege to tell the world the Good News! We have talk about building godly character and habits in our children. We also discussed mentoring our children and being planted in a local church. Now it's time to talk about winning the lost and making disciples with our children. What a glorious privilege!
This an extension of both mentoring and being planted in a local church. Local churches are in the business of winning souls and making disciples, fulfilling the Great Commission. Find out how your local church does it in the city where you live. Get involved!
A Gospel Outline
When our children were very young we taught them a simple Gospel outline with hand motions so that they would remember it clearly. The outline was simply this: God, Man, Jesus, Faith. We started by explaining that God was holy and He loved us, but man had a big problem: SIN, rebellion against a holy God. Because God loved us so much, He became a man, sending His Son, Jesus to die for our sins. We have to respond to the Gospel with faith or rejection. To have faith in Jesus is to trust Him and surrender fully to His lordship in our life. If we don't receive His free gift of eternal life, we are rejecting Him. This is the Gospel in a nutshell.
We taught this to our children over and over. Then we role played sharing the Gospel with people. I would pretend to be a little child on the playground and we would role play a conversation that might lead up to a chance to share the Gospel. We did this many times for several years until our children were confident sharing the Gospel.
Mike and I modeled sharing the Gospel in our daily lives when our children were with us. We looked for opportunities to turn the conversation to Jesus and share the Good News. By watching us, our children learned to speak to others about Jesus in a natural way.
Sharing the Gospel
As a family, we prayed for the lost and for opportunities to share the Gospel with them. When we did our history coop together with the Nolette family, both families prayed together for the lost and for opportunities to share the Gospel.
One year, six of the children from both families ended up on the same soccer team and the coach was unsaved. We began to storm heaven with our prayers. All the kids, especially, Jenny Rose, invited him to church at every practice and every game. Finally, he gave in. Two years later, he's accepted Jesus and is part of his church. Now, his entire family is starting to come to church too and we are praying for each one to come to know Jesus in a personal way.
We taught this to our children over and over. Then we role played sharing the Gospel with people. I would pretend to be a little child on the playground and we would role play a conversation that might lead up to a chance to share the Gospel. We did this many times for several years until our children were confident sharing the Gospel.
Mike and I modeled sharing the Gospel in our daily lives when our children were with us. We looked for opportunities to turn the conversation to Jesus and share the Good News. By watching us, our children learned to speak to others about Jesus in a natural way.
Sharing the Gospel
As a family, we prayed for the lost and for opportunities to share the Gospel with them. When we did our history coop together with the Nolette family, both families prayed together for the lost and for opportunities to share the Gospel.
One year, six of the children from both families ended up on the same soccer team and the coach was unsaved. We began to storm heaven with our prayers. All the kids, especially, Jenny Rose, invited him to church at every practice and every game. Finally, he gave in. Two years later, he's accepted Jesus and is part of his church. Now, his entire family is starting to come to church too and we are praying for each one to come to know Jesus in a personal way.
Coach regularly thanks Jenny Rose for "nagging him to death about coming to church." He is a different person, calmer, full of peace. Even his face looks different. Jesus truly changes lives! This was such an amazing opportunity for us to share the Gospel with someone that we loved and cared about. Best of all, the six Curtis and Nolette children were winning the lost, fulfilling the Great Commission.
When we share the Gospel with people, it is not just our desire that they receive Christ. Yes, we want them to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, but we also want them to walk everyday for the rest of their lives fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We want to make disciples, not just converts. So, we talk to non-Christians not just about the Gospel, but about serving the Lord and living the Christian life. We talk about things like repentance, sin, holiness, obedience, purity. Really? In this day and age? Yes, we do! The Bible is still true! So, we share truth with those who are future disciples of Jesus.
According to Matthew 18:18-20, making disciples involves three things: going, baptizing, and teaching. To "go" means to be proactive in seeking to share your faith and teach. We don't wait for people to come to us, we go to them with boldness and love. To "baptize" comes into play when we lead someone to Christ and they are baptized into a local church. To "teach" is the largest, most consuming part of making disicples. If you look at our verse, you'll see that we are to teach EVERYTHING Jesus commanded. Wow! That's a truckload of Bible knowledge and practical application to pass on! When someone gets saved, start with the basics: reading the Bible, obedience, prayer, worship, fellowship, and witnessing. Then move on to other topics.
Your children can teach other children these basic principles. My little ones have taught their friends how to have a Quiet Time. Your child can be a teacher too!
When we share the Gospel with people, it is not just our desire that they receive Christ. Yes, we want them to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, but we also want them to walk everyday for the rest of their lives fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We want to make disciples, not just converts. So, we talk to non-Christians not just about the Gospel, but about serving the Lord and living the Christian life. We talk about things like repentance, sin, holiness, obedience, purity. Really? In this day and age? Yes, we do! The Bible is still true! So, we share truth with those who are future disciples of Jesus.
According to Matthew 18:18-20, making disciples involves three things: going, baptizing, and teaching. To "go" means to be proactive in seeking to share your faith and teach. We don't wait for people to come to us, we go to them with boldness and love. To "baptize" comes into play when we lead someone to Christ and they are baptized into a local church. To "teach" is the largest, most consuming part of making disicples. If you look at our verse, you'll see that we are to teach EVERYTHING Jesus commanded. Wow! That's a truckload of Bible knowledge and practical application to pass on! When someone gets saved, start with the basics: reading the Bible, obedience, prayer, worship, fellowship, and witnessing. Then move on to other topics.
Your children can teach other children these basic principles. My little ones have taught their friends how to have a Quiet Time. Your child can be a teacher too!
Your family may expand this ministry of witnessing and making disciples to other nations by inviting international students from a nearby college or university to spend time or eat meals in your home. Or you might save up some money and go on a short-term mission trip together as a family.
As you look at our call to fulfill the Great Commission, know that your family can make disciples of the nations, starting right in your own home and moving on to the city where you live. Let's live for His glory!
If you are looking for practical advice about homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
Happy Disciple Making with your Family!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
As you look at our call to fulfill the Great Commission, know that your family can make disciples of the nations, starting right in your own home and moving on to the city where you live. Let's live for His glory!
If you are looking for practical advice about homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
Happy Disciple Making with your Family!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
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