TEACH THEM HOLY SCRIPTURE AS A CHILD
2 Timothy 3:15 NLT
You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes from trusting in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15 NIV
How from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
I want to pass on to you one of the most vital and important things my wife and I did with our children to impact their hearts and lives for Jesus Christ. My wife and I taught our children Holy Scriptures from their very earliest ages. We sang them scripture songs as infants, and as soon as they could begin to speak words my wife put together a small notebook of scripture verses, and little by little, one phrase at a time, she began to help our little children memorize them. Truthfully, from my years of experience, it is one thing many, many Christian parents fail to do. Why? Because it takes self-discipline to do it. It takes you investing your time, and effort to teach your little children scriptures. It takes an unwavering conviction and belief in the power of God’s sacred word, that God’s word will not return to him void, without accomplishing the purpose for which he gave it.
This is what Timothy’s mother and grandmother understood about Scripture. But it is also what they understood about little children. They are like little sponges with an incredible ability to learn things at a very early age. Little children are by God’s design amazingly impressionable, and moldable, and pick up on things quite easily. Wise is the parent who uses this God-given gift, when their child is still very young, so trusting of mom and dad, to plant the seeds of scripture verses in their precious little hearts and minds when the soil of the heart is the most receptive. What you plant early and nurture, grows!
My wife deserves so much credit. She was laser-focused on training our children and impacting them spiritually. Absolutely nothing was more important to her! Kathy did it all with such a loving, kind, sweet spirit, that was so winsome and attractive to our children. The kids wanted to follow her. She was a great ambassador for Jesus Christ to them. She never allowed anything else to ever get in the way of this sacred mission. On her own initiative, she selected and wrote out Holy Scripture verses for our children to memorize in little notebooks. She wisely chose verses they could understand, which helped drive home things she was also trying to teach them. She helped instill in them a great respect for God and His word. She wisely had them learn to write, using Holy Scriptures as their earliest writing lessons. I would often go into their bedroom at night and sing scripture songs to them while playing my guitar. We also taught them many scripture/Bible-based songs to sing. Little children come to faith and trust in Christ very easily compared to adults. This is why Jesus said, Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Read these statistics and let them really sink in:
A survey cited by the International Bible Society indicated that 83% of Christians make their first commitment to Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14, that is, when they are children or early youth. Surveys done by the Barna Research Group indicate that American children ages 5 to 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Christ, but youth or teens aged 14 to 18 have only a 14% probability of doing so. Unbelieving adults age 19 and over have just a 6% probability of becoming Christians.
Read this passage, then ask, are you doing this? Deuteronomy 6:4-7
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to obey these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey {driving in your vehicle}, when you are lying down {bedtime} and when you are getting up again {breakfast table}.
My wife and I intentionally created a climate in our home, for our children, that nurtured faith in God, that softened and prepared their hearts to trust Christ as their Savior and to follow him as their Lord. They knew from infancy The Lord is our God! They saw us wholeheartedly commit ourselves to obey God’s commands. They often heard us talk about these things at home, in the car, when they went to bed, and at the beginning of their days.
Dads and moms, please do not miss this incredible insight into the spiritual formation of your children’s lives. It is imperative and Biblical to start at a very, very early age, teaching the Holy Scriptures to them. For grandparents reading this, please pass this article on to your own adult children, so they may be stirred to begin this practice with their own children. It is absolutely essential, if parents miss this, so much is lost.
Please share this profound message with your wives. They will have never heard anything quite like it. It is called The Divine Calling of Mothering. It will greatly inspire and encourage them.
https://strongdisciple.com/
*Special note: Dads, this message will help you understand the extreme importance of your wife’s mothering role. Please hear it. Pastors, this message will demonstrate to you how to envision, encourage and inspire the mothers in your congregations, as they greatly need your words of constant encouragement and inspiration.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
