From the Home to the World

Taigen Joos

We all know the importance of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). Going into all the world to proclaim the gospel does not only mean crossing oceans or national borders; it also includes going into your home. Christian families often contain lost people—namely, children—who need to be evangelized, discipled, and sent out for the sake of the gospel. For Christian parents our first “mission field” is within the four walls of our home. Our children need to be saved, and we are commissioned by Christ to make disciples of them. How can we be better “salt and light” to our children to reach them for Christ and further train them for future ministry? Consider the following.

FOUNDATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Parents Must Be Healthy Disciples. Parents cannot spiritually lead their children to places they have not been themselves. Therefore, both husbands and wives need to spend time daily with the Lord in the Word of God and prayer. They must allow Scripture to shape their own thoughts, speech patterns, habits, and affections, so that they can more effectively lead their own children. Parents should do things such as read the entire Bible, study a book of the Bible that they have never studied before, memorize Scripture, and learn to pray in response to the Word of God. When parents allow the Scriptures to shape them and mature them in the faith (2 Tim. 3:16–17), their children will see the importance of the Word of God themselves.