Why We Need to Disciple Our Kids

If there’s one question children love to ask, it’s simply, “Why?” And most of the time, it’s a question they give to delay the inevitable. A simple request to clean their room or put away the dishes is met with a strategic “Why?” To which your response may be, “Because I said so.” 

 

Because God Said So

 

When we are faced with a question like “Why do we need to disciple our kids?” we shouldn’t be surprised with the response our Father gives us. We disciple our kids simply because God’s Word commands it. Out of love, God has chosen you to be a disciple-maker in your child’s life. In fact, every follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple-maker. 

 

In Matthew 28—after Jesus’s resurrection and before He ascended into heaven—Jesus gave us what is called the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (verse 19). The Great Commission is all about discipleship and how we’re supposed to do it. Therefore it is God’s Word that commands us to disciple our children. 

 

God’s Authority

 

The Great Commission shows us that our discipleship efforts should stem from one essential truth: the reality of Jesus’s authority over our lives. In Matthew 28, Jesus makes a marvelous proclamation that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth (verse 18). 

 

Jesus’s authority was ultimately displayed in His resurrection (Matthew 28:6). Though Jesus knew no sin, He went to the cross in our place to save us from our sin. By being raised on the third day, Jesus defeated death and released us from its power.

 

Jesus’s resurrection secured for us peace with God and eternal life with Him. Through this, He not only proved His authority, but also His love for us. Therefore, Jesus is worthy of our worship (Philippians 2:6–11)! Jesus’s authority and love are the driving forces in our lives. It’s what drives us to disciple our children. 

 

But Jesus’s authority not only drives us to make disciples, it’s also what allows us to make disciples in the first place. Jesus’s Great Commission ends with the comforting promise that He will be with us always (verse 20). His presence is made possible through the pouring out of His Spirit in our lives. 

 

As we share the gospel with our children, we can rest knowing that it is ultimately God who will do the saving work in their hearts. The Lord’s presence goes before us and is at work within us as we disciple our children (Ephesians 3:20–21). 

 

God’s Command

 

Because Jesus has all authority, He is worthy of our obedience to His Word. Therefore, the purpose of your parenting is to point your kids to Jesus’s eternal love—to make other worshippers of Him who love Him above everything else.Your family is an instrument of God used for the purpose of developing spiritual growth in your children. And as a parent, your mission field is your home—it is wherever you gather with your family. Don’t underestimate how God can work through you to make disciples of your children.

 

We have all that we need in God’s Word to know how to disciple our children. The Great Commission tells us exactly how we should disciple: by going, baptizing, and teaching (verses 19–20). We are to instruct our children on how to live a life conformed to His Word. 

 

As we learn from God’s Word, we are to pass that knowledge on to our children. We are to teach them the boundaries of God’s commandments, while also showing them the freedom of living under His Word. We are to teach them the consequences of sin, while also showing them God’s grace and forgiveness. 

 

So I leave you with this charge: to repeat God’s Word “to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Seek to disciple your kids in every situation, both big and small. Every day presents itself with an opportunity to point your kids to Christ’s eternal love.