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Throughout Scripture we see that God has called parents to share God’s Word and His ways with their children. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says,
Hear, O Israel: ‘The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your house and on your gates.’
NIV
Family Discipleship
Numerous other passages declare the same truth: Parents are to be the primary means by which spiritual truth is passed on to the next generation. (Deuteronomy 11:19, Deuteronomy 4:9, Psalm 78:1-8, Exodus 13:14, Joshua 4:6-7, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 1:8, Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21)
Andreas J Kostenberger writes,
The Pentateuch, the Old Testament historical books, and the book of Psalms are pervaded by the consciousness that parents must pass on their religious heritage to their children. God’s express will for his people Israel is still his will for God’s people in the church today. Christian parents have the mandate and serious obligation to instill their religious heritage in their children. This heritage centers on the personal experience of God’s deliverance from sin and his revelation in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death for us on the cross. Christian parents ought to take every opportunity to speak about these all-important matters with their children and to express and impart to their children personal gratitude for what God has done. While there may be Christian Sunday school teachers and other significant teachers in a child’s life, parents must never go back on their God-given responsibility to be the primary source of religious instruction for their children.
Andreas J Kostenberger, God, Marriage, and Family
Christian parents have been gifted the task of discipling their children but it often feels like a daunting task. Below are some family discipleship resources to assist Christian parents in shepherding their children and pointing them to Jesus Christ.
General Resources for Family Discipleship
- Family Worship
- Family-Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God
- Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes
- Wise Words for Moms
- Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training
- Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship
Bible Story Resources
Resources for Teaching Christian Doctrine
- Leading Little Ones to God
- Training Hearts, Teaching Minds
- Comforting Hearts, Teaching Minds
- Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God
- The Westminster Shorter Catechism
- Truth and Grace Memory books
Apologetic/Answering Difficult Questions
- The Answers Book for Kids, 8 volumes
- Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions, 2 volumes
- How Do We Know the Bible is True?, 2 volumes
- Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Build a Lasting Faith
- Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies
- Mama Bear Apologetics: Guide to Sexuality
The mini-books below are also a wonderful resource to prepare you for challenging situations that your child might encounter.
LifeLineMiniBooks.com
Find all the LifeLine mini-books on their website.
- Help! My Teen is Depressed
- Help! My Teen is Being Bullied
- Help! My Child Has a Disability
- Help! My Friend is Suicidal
- Help! My Kids Are Viewing Pornography
- Help! My Teen is Rebellious
- Help! My Teen Struggles with Same-Sex Attraction
- Help! My Toddler Rules the House
Resources for Changing Lives from P&R Publishing
Find all the booklets in this series on the P&R website.
- OCD: Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- ADD: Wandering Minds and Wired Bodies
- Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good
- Why Worry? Getting to the Heart of Your Anxiety
- Homosexuality: Speaking the Truth in Love
- Teens and Sex: How Should We Teach Them?
Family Discipleship Podcast Episodes
Several Homeschool Mom Podcast episodes have been dedicated to helping moms disciple their children. You can listen to them on your favorite podcast platform or click the links below to listen on my website.
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