Family discipleship: What God intended
Many people in this day and age expect churches to be full service discipleship centers. From the moment a child is signed into Sunday morning childcare until the time they graduate from high school an expectation of church discipleship exists.
Some parents may never have a meaningful prayer time or discussion of spiritual things with their children, yet still expect fully formed followers of Christ at age 18. Why? Because the children and their student pastor are supposed to be having these discussions. The parents feed the kids and make sure they are educated. The church leaders are responsible for discipleship.
This seems to be a common line of thinking even if unspoken.
To be sure, the Bible does teach believers to help guide one another in walking with God. The process of teaching prayer, Bible study, evangelism, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines to believers is usually called discipleship. The word derives from the word for learner.
Whose responsibility, then, is the discipleship of children? Primarily it is the responsibility of the parents.
Think about that early Jewish Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:7, which reads, “Repeat [these words] 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.”
Ephesians 5 makes it clear that parents are to raise their children in the “nurture and teaching of the Lord” (v. 18). Nowhere is this responsibility delegated to any other spiritual leader. This is not to say pastors, elders, or teachers have no role, but the primary responsibility of spiritual guidance in a child’s life belongs to the parents.
One of the exciting things about Bible Studies for Life is how it aids parents in this task.
In many churches, the adults are studying one thing in small groups, their teen aged students study something else, and their elementary aged children still something else. Everyone is studying different concepts, making conversation between parents and children difficult to navigate.
Bible Studies for Life helps parents initiate spiritual conversations with their kids through a tool called “One Conversation.” Imagine moms and dads knowing exactly what their family members are studying in the Bible each week, and knowing how to start a conversation with their kids about life and truth. Even more, if moms and dads use Bible Studies for Life in their small groups, then the whole family actually studies the same biblical concepts each week
Think about the benefits to this: the entire family can engage in one conversation, group leaders can be assured they are not solely responsible for spiritual growth, pastors are confident the families of the church are learning together, and children are discipled by their parents while learning the pattern they need to successfully disciple as parents.
Needless to say this will take a new way of thinking for many parents, but while the whole concept of parental discipleship of children will be new for many, the joys are amazing and eternal.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
A Myriad Of Things
I have a myriad of things on my heart to share with you as we begin this new week. I will be straight and to the point.
Leaving for Holy Land
This week, Jeana and I will be leading 39 of our people into a biblical, historical, and spiritual experience in the Holy Land, the land of Israel. Please know we work with the Discovery Worldwide Ministries and their office in Israel is assuring us that all is safe. While travel into a couple of areas is restrictive, our tour is not going into those places anyway. We will not be in Bethlehem or the Gaza Strip. Regardless, please pray for our safety.
Remember, on the day we enter in the Garden of Gethsemane, we will be praying by name for hundreds of you. Join us in intercession from the other side of the world.
We leave today, and will be returning on Wednesday, March 13. Until then, please know all is in great hands and the Cross Church Sunday worship experiences will be great!
Dr. Jeff Crawford is preaching Sunday
Dr. Jeff Crawford, our Teaching Pastor and President of our Cross Church School of Ministry will be preaching Sunday morning at our Springdale and Pinnacle Hills services. Dr. Crawford, Dr. Nick Floyd, Dr. Andy Goode, and Doug Sarver will all be preaching from Acts 2:41-47 at each of our campuses. In fact, we will be in this passage not only on March 10, but also March 17. Pray for all of these preachers of God’s Word!
This Sunday is Time Change Sunday . . . move your clocks forward!
Sunday, March 10 is time change Sunday, the one where you move your clocks FORWARD ONE HOUR on Saturday night before you go to bed.
Therefore, get ready for it and be wise! Plan to show up on time and fired up, supporting our leaders with all you have!
Passion Week, March 24th through March 31st will be dynamic!
Starting on Sunday, March 24, Cross Church will the marking the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for eight consecutive days. Join us these eight days as we walk through the final days of Jesus’ life. I encourage you to attend as many of these events as possible – you will not regret it.
Here is a brief schedule of Passion Week events:
Sunday, March 24 – Worship services at each campus, “The Lord’s Supper: Remembering the Gospel of Jesus Christ” from Matthew 26:17-30
Monday, March 25 – Friday, March 29: Passion Week Luncheons at our Pinnacle Hills campus. Join us from 11:50 a.m.–12:50 p.m. for lunch, a time of worship, and a message that will highlight a key moment in the final week of Christ. Each day will hold a new message, so please attend as many as you can.
Monday, March 25: “The Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus Christ Preparing to Die”
Tuesday, March 26: “The Betrayal of Judas and the Kiss of Death”
Wednesday, March 27: “The Denials of Peter and his Deep Regret”
Thursday, March 28: “The Scourging of Christ and the Final Hours Before His Death”
Friday, March 29: “The Crucifixion and The Death of Jesus Christ”
Friday Night, March 29: “The Death and Burial of Jesus Christ.” This will be a powerful evening of music, worship, and reflection at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills with special guest music from the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.
Saturday Night, March 30, and Sunday Morning, March 31: “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ From The Dead” from Matthew 27:62-65; 28:1-15.
Make Christ FIRST in March!
I do hope that you will make March a month when the Lord Jesus Christ is first in everything! Make Him first in:
*Devotion each day
*Worship at church weekly
*Serving through your church
*Giving the first tenth of all God has given to you through Cross Church
*Living moment-by-moment with Jesus being first!
Jesus is Lord!
Ronnie Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.