Fourth, model for your children every day what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
This point is not in consecutive order, as you want to be an example of a faithful and obedient follower of Christ from your children’s births. That example will help them be more open to the Gospel message, and it will help them better understand how to live out what you teach them from the Bible. Your example, as imperfect as it will be, will help them to learn how to walk through life as a child of God in good times and in bad, in plenty and in scarcity, when challenged and when comfortable. Your faithfulness to God will help them interpret how to apply God’s Word to their own lives.
Fifth, equip your children to be ambassadors for Christ.
Specifically teach your children how to share the Gospel so they will be able to share it with others in their lives. Few parents even consider equipping their children to be ambassadors for Christ, but that is what He calls each of us to be (2 Cor. 5:18-20). If you don’t equip them in how to share the Gospel, who will?
Sixth, help your children become fully connected with their “other family,” the family of God.
The church will be a major influence and vital part of the lives of your children for their entire lives. Help them to understand how God has adopted them into His own family, and that they have their own important place within that family. Help your children to discover their spiritual gifts and find effective ways to put them to use within the body of Christ. And help your children benefit from the priceless fellowship, love, and nurture they can receive (and give) from their church family.
These are a few basic but important steps for parents to take in their “ministry of parenting.” Make it your single greatest assignment as a parent to lead your own children into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, and then commit yourselves to teach them how to grow up in Christ so that they can live as mature ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Doing this will be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever accomplish with your life.
This article originally appeared here.
