Discipleship as it relates to stages of development

Rich and faithful discipleship should be the hallmark of every Christian home. For most parents it is something that is a genuine desire but often elusive and never fully integrated into family life.

As parents we feel guilty when discipleship is lacking in our homes, but that guilt doesn’t always propel us to get out of our personal comfort zone and make it a reality. It’s often all too easy to pass that responsibility on to the Sunday School teacher or youth director, eventually absolving ourselves of spiritually leading and discipling our children altogether.

In the next few posts, we hope to encourage, motivate, and equip you in this critical discipline of the faith.

Your Authorization

Did you know that you are authorized by God to train and disciple your own children?

Actually it is an assigned job uniquely given to you by God and one that you are not only commanded to do, but one you will be held accountable for. That is a sobering reality!

Both the old and new testaments speak to this authorization:

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Ephesians 6:4 - And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Deut. 6:6-9 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It’s important to recognize that these scriptures are written in the imperative. They are actually commands and not suggestions for our consideration. While the style and means by which a family chooses to live these mandates may be diverse, they are still non-negotiable.

These scriptures speak directly to the parent - and perhaps more specifically to the fathers. As parents there is a unique authority given to us by God in the parent-child relationship. While your children are young and impressionable, there is no one whose words wield greater impact and importance than yours. Your words are weighty! They have the power to change a young heart for eternity (and not to mention future generations). This kind of influence is a gift from God. Take full advantage of it.

These scriptures describe discipleship as an endeavor of full immersion. The parent is saturating his child’s life with the things of God. The parent is discussing, teaching, showing and living the Word daily with their child. This is a natural but very intentional process.

If you have time to do some digging into these verses, you will find that the Hebrew and Greek translations describe a window of time that is optimal for this kind of discipleship. It points to being initiated in the very earliest years and then carried out throughout a child’s youth. It describes a very direct and even intense period of training and discipleship - and again, a sense of full immersion. In this 4 part series, we will share numerous and practical ways to live out these commands according to the ages and stages of your child’s development.

What is discipleship?

Discipleship is the relationship between a teacher (discipler) and student (disciple). It is the act of someone intentionally impacting the life of another in the direction of Christlikeness.

By looking at Jesus’ ministry and the early church we see that discipleship involved training a disciple in three distinct ways :




We hope this helps guide you in creating a framework of faithful discipleship with your own children. In the next posts we will discuss more practical ways you can fulfill your call to family discipleship.

Tags: discipleship, godliness, guilt, home life, confidence, inadequacy, influence, parent-child relationship, prayer, intentionality, motivation, parental authority, priorities, spiritual leadership, wisdom