Most Important Church

I know so many people, being one of them, that grew up in church but never had a true understanding of who God is, what Jesus did, and what the gospel is.

I was never taught those things at home.  It was understood that I since I went to church every Sunday, I knew the Bible.

Many want to blame it on the teachings of the church.  But here, I think we're off.

If your kid gets one hour a week of church, no matter how solid that teaching is, it will not make up for the other 167 hours.  And those 167 are absolutely filled with contradictions.

As a parent, we're called to teach and train our children.
As a parent, we're called to share with them the goodness of God as we sit, lie, rise, and walk.

So often we know it, but we don't do it.

Instead, we expect the church to produce saints in their very limited time frame.
We expect our church to shepherd and guide, rebuke and discipline, teach and lead.

If children are a gift from God, are we treating them as such?

Are we viewing them through the eyes of Christ or do we see them as mere inconveniences to our will and wants?

I found myself being baptized at eight with no real regard to who I was in light of Christ and who God said He was in the Bible.  One hour a week wasn't enough to cut it.

At 26, I found myself entering those waters again, this time with a heart of flesh and deep love for the Lord.

So it is with our kids.  The more we invite Christ to be a part of our seemingly mundane, ordinary days, the more we see the extraordinary.  We have more of an opportunity to watch the Holy Spirit work in our little ones who, by nature, are children of wrath

It's not easy. 
Some days it will seem impossible.

But in all moments, we have a Heavenly Father who walks with us. 
We have been given grace upon grace through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
We have our Helper, the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things.

Be the church in your own home.  Share the good news of Jesus's redeeming work in all you do with your kids.  The Lord is indeed faithful, whether they receive salvation at age 8 or 28.