5 Ways to Encourage Christian Disciplines in Your Kids

Before just getting a list of “to-dos,” it is vital for us to know the goal. What is the mission?

Here is what Jesus said in Matthew 20:18-20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

The goal is to make disciples. The 4-14 window of age is one of the most fruitful times for a child to place their faith in Jesus. Young people matter.

Barna Research Group says, “Roughly seven out of ten Americans adults (71%) had a period of time during their childhood when they regularly attended a Christian church. Apparently, old habits die hard: a majority of those who attended church as a youngster still attend regularly today (61%).”

This is not to say that our faith is dependent upon our church communities, but they do play a major role. However, the discipleship that takes place in the home is even more important. It is there where children see faith and sin modeled. How do we handle when we are wrong? Do we acknowledge and repent of our sin in front of our children? Do we model grace and forgiveness? Do we show the unconditional love of Christ? Do we discipline with the kindness of the Father?

The moment that we have a child enter our home is the moment when that specific child becomes a mission for us to share Jesus with regularly. God has entrusted a soul into our care to reveal His gospel and His Word. This is a great responsibility and a beautiful privilege.

Our Goal: To make disciples

We do this by sharing and showing the gospel of Jesus to our children.

1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Kids are inquisitive. If you have spent any time with young people, they are constantly learning about the world around them. They love to ask questions. They love to gain understanding. This is a great quality. This is honestly a reason that I believe Jesus said we are to be like little children, because they are so willing and ready to learn.

This means that we need to be prepared to give answers for the hope we have in Christ to them.

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How can we share something that we do not know or truly believe in ourselves?

There are many verses which you can teach your child. Some key Bible verses that I personally would recommend to be helpful and learn for memory would be:

Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Romans 3:23 - “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 14:6 - “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Acts 2:38 - “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

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If a child poses a deep theological question in the midst of prepping dinner or in the carpool line, we can feel overwhelmed. The weight and responsibility can cause us to blank and not know how to answer. Having a space for these questions in our regular rhythms can be helpful all around. By all means answer in the moment if you feel ready, but be ok with saying something like, “That is a great question. I am going to study more and let’s talk through this during our Bible study time.”

During your regular routine, have some intentional time for questions. Your child may not have any questions, or he might have so many that you have to put a number cap on it per day. The purpose is to show that we are learning together and seeking God.

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

This could be great to do in a bedtime routine, or when you wake up in the morning and read together. Perhaps you like having questions after school while eating a snack? You create the space, and the kids can bring the questions. You can even model questions and look to the Bible together for answers.

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Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is alive and active.

I have a dear friend who reads a Proverb every day with her son from the Bible. He is now two years old and looks forward to sitting down and listening to his mother read a Proverb (she started when he was an infant.)

So often, we neglect the power of the Bible in young people’s lives. However if we believe that this Bible verse is true, this means that it is capable to speak to anyone. Maybe you want to incorporate a daily passage or verse?

I know another family who reflects on a Bible verse of the week that ties into a name of God. They study at the breakfast table together to start their day. They are instilling a routine of seeking the Lord in the morning and reflecting on His Word.

My husband and I love to do a bedtime routine with the Jesus Storybook Bible with our 10-month-old. This is never to replace the actual Bible, but is an example of sharing the overarching story of the Bible with young people. There are also amazing books called Tiny Theologians which answer challenging Spiritual concepts for little ones.

If your child is older or a teenager, try encouraging space and time with the Lord on their own. You could do family devotions, same room quiet time (but separate study), and then on their own. Mix it up! Show them and empower them to seek God as individuals. Children need to be empowered.

There are fantastic Bible Studies for teens that can be done individually or with a group of your child’s friends. I have another friend who has two tween daughters. She felt led to start a Bible Study with them and their closest friends. She was able to invest in her girls alongside their friends. They were taught the value in community and the girls could learn the discipline and weekly practice of getting in God’s Word and prayer. It grew their faith and their mom’s too.

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In Luke 11 we see a key passage; Jesus shows His disciples how to pray. One of the most valuable aspects of our faith that we can impart is prayer. We can teach young people how to pray.

Prayer does not need to be fancy words. (The pharisees learned that the hard way) Prayer is simply talking with God. We see Jesus model prayer in Luke 11, and we can learn a lot from how He prayed. Worship, allegiance, submission, petition, confession, and deliverance. We can incorporate these into our prayer times.

Also, the Bible tells us to pray without stopping. This means if you are driving down the road and see an ambulance, you could take that time to pray as you drive with your children in the car. This means when your kids have an audition or a tryout, you can pray. When you walk out in nature as a family you can pray, or when you sit down for a meal you can pray. 

Pray, pray, pray. Show them that prayer is part of living and is a continual conversation with the Lord throughout the day. Give them opportunities to pray out loud with you. So many people are afraid to pray out loud due to fear, but we can practice voicing what is in our hearts together in a safe space of home. When we do this, our children feel more empowered to speak to God out loud or in public settings.

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It is amazing that our children can witness us sharing the gospel with others. Then, if our child accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, they will have seen it modeled. They will have seen the joy of sharing that with others and become little missionaries themselves.

The best way is for them to be with us as we share. This means that we bring them along for outreach opportunities, street prayer, serving the physical needs of our communities, going on a mission trip together as a family, and having spiritual conversations with others while our kids are listening. We get to train them up to go out. We get to invite them into the work of God and equip them and send them out into their schools, activities, social settings, and neighborhoods as little lights for Christ.

One of the most impactful stories to me about the way Jesus viewed children in His ministry was the feeding of the 5,000 found in John 6.

John 6:9 says, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

There was a young boy who brought what he had to Jesus. It seemed small compared to the task at hand, but Christ in His might multiplied the five loaves and two fish to perform a huge miracle. Jesus invited and valued children in His ministry alongside of Him. He welcomed what they had to offer and we should do the same today.

I once had a conversation with my aunt who has raised four strong, believing children. I asked her what she did to share Christ in the home. She proceeded to tell me that they sang Bible songs and had fun learning about the Lord, but most of all she just invited spiritual conversation into what they did. One of the best things that we can do is see how God is working in the regular rhythms of life and redirect our children’s eyes to His glory.

As we model and teach our young people about Jesus, may we remember that we are imperfect and we will not do it right every time. However, God’s grace is sufficient in our encounters with children. We can pray and ask Him to help us model His ways and invite young people into His kingdom work. He cares deeply about them.

These are just a few ways to encourage Christian disciplines in your kids. Remember most of all that Jesus taught it is not about our outward works, but about our hearts. Although our decisions and outward choices will reflect our hearts, the most valuable lesson we can teach is Jesus’ great love and forgiveness for all of us because we are sinners and He frees us from our sin.

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