TVLand Families

Parenting = Discipleship !!!!!!!!!

6/8/08 AM
Pastor Brad Dyrness
Sparks Nazarene Church

Someone once said that discipleship is helping someone develop in their spiritual walk…                       
This could be said of parenting as well. 

Prov. 22:6   Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will… (Hebrew-not be without) still do right.

Not a promise of their spiritual condition but of a lifetime of influence. 

To comfort ourselves with a false hope about our child’s spiritual condition is to keep silent in prayer and in person for that person’s spiritual destiny.

Colossians 3:16, 20-21

Making Disciples is more than a “Transfer of Biblical Knowledge”, it is a “Commitment to Spiritual Parenting”  Hal Perkins

There clearly are two things at play here: 

The Disciple – in today’s conversation the Child and…

The Discipler – the Parent. 

To those who want to be learners.

To be a learner, and in the spiritual context to be discipled, there are responsibilities on the part of the one learning…

Colossians 3…

Vs 1.. If you’re serious about this new life – ACT LIKE IT. 

Choose to respond!

Vs 8 Rid yourself of things that will hold you back..

A life shaped by feelings instead of God.

            V 10 Choose to receive the new outfit! 

Embrace the things that will help you grow.

            Vs 17 All of life.  Make it real!

To the discipler…

The three levels of Authority that Jesus used in His discipling of those around him.

If Jesus Were A Parent…  by Hal Perkins.

1.  Relational Authority - having a sufficiently caring relationship with your children as to naturally and significantly influence them. Vss 14 &  21.

Grace – is the face that love wears as it looks at failures and imperfections.

Share what we know – vs 13 forgiveness, vs 15 peace,

2.  Rational Authority - The ability to reason, explain, and persuade them toward the – Truth. Vs 16

John 1:14  - We are called to live truth and to speak truth.

Where Grace exists – Truth is heard!!!!!!

3.  Positional Authority - The delegated responsibility by God to care for others, including the responsibility to govern behavior.  – Law/Rules  Vs 20

Jesus is LORD – He made that clear with the disciples after He built a relationship and revealed truth.

Parenting with only positional authority often results in rebellion. 

Who will establish an obedient heart in your child?

There is a time when we lay aside positional authority and offer truth when it is asked for… but there is never a time when we lay aside the loving relationship.