Stand Firm & Don’t Miss This Moment 

Stand Firm & Don’t Miss This Moment 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:13

It’s hard to believe that Seeds Kids Worship has been serving families and churches for 20 years! It all began at our local church while writing original scripture songs for a Vacation Bible School. Now 20 Albums and over 200 worship songs and videos later, we have been able to help two generations of kids sing God’s Word and store it in their hearts. 

The album we recorded this past year is called The Armor of God – based on the passages in Ephesians 6. Whenever we are writing and recording scripture music, we meditate on the verses as we listen to them over and over. The theme that resonated in our hearts as we created these songs was the need for kids and parents to be encouraged to “stand firm” in the battle. 

This generation is growing up in a culture like none before it due to the influence of technology, social media and overarching post-Christian culture in America. We need to embrace the fact that there are groups in our current culture with an agenda to teach anti-biblical ideologies to our children. They are literally gathering in city streets and shouting “we’re coming for your children”. However as Jesus’ followers, we do not need to be fearful, instead we need to be intentional and prepare our kids and their parents to face these lies head on with the truth from God’s Word. We need to empower parents to go against a culture that is centered on raising children focused on accomplishments, sports, academics, sexual identity and entertainment instead of centered in a relationship with Jesus.  

We want to help parents know how critical the younger years of a child’s life are in their development. We want young parents to understand that a child’s worldview is formed by the age of 13 and inspire them to turn their own hearts towards home. The Church is called to equip parents to be purposeful in teaching their children God’s truth during their formative years. 

Our message as a ministry to parents and to us as Children’s Ministry Leaders is this….don’t miss this moment. 

So How Do We Help Our Families Stand Firm and Impact Their Children With the Gospel? 

We need to help families learn the blueprint given to us in Deuteronomy 6, which is The Great Commission before The Great Commission. 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

These truths need to be the foundation stones of every Christian home. 

Foundation Stone #1: Commit: There Is Only One God 

• Like in Moses’ time, people are pursuing many other Gods, including the god of self.  

• This is a call to families to put a stake in the ground and say that “there is no other God besides our God”.

 Foundation Stone #2: Disciple Parents To Love God and Know His Word.  

• Training for the battle of the hearts of the next generation begins with parents. We need to disciple parents to make their relationship with Jesus the priority in their own lives and to seek God in His Word. 

• As a church, we need to consider new ways of “parent discipleship”. Parents need to be genuine disciples of Jesus in order to pass their faith to their children. 

Foundation Stone #3: Teach Them Diligently: Have a Strategy 

• We need to help parents develop a strategy for how they plan to pass their faith to their children. 

• We encourage every Christian family to have a Spiritual Family Night. This can be accomplished in many ways, but it needs to be an intentional and scheduled time where children learn and discuss God’s Word and apply it to their lives.

•  Encourage parents to regularly pray together for their children. Teach them how to use the prayers Paul prayed for his disciples as models for prayers for their children.

• Christian parents need to understand that the greatest opportunity for their children to have an authentic relationship with Jesus is through them. 

Foundation Stone #4: Equip Parents to Disciple Their Children

• This strategy involves creating a culture where parents understand these passages from Deuteronomy 6 and realign their parenting and the rhythm of their family with them. 

• If needed in your church community,  change the culture from Children’s Ministry leaders taking the lead in the discipleship of children to the parents stepping into that role.  God’s plan is for the church community to support parents in to teach their own children to trust and follow Jesus. 

 Families desperately need us as ministry leaders to help them take up the whole armor of God so they can stand firm in the midst of the spiritual battles and darkness surrounding them. It is an incredibly important moment in time for us as a church to come alongside families in ways we haven’t in previous generations…so we want to encourage every one of you that is serving children and parents…don’t miss this moment!