How to Lead your Child to Christ

Are you one of these parents?

Many Christian parents want their children to start a relationship with Jesus but don’t know how to introduce their children to the saving truth of Jesus Christ or invite them into relationship with Him.

Christians call the truth about Jesus the “Good News” or “Gospel” truth. Our children need this truth for their salvation, just like we do.

Some Christian parents accepted Jesus’ gifts of a relationship with Him now in this life and for eternal life as adults. That decision still resonates in these parents’ minds, fresh and clear. But many Christian parents made the decision to follow Jesus when they were children and can’t recall what the person who shared the truth about Jesus said and how they presented that truth.

No matter what age we accepted the truth about Jesus, we all need Jesus and we are responsible to help our children see their need for Him!

Sadly, the majority of Christian parents have never been trained and simply wait for church leadership to tell their children the Good News and invite them into a relationship with Him.

Most parents who choose to outsource their children’s spiritual leadership to their church leaders don’t give their children’s salvation a second thought. These parents assume their children will hear the truth and accept it because they’ve “set them up for success” by taking them to church.

Let’s let this truth sink in: attending church doesn’t make us a Christian any more than standing in a bakery makes us a donut.

We attend church as an act of obedience because of our faith in Jesus, not to earn or gain it.

I love and serve the local Christian church! I respect it as the institution God put into place to bring His people together to remember Who He is through worship and to encourage His people to live for Him throughout the week.

However, God tasked parents as their children’s primary evangelists and disciple-makers, not the church.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says,

 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 

Repeat them again and again to your children.

Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The church exists to supplement parents’ spiritual training of their children, not replace it.

Church is a vitamin for the spiritual meals we should be feeding our children at home.

Many church attending parents don’t share the truth about Jesus with their children because they’ve not accepted it for themselves.

Remember you’re not a Christian simply because you attend church. It’s about accepting the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, believing that we need God’s gifts of Jesus, forgiveness, and eternal life, and committing our lives to His control instead of our own.

Many parents know the truth about Jesus and would say they believe it but haven’t committed their lives to God’s control and leadership. Many believers call this the 18 inch drop – the approximate distance from your mind to your heart.

If parents haven’t made this decision, why would they understand their children need to make this decision? Why would they understand that people must be invited into this deeper, saving relationship with Jesus?

So, today you have two challenges.

First, ask yourself, have I truly made the decision to commit my life to God’s control and leadership, believing God raised Jesus from the dead, and is preparing a place for me to be with Him eternally? If not, today’s your day.

Second, make time this week to take your children through “How to Share the Good News About Jesus With Your Children”, a free resource. You can download it as a Word document and personalize and print it. You can also simply read through it and print off the PDFs to help you as you talk with your children. No matter how you do it, remember it’s your responsibility to share this truth with your children. You can seek help from your church, but ultimately, God gave this honor to you.

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