The Great Commission for Homeschool Moms
As Moms, we, like all Christians around the world, are called to make disciples.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28: 18-20, NASB).
Jesus didn’t tell His followers to make converts, but to make disciples that would walk with Him and walk in His ways.
- We are to GO. That is active, purposeful.
- We are to BAPTIZE. We lead people to Christ and facilitate a born-again experience with God.
- We TEACH. We don’t teach just a few things; we teach EVERYTHING Jesus has taught us.
The most important disciples we will ever make are our children. So how do we impact their young lives for the glory of God?
Love
Living the Christian life boils down to loving Jesus and letting Him love and serve others through us. This is how Jesus made disciples.
First, Jesus loved His Father and loved the people around Him. Second, Jesus loved His Father, loved the people around Him, and His disciples that were with Him. Third, the disciples loved the Lord, loved the people around them, and Jesus was with them. Fourth, Jesus sent the disciples on trial runs to love the Lord, and love the people around them.
Love Jesus, Wholeheartedly
First, love Jesus. Set aside time, daily, to meet with Him, read His Word, pour your heart out to Him, and worship. Love other people. Plug into your local church and use your gifts to serve others.
I talk about Jesus to my children, not lecture them. I just tell them what Jesus is doing in my life and what He’s teaching me. It lays a foundation for them to share with me.
Be real. No one is perfect. Our only hope to live the Christian life is relying on Jesus, moment by moment.
Let Your Children See You Love Jesus
Let your children be with you as you love Jesus and love people. Take them with you as you worship to a new CD, read the Bible, deliver a casserole to a new mom, or pray for people at church.
If you don’t enjoy being with your children, pray that God will change your heart. Jesus was with His disciples 24/7 and it changed their lives. Your love and presence changes your children, too.
Let Your Children Love Jesus and Be With Them, Cheering Them On!
Let your children love Jesus and serve Him while you are there. Do ministry together. Pray and read the Bible together. Let them lead a Bible study while you are part of the group.
Two of my daughters sang on the worship team with me and have blossomed as singers, songwriters, and musicians.
Send Them Out on Trial Runs
Give your children opportunities to love Jesus and to serve others. By the time they are in high school, all my children are involved in ministry. They teach Sunday school, do PowerPoint, serve in sound, or mentor younger kids. I chat with them about their relationship with the Lord and ministry. I give them freedom to be honest, and help them gently to grow as a disciple.
Now we are peers, brothers and sisters, loving Jesus, and serving in His Kingdom.
Is This Impossible?
You may think this is impossible. Is it? Well, go back to the Bible verses and notice that the command is sandwiched between two promises.
The first promise is that He has all authority. That means when we pray, He can change even impossible situations, transform hearts, and do miracles in our children’s lives.
The second promise is that He is with us. Jesus is in us and we are in Him! He fills us to overflowing as we surrender to Him. If we abide in Him, His love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and JOY overflow in and through our lives.
Jesus loves our children through us as we yield to Him. Isn’t that wonderful?!
For More Encouragement
Here are more posts to encourage and equip you to homeschool with joy and success.
How Can a Homeschooling Family Make Disciples I (http://www.meredithcurtis.com/blog/how-can-homeschooling-families-make-disciples-i)
Raise World Changers (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog/raise-world-changers)
Homeschooling: How to Get Started (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog/homeschooling-how-to-get-started)
God bless you as make disciples with your blessings!
Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Joyful and Successful Homeschooling (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/joyfulhomeschool.html), and A Wise Woman Builds Bible Study. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com (http://www.powerlineprod.com). Free reading lists (http://www.joyfulandsuccessfulhomeschooling.com/books/reading-lists/) for all ages are available at JSHomeschooling.com (http://www.joyfulandsuccessfulhomeschooling.com/). Read her blogs at MeredithCurtis.com (http://www.meredithcurtis.com/blog) and PowerlineProd.com (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog) and listen to her at Finish Well Radio (http://ultimateradioshow.com/finish-well/).
