53: Sharing the Gospel with Your Children

"Mama, how do I know if my name is written in the book of life?" When my young son asked me this question during our nightly Bible reading routine, I realized once again the profound responsibility we bear as Christian parents. Those innocent yet profound questions about salvation remind us that our children are spiritually curious and seeking answers about eternity.

The Great Commission wasn't just for missionaries traveling to distant lands—it starts within our own homes. As Deuteronomy 6 instructs, we're called to teach God's words diligently to our children, weaving biblical truth into everyday moments "when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." While Sunday school and youth group are wonderful resources, we parents must be prepared to directly share the gospel when those inevitable questions surface.

The beauty of the gospel lies in its simplicity. We don't need elaborate theological explanations or perfect prayers to introduce our children to Jesus. Like Paul told the Philippian jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Children between ages 4-14 are typically most receptive to spiritual truths, making this an opportune window for sharing salvation's message. Whether using the bridge analogy or simply explaining sin, forgiveness, and Jesus' sacrifice in age-appropriate terms, our consistent gospel-sharing plants seeds that God faithfully nurtures. When my own child whispered, "I think Jesus touched my heart, mama," I was reminded that while we faithfully share the message, ultimately only God can save through His Spirit's work. What conversations about Jesus might your children be ready for today?

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Episode Transcript

Leanne (00:50):
Mama?
How do I know if my name iswritten in the book of life?
What do I say to Jesus?
What are the words?
I was reading a Bible storybookto my twin boys, just like I do
every night.
When one of my darlings askedme these questions, I was taken
aback by his earnestness, andwhile he looked up at me with
genuine concern, I tried to sortout in my brain when we had

(01:14):
last discussed Revelation 20 andthe book of life, recovering as
quickly as I could.
I answered well, you simplyadmit to Jesus that you are a
sinner and in need of hisforgiveness, and then you invite
Jesus to be the Lord and Saviorof your life.
Just before Jesus ascended toheaven, he said these words,

(01:35):
recorded in the Gospel ofMatthew, that are now referred
to as the Great Commission.
Matthew 28, 19-20 says Go,therefore, and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and the
Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you, andbehold, I am with you, always,

(01:58):
to the end of the age.
As Christian parents, I believethis commission to make
disciples begins in our ownhomes, with the children that
God has entrusted to us.
Our greatest mission is to obeyGod's command in Deuteronomy 6,
5-7, which says you shall lovethe Lord, your God, with all

(02:18):
your heart and with all yoursoul and with all your might,
and these words that I commandyou today shall be on your heart
.
You shall teach them diligentlyto your children and shall talk
of them when you sit in yourhouse and when you walk by the
way, and when you lie down downand when you rise.
This includes presenting thegospel to our children.

(02:39):
I think it is easy, as parentsraising our children in a
Christian home, to assume thatour children will eventually
hear the gospel.
We read Bible stories to ourkids, we take them to Sunday
school, perhaps you evenmemorize Bible verses together,
or you encourage your teens toattend youth group.
And while all of these are goodand excellent, you also need to

(03:01):
be prepared to share the gospelwith your children.
As I have mentioned in pastepisodes, you are likely the
first person your children willcome to with their big and
important questions, and this isa good thing.
You want them to come to you,you want them to ask deep and

(03:22):
meaningful questions, and youwant to be ready when those
questions inevitably surface.
The best thing you can do toprepare for sharing the gospel
with your children is to befamiliar with the gospel message
yourself, and, as always, itstarts with you.
The gospel of John is oftenrecommended to new believers as

(03:44):
a great place to begin withreading and studying the Bible.
John's gospel is simple andstraightforward, and he clearly
presents Jesus' divinity and afoundational understanding of
who he is and his relationshipto God, the Father.
In fact, the most memorizedverse in the Bible is found in

(04:06):
John 3, 16, which says For Godso loved the world that he gave
his one and only Son thatwhoever believes in him will not
perish but have eternal life.
This verse is often cited asthe gospel in a nutshell, as it
explains God's love, jesus'perfect sacrifice and the
promise of eternal life throughfaith.

(04:27):
So, as a parent who longs towalk in obedience to God and be
ready to share the gospel withyour children, walk in obedience
to God and be ready to sharethe gospel with your children.
Studying the book of John is agreat place to start.
Then find a rhythm of regularlyreading the Bible together that
works for you and your children.
The more your children hearabout the good news of Jesus,

(04:51):
the easier it will be for themto understand their need for a
Savior.
It might take some trial anderror, but, as it says in
Galatians 6, 9, and let us notgrow weary of doing good, for in
due season we will reap if wedo not give up.
I recommend starting with Biblestorybooks and reading these to

(05:13):
your children daily.
I have found it to be helpfulto read at the same time every
day and in conjunction withsomething that you're already
doing.
For example, I do a short Bibledevotion with my kids every
morning while they eat theirbreakfast.
Eating breakfast is somethingwe already do every morning, so
why not add a devotion to it?

(05:34):
Another time of day that workswell is bedtime.
My children love to read booksbefore bed, and so we just make
one of those books a Biblestorybook.
We read one chapter every night.
I know of other families thatread the Bible to their children
after dinner.
The main takeaway here is tofind a time of day that allows

(05:56):
you to be consistent.
Once you finish a Biblestorybook, you can simply start
over from the beginning.
I remember I started readingthese Bible storybooks to my
twin boys when they were abouttwo years old, and half the time
I didn't even think they werelistening.
There was a lot of wrestlingand wiggling happening while I
was trying to read, but I justkept reading one page at a time

(06:21):
and, honestly, it was a bitsurprising when, five years
later, one of those boys isquoting a passage from
Revelation and essentiallyasking the same question.
The jailer in Philippi askedPaul in Acts 16, 30.
What must I do to be saved?
Clearly he was listening rightNow.
Here's where I want toencourage you.
As women, we have a tendency toovercomplicate things, we say

(07:16):
more than we need to, and thetruth of the gospel is that
salvation is a free gift that wedon't deserve.
And it is as simple as Paul'sresponse to that jailer when he
said Believe in the Lord Jesusand you will be saved.
There is no magic formula orspecial prayer that saves.

(07:37):
It is simply the work of theHoly Spirit, softening your
child's heart and giving him orher the understanding that he or
she needs a Savior, and onlyGod can save your child.
You can read the Bible to yourchildren.
You can present the gospel toyour children.
You can even pray for yourchildren to have an open heart

(07:58):
to hear and receive the messageand then it is up to God to do
the saving.
I remember when my daughterasked me about making Jesus her
Lord and Savior.
She was about six, I believe,and one night, after we had read
our Bible story and finishedpraying, she announced that she
was ready to commit her life toJesus.
She asked me to leave the roomso that she could talk to Jesus

(08:21):
privately, and so I listenedjust outside of her door as she
poured out her little heart toJesus and I remember thinking
wow, it really is that simple,just like it says in Ephesians 2
, 8 and 9, for by grace you havebeen saved through faith, and
this is not of your own doing.
It is the gift of God, not aresult of works, so that no one

(08:44):
may boast.
You plant the seeds as theirparent, you water the seeds with
consistent Bible reading andprayer and you surrender your
children to the Lord.
They already belong to Himanyway.
Practically speaking, I thinkit is good and wise and right to
present the gospel to yourchildren when they get to an age

(09:06):
of being able to understandmore.
Usually, between the ages of 4and 14, children are the most
receptive to hearing the gospel,and this is a wonderful time to
share the truth of what Jesusdid for them.
I love the bridge analogy.
I remember hearing this analogywhen I was in middle school.
I was taking a contagiousChristian class as a part of the

(09:28):
homeschool co-op that my momran at our church, and I loved
the simplicity of the visual inthe analogy.
The bridge analogy explainsthat God is on one side of this
giant chasm and people are onthe other side.
This chasm was created when sinentered the world and separated
us from God.

(09:48):
There is no way to cross thechasm on our own.
It is only through Jesus Christand His death on the cross to
pay for the penalty of our sinthat people are allowed to cross
the chasm and have arelationship with God through
faith.
Jesus is the way and the truthand the life, according to John

(10:09):
14, 6.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through Him.
I have used this bridge analogywith my children and even drawn
a little picture to go with it,and I have also found that
sharing the gospel in clear,simple words works just as well.
So when my son asked what arethe words that I say, I told him

(10:30):
this First, god created you inHis image, to know Him and love
Him.
Your sin separates you from God, like when you get angry and
hit your brother or when youdon't obey mommy and daddy, but
the good news is that Jesus cameto take your punishment by

(10:50):
dying on the cross for your sins, and he rose again so that you
can be forgiven.
You can tell Jesus that youtrust Him, that you know that
you're a sinner and that you canbe forgiven.
You can tell Jesus that youtrust him, that you know that
you're a sinner and that youreceive his forgiveness, and
then you ask him to be the Lordof your life.
Okay, mommy, I want to say thatto Jesus right now.

(11:13):
This sweet little boy refusedto go to sleep until he had
prayed to Jesus, blinking backtears.
I leaned over to kiss himgoodnight and he whispered in my
ear.
I think Jesus touched my heart,mama.

(11:35):
So, as it says in Deuteronomy 6,you get to have these
conversations with your childrenwhen you sit in your house and
when you walk by the way, andwhen you lie down and when you
rise.
You get to model what it meansto be a Christian and how you
live out your faith.
You model confession and prayerand worship as a part of your
natural daily rhythms and youget to pray for your children.
You cannot save your child.

(11:55):
Only God can do that throughthe work of the Holy Spirit.
Your job is to faithfully plantseeds and trust God with the
harvest.
Even if your children have notresponded just yet, keep sharing
and living out the gospel everyday.
To close this episode, I wantto read a few different verses

(12:16):
from Psalm 40.
These verses are anencouragement to us parents to
joyfully share the gospel withour children.
Psalm 40.
I wait patiently for the Lord.
He inclined to me and heard mycry.
He drew me up from the pit ofdestruction, out of the miry bog
and set my feet upon a rock,making my steps secure.

(12:39):
He put a new song in my mouth,a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and puttheir trust in the Lord.
Verse 8.
I delight to do your will, o myGod.
Your law is within my heart.
I have told the glad news ofdeliverance in the great
congregation.
Behold, I have not restrainedmy lips, as you know.

(12:59):
Verse 16.