You may ask, “How does this apply to my

Discipleship at home: child?” Well, I am glad you asked.

For "Early Childhood" Early Childhood-aged children are those who
are four years old and younger. During these
   years, babies, toddlers and kindergarten
Published on 24 November 2020 children rely on their parents for absolutely
• everything: feeding, burping, sleeping,
Planetshakers Team changing, cleaning—the list goes on and on.
It is in these pivotal years they are taught to
do the basic necessities for life such as toilet
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training, walking, feeding themselves,
talking, writing and expressing their
emotions— the fundamentals, so to speak.
Share and encourage via But just as young children need to be taught
essential physical skills in their most
 impressionable years, they also need to be
 taught spiritual skills.

 The Bible tells us that Jesus took three years
 to train up His disciples. Is it possible that
even our youngest children could learn some
of the same lessons that Jesus taught His
disciples in that time?
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, “Train up a child in the way he should go,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, And when he is old he will not depart from
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: it”

Teaching them to observe all things Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

whatsovever I have commanded you: and lo,
I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world. Amen. Children under the age of four can be quite
underestimated. If they are capable of
learning many basic practical skills at this
Matt 28:19-20 (KJV)
age, why not spiritual basics?
In these powerful verses, Jesus commissions
all Believers to “Go and make disciples”. You as the parent, are the greatest influence
If we flip to the beginning of the Gospels, we your child has in their life. They love you,
read about Jesus first choosing His own want to play with you and cannot live
twelve men to disciple. As the chapters go without you. While they are so young and
on, we see that although they were all so impressionable, I have some tips to help you
different and imperfect when they first disciple them.
encountered Him, Jesus valued discipleship Repetition is key
so much that He never gave up on them.
Their flaws and insecurities never deterred Children LOVE routines and find safety in
Him from seeking to bring out the best in them. Routines offer a sense of security to
them. By the end of the book of Matthew, them, knowing what is about to happen next.
they had transformed into great men of faith, At Planetkids (the children's ministry of
ready to be commissioned by Jesus to spread Planetshakers Church) on a Sunday, we have
the Gospel all over the known world. How a runsheet which is the same every week.
did they get there? Three years of daily Although the principles we are teaching
discipleship with Jesus. Three years is all it change, the overall format remains the same.
took! Those children who come every Sunday are
able to tell you what is coming up next. In
fact, on the odd occasion that we forget to do
something from the runsheet, the children are
the ones who remind us. Weekly routines it with them and ensuring it happens daily or
help to build expectations. The children weekly, shows your child the importance of
know what to expect and the repetition of it. Stick with it!
each activity helps them to understand what
type of behaviour is expected of them. For Keep it simple
example, the children know during praise
time, they are allowed to dance and express When a child is learning to walk, you don’t
themselves passionately and joyfully, but waste time explaining the biology of how
during the preaching time, they must sit still legs move. This is way beyond their level of
and listen carefully to what is being said. maturity. You simply teach them how to put
one foot in front of the other. Lessons are
If you are able to add anything into your short and simple and constantly modeled in
child’s daily routine, let it be the three the everyday life of the teacher. This is the
powerful and foundational Biblical habits of same when teaching your child Biblical
praise/worship, Bible reading and prayer. principles.

An example? If you want your child to know

1. Praise and worship that God is their Creator, start off by telling
them that God made the world and all the
Your kids may not understand the words of a plants they see out of the window. Wait until
song or be able to sing them properly, but they get older until you teach them the days
you CAN teach them to use their bodies and order that God created everything. The
to praise Jesus. Have praise and worship nitty-gritty’s can wait. Discipling your young
music playing in your home or car and child is as easy as explaining God’s role in
demonstrate what it is to praise God. Before their everyday life and what He is like. When
you know it, your kids will be nagging you to they pick up a leaf, tell them He made it and
play ‘Jesus music’ all the time! that He loves everything He makes. These
are simple but profound spiritual lessons that
will lead to greater revelation in time.
2. Reading the Bible
Whatever Biblical principle you want to
Find a time that works for you—morning or
teach your child, keep it short and simple.
night. Maybe read a Bible story to your kids
Before you start to teach, ask yourself this
over breakfast or just before they go to bed.
question: “If my child can only learn one
It is so important that they are learning faith
thing from this, what is it?” Make sure that
principles through the exciting stories in the
the answer is only a couple of words long
Bible.
and once you have your starting point, you
will be well on the way to establishing an
3. Prayer important spiritual principle in their lives!

I remember as a child, every night when my

mum would tuck me in, she would pray with
me and get me to repeat and eventually learn
the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13). She would Power of the Holy Spirit
also get me to pray out loud. Without me
Never ever underestimate the power of the
even realizing it, this is something I STILL
Holy Spirit! I love that the Bible never puts
do every night. I have a chat with Jesus
an age limit on relationship with God. The
before I go to sleep. This is the power of
same God who speaks to you in ways that
repetition and routine!
YOU can understand, is the same One who
It takes time. When you want to implement
speaks to your child at THEIR level of
something new into a routine, children take
understanding.
time to understand the new element. They
may also test you to see if you are serious
An important thing to teach and model is
about keeping it. But never give up. If it is
how to be still and listen so that the Holy
something you value, your example of doing
Spirit can talk to you. Of course, in addition powerful and foundational Biblical habits of
to hearing from the Holy Spirit, we must praise/worship, Bible reading and prayer.
teach our children to obey Him without  Discipling a child is as easy as explaining
hesitation! Once you have spent time praying God’s role in their everyday life and what He
with your child, ask the Holy Spirit to speak is like: When they pick up a leaf, tell them
before sharing with each other what you felt He made it and that He loves everything He
Him say. In this way we teach our children to makes. These are simple but profound
listen, hear and obey! spiritual lessons that will lead to greater
The Bible is clear that God is LOVE and that revelation in time.
He is a good and perfect Father. As such,  Seek God for your own blueprint for how
teach your child that when He speaks to to disciple your child. Each one is unique and
them, what He says will always line up with has a unique purpose and calling.
who He is. So if God is GOOD, they
shouldn’t expect to hear Him say horrible,
angry things to them. In this way, we teach
our kids to discern between God’s voice and
the lies of the enemy.
Your unique pattern

Lastly, I want to encourage you to seek God

for your own blueprint for how to disciple
your child. Each child is unique and has a
unique purpose and calling. Something that
works with one child may not work with the
other. Our job is to steward them, seeking
God’s will for their discipleship carefully
until such a time as they are able to walk in
relationship with God, independently and
devotedly. When we dedicate them to the
Lord, we can trust Him to raise them as His
own as we partner with Him.

God created your child. Be confident that He

wants the absolute best for them and to help
you raise and disciple them to know Him and
to walk in His ways for the rest of their lives!
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and
into his courts with praise: be thankful unto
hm, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4 (KJV)

Key Points:

 As a parent, you are the greatest influence

your child has in their life. Just as young
children need to be taught essential physical
skills, they also need to be taught spiritual
skills.
 If you are able to add anything to your
child’s daily routine, let it be the three