DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING

PRESENTED BY DR. EMMANUEL A. MANNOH

MODULE 3: THE PRACTICE OF
DISCIPLESHIP
LESSON 5
THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE HOME IN
DISCIPLE MAKING

EMMANUEL A. MANNOH B SC , M BA ,
DMIN
“ and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded
you”

- MATTHEW 28:20
Introduction
The Mandate is Matt 28:19

 Disciple Making in the Home is part of the Great Commission. Therefore GO and make

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
 Introduction
 The Great Commission is the summary of all that the Christian church is supposed to be

committed to until Christ returns. A good follower of Christ, a disciple, cannot be

committed to making disciples outside only but not around their kitchen table.

 Spiritual leadership of the home is the job of the parents! It is a dreadful dereliction of

duty when overlooked.

 Introduction

1. Go the command

2. Make disciples of all nations- Who a disciple is is what we are trying to unpack in DT

3. Baptize them

4. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you – this is what Family Discipleship is all

about – The importance of the home in Disciple making, - and this is our focus in this lesson.
Introduction

HOME

the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household

an institution for people needing professional care or supervision: an old peoples home.

A home is a place where you are known inside out.

The Objectives are to show that:

1. GOD’S PLAN IS TO USE HOMES/HOUSEHOLDS TO PASS ON KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIM TO OUR

CHILDREN (OR NEXT GENERATION)

2. GOD HAS SHOWN HOW THIS IS TO BE DONE

3. CONSEQUENCES OF ENGAGING NOT ENGAGING IN HOME/HOUSEHOLD DISCIPLESHIP.

EXAMPLES FROM THE SCRIPTURES

4. THE REALITY (CHALLENGE)

1.GOD’S PLAN IS TO USE HOMES/HOUSEHOLDS TO PASS ON
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIM TO OUR CHILDREN (OR NEXT
GENERATION)

Training our families to know God is very important to God, and from the beginning HE set up

the system and gave all the resources that are needed to achieve this objective.

God wants parents to introduce HIM to their children. To instill in them biblical knowledge and
spiritual values. Our first parents saw HIM and the only way for their children to know Him is
when they pass on what they know about Him.
1.GOD’S PLAN IS TO USE HOMES/HOUSEHOLDS TO PASS ON
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIM TO OUR CHILDREN (OR NEXT
GENERATION)

God calls people to rise up in faith and impact other generations- the call of Abram indicates this

in Gen.12:1-3. “I will make into a great nation I will bless you ………….and all people of the

earth will be blessed through you.”

In the fullness of time He again revealed HIMSELF in Christ Jesus Gal.4:4 and we are to reveal

this Christ to the generation after us through witnessing and “Discipling”.

Parents are to share their experiences with
God to their children.

Ps. 78:1-4, Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and

known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming

generation.

Ps 145: 4-5 One generation will commend your works to another, they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will

speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
Parents to impart the knowledge of
God to children from infanthood;

Prov. 4:3-4, “When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4

he taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and

live” ( also Prov. 6:20, 10:1).

Prov 22:6. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from

it.
To impart the knowledge of God to children from infanthood is so important to God that He sets
customs and ceremonies to remind us of God’s work in the past. For remembrance God wants us
to repeat always His works in the past. Ex.12:26-27, “when your children ask you, “what does
the ceremony mean to you? Tell them, it is the Passover Sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over
the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.”

The new generations must also share their story as their fathers did. Jos.3, 4:1-7, the crossing of
the Jordan. “to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, what do
these stones mean? Tell them the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of
the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off…” (Jos. 4:6-7)
We learn from Scriptures that it is easy to forget how God is good to us. People are prone to

forget the goodness of God. (The Lord’s Supper is an example)

 Tell your children your own experiences with God.

God looks forward to a multigenerational discipleship.

2. WHAT IS HOME/HOUSEHOLD
DISCIPLESHIP (OR FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP)

Home/Household Discipleship can be described basically as how to nurture the home so as to

treasure Jesus Christ as Lord.

Simply defined, Home Discipleship could be described as the act of training and teaching your
family (spouse and children) to follow Jesus. Making disciples within your family.

This is not a professional ministry requiring a degree or license.

Definitions
Home/Household Discipleship is about parents taking an active role in passing Bible knowledge

and Spiritual values to their children. Parents are responsible for the spiritual maturation of their

children.

Home Discipleship is the important and mostly ordinary spiritual leadership of your home.
Simply put, Home Discipleship is leading your home by doing whatever you can whenever you
can to help your family become friends and followers of Jesus Christ. Christians not only ought
to disciple but they must disciple if they are truly follow Christ.
Definitions
Discipleship is both what we heard Jesus command and what we saw Jesus doing. Discipleship is

essential to both the message and the method of following Christ.

One Ben Philips defines Home Discipleship as

A father and mother intentionally investing in their children’s growth by utilizing the Bible

and prayer to teach the gospel through faith interactions during the family’s normal daily life.
Family discipleship is unapologetic
indoctrination.

Teaching your children all that Christ commanded is not a way of giving them the “Christian

religion” as an option for what truth they may end up selecting or following. Family discipleship

is training your family in what is true, without regard to the condescending opinions of those in

other camps. You are equipping your kids with a lens by which to see the world as it truly is,

broken and in desperate need of a Savior. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one

comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Family discipleship is unapologetic
indoctrination.

Willfully or not, all parents are perpetually discipling the children around them. Children are

watching and listening to you as they form their impressions of the world, of faith, and of what it

means to be an adult. As a Christian parent, wield that influence to “bring them up in the

discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Good family discipleship is both intentional

and consistent with a clear goal to see your kids conformed to the image of Christ.
Home Discipleship is God’s invitation to parents into how HE shapes and saves a human soul!

 Discipleship is the work of every Christian especially parents, not just the clergy. Parents

cannot outsource discipling their children/ wards. Discipleship is homegrown. That is how

God designed it.

At best children spend about 40-50hrs per year with the clergy and a minimum of 3000hrs at home.
Why Home/Household Discipleship is
necessary

In an increasingly secular culture, it is equally increasingly critical to equip Christian kids with the audacity it will

take to be countercultural. Today’s children need to not only be taught what is true but how to distinguish it from what

is false and how to boldly stand up against a torrent of opinions to the contrary. It takes intentionality to do that.

If we do not disciple our children as God intended, the world will disciple them. The fact is we are discipling our

children even now. The question is what are we discipling them into? “clearly, you are an epistle of Christ, ministered

by us, written not with ink” (2Cor. 3:3).

Gen. 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after

him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring

about for Abraham what he has promised him.” God provided Abraham with a vision of how to

maintain a multi- generational discipleship. So how does God want us to disciple our homes?
3. God shows How it is to be Done
Because it takes intentionality and consistency, it requires a plan. Christian parents should have a

strategy; and God has already considered this in Deut. 6:4-9

The strategy is the famous Shema, which has been a treasured passage for over a millennia ( 3500yrs).

Shema is an instruction word in Hebrew that means “hear, listen, and obey” in one word. It means to

hear with the intention to obey.

The Shema
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your

heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you

today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you

sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie

them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the

doorframes of your houses and on your gates

The Shema
This text has the power to radically alter the trajectory of future generations. It paves the path, sets the

course, and describes the game plan by God for parents who want to be faithful with their most important

discipleship ministry.

This passage is described by Jesus as the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-39).

Jesus used and implied this powerful text to overcome Satan in His temptations in the wilderness

(Matt.4:10 and Lk. 4: 8).

The Lord is One
1.God first calls parents to the rich theological truth – the Lord is ONE – this is the subject matter of
Discipleship. The TRIUNE GOD. The Father who loved us, and gave His ONLY Son, who died and
unite us unto Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit. God calls us into His unity. He leads us to
understanding His commands (Eze. 36:26-27). The unity is to be seen in the family and transferred to the
Church.

God desires that we may also have unity with our families; that others may see this unity in the lives of
those He calls. The unity of God is the subject matter of discipleship. This is what the Lord says, Israel’s
King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and the last; apart from me there is no God – Isa.
44:6.

The parent must know God. They, themselves must be disciples.

Love the Lord your God with all your Heart
The Great Commission says “to teach them to obey all that I have commanded you”. What is the
summary of the Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40)?

Love motivates our actions when we love we it is easy to obey. What you hold constantly is
within your heart. Relationship with God is essential. Impress the love of God onto the children
everywhere in their hearts.

Teach them how to love God, not moralizing, not yes and no regimentally. You cultivate the love
of Jesus in the Children and allow it to grow. Eph. 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children;
instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
How do we exasperate our children?
We do discipleship at home by employing the “do not… instead” principle — “do not exasperate
your children,” this is the negative approach; “instead bring them up in the training and
instruction of the Lord” is the positive approach.

We must not use inappropriate words or actions to provoke your children to anger, so that lasting

resentment is generated in their hearts. We exasperate our children when we : are easily angered,

speak carelessly, are unreasonable, unwilling to listen, fail to keep our word, say one thing and

do another or play favorites.

When (Frequency)
Disciples learn to take advantage of Time, Moments and Milestones.

Time. Impress the commands through the normal rhythm of the day or routine of life.

Creating intentional time built into the rhythm of the family’s life for the purpose of thinking about, talking

about and living out the gospel. Using the rhythm of family life to build intentional time talking about God:

like devotion, singing, praying . Doing it intentionally.

Time
In the text it says, “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.”

Intentional time must be built into the rhythm of the family’s life for the purposes of thinking

about God. It must not be an extra time fetched from somewhere.

Moments
Moments: capturing and leveraging opportunities in the course of everyday life for the purpose

of gospel-centered conversation. Jesus captured the moments and used them to teach His

disciples

1. Mk. 12:41-44 – The widow’s offering, Jesus teaches about the Kingdom Economics; God’s

value is not the amount of money but the heart of people.

Moments
1. Mk. 10:35-45 – James and John argues about who is the greatest; Jesus teaches “Not so with

you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must learn to serve”.

2. Mk. 10:17-27 - The Rich young Man: Jesus teaches To own things is Ok but to be owned by

things is wrong.
Milestone
Milestones: Marking and making occasions to celebrate and commemorate significant spiritual

milestones of God’s work in the life of the family and child. (Pile of stones in crossing the Jordan Jus.

3).

Rituals: Ex. 12:26-27 imparting discipleship through family rituals. What are the church’s /family’s

rituals? Understand the liturgy and rituals of the church so you can explain to your children. The

Sacraments and the liturgical colors, Confirmation and Baptism.

Home Discipleship is a testimony to others
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates vrs 9.

As much as it is in our power, discipleship should start in the home and launch from there to the ends of

the earth. Home Discipleship is necessary because it becomes a testimony to others, especially non

believers. When others see your family walking out the Word, the Holy Spirit tends to use this as a

ministering opportunity. Curiosity may lead people to ask questions and open the door to share both your

testimony and faith.

Home Discipleship is a
testimony to others
The Apostle Paul underscores the importance of Home discipleship when he advised Titus and

Timothy on the qualifications of Elders, Overseers and Deacons.

An Elder /leader/disciple of a church must be blameless……..a man whose children believe and

are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient – Tit.1:6 and 1Tim.3.
4.CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENGAGING AND
BLESSINGS OF ENGAGINGING IN HOME DISCIPLESHIP

1.As a result of Eli’s neglect, the Lord said that Eli and his house would be cut off from His favor and

that, as a sign of the truth of the Lord’s words, both sons would die on the same day - 1Sam. 2:34.

Parenting is a serious responsibility that carries grave consequences for neglecting responsibility.

Earlier, a man of God delivered the message to Eli in the name of the Lord that Eli was guilty of

honoring his sons more than the Lord (1 Samuel 2:27–30).

4.CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENGAGING AND
BLESSINGS OF ENGAGINGING IN HOME DISCIPLESHIP

Eli successfully supervised Samuel at the tabernacle (external ministry) but was not as diligent as
he could have been toward his own sons (Home Discipleship).

However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted

to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.

“No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” We must learn by the Spirit how to

strike the proper balance between family and other responsibilities.

2. Samuel
As Samuel ages, he repeats Eli’s error and appoints his own sons to succeed him. Like Eli’s sons,

they turn out to be greedy and corrupt (1 Sam. 8:1-3). Disappointing sons of great leaders is a

recurrent theme in Books of Samuel and Kings.

 The tragedy of David’s son Absalom occupies the bulk of 2 Samuel chapters 13-19.

 David's dysfunctional handling of family conflict leads to civil war - 2 Samuel 13-19.
Samuel
No solution is given in the text, but we can observe that Eli, Samuel,
and David seem to have given their troubled children many privileges
but little paternal involvement. Yet we also know that even the most
dedicated parents may face the heartbreak of wayward children.
 SUCCESSFUL HOME DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NT

I. Fathers transformed by the Gospel results in whole family discipleship:

1. Acts 10- Cornelius,

2. Acts 16- the Philippian jailer,

3. Acts 18:8 - Crispus

II. Eunice and Lois | 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-17 Role of Grandmother and mother.
Timothy
Children are convinced by what they see.

In 2Ti. 1:5-7 the Apostle Paul shows his conviction of an effective Home Discipleship by stating that, “I

have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother

Eunice and I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift

of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,

but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Timothy
Paul charges Timothy to, “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of,

because you know of those from whom you learned it, and from infancy you have known the

Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus,”II

Timothy 3:14-15.
6. THE REALITY/CHALLENGE

1. Family discipleship does not make you responsible for the salvation of your kids. Your

child’s salvation is never a credit to perfect parenting. Likewise, you should not beat yourself up

if your child runs from God despite your best efforts. It is just as true for your child as it is for

you that “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the

gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).
6. THE REALITY/CHALLENGE

1. Family discipleship does not make you responsible for the salvation of your kids. Your

child’s salvation is never a credit to perfect parenting. Likewise, you should not beat yourself up

if your child runs from God despite your best efforts. It is just as true for your child as it is for

you that “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the

gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).
6. THE REALITY/CHALLENGE

Gen. 2:24 FD not successful

Gen.13 Abraham and Lot

Judges 21:25 in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own

eyes. This was as a result of lack of Home Discipleship.

7.CONCLUSION
Parents must have a growing relationship with God

Parents in the home have the greatest potential to be the most influential person in a child’s life.

Parents disciple their children through the natural flow of events of the day. As a Christian parent,

wield that influence “to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”(Eph.6:4).

When children are discipled they impacts on the lives of others.

ASSIGNMENT
WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY HOME/HOUSEHOLD DISCIPLESHIP

WHY IN YOUR VIEW IS HOME/HOUSEHOLD DISCIPLESHIP IMPORTANT.