I've been writing a series of posts to give Christian parents some tools to know how to help their children begin a relationship with Jesus. I gotta be honest, I feel like I might be boring ya because I haven't gotten much feedback about these posts and I know it's not quite as exciting as pictures of me doing toe-touches. But I also know, for any Christian parent, there is nothing that we long for more than for our kids to experience the hope, peace, and joy we have found in our relationship with God. So I pray these posts are helpful and that you feel more equipped as a parent to be the leader spiritually.
Here's what we've discussed so far:
Step 1: Establish a good understanding of the character of God.
Step 2: Help your child understand their need for a Savior.
Step 3: Teach your child what it means for him to make Jesus "the Lord of his life."
Once you feel like your child is ready to make the commitment to follow Jesus, what do you do? What does the "deal-closing" conversation look like?
First let me emphasize that there is no magic formula. The Bible doesn't have a certain prayer that we must pray in order to become a Christian. There are no magical words that we say, so take a deep breath and don't get freaked out that you're going to royally mess this conversation up! The goal is to get your child to authentically express their heart and their desire to follow Jesus.
Through a series of open-ended questions (not yes/no questions but rather ones where your child has to formulate an answer without your prompting), get your child to explain to you these things:
Here's a easy way to remember it.
A- Admit they are sinners in need of a Savior
B- Believe in their hearts that Jesus died for their sins so they could be forgiven and have a relationship with Him.
C- Commit to follow Him and obey Him all the days of their lives.
After you've had a good conversation with your child and you both feel he/she is ready to take this incredible step, help your child pray to ask Jesus into his/her heart. It is absolutely okay to have the child repeat a prayer line by line after you. Or if the child is willing/feels comfortable, have them pray on their own. Again, there are no magic words or formulas here. Just cover the basics that you talked through in your conversation...I'm a sinner, I need Jesus, I believe in what Jesus did on my behalf, I commit my life to follow Him. No matter what words come out, Jesus hears the heart!
I have a few concluding thoughts that I will share in one final post tomorrow.
Here's what we've discussed so far:
Step 1: Establish a good understanding of the character of God.
Step 2: Help your child understand their need for a Savior.
Step 3: Teach your child what it means for him to make Jesus "the Lord of his life."
Once you feel like your child is ready to make the commitment to follow Jesus, what do you do? What does the "deal-closing" conversation look like?
First let me emphasize that there is no magic formula. The Bible doesn't have a certain prayer that we must pray in order to become a Christian. There are no magical words that we say, so take a deep breath and don't get freaked out that you're going to royally mess this conversation up! The goal is to get your child to authentically express their heart and their desire to follow Jesus.
Through a series of open-ended questions (not yes/no questions but rather ones where your child has to formulate an answer without your prompting), get your child to explain to you these things:
- Why they feel the need to ask Jesus into their hearts (sinners, need forgiveness, Jesus is the only way to have a restored relationship with God)
- What Jesus did for them (lived a perfect life, died as a perfect sacrifice for our sin, rose from the dead to conquer sin and death so that we can live with Him in heaven one day)
- What it means to follow Jesus (letting Him make the decisions for our lives, He's in charge, He helps us to know what to do through the Bible and we do our best to obey Him out of our love for Him)
Here's a easy way to remember it.
A- Admit they are sinners in need of a Savior
B- Believe in their hearts that Jesus died for their sins so they could be forgiven and have a relationship with Him.
C- Commit to follow Him and obey Him all the days of their lives.
After you've had a good conversation with your child and you both feel he/she is ready to take this incredible step, help your child pray to ask Jesus into his/her heart. It is absolutely okay to have the child repeat a prayer line by line after you. Or if the child is willing/feels comfortable, have them pray on their own. Again, there are no magic words or formulas here. Just cover the basics that you talked through in your conversation...I'm a sinner, I need Jesus, I believe in what Jesus did on my behalf, I commit my life to follow Him. No matter what words come out, Jesus hears the heart!
I have a few concluding thoughts that I will share in one final post tomorrow.
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