Devotional
Church Value #6: Leaving a Legacy
By Mitch Davis
This week, we reach the end of our six week devotional series on the church value statements. The value we will meditate on is ‘leaving a legacy’. That statement is aiming to capture just how important it is that as a church we are all working together to pass on a real and vibrant faith to the next generation. Growing children, young believers and young families in faith is an essential component of God’s ministry in Hervey Bay Baptist Church.
This attitude was modelled by Jesus Himself. In Matthew 19, in the middle of a deep theological discussion with the religious leaders, Jesus is interrupted by some families who want Jesus to lay hands on their children and pray for them. The disciples feel that Jesus is engaged with something much too important for this, and they try to send the kids away - but Jesus won’t have it. See what he says:
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven”
Matthew 19:14 (ESV)
Jesus valued children and obviously thought it was important they be around him, but it’s not just because he liked kids. He clearly saw this as an important investment in the Kingdom of Heaven. We must take the same attitude. We need to see our young people as one of our most important mission fields. We are blessed with many children and young families in our church; but the blessing comes with a responsibility to get it right.
As a parent, I’m early in this journey, and frankly unqualified to write with any real authority on this. However, I would like to share with you some wisdom from Pastor Rory Shiner, writing for The Gospel Coalition Australia (link to his full article below). I find this advice deeply encouraging.
[On raising children]... Love them. Tell them you love them. Practice consistent mild discipline. Get them to church every Sunday, even in those years when getting there is hard for everyone. Read the Bible and pray with them regularly. And by “regularly” I reckon shoot for four or five nights of the week. We’ve found the goal of seven out of seven too hard, and guilt-inducing. We’re shooting for a Pass, not an A+. And don’t feel like you need to do a Bible study every time you open the Bible with them. Just reading and praying is fine. Teach them to say sorry, especially by being willing to say sorry yourself. Make sure they have other Christians in their lives, especially during the teenage years. Laugh with them. Laugh at yourself. Spend prodigal amounts of time with them. And then trust the Lord. (1)
Amen and amen. The only thing I would venture to add to this, is that there is such an important role for those in the church who aren’t parents, or who’s kids have grown up and moved away. Be that support person for a young couple struggling with the demands of a newborn. Be that baby sitter for the Mum’s bible study group. Be involved in kids ministry, or honour and support those who can do that ministry well. Be that solid, Godly influence in other families lives. Above all, pray for our young folk. Pray for God to draw them to faith in Him.
I pray you’ve found this, and each of the last five devotions helpful, encouraging and challenging in some way. I trust that as we’ve explored our church values, you’ve seen that above all, at Hervey Bay Baptist, we want to be a church that is growing in relationship with Jesus, and helping those around us, within the church and without, to do the same.
God bless.
Shiner, R. (2023, June 9). Dear Penelope, or On Children and Hope. The Gospel Coalition | Australia. Retrieved July, 2023, from https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dear-penelope-or-on-children-and-hope/
This week, we reach the end of our six week devotional series on the church value statements. The value we will meditate on is ‘leaving a legacy’. That statement is aiming to capture just how important it is that as a church we are all working together to pass on a real and vibrant faith to the next generation. Growing children, young believers and young families in faith is an essential component of God’s ministry in Hervey Bay Baptist Church.
This attitude was modelled by Jesus Himself. In Matthew 19, in the middle of a deep theological discussion with the religious leaders, Jesus is interrupted by some families who want Jesus to lay hands on their children and pray for them. The disciples feel that Jesus is engaged with something much too important for this, and they try to send the kids away - but Jesus won’t have it. See what he says:
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven”
Matthew 19:14 (ESV)
Jesus valued children and obviously thought it was important they be around him, but it’s not just because he liked kids. He clearly saw this as an important investment in the Kingdom of Heaven. We must take the same attitude. We need to see our young people as one of our most important mission fields. We are blessed with many children and young families in our church; but the blessing comes with a responsibility to get it right.
As a parent, I’m early in this journey, and frankly unqualified to write with any real authority on this. However, I would like to share with you some wisdom from Pastor Rory Shiner, writing for The Gospel Coalition Australia (link to his full article below). I find this advice deeply encouraging.
[On raising children]... Love them. Tell them you love them. Practice consistent mild discipline. Get them to church every Sunday, even in those years when getting there is hard for everyone. Read the Bible and pray with them regularly. And by “regularly” I reckon shoot for four or five nights of the week. We’ve found the goal of seven out of seven too hard, and guilt-inducing. We’re shooting for a Pass, not an A+. And don’t feel like you need to do a Bible study every time you open the Bible with them. Just reading and praying is fine. Teach them to say sorry, especially by being willing to say sorry yourself. Make sure they have other Christians in their lives, especially during the teenage years. Laugh with them. Laugh at yourself. Spend prodigal amounts of time with them. And then trust the Lord. (1)
Amen and amen. The only thing I would venture to add to this, is that there is such an important role for those in the church who aren’t parents, or who’s kids have grown up and moved away. Be that support person for a young couple struggling with the demands of a newborn. Be that baby sitter for the Mum’s bible study group. Be involved in kids ministry, or honour and support those who can do that ministry well. Be that solid, Godly influence in other families lives. Above all, pray for our young folk. Pray for God to draw them to faith in Him.
I pray you’ve found this, and each of the last five devotions helpful, encouraging and challenging in some way. I trust that as we’ve explored our church values, you’ve seen that above all, at Hervey Bay Baptist, we want to be a church that is growing in relationship with Jesus, and helping those around us, within the church and without, to do the same.
God bless.
Shiner, R. (2023, June 9). Dear Penelope, or On Children and Hope. The Gospel Coalition | Australia. Retrieved July, 2023, from https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dear-penelope-or-on-children-and-hope/
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