Is Family the First Church Your Kids Will See?

This is Sarah Beaton writing this blog. Hopefully you have enjoyed the other blogs so far. The church and family are not meant to compete. The church is people who are there to encourage and edify each other.

When we think of church, we think of going to a building, signing the kids into children's church, going to sing some songs and listen to a sermon. Then we collect our kids, mingle with a few of our friends and then leave.

However, what if I told you the family is the first church your kids could see? The first church was established in Acts 1, but family was established back in Genesis 2. The going to a building and being with other believers may be different, but that is OK. Because church and time with God is different each time.

When we are a family, we have the ability to do “church” activities together as a family. We can sing praises to God, we can read the Bible together, then explain and talk about what we understood and what “spoke” to us. Family is a church because the Bible says in Matthew 18:20.

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. (NIV)

To our children, we are the first people they see, hear, smell and trust. They are given to us as a gift, and we are to steward them well. They really belong to God, and they are His to take care of. Family has a mom or dad, and one or two kids is a gathering or a "church". When parents pray with and for their kids or read God's Word and explain it then that is a church service happening.

As parents we can make the difference in how our kids see the church. The church is not just a building we come to on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night. Church is being with other believers and growing in Christ in community, pointing each other to Christ. Sometimes that means that we need to have a family prayer and worship time. Other times it is being in a corporate setting with other believers.

When we join with the corporate body, in what we call “church” remind your children that we are going to interact with other people in the body of Christ. Also, people who are new in their relationship with Christ and those who are not walking with Christ are going to be in the church building. But Christ is drawing all those who are there to Himself. This also goes for the Bible Studies that you are part of as a family.

So now ask yourself the following questions:

“Church is being with other believers and growing in Christ in community, pointing each other to Christ.”

Is family the first church your kids will see? Do you need to change how you do church? Do you need to change how your children see “church”? If you need to change how you handle church as a family, I encourage you, parents, to allow your children to see your quiet time or devotional time with the Father. I encourage you to have a worship time as a family.

Have a nice day… See you soon