Raising Our Children For God (3 of 7) - Zac Poonen
Summary
The speaker discusses the spiritual challenges facing Christians in the last days, noting that disobedience to parents is a growing issue. He emphasizes that parents' primary calling is not merely teaching practical skills, but rather modeling and explaining what God is like to their children. This modeling—through attitude toward people versus material things—is how children learn to see God, which requires being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
What are the difficult times of the last days?Second Timothy warns that the last days will bring a time when true Christians struggle to stand pure while surrounded by compromising believers who hold to a form of godliness.
The growing spirit of disrespect among childrenA unique spirit of disrespect and disobedience toward parents and older people is spreading globally, moving far beyond normal childhood behavior.
Taking personal blame when children go astrayLike Adam blaming his wife, parents often make the mistake of blaming their children when they go astray, rather than accepting responsibility for their own training.
Our primary calling as parentsWhile teaching children basic hygiene and habits is important, the primary calling is to bring them up for God rather than for the world or the devil.
Jesus came to explain the FatherJust as Jesus came to earth to accurately explain what God the Father is like, believers are given the responsibility to manifest that same Father.
Explaining the Father by how we liveSince children have not seen God, they look to their parents to see what God is like through their speech, their marriage relationship, and their home life.
Our attitude toward material thingsGod created people to be loved and things to be used, unlike the world which loves things and uses people, and children must see this distinction in our homes.
The command to be filled with the SpiritEphesians 5 commands believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which directly results in proper relationships within the home between husbands, wives, and children.
Can your children see God in you?Our ultimate calling is that our children should be able to look back at our lives and see what God is like, rather than just remembering our educational provision.
A heart of wisdom through numbered daysMoses prayed in Psalm 90 for God to teach him to number his days so that he could present a heart made wise through life's struggles.Psalm 90:12
Letting the beauty of the Lord be seenFor God's majesty to be visible to our children, the beauty and balanced grace and truth of Jesus must be seen in us.
Daily dependence on the Holy SpiritWe cannot live this life or manifest Jesus naturally; we must daily acknowledge our need and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and communicate Christ's nature through us.
