Calling Your Children to Faith

The first component is belief. The passage is explicit - to come to God in faith means that you must believe that he exists. This belief is not a mystical feeling that somewhere, somehow God exists in some form. Hebrews 11 overflows with specific statements about who God is, what he did for his people, and how his people believed in him. The second component is that this belief must extend to the practical level. Humanly speaking, for belief to lead to faith, that belief must be acted upon. Thus, the writer of Hebrews says that God rewards those who seek him. So, in this informal way, it can be said that faith consists of believing and then following up on that belief with actions.

It is vital that your children be taught not only what they should believe and but also what it means to follow this belief to faith. The rich young ruler of the Gospels believed the right things, but he was reluctant to follow his beliefs with corresponding actions. Instead of being a true follower of Christ, he was a follower of himself and his own interests. This young man demonstrates the truth found in Ephesians 2:1-3; we are all born followers of someone other than Jesus Christ. While this young man not a disgusting individual in human terms (he was not a gang member or a drug dealer) he was still a follower of the enemy of our souls. Thus, belief must move us to follow Christ. That is what faith looks like.

Yesterday I met Ronald Carter, a follower of Christ. He was in the waiting room with my wife, Ruth, and several other patients who are having radiation therapy for cancer. There is an unspoken camaraderie in this room during these times of waiting. Ronald changed that. He asked if anyone minded if he prayed. Interestingly enough, political correctness was not a consideration as each person in the room gave ascent to Ronald's request. He then stood, offered his hands to those around him and began to pray. He thanked God for his mercy and goodness. He thanked God for his Son. He asked that God would bring healing to those present. He closed his prayer in the name of Jesus and sat down.

Ronald's prayer was one of grace and trust. It was the prayer of a follower. I began talking with him in the few minutes before my wife was called in for her daily treatment. I thanked him for praying and I asked him if he was a minister or leader in his church. He said no, he was just a follower of Christ and not an officer or pastor. He said one thing he noticed about Christians; there are many who say they believe but not many who follow Christ. His words were calm. He wasn't upset or angry, he was just making an observation.

I was humbled by this man. God was real to him and it showed. He was not bitter or angry. He just did what a follower of Christ should do. We were all there in this room. All had been touched by the devastating power of cancer. And yet Ronald spoke and prayed as a man who had hope in the goodness of God. His prayer was that of a man who trusted and followed Jesus Christ. In this way he ministered to those around him.

What do your children see from you when the difficult and the unexpected happen? Do they see you following the path of fear and worry? Do they see anxiety and short tempers? Do they see you following the ways of this world or do they see you following Christ? Do they see you living out what you say you believe? I am grateful to have met Ronald.  He encouraged us by his trust in Christ. He encouraged us to live as followers of Jesus Christ. May you, in turn, live as a follower of Christ before your children.