One of the most referred to Scripture passages on the topic of family discipleship is Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Its words are spoken over parents during baby dedication services, the keystone of many parenting seminars, and a source of inspiration on social media graphics.
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
But are you aware that these words also apply to grandparents? Let’s back up a moment to see this well-known passage of Scripture in context.
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules— that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son….”
Deuteronomy 6:1-2
Do you see it? Moses is addressing the entire nation of Israel with the words of God, and he says, “you and your son and your son’s son” – grandparent, parent, grandchild.
The method God introduces for building lifelong faith is one of family discipleship – all the generations of a family from oldest to youngest – centered on teaching God’s truths and sharing His love.
Here’s the thing, precious grandparent, while the world around us is trying desperately to tell us that our work is finished, God’s Word clearly says otherwise. We have, in fact, been given a critical role in the lives of our grandchildren, and it is centered around passing them a heritage of faith in Jesus Christ.
Discipleship
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
In this passage often referred to as the Great Commission, Christ delivers the guiding principles of His kingdom in the world to His apostles (and to us). The mission? Go. Baptize. Disciple.
The family, as we noted earlier, was created for the purpose of making disciples of Christ. It exists for the purpose of stewarding God’s generational mission of discipleship – the process of learning to love and follow Jesus, becoming more like Him in our attitudes and actions, and seeking to make other disciples who want to do the same.
Grandparents, this is our mission – discipling our children and grandchildren. It is our responsibility to help them learn to love and follow Jesus, become more like Him in their attitudes and actions, and seek to make other disciples.
Overcoming Obstacles
That’s our goal, our responsibility, our mission – to disciple our family members. It’s an awesome responsibility, the weight of which brings many grandparents to a place of total inaction.
Mission grasped. Vision defined. Heart pricked. We want nothing more than to walk alongside our grandchildren helping them learn to love and follow Jesus, but we are unable to move. We don’t even begin to know where to start. The task before us looms casting a dismal cloud. We are completely overwhelmed. How does someone go about teaching another (a child, even) how to pray, read the Bible, or develop an attitude of gratitude? What does it take to help them grow to be more like Christ in their attitudes and actions?
Making Disciples of Our Grandchildren
Perspective is everything.
Yes, prayer is a conversation like none other. A precious gift from God, it wields mighty eternity-impacting power. At the same time, it makes space for us to draw closer to Him. With all our focus placed on these truths, the thought of teaching prayer and helping our grandchildren grow in it can absolutely be overwhelming to think about.
Certainly, the Bible is a book like no other. It is big and powerful and complex. The thought of reading it for meaning is enough to scare off many adults, even.
Yet, if we turn our perspective and begin to think of prayer and Bible reading and all the other spiritual disciples as opportunities for sitting at the feet of Jesus and for continual growth, we will soon see that it is quite possible to discover ways of helping our grandchildren learn to implement these disciplines for themselves.
If you are like me (practical almost to a fault), you may be asking yourself at this very moment how you can get started helping your grandchildren develop a daily habit of meaningful prayer, Bible reading, or observing a time of solitude.
Please know that there are no guarantees or easy formulas. God created each of us uniquely. Our grandchildren’s learning styles and preferences are all different. Also, growth in Christlikeness is Holy Spirit work, and the Holy Spirit’s working does not fit into a well-defined, predictable box.
That being said, however, we still have our assignment – one given by God. And our hands are not tied.
Making Disciples of Our Grandchildren is a helpful, practical resource for any grandparents seeking to disciple their grandchildren by means of the spiritual disciplines. A key element in one’s growth in Christlikeness, several of the disciplines are included in this book – prayer, Bible reading, gratitude, worship, and more. And for each discipline an array of activities is listed for guiding children in the development of that discipline. There is no formula, no right or wrong. What you will find is a menu of activities from which to choose as you set about to disciple your grandchildren, Making Disciples of Our Grandchildren is a tool for your mission- Go. Baptize. Disciple.
