5 Ways Your Home will be Transformed through Intentional Christian Teaching

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:4

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Most of us feel painfully ill-equipped to be Bible teachers to our children.  If asked, you would likely agree that it’s essential to teach the Bible at home, but you may not know where to start or know how effective your current routines are. Some of us had good examples of Christian education growing up, and some of us didn’t.  Some of us have decades of faith behind us, and others are just getting to know Jesus for the first time. No matter where you’re at in your journey, God has declared you to be enough for your children, and He will provide the guidance you need to train them up!  The role of family in Christian education is irreplaceable.

Here are 5 ways your home will transform with intentional Christian teaching:

1. Your kids will learn that the Bible is relevant and vital.  

Do you use biblical examples when you’re explaining something to your children?  Do you talk about biblical stories with a sense of genuine enthusiasm?  Your kids will sense it!  If it’s a high priority for you, it will become a high priority for them.  

If reading Scripture appears to be a chore to you, and your only teaching is in the context of discipline or lecture, it will also communicate a very powerful message.  God’s story is about His great love for us, and that should make us excited. If we make the story restrictive and punitive, our kids will want to do anything they can to get free from it.

Displaying Christian art and symbols in your home is another way to provoke conversation with your children. They will also serve as reminders to the parents! Resources like Etsy.com provide many beautiful pieces of decor that can be arrows pointing toward kingdom living. Here is an example of an illuminated cross we purchased from Etsy for our home.

2. Your kids will talk about Jesus as a part of daily life.

You may be surprised to see how quickly your children take to conversations about Jesus. If you are regularly participating in family devotions together, questions will often come up later. When kids are filled with dread due to a new experience or dealing with common nighttime fears, teaching them verses and hymns will give them something to return to for comfort when you’re not there. Dismissing their fears will only teach them to bury their feelings, but teaching them Christ’s victory over death and sin will give them the confidence they need to face the day!

The same is true with joys. It is so critical for our kids to understand that every blessing we have comes from above. The first challenge is usually reminding ourselves.  

Teaching kids where to go when they’re troubled will not just be limited to their childhood years. The things they store in their memory now will be with them for years to come. This is particularly true with music, which is one of the most impactful ways to solidify words in your memory.

3. Your kids will follow your lead.

As we have discussed in other areas of this blog, prioritizing our own spiritual development is irreplaceable in teaching our children to follow the Lord. And it must be genuine. Young people see through us when we teach something we clearly do not believe or uphold standards we have not prioritized in our own lives.

If the parents are quick to criticize others or gossip about members of their family, community, or church, this toxicity will spread like a wildfire throughout the home. If the parents model good conflict resolution (not hiding healthy conflict and demonstrating forgiveness), kids will even take these principles to their conflicts with other children. Even a preschool-aged child can learn to say, “I forgive you!”

Would your children say that your first response to a blessing or a trouble is prayer? Do they see you making a regular (joyful!) habit of prayer? If not, how can you address that?

C.S. Lewis wrote: “If you can’t explain what you believe to a sensible, ordinary person, then you don’t really understand it very well yourself.” If this quote convicts you, make sure you are investing in your own spiritual development as well!

4. Your kids will lead their peers.

It is so crucial to teach children to be humble examples to others. Often, children can be eager to be an example to younger children. You can help them understand how to communicate to younger children in love and patience through Christian teaching in your home. Help your older kids realize the impact and influence they have on their younger siblings. Recognize your kids for the way that their faith has been a spark and encouragement to your own.

These practices motivate kids to see themselves as having a God-given purpose in life. They will be thrilled to know that they can influence others. Just remember to teach the component of humility – anything that we can give is only a gift that we have received.

Having a loving approach in the home will be the model your kids need to share the love of Jesus with their friends.  If you focus on rules and moral behavior, they will too, and their friends will not get the full picture of Christ’s love!

Hospitality and self-sacrifice are two characteristics of God’s people that your kids can easily gift to their peers. Cultivating these traits will go a lot further in shaping a respectful and obedient child than staunch rule-following. As parents, we should want our children to follow the rules, but the way they show kindness to others should also be important.

5. Your kids will find their purpose & develop their character.

Christian education and biblical study will help encourage your kids in excellent character development.  The basic questions all human beings grow up asking (whether they know it or not) are:

• Why am I here?
• What do I believe?
• What is my purpose in life?
• What are my gifts?
• How am I special?
• What do I have to give to the world?
• How should I treat the others around me?

Pro Tip:  Something that families must realize is that children will be asking these questions whether or not you are helping them discover answers to them.  

The Bible guides us to answers on all these questions, but as your children grow, there will be a lot of competition for their attention from the media and their peers, who will try to (intentionally or not) give them false answers. Those influences are powerful, and the true challenge is to establish a strong, loving, trusting relationship with your children early on. When they get old enough to question your teachings (as many, many children will), they need to know that you will be a safe haven for their questions and confusion. This is also why it's so important to begin teaching your children apologetics at an early age. 

Personal Story

We have witnessed our children reading their Bible on their own at home and engaging in good conversations about what the Bible teaches with other homeschoolers due to what they’ve learned and observed at home. We have also seen our children share their faith on many of the trips we have taken, including our international ones. They are better equipped to defend their beliefs and have many Bible passages in mind to reference in different situations because of the Christian teaching we prioritize in our home.  

Key Points:

•  If the family makes Christian education in the home a priority, it will positively impact all aspects of a child’s life.
•  Children will model what they see parents doing in the home.
•  The more the Bible is a part of the normal daily routine, the easier it will be to apply those lessons in the home when an unusual challenge or blessing presents itself.
•  The more time children spend in the Word now, the more likely they are to prioritize the Word throughout their lives.