Part One: The World Wants Our Children
The world wants our children. The Church is not transforming culture — the research says that Culture is transforming the Church.
Stephanie Rothman is a specialist in Children’s Ministry. Her secret sauce is empowering families to disciple their children.
The optimal time for this is 18 months to 13 years. It’s time for parents, grandparents, and others to opt-in! Discipling children is a high-leverage quest that pays generous dividends over time!
This episode includes a 4-min. clip from researcher George Barna at the end of the episode. This episode is part 1 of 2. You can hear the complete episode with George Barna – The Charisma News Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.
Part Two: Family Discipleship Is the Secret Sauce for Your Kids
It will take fruitful Christian Discipleship in our homes to meet the societal and cultural moment that we face.
Stephanie Rothman is a Children’s Ministry Pastor. Her secret sauce is empowering families to disciple their children. Discipling children is a high-leverage quest that pays generous dividends over time! This episode is part 2 of 2.
[Scroll down for discipleship resources and a powerful prayer for Heads of Households from John Eldredge and Wild at Heart.]
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Go Deeper — The World Wants Our Children
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:18-20
Stephanie recommends these resources
Intentional Parenting: Family Discipleship by Design by Tad Thompson (Amazon) The Big Picture and a Simple Plan: That’s what you need to do family discipleship well.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp (Amazon) How to speak to the heart of your child (Luke 6:45). Written for parents with children of any age, this insightful book provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life.
Axis: Connecting Parents, Teens, and Jesus in a Disconnected World (online resource) A partner and guide to deepening your relationship with your kid by having an ongoing conversation aimed at leading them into lifelong faith in Jesus. GO HERE
More resources
Impact 360 Institute A gap year experience between high school and college. From the site: “Because all truth is God’s truth we reject the idea that reality is to be carved up into the artificial categories of sacred and secular. As Christ-followers we are called to live every aspect of our lives under God’s authority and for God’s glory. Classical thinkers referred to this as Coram Deo (literally “before the face of God”). How we think and how we live go together, and are all based in this reality.”
Daily Prayer for Head of Household — John Eldredge and Wild at Heart
[From Wild at Heart — Those of you with children will find it very effective to deliberately include them in your daily prayers. Husbands have a great measure of spiritual authority over their wives and children (see Ephesians 5:23), and mothers over their children. So we offer this version as a way of learning to include your household in your prayer. See the prayer and audio version at Wild at Heart]
My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you, renewed in you, to receive your life and your love and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my Lord, and I surrender every aspect and dimension of my life to you. I give you my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will. I cover myself with your blood—my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore me in you, renew me in you, and lead this time of prayer. In all that I now pray, I include [my wife and/or children, by name]. I cover them with your blood—their spirit, soul, and body, their heart, mind, and will. I ask your Spirit to restore them in you and include them in all that I now pray, acting as their head. In all that I now pray, I stand in total agreement with your Spirit and with all those praying for us by the spirit of God and by the Spirit of God alone.
Dearest God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my heart’s devotion, all my praise, all my trust, and all the glory of my life. I love you, I worship you, I give myself over to you in my heart’s search for life. You alone are Life, and you have become my life. I renounce all other gods, every idol, and I give to you, God, the place in my heart and in my life that you truly deserve. This is all about you, and not about me. You are the Hero of this story, and I belong to you. I ask your forgiveness for my every sin. Search me, know me, and reveal to me where you are working in my life, and grant to me the grace of your healing and deliverance and a deep and true repentance.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father—my creator, redeemer, sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you, I trust you, I worship you. I give myself over to you, Father, to be one with you as Jesus is one with you. Thank you for proving your love for me by sending Jesus. I receive him and all his life and all his work which you ordained for me. Thank you for including me in Christ, forgiving me my sins, granting me his righteousness, making me complete in him. Thank you for making me alive with Christ, raising me with him, seating me with him at your right hand, establishing me in his authority, and anointing me with your love and your Spirit and your favor. I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life—my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will.
Jesus, thank you for coming to ransom me with your own life. I love you, worship you, trust you. I give myself over to you, to be one with you in all things. I receive all the work and triumph of your cross, death, blood, and sacrifice for me, through which my every sin is atoned for, I am ransomed, delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and transferred to your kingdom, my sin nature is removed, my heart circumcised unto God, and every claim being made against me is canceled and disarmed. With [my wife and/or children, by name], I take my place now in your cross and death, dying with you to sin, to my flesh, to this world, to the evil one and his kingdom. I take up the cross and crucify my flesh with all its pride, arrogance, unbelief, and idolatry [and anything else you are currently struggling with]. I put off the old man. Apply to me and [my wife and/or children, by name] all the work and triumph in your cross, death, blood, and sacrifice; I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will.
Jesus, I also receive you as my Life, and I receive all the work and triumph in your resurrection, through which you have conquered sin, death, judgment, and the evil one. Death has no power over you, nor does any foul thing. And I have been raised with you to a new life, to live your life—dead to sin and alive to God. With [my wife and/or children, by name] I take my place now in your resurrection and in your life, and I give my life to you to live your life. I am saved by your life. I reign in life through your life. I receive your hope, love, faith, joy, your goodness, trueness, wisdom, power, and strength. Apply to me and [my wife and/or children, by name] all the work and triumph in your resurrection; I receive it with thanks, and I give it total claim to my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will.
Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my authority, rule, and dominion, my everlasting victory against Satan and his kingdom, and my ability to bring your Kingdom at all times and in every way. I receive all the work and triumph in your ascension, through which Satan has been judged and cast down, and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to you. All authority in the heavens and on this earth has been given to you, Jesus, and you are worthy to receive all glory and honor, power and dominion, now and forever. With [my wife and/or children, by name], I take my place now in your authority and in your throne, through which I have been raised with you to the right hand of the Father and established in your authority. I give myself to you, to reign with you always. Apply to me and [my wife and/or children, by name] all the work and triumph in your authority and in your throne; I receive it with thanks and I give it total claim to my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will.
I now bring the authority, rule, and dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the full work of Christ over my life today, over [my wife and/or children, by name], over my home, my household, my work, over all my kingdom and domain. I bring the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and the full work of Christ against every evil power coming against me and [my wife and/or children, by name], against every foul spirit, every foul power and device. [You might need to name them—what has been attacking you?] I cut them off in the name of the Lord; I bind and banish them from me and from my household and kingdom now, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. I also bring the full work of Christ between each of us and every person, and I allow only the love of God and only the Spirit of God between us.
Holy Spirit, thank you for coming. I love you, I worship you, I trust you. I receive all the work and triumph in Pentecost, through which you have come, you have clothed me with power from on high, sealed me in Christ, become my union with the Father and the Son, the Spirit of truth in me, the life of God in me, my counselor, comforter, strength, and guide. I honor you as Lord, and with [my wife and/or children, by name], I fully give to you every aspect and dimension of my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will—to be filled with you, to walk in step with you in all things. Fill us afresh, Holy Spirit. Restore our union with the Father and the Son. Lead us into all truth, anoint us for all of our life and walk and calling, and lead us deeper into Jesus today. I receive you with thanks, and I give you total claim to our lives.
Heavenly Father, thank you for granting to us every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. I claim the riches in Christ Jesus over my life today and over [my wife and/or children, by name]. I bring the blood of Christ once more over each of us—our spirit, soul, and body, over our heart, mind, and will. Armor each of us with your armor. I put on the full armor of God: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, helmet of salvation; I take up the shield of faith and sword of the Spirit, and I choose to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of your might, to pray at all times in the Spirit.
Jesus, thank you for your angels. I summon them in the name of Jesus Christ and instruct them to destroy all that is raised against me and against [my wife and/or children, by name], to establish your Kingdom over us, to guard us day and night. I ask you to send forth your Spirit to raise up prayer and intercession for me and my household. I now call forth the kingdom of God throughout my home, my family, my household, my kingdom, and domain in the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving all glory and honor and thanks to him. In Jesus’ name, amen.