“The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God”
Ephesians 6: 17
In previous articles concerning
the Holy Spirit’s role in your children’s life, the Spirit’s ministry was
essential in effecting God’s plan to disciple your sons and daughters and
prepare them to reach the lost in the 21st Century. Your
children are quite unique because they have been born at the end of the New
Covenant era, man’s last ordained days on earth. They will most likely see
the return of Christ (I Thess. 4:15-17). The New Covenant
era was introduced by Jesus; it replaced the Old Covenant which began with
Moses. The revolutionary teachings (Law to Grace) of the New
Covenant were quite a change from the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:13).
These teachings permeate the entire New Testament. The book of Galatians is
specifically dedicated to the New Covenant (Law to Grace) and would
be a great book for your family to read and discuss. But as incredible
as the New Covenant teachings are, (Galatians 3:22-26) they
easily can become only good Sunday morning information when not accompanied
by reliance on an indwelling Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 3:16).
The Holy Spirit was given to your
children when they believed, and without Him the entire Bible, including the
New Covenant becomes only an information-gathering source, rather than a
transformational living truth (2 Cor. 5:17). The biblical
definition of transformation means to make a complete change. The actual
Greek word is metamorphoo (metamorphoo);
it means to make incredible change. A picture of what metamorphoo
encompasses is the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The change a caterpillar
goes through to become a beautifully butterfly portrays the dramatic
transformation God’s hopes for with His believers (Romans 12:1-2).
The Word was never meant to be
merely a storehouse of biblical facts or beliefs. The intention of the
Word was designed to be the Spirit’s tool to empower children to make needed
heart changes, lifestyle repair, and steady progress in building their
relationship with God. (John 14:16-17). The fruits of the
Spirit as mentioned in the book of Galatians are a list of those intended
changes, and will be the focus of our study over these next few weeks.
Your responsibility as
parents is to partner with God in this goal. His role is to work within
your believing child’s heart. He does this through the Spirit, who is
committed to inspire, lead, and guide your children in truth. You
represent God’s effort from the outside. You are His greatest earthly
example of what Christians become when the Spirit is allowed to transform
them through the Word (John
14:26).
Whether you fully accept
this responsibility or not, you are still God’s primary means to build Godly
character in your children. Hopefully, for their sakes, you will not
decline this great opportunity. If you do, He will work around you for the
sake of your children. There can be no greater joy for a Christian mother
or father than to face Christ one day, knowing you did all you could to
partner with Him in raising your children
(2 Cor. 5:10).
And perhaps nothing more discouraging than to face Him knowing you actually
hurt their spiritual development.
(Ephesians 6:4, Mark 9:42).
A parent led prayer before
reading the Word will help and I strongly suggest it. Something like,
“Lord, as we read the Word; make the necessary changes in each of us. Help
us to become more like You in everything we do.”
Teachable Moment
In this Teachable Moment,
highlight how important it is to recognize the Spirit’s presence, desire,
and ability to help your children be transformed as they read the Word.
Take your children to the kitchen and get out a prized frozen piece of steak
(or the best piece of meat you have). Ask one of your children to take out
a butter knife and attempt to cut the steak into portions. After they try
without success, put the prized steak in the microwave, and after cooking
it, take a sharp steak knife and cut it. Ask you children to compare what
they have seen in the kitchen with reading the Word and the Spirit’s
transforming presence. Hopefully, they will say that reading the Word
without the Spirit is like trying to cut into a prized steak that is
frozen. This is what happens when the Word is read for information rather
than transformation. If they have not already said it, tell your children
to always pray for transformation when reading the Word; it is like eating
the prized steak when it is cooked, cut, and ready to be eaten.
Word of God
I Thessalonians 4:15-17 15 For this we say to you by the
word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the
Lord. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, Then we who are
alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Hebrews 8: 13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the
first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready
to disappear.
Galatians 3: 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under
sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those
who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under
the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may
be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are
no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:16
May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened
and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit Himself
indwelling your innermost being and personality.
2 Corinthians 5: 17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold new things have come.
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect.
John 14: 16-17 16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give
you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know
Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said to you.
2 Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat
of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether
good or bad.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to
anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Mark 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who
believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone
hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
