Is it Important?
Hello, and welcome to Coffee with Cindy, a weekly devotion to strengthen and encourage you. Here is your host, Cindy Lauterbach.
Cindy:Do you think it's important for our children to be in church? Were you in church as a child? And if you were, what kind of experience did you have? Well, I can't speak for you, but I can speak for myself. I was raised in a family where on Sundays, we went to church.
Cindy:It was a place we could go to see friends. I didn't realize it then, but it was also a place where we were taught about the God of the Bible. Who he is, his attributes, and who I could become if I gave my life, invited him in to lead and guide me. Sure, way back then there were not as many other things to do on Sundays. Not as many opportunities to choose from.
Cindy:The malls were closed. There was no Internet. The only TV channels we had in our home went up to 13, which was UHF. Not the 100 we can choose from today. There were no movies we could watch.
Cindy:On Sunday nights, I can remember waiting to watch Mutual Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and wait for Disney's wonderful world of color. You might ask, how does going to church and learning about God help us to make the decision to invite him into our lives to lead us, to guide us, to direct us? Let's start with singing. When a child experiences a bunch of people singing about someone they know, about his goodness, his grace, forgiveness, and love, they become inquisitive. Many of the old hymns tell the story of a savior whose blood washes us clean, makes us whole without spot or wrinkle, like snow.
Cindy:In a church service, there's also prayer, talking to God. Children learn by listening to the words that are prayed in church. Not only did I become familiar with hearing people pray at church, I also was familiar with prayer at home. I can remember when we pray at the dinner table, my dad didn't pray the prayers that we had memorized. Instead, he prayed like he was having a conversation with God.
Cindy:It was as though he knew God. And I would wonder, how does he do that? How does he know God? This put a desire in my heart that someday I could pray like him. Did I ever tell him this?
Cindy:No. But I wanted to pray like he did. Moms and dads, does what you do and what you say have a lasting effect on your kids? Yes, indeed. It does.
Cindy:In church, children hear preaching and the reading of God's word. God's word is spoken so all would come to know Christ. Didn't Jesus tell us to go into all the world and preach the gospel, so we could believe in Jesus Christ, be baptized, and be saved? In the reading of God's word only to be spoken in church, is it of course not just his word, but it is filled with hope, with forgiveness and love. Just as we wouldn't want our kids to miss out on getting to know someone who loves them, we wouldn't want them to miss out on being introduced to Jesus, would we?
Cindy:Parents ought also to read God's word in the home so children hear it, even memorize it. Going to church on a regular basis forms a habit in us and in our children. When this is accomplished, not only will our children get to know the God of the Bible, but they will also form the habit of worshiping the Lord one day a week. When other things come along and challenge this one day a week, set aside to worship the lord, to attend church, our children will not quickly forget that Sunday is the lord's day, because of the seeds that were planted in their hearts when they were young. So how does one learn to worship God?
Cindy:By watching others. By watching their parents imitating how they worship the Lord. If children aren't in church or have the blessing of seeing their parents worshiping the lord in church and at home, how will they ever learn how to worship? In Matthew 18:20, the bible tells us where 2 or 3 are gathered together in his name, he's there in the midst of them. He's with them.
Cindy:If God is with the 2 or 3 gathered together in his name, if his presence is there, why would we not want our children to be there also? What could possibly be more important than being in the presence of the Lord? I can't think of anything. Can you? Taking your children to church on a regular basis will not save them, but it will teach them to put God first before anything else.
Cindy:Studies tell us 80%, 85% of those who give their lives to Christ do so before the age of 18. I'll end with the same question I started with. Is it important for our children to be in church? You answer it, but I'd say, yes, it is.
Announcer:Thank you for joining Cindy for this week's devotion. We hope that you were encouraged and that you subscribe on your favorite podcast provider. We look forward to getting together with you again next week.
