"Parenthood", Just Another Word for "Discipleship"

No so-called Christian should presume an exemption from reaching the lost and making disciples.  Per Matthew 28:18 - 20, a passage known as the Great Commission (I like this language, Co - mission, implying that you're not alone but that God is with you), every believer has the responsibility to going into every man's world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Where the Bible says that there's no respecter of persons with God (Acts 10:24 and numerous other places), such instructions as the Great Commission are expressly what the Bible is referring to.  For those in Christ, there are simply no exceptions.

The good news is that this divine objective can be and certainly should be approached very equally and evenly among the body of believers.  It is possible to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ before said people ever enter their own world.  "How?", you ask. Quite simply in child rearing. 

Such a statement sounds as if an overstatement of the obvious.  But, in truth, many so-called Christian parents are content to leave the teaching of God's Word to the Sunday school teacher or the youth pastor.  Granted, they may not know what their respective church leaders know, but ignorance of itself is not so much the problem as contentment in said ignorance is.  They simply don't recognize that while it may be wise in a given situation to delegate certain home responsibilities elsewhere, God still holds the parents primarily responsible overall in training up the child in Godly principles.  And as for God, He dare not deprive any person of insight strictly by His counsel just to force him/her to find it elsewhere.  He gives wisdom to all; you need only ask (James 1:5).

If anything, the teaching of God's Word should be generational.  The awareness God and His first begotten, Jesus Christ, should be taught in the home first and foremost by the parents, and the youth pastor and even senior pastor simply tag-team with the parents in training up the next generation of believers.  But regardless of how successful your pastor has been and how mega- his/her ministry may be, it can't be stressed enough that the parents are primarily responsible for their children growing up in God's kingdom.  And here again, the responsibility of spreading the gospel is very evenly distributed.  Quite simply, if parents would disciple their own children, no one else would have to!  Indeed, parenthood was instituted by God for this reason.  By the Holy Spirit, you purposed as a parent to teach your children about God.  Providing a home, protection, food, clothing, etc. are all secondary to this.  Family bible study, prayer, and even communion should regularly scheduled occurrences in your home.

Be advised that discipleship is always occurring.  The only question is, what are you discipling your children to?  The sinful nature is the default state of Man's existence, per the Original Sin, so if you are not consciously teaching your children holiness, you are unconsciously teaching them to live outside of God's will.  It is always true that you can teach your children what you know, but they become who you are.  

Please inquiry of God how to raise your children.  Disciple your own children into the Kingdom of God and make it a generational blessing for your family.  Do this so it can be true that every person born from you loins will have a relationship with God from now until the day of Jesus Christ.

The Answer to Your Prayer Begins With You

Don't let religious people fool you.  Hearing God's voice is NOT just for specifically designated people.  All of Mankind were created to hear God's voice.  Our own free will determines whether or not we hear God in our hearts.  I know because the Bible tells us there's no respecter of persons with God (Acts 10:34, KJV).  Furthermore, in a world where are more outside the Body of the Christ than are conjoined to it, God would sell Himself short to purposely limiting who He would speak to.

And at the risk of sounding pessimistic, I'm not convinced every so-called Christian hears God's voice though they may claim to.  I say this because so many so-called Christian are content with where they are spiritually.  Whereas a heart hearing God's voice is one continually intent on spiritual growth.  And when someone is maturing spiritually, other believers can see it.

The point being that when God's voice really does begin to echo in your heart, even as you bring your life concerns to Him in prayer, the first subject He'll discuss with you is you . . .

You:  "But God, my spouse just does not listen to me!"

God:  "Can see it.  I agree with it.  Now let's talk about you."

You:  "God, don't you see how my daughter's friends are negatively influencing her?"

God:  "Yes, I know.  But I want to talk about you."

You:  "God, please do something about my father's alcoholism."

God:  "I will.  Here's what I want you do about it."

You:  "God, how did you allow same-sex marriage to be argued in front of the Supreme Court?"

God:  "I told you to make disciples and reach the lost.  You think this caught me by surprise?!"

I've concluded that if you're not ready for God to tell you that you're the answer to your prayer, you might as well not even pray.  You'll come to Him with a seemingly insurmountable concern thinking that the answer is see God move, and He'll respond by telling you what to do about it.  He's reminding you of the power that exists within you.

Hearing God's voice is nothing to brag about.  Not just because we were all created to commune with Him but also because His words are always intent to correct your life.  Assuming you are not perfect, your heart will be under constant conviction.  The result thereof being conscious of your behavior, Godly or otherwise, in every moment . . .

"I gotta be a better spouse."  

"I need more wisdom to raise my children."

"I need to show my boss I am submitted to him."

Indeed if you hear God's voice, you will be a very self-centered person--always thinking of yourself first.  Because the answer to your prayer is always you.

Spirit, Soul, Body: The Spiritual Order of Operations

In mathematics, equations are solved following an order of operations. Certain phrases or expressions within the equation have precedence over others.

Specifically, expressions bound within parentheses, "( )", always have the highest precedence. Expressions of multiplication, "x", and division, "/", have precedence next. Finally, addition, "+", and subtraction, "-", expressions have the least precedence. Therefore, by this order of operations . . .

2 x 3 + 4 = 10 and 2 x (3 + 4) =14

As clearly indicated above, awareness of the order of operations is very necessary for the proper resolution of these problems.

The natural realm in general—and mathematics, more specifically—time and time again demonstrate spiritual principles. That being true, resolution of life problems should be approached following the proper order of operations.

I gleaned the spiritual order of operations in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. While Paul is not specifically speaking about resolving our life issues in this scripture, he mentions the whole of our person: spirit, soul, and body.

As I prayed recently—addressing with the Holy Spirit my own life issues no less—he reminded of this scripture and informed that Paul, as meticulous as he was, did not list out these dimensions of our existence in random order but instead in order of importance/relevance/precedence.

The body, which strictly makes us legal residents of the natural realm, has the lowest precedence. The body, as a part of the physical realm, should only implement logic that comes from within instead of influencing our logic which is unfortunately true for those who don't hear God's voice in their heart, i.e. the spirit.

The soul, which is the mind, will, and emotions, is the decision-making part of our person. It has precedence over the body deciding what the body says and does. As a dimension of our existence, the soul is a battle zone. It is territory constantly fought over by our born-again spirit man and our sinful nature, a nature born within us because Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, and we are their offspring. Naturally, if the spirit man has not been born again, the sinful nature wins.

The spirit, intent to be the receiver of revelation knowledge from the Holy Spirit, has the highest precedence of our triune being. It being the least tangible part of our person from the outside-in, is often ignored. When, if God has His way, decisions made in the world for all of Mankind would begin with His voice in every person's born again spirit.

Succinctly, the spirit hears God's voice and influences the logic in our soul. Within the soul, we make decisions in accordance with God's Word. Finally, those decisions govern our behavior.

Sickness, poverty, broken marriages, disobedient children, gun control, homosexuality and same-sex marriage should all be addressed following what I've termed the spiritual order of operations. It is the order of precedence by which we should live our lives. By it, God speaks first, and the natural realm reaps the benefit. By this order of operations, our life issues, like the math problems above, are adequately resolved.