The Purpose & Ministry of Parenting

"Our goal in parenting is not ultimately for our kids to get an excellent education, be great athletes, find a great spouse, or get a great career.  Our goal is for them to see a great God and want to live for Him."  David Platt

The purpose of salvation is NOT the salvation of our kids.  God is the one who saves.

Psalm 78:4, 7 talks about telling the coming generation of "the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done."  We do this telling "so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments."

Parenting is about pointing our children to Christ.
Allowing them to see a life dependent on Jesus, with the prayer that one day they will trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The problem is pride, which can lead to views of children that are not helpful.  

• Children may be viewed as obstacles preventing parents from reaching their full potential.  However, children are not obstacles to ministry; their very presence is a kind of ministry.
• Children may be viewed as an idol that provides self-fulfillment and identity.  They are not an end in themselves.
• Children may be viewed as tools, used as the foundation of society or the building block of the church.  

In creation, one of the first things God does for Adam is to create a helper, a woman.

One of God's first commandments is "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it."  Genesis 1:28

The family is central to... 

God's revelation of Himself.  Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the Son, and God is referred to as the Father (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:17, 19 - 20).

God's plan of salvation.  We are adopted into the family of God (Galatians 4:4 - 7; Hebrews 2:11; Matthew 6:9; 1 John 3:1; Hebrews 12:5 -11).

God's church is the family of God (1 Peter 4:17; 1 Timothy 3:4-5; 15:1 - 2; Ephesians 2:1 - 2).

Families are a means of knowing God and His plan for salvation better and a means of blessing the church and the world.

A well-ordered family is a powerful, God-ordained, universal witness to the church of what it ought to be.  See 1 Timothy 3:15 and 5:1 - 2.

The family ministers to the lost world.  First, we should view building strong, vibrant, not perfect, families as a form of ministry and opening our homes to non-Christian friends as an increasingly valuable evangelistic opportunity.  Second, the family provides an opportunity to evangelize future generations.

Building families is a vital Christian ministry, both to the church—which is our spiritual family—and to the world, which sees in the family a picture of a redeemed community.

This Sunday, March 16, the class will be on the importance of Family Worship.

Much of this post has been taken from Capitol Hill Baptist Church's Core Seminar "Parenthood."

J.C. Ryle's book Practical Religion's chapter 16 is entitled Family of God.  Ryle makes the connection between the family and the church.  Check out the PDF HERE