In the last 2 posts, I shared a Discipleship Map helping us train our children in
the next steps in their faith. I gave you the opportunity to answer these questions:
1. Has my child ever accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus?
2. Does my child know how to talk with God in prayer?
Today we answer the question…
3. Does my child know how to read the Bible on his/her own?
a. If not, make a Bible Date, bringing a Bible for your child and for you.
i. Open the Bible and show your child the Table of Contents explaining that each
name is called a “book” and that the Bible is like a library of books.
ii. Explain that the big numbers are chapters within each book and the small
numbers are verses within each chapter. The Bible is structured this way so
people can study it together.
iii. Talk about the structure of the Bible. This website is an awesome
resource to help you train your child the structure of the Bible.
iv. Choose a New Testament book like Luke to begin and read through a
chapter or section (bolded title to bolded title) of the Bible with your child,
asking questions like these after you read that passage together:
1. (Summarize) What did that passage say?
2. (Apply) What does God want us to do with what we just read? (i.e.
worship Him, apply this information to a current situation, tell someone else)
v. Encourage your child to continue reading this book of the Bible on his/her own
section by section or chapter by chapter each day. It’s important that you check
in with your child about what s/he is reading from time to time to answer any
questions or concerns.
b. If so, ask your child what s/he has been reading, what questions s/he has, and what s/he
plans to read next. If your child seems to be bored with what s/he has been reading, you can:
i. Get your child a devotional book or YouVersion kids’ devotional online to read
to help your child engage again.
ii. Start reading the Bible together to bring the Word to life through your discussion and
spiritual insight.
Once you know our child has accepted God’s gift of salvation, has a healthy prayer life, and is reading
the Bible for his/her own, your job is to continue to encourage connection with God in those ways. One
option is to focus on your child’s strengths and weaknesses. You can begin discipling your child in
focusing on strengths and weaknesses with the National Center for Biblical Parenting!
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:5-6
What is the next step in discipling your child?