Children/Conversion/Baptism - a good article

[annsni]

I find Practical Shepherding to be a great, practical site for ministry. My husband and I have learned a lot from reading his blog! I think today's post is really good regarding the issue of children and conversion. What do you think?

http://practicalshepherding.com/2013/05/14/how-do-we-discern-the-spiritual-conversion-of-children/

 

[BobRyan]

I have to assume that like Adventists - Baptists are seeing their children accept Christ and get baptized between the ages of about 9 and 15. So given the recent thread about Baptist membership shrinking in the U.S. over the past 10 or 20 years - what have you experienced in the area of teens or young adults leaving the fold?

And why do you suppose that is?

in Christ,

Bob

 

[annsni]

Personally in my family, each of my children were saved around 5 years old and my two older daughters - 20 and 23 are still walking strongly with the Lord.

I have seen many walk away from the faith and I do not believe that they were really walking with the Lord at all. It was more of a "this is what you do so do it" rather than ever having a heart change. The faith needs to be theirs - not their parents. This is why we feel strongly that it is a discernment thing and one that takes time and speaking to the child and knowing the child in life. It's not just an application, check off a few boxes and you can be baptized.

 

[BobRyan]

Personally in my family, each of my children were saved around 5 years old and my two older daughters - 20 and 23 are still walking strongly with the Lord.

I have seen many walk away from the faith and I do not believe that they were really walking with the Lord at all. It was more of a "this is what you do so do it" rather than ever having a heart change. The faith needs to be theirs - not their parents.

In Matt 13 Christ describes 4 kinds of ground. The seed the fell by the wayside represents that which never "springs to life" and accepts salvation. You seem to be zeroing in on that problem.

In your view - there may only be two kinds of ground, good ground and that which "fell by the wayside".

In any case - what percentage of children do find giving up on Church by the time they are in their late teens?

What could their parents have done better?

I too have two daughters, now in their late 20's and early 30's that have been walking with Christ since day when they accepted the Gospel at the age of 10 and 11.

But we home schooled, we engaged in Bible studies with both SDAs and non-SDAs and asked our children to participate. And we got them involved in Chrisitian home-school group programs (interdenominational) We got them involved in weekly Bible study groups, evangelistic seminars that last for about 4 weeks etc. So we did what we could to make sure they were fully engaged and knew what the issues were at an early age in life.

But as the reports come back we find that even many of the home school children that they grew up with - seem to have lost their way.

in Christ,

Bob

But

 

[annsni]

Bob - I think the biggest factor in a child continuing with the faith (thus showing that they had a true, saving faith from the beginning) is having a family that walks the walk - not just in public but in private as well. How do you deal with crisis in the home? How do you deal with disagreements? How do you deal with attacks? Or even how do you deal with daily life? I think it equips them to be able to deal with the real world better than just tossing them out there and hoping for the best.

I homeschooled the girls through 8th grade but they did attend public school for 9th -12th and both went to secular colleges and continue a strong walk with the Lord - strong enough to be discipling other girls. But I think it was the foundation of being home and watching us live our faith daily and just how to submit to God's control in everything. THAT makes a huge difference.

That and amazing grace.

 

[Yeshua1]

Bob - I think the biggest factor in a child continuing with the faith (thus showing that they had a true, saving faith from the beginning) is having a family that walks the walk - not just in public but in private as well. How do you deal with crisis in the home? How do you deal with disagreements? How do you deal with attacks? Or even how do you deal with daily life? I think it equips them to be able to deal with the real world better than just tossing them out there and hoping for the best.

I homeschooled the girls through 8th grade but they did attend public school for 9th -12th and both went to secular colleges and continue a strong walk with the Lord - strong enough to be discipling other girls. But I think it was the foundation of being home and watching us live our faith daily and just how to submit to God's control in everything. THAT makes a huge difference.

That and amazing grace.

Think we raise our children up to be adults who have seen us practice real chrsitianity, go to church, youth groups, but in the end...

ONLY God can open their hearts and minds to turn to Chrsit and be saved, so keep on praying for them!

 

[annsni]

Think we raise our children up to be adults who have seen us practice real chrsitianity, go to church, youth groups, but in the end...

ONLY God can open their hearts and minds to turn to Chrsit and be saved, so keep on praying for them!

Oh - absolutely without a doubt!! But I believe in many of the homes (certainly not all) where children grew up in a "Christian" home and walked away from the Lord did not see a true representation of the Gospel in their home. Yes, it was spoken but it was not lived.

 

[Yeshua1]

Oh - absolutely without a doubt!! But I believe in many of the homes (certainly not all) where children grew up in a "Christian" home and walked away from the Lord did not see a true representation of the Gospel in their home. Yes, it was spoken but it was not lived.

No doubt, for until we live the walk, our kids won't listen to the talk!

 

[annsni]

No doubt, for until we live the walk, our kids won't listen to the talk!

And I think for those kids who are truly saved and grow up in a home where the Gospel is not lived, they are hamstrung for a while unless they really understand what is going on. When they see the "wrong" as "right", it warps their view and it takes a lot of time later on for them to have to overcome it.