vassal of the King

THE TARGET OF PARENTING  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)   THE TARGET (the aim/heart) OF PARENTING The ultimate aim for all of Christian living must be the glory of God. Believers strive to live for Christ and for His renown. Paul said it like this: we make it our ambition… to be pleasing to God (2 Corinthians 5.9). That must be the believer’s primary target. This relates to parenting as well. The ultimate aim, the primary target of all Christian parenting must be to honor Jesus Christ and fulfill the duties that God has given through His Word in relation to the children. No parent will fulfill this perfectly, far from it! But God’s grace is so mighty and sufficient that He will help fathers and mothers to parent with the primary target in mind. Here some helpful reminders. The parents must aim to prepare their children to meet God. The Lord Himself has given parents to be the God-given instructors to teach and prepare the children to meet God. All

THE PROTECTION OF PARENTING Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church, St Louis, MO THE PROTECTION OF PARENTING   A glorious opportunity has been given to all parents. God calls parents to do for their children what God Himself does for His own sons and daughters: protect them. God marvelously protects His own. And He protects them carefully, constantly, lovingly, patiently, watchfully, and sacrificially.  Our culture has shown itself to be a child-hating society because of the prevalence of, the championing of, and the celebration of the murder of unborn children. The safest place for an unborn child (a mother’s womb) has turned into a slaughter house for the weakest and most vulnerable. Parents ought to protect their children.  God, as the perfect Shepherd, provides the wonderful paradigm for protecting His own. In Ezekiel 34, God says that He will search for His sheep and seek them out (v.11). He cares for the sheep and will deliver them from the tough places (v.12). Fur

THE PEW IN PARENTING  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)   THE PEW OF PARENTING A wonderfully blessed and simultaneously trying area of parenting consists in the training of children   in   the pew. The responsibility falls to parents to actively teach and persistently prepare the children for worship. How will children know how to worship God unless they are taught? How will children know what to   do   in the worship service unless parents instruct them? This area of parenting must begin with the proper understanding of the following foundational points. First, only God can regenerate the children. No parent has any innate power to save the kids, make them more savable, or manipulate them to make a “decision” for Jesus. Only God saves. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Second, this area of parenting must maintain a long-view perspective that change does not happen immediately or overnight, or in a week! Even in a difficult week, or a frustrating Sunday in

THE SUCCESS OF PARENTING  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)   What makes parenting successful? Every father and mother want to be successful in what they do. But how does one really know if they did it right? Christian parenting is like other duties in the life of the believer. God calls His people to consistent faithfulness. Successful parenting does not necessarily mean that all the kids will be Christians, go to good churches, be married and have a bunch of kids. One could fail miserably at his parental responsibilities and yet, in the immense mercies of God, the kids may walk closely with Christ! Or, a parent may faithfully lead his children in the home by teaching the Word, walking holiness, guarding the Lord’s Day, leading in prayer, and modeling Christian conduct and yet all the while the children may remain unregenerate and be indifferent toward Christ and His gospel. The outcome of the children’s spiritual condition does not necessarily determi

  THE DISCIPLESHIP OF PARENTING  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)  Discipleship is teaching. Disciples learn from the instructor both formally in content and informally by imitation. No greater context exists for children to be taught about God, self, life, eternity, Truth, and conduct than the home. The home is the home-base for discipleship. Parents are the primary disciplers of their children. This responsibility to teach and mentor the children does not fall to the Sunday-School teacher, the youth leader, the pastor, the peers or social media. Parents must undertake the duty of teaching and training the children.    First , parents must disciple by formal instruction. Fathers and mothers must teach the children a Christian worldview that is robustly and thoroughly biblical. The children must learn the necessity of discerning everything through the lens of Scripture. This can come through schooling in the home, teaching in family worship, and carefu

 THE DISCIPLINE IN PARENTING  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)  God makes the all-wise declaration that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him (Proverbs 22.15). God commands parents to not hold back discipline from the child … you shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol (Proverbs 23.13-14). God provides discipline for wayward and sinful children as a rescue mission. Children must be rescued from themselves, from their own folly, from their sins, and ultimately from God’s eternal wrath. Marvelously, God has given the duty and privilege to parents to undertake the call to lovingly discipline their children with love, firmness, consistency, and with gospel-proclamation.  The topic of discipline brings one immediately to the greatness of God because He Himself disciplines those whom He loves (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:3-11). Those whom God treats as children are those who rece

  The ORDER of Parenting  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO) THE ORDER OF PARENTING  God is a God of order and not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14.33). Disorder is a result of worldly, earthly wisdom which is demonic in nature (James 3.15). In parenting, then, order in the home must prevail. Parents should not allow their children to run wild and uncontrolled as if they run the house and “do what they want to do.”  Parents do not sit passive and refuse discipline and reproof “just to keep the peace.” Rather, parents must strive for, pray for, attain, and maintain an orderly environment in the home among the family. This is vital because it represents the character of God and the family of God which is to be orderly.    Parents must exemplify order in their marriage. This means that parents should understand and fulfill their God-given rules and functions in the home. Obeying God in the order of marriage will provide a joy-filled, Godly, enjoyable, a

The TEACHING of Parenting Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)   THE TEACHING OF PARENTING Solomon said to his son: “observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother” (Proverbs 6.20). One of the most fundamental and essential obligations God has given to parents is the regular teaching of the children. This presupposes a few things. First, children need to be taught and do not know the way of wisdom on their own.  Second, parents must obey God and make it their priority to actively teach their children. Third, it is a commanded duty from God to all parents to be the primary teachers and instructors of their children.  The teaching of the children must include instruction from Scripture concerning the things of religion and the instruction about wise and practical living for God in society.    First, this should include formal teaching in regular, consistent family worship. Fathers have the leadership obligation to lead

The PERSPECTIVE of Parenting   Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO)      THE PERSPECTIVE OF PARENTING  The Bible provides all the answers that parents need as they care for, teach, instruct, and minister grace and truth to their children in the home. Christians do not need to look elsewhere for help or for supplemental advice. God’s Word proclaims itself to be the all-sufficient Word to save and to sanctify the man of God so that he may be adequate — prepared for every single good work. And that even includes parenting!  Parents must maintain the proper perspective in their work and duties.    The proper perspective that parents must have is a long-term focus in their work. Parents cannot live by the moment and be discouraged when they don’t see immediate results from their labors. Like a farmer, parents must be patient as they await the harvest. Like a fisherman, parents must diligently cast the line and await God to bring the catch. Undoubtedly, times wi