1. Opening Prayer of Gratitude: (1min)
a) Opening up the meeting in prayer.
2. Introduction: (15 min.)
a) Opening comments and introductions
Ask participants: Please go to the 78th division of the Psalm. We will work out of verses 4 through 7.
Here it says that that:
(78:4) We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
(78:5) For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children.
(78:6) That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.
(78:7) That they might set there hope in God, and not forget works of God.
When we read this portion of scripture, we need to understand that when God gave this psalm to the writer he was showing us the need for both a personal history lesson and asking the question:
"What are we doing to prepare our children and children in general to become Dynamic Children of God?"
What are we doing to ensure that they are begin raised the why God would have them raised?
What are we doing to ensure that our youth today…
Our teenagers today
Our young ones…
Are being prepared to be the future leaders of the neighborhood, the city, the state or country…
As Americans it is imperative that we not only learn what it takes to make it in our generation, but we have to be prepared to not only to teach the next generation but we must be able to lay the foundation for generations before us…
Oh it’s true…
Two generations from now, there will be a family member that will say; yes my great grand daddy was a preacher…
My mother was a woman who loved the Lord…
My Father was a deacon for 20 years…
Its not the titles, its not the position but it is what they represent that makes those future generations proud of what you are doing for God…
So when God says, "we will not hide from their children, telling to that generation the praises of coming to the Lord, He is saying to the Children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children…
Preparing them for greater things then us…
Mentoring them toward the way of God…
Strengthening them and showing them the wonderful works that God has done in our lives and others…
3. Exercise: (20 Min)
So, with that said, I’d like for you to break into four groups.
And among yourselves, write down the at least 10 distractions/obstacles that your children are facing once they leave your door and how that is effecting their walks with God…
And then list at least 10 things you are doing to help your children develop their gifts with a purpose for furthering the Kingdom and for nurturing success in the world.
Take the next 10 minutes to write down the 10 obstacles facing your children’s spiritual growth and the 10 things we are doing as parents and disciples of Jesus to further the Kingdom.
Select one person as your spokesperson.
(Conduct a discussion around the group’s findings)
4.Nurturing Dynamic Children and Families of God (20 Min)
Our lesson is talking about developing dynamic children of God…
And when we talk about what it takes for us to develop a child…
The time invested…
The resources devoted…
The counsel and commitment necessary to bring up a child…
The text tells us that these dynamic children of God…
These powerful children of God…
These potent children of God.
These Effective Children for God and for our society must nurtured, developed, guided and directed by God, the Holy Spirit and us…
They need us in their physical lives, but they need God in their spiritual lives…
And the desire and connection to God at even an early age has had the experts identify that these children…
These so-called dynamic children have something special even at an early age…
These children have identified something in themselves even at an early age…
They have, as the experts say "strong sense of identity".
In other words, sometimes we are trying to reach kids and it doesn’t seem to sink in…
Sometimes we could just as well be speaking to a brick wall…
Sometimes, from the kid’s perspective we are talking at 30,000 feet when we need to reach them below tree level…
And it is below tree level were we need to nurture, develop and build our children self identity…
In other words, the kids that make it have a strong sense of identity…
They know who they are and they know who’s they are even at an early age…
The Bible says (Proverb 22:6) "that we should train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it…
And that (Eph 6:4) we should not provoke our children to wrath but to bring them up and nurture them and admonish them in the Lord…
So the Children need a strong self-identity…
And the experts tell us that this strong sense of identity is established in at least five areas…
The historical or generational perspective
An Intellectual perspective
A social perspective -
A physical perspective
And the spiritual perspective -
The Historical perspective or generational perspective teach and nurtures our past as the foundation for the future…
The need for self identity…
The need for a stable home environment…
The need to know that there are historic moments happening in our homes every day. We need to celebrate and honor accomplishments in our home so that our children see the value of accomplishments in our own families in addition to around the country…
The Intellectual, social and physical deal with many of the issues that we try to bring to our children’s table every day…
We know that a good education can breed success in this world that we live in spite of racism…
In spite of sexism…
And in spite of the many obstacles that are placed in front of us…
We need to remember that the Devil is a liar…
He will have some of us believing that we are incapable of achieving and education…
Incapable of success in business…
Incapable of breaking generation cycles of self-hate an abuse…
But God knows better…
God fills us with the passion to grow…
God fills us with prayer
He fills us with Devotion…
He fills us with Wisdom…
He fills us with Intellect…
He fills us with personality
He fills us with Love for one another…
As it is with our children today, we need to be like Jesus when said:
(John 15:13) greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…
We need to lay down our lives for our children’s education…
We need to go the extra mile to nurture those gifts our children have…
We need to take an extra step to develop the spiritually so that God can prepare them for a cruel and dangerous world…
So this generational, Intellectual, social, physical and spiritual identity when balanced, nurtured and developed over time gives us a much greater opportunity for child’s success not only in our child’s lives but also the foundation for there children, and even there children…
And the idea here is that part of our maturing process as Christians has not only to do with how we are receiving our blessings…
Not only understanding and worship where our blessings come from…
But also how we can provide a vision for our children on how they can serve God and be a blessing to others…
Because when the Bible says (Psalm 78:4) we will no hide them
from their children"
We want a generation of people we can impact to come to the altar of God.
And praise his mighty name…
We want a generation of men. Woman, boys and girls talking about his strength and power…
We want a generation of people lifting him up in the name of Jesus…
Because I submit to you today that Dynamic Children are godly children and that godly children are Dynamic children…
In Closing, I just want to say to everyone that I hope this has been a blessing to you in some small way…
And that our children are watching us day-by-day. Minute-by-minute and second by second…
They are being taught not only by what we tell them but also by what we show them…
If we drink…
They will think that’s its OK to drink…
If we curse all over the house…
If we are raising our voices at each other to try to make a point…
Then they are going to be think that is OK…
If we live and develop a generational, intellectual, social, physical and spiritual legacy in and out of you home, that is what they will emulate…
If we nurture and promote that worshipping spirit in and out of the home…
If we demonstrate the storm breaking power of prayer
If we show them that it is the sacrifice of praise that takes us through those rough periods…
If we give God the glory in and out of our homes…
Then they will think that will be what they will emulating…
And they will copy the dynamic man or woman of God that we are or want to be…
Proverbs 20:7 says that "a Just man walketh in integrity; in his children are bless after him…"
And (Proverb 20:11) that "even a child is known by is doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right."
Let us move in that direction and use the approaches that our fellow Christians are using to bring up and protect The Children that God has blessed us with.
5. Final Comments (3 min)
6. Closing Prayers (1 min)
Rev. Robert W. Parker
Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church
St. Louis Mo.
For speaking engagements please contact Reveerend John Mitchell Jr. Senior Pastor & Teacher
Tele: (314) 521-3952
E-mail: cwp240@aol.com
