Following Jesus Together: Following Him So Our Children Can Follow Us
By Tara Dew
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me as I always imitate Christ.” As parents, we should be able to tell our kids, “Copy me as I try to copy Christ.” Or better yet, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Children will do what they see.
I’ve often heard it said, “More is caught than taught.” In my life, that statement has proven true. We can say all the right things, but our children often won’t catch on unless we DO those things. God made us to imitate Him. Think about the baby who repeats “da da da” back to his proud papa. Picture the toddler who wants to wear high heels while pretending to talk on a cell phone to look like her mom. Or imagine the little boy who puts shaving cream on his face to be like dad. God built imitation into human nature.
So, here in the Dew household, we have a common saying; “A follower of Christ loves what He loves, goes where He goes, says what He says, and does what He does.” We teach our children and involve them in our ministry by simply being followers of Jesus together. Let’s break this statement down into its four parts and then see where in Scripture we see Jesus doing this:
- “Love what He loves”: When asked what was the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” In the Dew house, we have two rules based on these two commands: Love God and love others. If we do these two things, we can say that we love what Jesus loves.
- “Go where He goes“: Jesus’ parting words in Matthew 28:19-20 give us our direction for where to go as Christ’s followers: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is the Great Commission. This is what we are called to do as Christ-followers. Go into all nations. Sometimes, He calls us to fly on a plane to another country. Other times this means we walk across the street to tell a neighbor. And sometimes, God brings the nations to us and calls us to drive across town to tell someone who has moved here. When we faithfully go across the street, or across our city, or across the globe, we are following Christ and going where He goes.
- “Say what He says”: As Christ-followers, we are called to tell others about our Savior. This means that we must know God’s Word and the truth found in it, enabling us to share with others. As 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.” We all are called to preach, teach, encourage, or challenge using God’s word. We follow Christ when we say what He says.
- “Do what He does“: Finally, if we are Christians, we must act like the one we are following. This means that we must serve the way He served. We must be humble like He was humble. Jesus said in Mark 10:43-45: “Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” To be a follower of Christ, you must do what He does.
Sometimes we make our faith more complicated than necessary. As followers of Jesus, His simple call to us is to love what He loves, go where He goes, say what He says and do what He does. Live a life that imitates Christ, then watch as your children follow you!
https://gabaptist.org/following-him-so-that-our-children-can-follow-us/ —- first posted here
