Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”As a mother, your home is your Jerusalem. Get involved where your children are, and that’s where God has already provided opportunities for ministry.
Preschool years
Get to know your neighbors. When you go to your children’s activities, look for other young mothers.
Embracing it: I wasn’t ready to be a grandma!
Pray for your kids: Breakthrough Prayer
Invite them for coffee or lunch. Then pray and look for opportunities to share your faith. You can initiate a conversation about spiritual things by giving them a Christmas Digest or a Women Today magazine and asking for their comments.
Another idea is to host an evangelistic coffee or a Christmas open house in your home. That’s how my neighbor Doreen came to the Lord. Our boys played together, and I would invite her over for coffee. As we became friends, I shared my faith with her. She prayed to receive Christ at an evangelistic coffee in my home.
Elementary school years
With a Mothers Who Care group, you can pray for the staff and students at your child’s school. Our group has prayed together for the past 12 years, and we’ve seen many answers to prayer. Children have led others to Christ and teens have invited friends to their youth group. Remember my neighbor Doreen? Both her sons became Christians because their friends invited them to church activities.
Get to know your child’s teacher. Invite her to lunch. Teachers are always glad to get out of the school for lunch. Build your relationship by helping in the classroom or on field trips. Offer to tell stories or do a puppet show to share the true meaning of Christmas or Easter.
Get involved with your local Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Several Christian moms I know have given videos such as Sex, Lies, and Truth and Teacher of the Year to their children’s school through the PAC.
Community sport leagues are also a great place to get to know people. My husband has coached many sports. At the end of the season, we always try to organize a closing event, such as a pizza party, where we can give the children and their parents evangelistic materials, like Life Story tapes highlighting the lives of well-known Christian personalities, such as Paul Henderson and Dave Dravecky. We also invite the kids to Athletes in Action sports camps.
High school years
Stay involved in your teen’s life and attend games, concerts and festivals. Offer to chauffeur for games and other events. Open your home to your children’s friends and encourage your teens to share with their friends. You may have a chance to lead a teen to Christ or disciple one using The Total Package.
Continue to disciple your teens, giving them good materials and challenging them to have regular quiet times. Keep talking with them and share from your walk with the Lord.
What season of life are you in? What areas is your child already involved in? Open your eyes and see what God sees when He looks at your world. Now, choose one area to focus on in the next three months, keeping in mind that these ideas for ministry are drawn from the panorama of a lifetime. Don’t try to do them all at once.
Remember, too, that you need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. And that your most important ministry is to your husband and children, in every season of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment