7 Bible Passages About Discipling Children

As you may have already discerned from the tag-line above ("Rethinking how we disciple the next generation"), this blog is going to be about how we help children become and grow as followers of Jesus Christ.  Of course, we need to have a baseline of some core principles from the Bible.  Here is a sample of some key passages that relate to discipling (or, training) children:

1. Proverbs 22:6  "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
2. Deuteronomy 6:6-7  "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." 
3. Ephesians 6:1  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
4. Ephesians 6:4  "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." 
5. Proverbs 23:13-14  "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.  Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death."  [I've always wanted to have this posted above our Children's Ministry Welcome Desks.]
6. Mark 10:14  "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." 
7. Psalm 127:3-5  "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

That's just to get us started.  What other Bible verses can you add to this list? 

(For some resources specific to raising daughters, see this post.)

Related Links:

• Raising Disciples in 3 Steps    
• Focusing My Family on the Bible     

image courtesy of dearephesu via sxc.hu