Welcome
to Northgate Community Church. We are a non-denominational,
Spirit-filled community church located in Montgomery Village, Maryland,
ready to serve you and your family as you join us in the worship
of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
Come and join us in celebrating the presence and glory of our
Lord!
Our Mission is to advance the Kingdom of God by making
disciples who are devoted and developing followers of Christ Jesus in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ram's Horn Feature
The Shepherd’s Corner
Raising Our Vision for Our Children:
Servant Leaders of Godly Influence
By Pastor Dan Switzer
I want to encourage us to raise our vision for our children. The Bible
says that people perish for lack of vision. Keeping a vision for our children
constantly before us serves to motivate us as we seek to raise them in
the Lord.
This is not just for parents. We need to raise our vision for the children
of our congregation. So many of us, in one way or another, influence these
little ones. Jesus was not a parent, but he clearly desired to influence
children and used them as examples for us all. This is shown in Mark 10:13-16:
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.
He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you
the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little
child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms,
put his hands on them and blessed them.
Even though he was not a parent, Christ had a special relationship with
children, and we’re to imitate Jesus. We may be a Kids Church leader,
a nursery teacher, or one that gives children a hearty greeting and seeks
to talk with them. While obviously parents are responsible for their children,
we’re all part of the family of God and so we all need to raise
our vision for the children growing up in the church.
The typical vision parents possess has to do with the American Dream—getting
a college education, a nice-paying job, owning a home with a two-car garage,
etc.—basically a good life, a comfortable life. These things are
not wrong in and of themselves, but we need to raise the standard for
what our children can become in God’s Kingdom.
We need to hold to Scriptures such as Ephesians 2:8-10 for our children:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so
that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do.” God has definitive plans for our children—plans to use
them to advance His Kingdom!
We need to reach out to children, train, and instruct them while they
are young. We need to share the message of God’s grace with them
while they’re young. We know from research that most people if they
come to the Lord, do so at a young age—by around age 14. God can
redeem any life, but it’s critical that we reach people and not
just make converts, but disciples, while they’re young!
Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your
youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you
will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” If we raise
our vision for our children, I suggest that we see them becoming servant
leaders that influence their generation for Christ.
The Greatness of Servanthood
First, our children need to learn what it means to walk in the greatness
of servanthood. It’s been reported that today’s young adult
generation is one that’s characterized by being focused on “me,”
my needs, even a sense of entitlement. Jesus defined true greatness as
servanthood—serving others.
In Matthew 20 the mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked him
a favor. She asked that Jesus would grant her sons seats at his right
and his left in his kingdom. Jesus told them that they didn’t know
what they were asking for and asked, “Can you drink the cup I am
going to drink?”
Well, you can imagine the ruckus among the disciples that occurred. An
argument broke out. Jesus used the opportunity for a teachable moment.
He called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority
over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among
you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just
as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
We need to teach our children what is true greatness according to God’s
standards as opposed to the standards of this world. The messages our
children receive from the world tell them that greatness is being a professional
athlete or a popular actress. Our task is to help our young people desire
to be great in God’s eyes—to serve others, to lead others
through serving them.
One way we can raise our children’s vision of God’s definition
of true greatness is to lift up examples from the Word of God to help
them to see the kind of godly champions they can become. One of these
examples is the life of Samuel, but before Samuel was ever born his mother
Hannah was heartbroken. She was bitter because she was barren. Hannah
cried out to the Lord for a son and said that if God granted her request,
she would give her son over to the Lord. God, of course, granted her request.
Hannah had a God-given vision for her child! The boy Samuel was given
over to the Lord to serve Him. His parents—Hannah and Elkanah—were
servants of the Lord. That focus on serving the Lord was passed on to
their son Samuel. Children will catch much more from our lives than what
comes out of our mouths. If they see us involved in serving the Lord and
serving others, and if we involve them in that service, they will catch
the true greatness of serving others.
Servant Leading through Love
Secondly, our children must learn to lead through love and compassion
for others. God himself leads through love. Exodus 15:13 says, “In
your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your
strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” Jesus led through
love. This leading through love is all through his words; it’s all
through his life. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17,
italics added). When asked the most important commandment, Jesus said
in Mark 12 to love the Lord your God with all your being and to love your
neighbor as yourself. Jesus, of course, is our example of how to be a
servant leader of godly influence. We need to continually lift him up
before our children. Often children growing up in Christian homes get
a very healthy dose of being right and doing what’s right, and this
sometimes leads to looking down on those who do wrong. While certainly
we want our children to learn to do right, if we want our children to
grow up to be servant leaders of godly influence, we need to teach them
how Jesus approached and led people and that is through serving them,
focusing on the needs of others as opposed to oneself, and motivating
them through the power of love.
Hearing God’s Voice and Influencing Their Generation
In raising our vision for our children, we can see them learning to hear
God’s voice and influencing their generation for God! Acts 13:36
speaks of how David served God’s purpose in his generation! I challenge
you to see your children impacting their generation—serving God’s
purpose in their generation. So much of Christ’s mission to make
disciples has to do with teaching the next generation, teaching our children,
teaching those younger in the faith! And that involves all of us! Psalm
71:17-18 says, “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to
this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.”
First Samuel 3 is a precious passage of the boy Samuel coming of age and
finding his identity as one who hears and proclaims the Word of the Lord.
Through Eli’s assistance Samuel learns to hear the voice of the
Lord. Verse 19 says, “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and
he let none of his words fall to the ground.” Samuel learned to
hear the voice of God and was used by God to lead his generation after
the Lord. Hannah’s raised vision for her child was being realized!
Our children can grow up learning to train their ears to God’s voice.
They need to spend quiet time with God and become sensitive to His voice!
Serving God’s purpose in their generation means making an eternal
difference—lives are changed as a result of their life! Whether
it’s in their classroom, on an athletic team, on a worship team,
or in their neighborhood, our young people have opportunities to influence
others.
I encourage us to raise our vision of our children becoming champions
for God! 1 Samuel 2:26 says, “And the boy Samuel continued to grow
in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.” Like all of
us, our children are in a process of growing into Christ’s likeness
and purposes. Embrace the purpose that we are raising up our children
for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God. Work at mining the gold
that God has already placed in our children. Understand the truth of Ephesians
2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV).
May the Lord help us to see the importance he placed on raising up children
for his purpose.
20300 Pleasant Ridge
Dr.
Welcome
to Northgate Community Church. We are a non-denominational,
Spirit-filled community church located in Montgomery Village, Maryland,
ready to serve you and your family as you join us in the worship
of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.