A Strong Biblical Worldview for our Children

"And he said, 'With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.'” - Mark 4:30-32

Everyone has a worldview that they live by. Our personal worldview comes across when we speak to other people, when we write social media posts and letters, when we choose the books we read in our free time, and who we choose to spend our lives with daily. While I was reading the parable of the mustard seed in the book of Mark, the Lord showed me a meaning to the parable in relation to our school systems. Although the parable can apply to all ages of believers, the vision He gave me was one about our school-aged children.

When we choose Christian education for our children and a Christian curriculum for our children, we are watering the mustard seed every day. When your child attends a Discipleship Academy, they are being taught through the lens of a strong Biblical Worldview in every subject they are learning. Each lesson has well-placed scripture and Christian values woven in, so that each student's “mustard seed” is being taken care of and given nutrients to grow. Every part of the child’s school day is immersed in God’s word. Even when students are being disciplined and counseled in a Discipleship Academy setting, they are hearing scripture to explain the whys of how we are to live out our faith through the lens of the gospel and the saving works of Jesus Christ.

If we think of our children’s faith like the mustard seed in the parable, the more nutrients we feed the seed, the bigger and sturdier it will grow. As parents in the 21st Century, we are busy, and it can be hard to meet the expectations of Deuteronomy 6:7, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise". When thinking about disciplining and teaching our children all day long, it can be a daunting thought in a world where, in most homes, both parents work, and the responsibilities of running a home are stacked on top of each other.

By choosing to enroll your student into a Discipleship Academy, you are following the command in Deuteronomy 6:7 by allowing fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to come alongside you to teach the word of God to your child in a way that they are still learning history, science, math and language arts alongside the Bible that is preparing them for the demands of a fast pace, ever changing, ever growing world. Families who choose education with a Discipleship Academy are choosing a partnership with the school to help raise the next generation to know God. We are working together to prepare them to be our future leaders in our churches and the world.

The flip side of this story is when we, as parents, choose to send our children to public schools. When our children enter the public school system, they are entering a world full of many worldviews. Each teacher and school staff member they encounter will hold their own personal worldview, and every textbook they open will possess a worldview, not to mention the variety of worldviews they will intermingle with on the playground, at the lunchroom table, and in classroom group times. The public school is prohibited by the law from inquiring about religious beliefs, political beliefs, and communities employees and families are involved in outside of the school day. This is a huge consideration when we are talking about our children and their hearts.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,“ for a reason. He did not say send them to Rome. When we send our children to “Caesar,” our students are filled with conflicting beliefs and messages that are shaping their worldview. If you are still questioning this, ask a solid believer in your life who teaches in a public school and ask him or her the struggle they feel when they have to teach things like the Big Bang Theory, be politically correct around topics like LGBTQ, and have students in their classrooms who are dressed like animals daily. Now, imagine your child trying to discern all that compared to what you are teaching them at home and what they are learning at church. Our students today are in a constant battle, as it is, with what they are seeing on screens to discern what is true and right. Why would we, as parents and caretakers, want to add an extra seven hours a day to that confusion?

Our children are the seed the Lord has gifted us to water and it is a huge undertaking and a blessing that we have to be more mindful of as believers. Think about what our world could look like with Christian parents and churches choosing only to educate their children with a Christian curriculum rooted in solid Biblical foundations. Think about if parents, churches, and educators chose to open Discipleship Academies and send their students to Discipleship Academies. This is a picture of the gospel. A picture of going out into the world, making disciples of all nations, and starting in our homes.

This model of education is growing mustard seeds into strong trees with strong roots in a firm foundation. This model of education is growing our children to have strong branches, so that future generations can come to rest on them and become the next strong generation of believers in Jesus Christ!