INTRODUCTION
While only God knows the true heart of every individual He has given
responsibility to the elders of the church to hear and evaluate each person’s
testimony of faith in Christ. 1 Once the elders feel that a person has expressed a
genuine profession of faith in Christ they are admitted into membership of the
church, including admittance to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The elders
at Spring Run take this role very seriously and with great humility.
As we partner with you as your child explores the possibility of making a public
profession of faith and joining the church, we thought it would be wise to try
and equip you with some tools. Remember, you are trying to discern the
“heart” of your child. This is no easy task but it is a critical one. So often we
focus on the “behavior” of our children and “laying down the law” for them.
But the law should lead us to Christ because we can’t fulfill the law. Your kids,
left to themselves, cannot fulfill and be obedient to all of the laws of your
household. So, I encourage you to give them grace, as God has given us in
Christ, to walk through this process helping them see the depths of their own
hearts and how much they need a Savior.
Once you get into spiritual conversations with your kids you are going to get all
kinds of questions from them. Let them ask anything. They are exploring and
trying to find the truth and you get the privilege of showing them the truth in
the Scriptures. Undoubtedly, you too will have some questions. You need to
explore the answers as well. I believe everyone, no matter how much they
think they know, will have questions about God and the Bible until the day they
die. Don’t be afraid to ask your pastors or someone else you respect regarding
matters of faith and the Bible. We are all in this together, we are united in
Christ and committed to helping one another grow as His disciples.
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See I Timothy 3; Titus 1; Matthew 16
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DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS
1. Questions for the Parent to think about when evaluating the spiritual vitality
of their children:
 Does my child express interest in spiritual things?
 How does my child react/participate/discuss during family
devotionals?
 Does my child ask questions about God, heaven, Jesus, the church and
its beliefs?
 Does my child seem sorry when he/she is disobedient?
 Does my child have any interest in the Bible?
 Does my child have a desire to turn away from wrong doing?
 Have I, as a parent, clearly communicated the gospel to my child?
 After I have clearly explained the gospel to my child does he/she have
a desire to express faith in Jesus? Do they want the gift of eternal life?
Do they understand they cannot “earn” their way into heaven by
doing good things? Do they see getting into heaven is not a matter of
balancing the scales of good and bad things but rather the total and
absolute dependency on the work of Christ on the cross, dying for
their sins?
 When I review the Children’s Explorer workbook with my child, does
he/she have a genuine interest in answering and understanding the
questions?
 Does my child pick up on our sins and hypocritical behavior?
2. Help your children get to the heart of their struggles. If your children have
an issue with lying then you need to figure out why they are lying. There is
always an underlying heart issue to our outward behavior. Are they lying
because they are afraid of something? What is it, and why are they afraid?
3. How to have a spiritual discussion with your child:
Having a spiritual conversation with your child should be a regular part
of your daily communication with your kids (see Deuteronomy 6:5-9). If we are
growing followers of Christ then we are naturally seeing God actively working
in our lives. We see God challenging us, helping us, giving us wisdom, forgiving
us, etc. We need to be talking about these things in a natural way with our
families. Just as your wife might ask you how your day at work was, we can ask
one another how we saw God at work in our lives today. When our kids see
that God is a normal part of our daily lives then we are modeling a vital,
growing and significant relationship with the Lord.
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Since you have been coming to church regularly, asking your kids what
they are learning at church may be a great start.
Ask them if they have any questions about God or heaven.
Ask them what problems and struggles they are facing and then help
them see that God cares about all of those and wants to be involved in
them
Sometimes our family does “Hi’s and Low’s” What was the highlight
of your day? What was the low part of your day? You can then help
them see that God is interested and involved in both of those.
Open the Scriptures after dinner and talk about a passage. Maybe it’s
from the sermon series, their Sunday school, or just a gospel or
proverb that you are reading together as a family.
Buy them a devotional that fits their age and maturity. There are
some examples included in this booklet.
Pray together with your family
THE INTERVIEW AND MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS
For a child, the idea of meeting with the elders to join the church can be a scary
and intimidating process. However, we want to do everything we can to make
it an enjoyable and relaxed experience. We will make every effort to make
sure your child is interviewing with at least one elder that they know or are
familiar with. As our church grows, this will be more difficult but we will do our
best. Going over these five membership questions should also help calm any
fears. It’s like going into a test knowing what the questions are going to be.
We do not want children to be intimidated but rather comfortable and honest
in answering the questions.
Here are the 5 Questions for Membership and some Scripture passages along
with additional questions to help you and your child understand them:
1.
Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in the sight of God, justly
deserving His displeasure and without hope except by His sovereign
mercy?
(Rom. 1:18-32; Rom. 3:23; Leviticus 19:2; II Thessalonians 1:8-9)
 What is sin?
 Do you believe that you are a sinner?
 Why does sin make God unhappy?
 What is the punishment for sin?
 Do you understand that you deserve that punishment?
 Is there anything you can do to take away your own sin?
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2.
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of
sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as
He is offered in the Gospel?
(John 14:6; I Peter 3:18; Romans 6:23; I Cor. 15:3-4; Mark 1:14-15)
 Who is Jesus?
 What does the name Jesus mean?
 Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?
 Why should God let you into heaven?
 What is the gospel?
3.
Do you now resolve and promise in humble reliance up the grace of
the Holy Spirit, that you will strive to live as a follower of Christ?
(John 14:15-17; II Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:11-14)
 What enters into a person once they are a Christian?
 How does God help us live the Christian life?
 Do you understand what it means to promise to live as a
follower of Christ?
 What happens if you make a mistake or sin against God?
What should you do?
4.
Do you promise to support and participate as a partner in the worship
and work of the Church to the best of your ability?
(I Cor. 12:4-7; I Peter 4:10; II Cor. 9:6-7)
 What do you like best about worship?
 How can you participate in the work and worship of the
church?
 What gifts do you think God has given you?
5.
Do you submit yourself to the government and discipline of the
Church, and promise to further its purity and peace?
(Hebrews 13:17; Matt. 18:15-17; Matt. 5:23-24; Galatians 6:1)
 Have you ever had an argument or disagreed with someone?
 How do you fix a problem you have with a friend?
 Do you understand that the church wants you to be a
growing follower of Christ?
 Are you willing to listen and obey the leaders of the church as
they help you grow as a follower of Christ?
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GOSPEL SUMMARIES
Four Words to help you understand the Gospel
GOD
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them. Gen.
1:27
SIN
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Rom. 3:23
For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ
our Lord. Rom. 6:23
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus was called, “Emmanuel” meaning God with us.
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. Rom. 5:8
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God. I Peter 3:18
FAITH
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom. 5:1
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.
Ephesians 2:8-9
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Summary of the Gospel
We were created by God and for God. We chose to rebel against God and try
and live life on our own apart from God. The punishment for our rebellion and
sin is death. Only those who are perfect, without sin, can get into heaven. On
our own we cannot get into heaven because we are not perfect or without sin.
From our perspective this situation is impossible for us to overcome. The only
answer must come from outside ourselves.
God, who is rich in mercy and grace, chose to not leave us in our impossible
situation. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to come to earth and show us what life
is really all about. Jesus tells us that life is really all about a relationship with
God through Him. Jesus lived a perfect life. He never sinned, never rebelled,
never disobeyed His Father. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our
sin and restore us to a right relationship with God. Jesus rose from the dead
and sits at the right hand of God the Father.
When we believe in faith that Jesus died for our sins and give Him our hearts
He sends the Holy Spirit to come and live in us. The Holy Spirit seals our
salvation and guides us through our lives, strengthening us to live for Christ
each day.
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RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN:
Bibles:
ESV Study Bible
The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally-Lloyd Jones
Youth Devotionals:
The One Year Book of Devotions for Boys
The One Year Book of Devotions for Girls
The One Year Devotions for Teens: DEVOS (One Year Books) by Susie
Shellenberger
Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God by Marty
Machowski
My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt
Big Truths for Little Kids: Teaching Your Children to Live for God
True: A Teen Devotional (Words from the Rock) by Melody Carlson
One Year of Dinner Table Devotions and Discussion Starters, by Nancy Guthrie
Family Walk: 52 Weekly Devotions for Your Family by Bruce H. Wilkinson
Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter
Catechism by Starr Meade
Parenting:
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Age of Opportunity, Tripp
Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick
and Tullian Tchividjian
Theology:
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Catechism
Concise Theology, Packer
Catechism Memory/Flash Cards. They could be great to use at the dinner
table. Always have your Bible handy to back up the questions.
http://www.wtsbooks.com/productexec/product_id/1772/nm/Shorter+Catechism+Memory+Cards
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Discussion Starters. Cut these questions out, put them
in a bowl in the middle of the dinner table. Each
person gets to pick one question and answer it.
What was the highlight of What was the lowest part of
your day?
your day?
Who influenced you the
most today?
What did you see in God’s
creation today that amazed
you?
What frustrated you
today?
Were you sorry for anything
you did today?
What are you most
excited about right now?
If you could live today over,
what would you change?
Did you get the chance to
serve anyone today?
What is your biggest prayer
request right now?
Did you have to sacrifice
anything today?
Did anyone serve you
today?
If you could ask God one
question what would it
be?
What do you want to be
when you grow up?
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Who do you know that
needs prayer right now?
What did you spend the
most time doing today?
(other than school)
Do you need to forgive
anyone for something
they did to you recently?
Have you ever kept a
secret? Can you keep
secrets from God? (PARENTS:
you are not allowed to punish your kids
if they fess up to a secret)
What is one thing you
learned from the Bible
today?
What is the Bible all about?
In what ways were you
tempted today?
What are you worried
about the most right now?
What do you think Heaven
will be like?
Which Bible character
would you like to meet in
person?
If you could change one
thing about your physical
appearance what would it
be?
What is one thing God is
teaching you through your
circumstances?
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