Teaching our Kids to Love the Church

1. Read: Ephesians 5:25-30

2. About the Text:

1) There can be no doubt that Christ loved the church – He gave His life for her.

2) Do we have this same love for the church?

3) Are our children being instilled with this same love for the church?

4) What does it mean to love the church?

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. People confuse the church with several things.

1) The building.

2) The doctrines that are believed.

3) The leadership: elders, deacons, preachers.

4) Technically, we don’t “go to church;” we assemble with the church.

2. The church are the Christians, and Christians are people.

1) “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

2) “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied” (Acts 9:31).

3) “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (Acts 12:5).

3. Kids must be taught to love the church.

1) Our children must know that it is the people around them for whom Christ died: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

2) Children need to be introduced to members of the church and spend time with them.

3) They need opportunities to worship with and to serve the church.

4. Attendance with the church acknowledges that the church are the people.

1) The Christians at Corinth came together “as a church” (1 Corinthians 11:18).

2) “the whole church comes together in one place” (1 Corinthians 14:23).

1. The head of the church is Christ the Lord.

1) We must teach children to love the Lord.

2) “‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30).

3) “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen” (Ephesians 6:21).

4) “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22).

2. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.

1) Children must learn to love the truth.

2) If they love the church, they should love the truth.

3) “but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

4) “Therefore love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19).

5) The lost “did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess.2:10).

3. The local church authorities.

1) Christ had a plan for authority in the church: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

2) Elders/Pastors/Overseers – “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

3) Deacons – “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:13).

4) Preachers/Teachers – “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you” (Titus 2:15).

1. If we teach our children to love people, they will love the church’s purpose and work.

2. Purpose – God wants us to bring more people into the church through His Son, Jesus.

1) “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

2) Consider Ephesians 2:13 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

3. The Work of the Church

1) Evangelism – Mark 16:15 – “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

2) Benevolence – Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

3) Edification – Hebrews 3:13 – “but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

4. The temptation regarding the purpose of the church – we can do it another way!

1) Let the benevolence societies do it.

2) Let the social clubs do it.

3) Let the government do it.

4) Satan has competing organizations that undermine the purpose and work of the church.

5) If we allow those other organizations to do the church’s work, our children will not love the church; they will love those other organizations.

1. Teaching our children to love the church means that we teach them to love . . .

1) The People who are the Church.

2) The Powers of the Church.

3) The Purpose of the Church.

2. Invitation