When Christ commanded, “Suffer the children, forbid them
not, to come unto me,” He reacted to disciples who thought Christ was too
important for children. Today, many parents don’t think bringing children to
Christ is important enough. Sports activities, family reunions, mini-vacations,
and more seem to keep families from consistent church attendance. For centuries
it’s been a tradition for people of faith to attend church and people who are
not committed to their faith to stay home or pursue some other interest. Today,
it’s not uncommon to hear that people who consider themselves followers of God commonly
follow their self-interests on the Lord’s Day – Sunday. If parents cannot find
motivation to attend church for their own spiritual welfare, we’ll provide some
reasons why every kid should be in church every Sunday.
1. Honoring God with
the first day of the week teaches the proper priorities of life. When we
consecrate the first day of the week to corporate worship, we take the first step
toward consecrating the entire week toward personal worship. This concept
applies to children just like adults, only on an elementary level. Why should
children care about obeying God’s commands, like “Children obey your parents,”
when He’s not important enough to worship on His day.
2. Church attendance teaches children dedication to
something other than their self-interests. Unfortunately, the Lord’s Day has
been replaced with a day off of work to do whatever families please. This sends
the message that dedication to self exceeds the value of worship. It’s
difficult enough teaching kids they are not the center of the universe. Self-esteem
psychology has become America’s childhood religion. Everything marketed to kids
preaches the idea that what they want matters more than anything else. When
parents make church the family’s number one interest on Sunday, kids learn
there’s a High Power whose interests overshadow any child’s or adult’s.
3. Church attendance teaches children a religious discipline
that needs to be developed early. From a carnal perspective, who wouldn’t
rather accept an invitation to a sporting event or feast at a backyard cookout
on Sunday? No one has to be tempted to choose instant gratification over
spiritual growth. Our flesh already desires that, but when we grab for things
that offer instant gratification rather than Sunday worship, we forfeit
something that counts for eternity. Likewise, we fail to teach our children habits
that benefit them for years to come.
4. Church attendance teaches children what is important to
mom and dad. Understand that church attendance does not stand alone as a
spiritual issue. Spiritual issues rise and fall together. If someone cannot be
faithful to church, it’s unlikely that they are solid in other areas of their
spiritual life. If you want your children to believe you value other spiritual
matters (e.g. purity, kindness, work ethic, honesty), show them by taking them
to worship on Sunday. Mom and dad should be the worship leaders in the home, and
their leadership starts with modeling.
5. Church attendance teaches children what types of
associations benefit them. Children benefit from fellowship with other families
and teaching from Christian leaders. As they observe the body of Christ engage
in missions, benevolence, and service, children learn what Christian fellowship
entails.
Nothing has been mentioned yet about all the reasons why
adults should attend church. The command to attend the assemblies of believers
(Heb. 10:25), to learn from God’s servants (Eph. 4:11), and to worship
corporately (Eph. 5:19) should land every Christian adult in church on Sunday
morning. And if there was not biblical command, the spiritual benefits abound.
The same applies to our children. Jesus’s parents took Him to church, and He
didn’t even need it. We have no excuse.
