As your child grows from babyhood through adulthood, God uses significant moments to draw your child more closely into relationship with Him.

Milestones are designed to help you prepare for and fully engage in significant moments in your child's life. You are your child's most important spiritual leader! Take full advantage of these moments to help your child follow close to Jesus.

DEDICATION OF CHILDREN

Dedication is a ceremony in which believing parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit their child to God’s will and to raise that child according to God’s word and God’s ways. It is the act of giving back to God the gift He has given you as parents. It is an act of worship, thanksgiving, dependence, trust, and commitment. Dedication is different from the rite of christening or infant baptism as practiced by some other traditions.We believe that baptism is an important step in one’s journey with Jesus, and that every individual must make the decision to be baptized. A person must be able to think, reason, and decide in order to make the commitment to follow Jesus in water baptism. At our church, we invite individuals to be baptized any time they are ready after the age of 8. To help you prepare to make the commitment to dedicate your child, prayerfully take time to consider these questions.

RESOURCES

What is the significance of dedicating my child to God?

What are my responsibilities in dedicating my child to God?

This milestone points out to you the awesome responsibility and opportunity you have as a parent to lead your child spiritually. It encourages you to recognize that in dedicating your child to God you are making a promise to the Lord to do all within your power to raise your child in a godly way, until that child can make a decision on his or her own to follow God. Talk together and think about how you will teach and train your child in God’s word, how you will model Christ to him or her and how you will pray regularly for your child. Commit to a pattern and stick to it.

How do I go about having my dedicating my child to God at Chapel Springs Church?

If you have considered the first two questions and feel you are ready to make this commitment, your first active step will be to register. You will then receive a letter of confirming your request approximately one week before the dedication date. This letter will give you all of the information you will need for that day.

Dedications are generally conducted once a quarter in all weekend services. Plan to dedicate your child at the service you usually attend. All parents who are dedicating their children to the Lord that day will be invited to come forward. They are joined by your family, the pastors, deacons, and Life Group leaders. Pastor Scott will lead the congregation in a prayer over your family. This is a time when the entire church family joins in commitment to come along side you in loving and training your children. You will receive a certificate for your child as well as a gift.

THE COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW JESUS

Salvation comes by repenting of our sins and having faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; 1 John 1:9).It is as simple as this:

Asking God to forgive you of your sins.
Believing that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, died to take the punishment for your sins.
Confessing that you want Him to be the Lord of your life.

For the child who grows up in a Christian home, the decision to follow Christ is often reached between the ages of 7-11. This decision may also come later in life. From the time your child is an infant, it is your job as a parent to help your child come to an understanding of who they are in God’s kingdom so that, when they are ready, they can make their own profession of faith and accept Jesus as their savior.As you parent, your job is to be continually teaching your children about who Jesus is and how they can have a relationship with Him. You can help your children understand what sin is, and that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and that God forgives sin (1 John 1:9).This may seem like a daunting task, but you are not alone! Regularly pray for the Holy Spirit to be active in your child’s life. Kids hear things at church or at home which can prompt questions about sin, salvation, and their relationship with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to make your child ready to make a decision to accept Jesus as his or her Savior. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom as you guide your child to this point.

RESOURCES

What is sin and why did Jesus die for my sins?

Sin is anything disagreeing with God’s personality, standards, ways, and will. It is anything that damages our relationship with God. It may be in word (Psalm 39:1), in actions (1 John 3:4; Exodus 20:1-17), in failing to do what should be done (James 4:17), or in mind or heart attitude (Proverbs 21:4). God cannot be around sin. It is almost like He is allergic to sin.

In order for us to have a relationship with God, we need to be forgiven of our sins. Jesus is God who became man and lived on earth (John 1:1, 14). Even though He never committed any sins, Jesus died as our substitute – willfully punished for sins we commit. Following His sacrificial crucifixion came Jesus’ resurrection, which shows He has power over death (Romans 5:8; Revelation 1:18). Jesus offers us complete forgiveness for all our sins as a free gift (Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:8).

For this lesson you will need a clear bowl of water, food coloring, and a cup of bleach. The water represents someone’s life. You can call it the life of your child or of yourself. When you were born, you were automatically a sinner. Put some drops of food coloring into the bowl. Then as you grew up, you continue to sin. Maybe you lied, stole, disobeyed your parents, or kicked your dog. For each sin, add a drop of food coloring trying to use different colors each time. The water will turn brown or black. Now, talk about the life of Jesus and how perfect He is, how He was pure and sinless. The bleach represents Jesus’ life. Add the bleach to the colored water. The water will turn clear again. Explain that this is what happens when we tell Jesus that we believe that He died for our sins. His life, death, and resurrection have the power to forgive our sins and make us pure. It is such an amazing gift, but we have to ask for it.

What should I do after I have sinned?

Possible answer: After we have sinned, we need to tell God that we are sorry for making Him sad and ask Him to forgive us of it. Next time we want to sin, we need to decide to do something else that will tell God that we love Him.

For this lesson, you will need to take a trip in your car with a GPS. Before you take your trip, put a location or address into the GPS. Start following the directions as the GPS directs you.

Intentionally take a wrong turn. (Do not tell your child what you are doing). The GPS should indicate that it is recalculating. Follow the GPS directions and go to your set location.

If you do not have access to a GPS, you can use a map. Highlight your path to your destination, or write out the directions in a way that a child can follow them while you drive or walk. Here again, make a wrong turn then try to make your way back to the highlighted path once your child has noticed the “mistake.”

On your way back home, talk about how God gives us directions on how to live a life that will love Him and love others. Sometimes we sin, but when we do, He will redirect us and tell us again how to live and show us how to love Him. When we sin, we need to apologize, and then listen to God. He will always redirect us when we go the wrong way or sin. However, we have to be willing to listen to Him and follow His directions. He cannot force us to listen and follow Him because we are not robots, but humans who have the ability to make decisions.

BAPTISM

Water baptism is a command of God, just as prayer, worship, holiness, and faithfulness (Acts 2:38). There are 5 key components of baptism.

Baptism shows we are followers of Christ. It symbolizes the salvation that you already have received (1 Peter 3:21; 28:19,20).
Water baptism is a visual testimony of our spiritual birth. It is a pledge and promise to always live our lives for Jesus (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:4-6).
It shows that one has chosen to serve God, not self (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3,4,11-14).
It is a symbol that a person’s sins have been washed away (Psalm 51:7; Romans 6:3,6). Water baptism isn’t the removal of dirt from the body, but it reminds us that God has removed our sins
Water baptism shows one is now dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6:3-11).

Parents often wonder at what age a child should be baptized in water. The answer isn’t an easy one because each child is different. Many children are ready to be water baptized by seven or eight or nine years of age. When a really young child asks if he can be baptized, especially after he has seen it being done in church, we recommend that the parents talk about it and then wait for that child to ask a second time. That is typically a clue that God is dealing with his heart and that the child is recognizing his need for this step with God.

RESOURCES

Why should a Christian be baptized?

For these lessons, gather three things: A small poster board with the word “obey” printed on it in large letters, a wedding ring, and a photograph of someone familiar to our child.)

You might want to emphasize that baptism is a command, the first act of obedience a new Christ-follower can perform. Show the poster board with the word “obey” written on it. Write around the word acts of obedience you have observed in your child recently. Emphasize that obedience is required behavior. Therefore, the question should not be “Why should I be baptized? It ought to be “Why shouldn’t I?” or maybe, “When can I?”

Are there any other reasons to be baptized?

Before responding directly, hold up the wedding ring and ask, “What is this?” Give your child time to respond and make any comments that come to mind. Then ask, “What does this ring mean?” Emphasize that the ring means you are married to someone, and that you want everyone to know you’re married and not ashamed of it. It means that you publicly identify with your spouse and give testimony to your married status. Along with pure obedience, then, this is another aspect of baptism: it is a willing, public identification with Christ, something you will naturally want to do because we love Him so much.

Why is the act of baptism considered symbolic?

Read aloud 1 Peter 3:21, where baptism is referred to as a symbol. Baptism is a symbol of our salvation. Hold up the photograph and ask, “Who is this?” (Don’t ask, “Who is this a picture of?” or you will spoil your illustration!) Since the person is known to him or her, your child will likely say, “It’s Dad,” or “Mom,” or whoever. Each time he answers like this, say, “no.” Soon he’ll become puzzled. Then you can say something like, “It’s not Dad… It’s a picture of Dad. Over there is Dad, the real Dad. This is only a picture of him.” Then apply this same idea to baptism. Baptism is not salvation; it is only a picture (symbol) of salvation. So, I’m baptized to show everyone what really happened to me. I died as a sinner and was buried, and then I arose as a new person in Christ. My baptism pictures this reality.

After you have discussed the three Focus Questions, read Luke 3:15-16, 21; Romans 6:3-7 together. Talk about how the action of baptism represents what Jesus went through so that we could be free from our sin nature. Therefore, when a person is baptized, the ritual is symbolic of the “good news” message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

When the time is right for your child to be baptized, contact the church office for information regarding the next baptism class. Parents will need to attend the class with their child.

Before the day of the baptism, take a field trip to the place where the baptism will be held to familiarize your child with the surroundings. Try to attend a service where a baptism is taking place and explain the steps as they unfold. (Some parents even practice the baptism in the bathtub at home to give the child a “feel” for what will take place.) Be prepared to answer questions like, “How long will he hold me under?” and, “What happens if he drops me?” or, “Will the water be to cold or too hot?” Maybe even, “will everybody laugh?”

On the day the child is to be baptized, invite family and friends to the ceremony. Then have a celebration afterwards that will make this occasion special and memorable.

COMMUNION

Communion is a time of Christian remembrance, memorializing the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-28). It is an important step of obedience to Christ and deepens the fellowship with other believers in the church body. Communion is a memorial to all that Jesus did so we could have salvation and a relationship with Him. Many churches have communion time together once a month. Families can also take communion together at home. It is important to remember that communion is an act for a Christ-follower. Communion will mean nothing to someone who does not already have a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Parents, we encourage you to monitor when your child is ready to take communion. Once they have a clear understand of what it represents and why we do it, have them sit in a communion service with you to see how it is done. We encourage parents to take the lead on when their children take their first communion.

RESOURCES

Why do Christians observe communion?

Why do we keep on taking communion? Isn't once enough, like baptism?

Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 together. Jesus wanted us to take the time to stop and think about His salvation work and His promise to come again. Just as a war memorial creates as atmosphere and opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice others made for our freedom on earth, God wants us to stop and reflect on His Son’s sacrifice for our freedom over sin and death. For this reason we regularly and frequently examine our lives, ask for and receive forgiveness, and remember His death until He returns.

How should I prepare myself for communion?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:21; 1 Corinthians 11:27-28; 1 John 1:9 together. According to the apostle Paul, we should make sure our motives are right and that there is no un-confessed sin in our lives. We need to confess any known sin before communion because Jesus made us worthy when we asked Him to forgive us of our sins. Remind your child that it is important to confess sins as often as we need to and that communion is not the only time to do this. Share with your child how you prepare yourself for communion. Be as practical as possible.

PREPARING FOR ADOLESCENCE

Around the time that your child is 10-12 years old (before puberty starts), it will be time for you as a parent to step into a new role in your relationship with your child – the MENTOR role. Adolescence is a time of many changes – socially, emotionally, and physically. The goal of this milestone is to help remove the fears and wrong messages that come with adolescent growth. We recommend that you consider having a special parent/child event – usually a weekend away with your child. It involves one parent to one child (father/son or mother/daughter). This one-on-one time says, “You are important to me!” to your child. Topics to discuss can include peer pressure, self-esteem, sexual purity, attitude, unresolved anger, appearance, integrity, substance abuse, boundaries, and physical changes.

There are many resources available to assist you as you prepare for this milestone. One that we highly recommend is Dr. James Dobson’s book titled Preparing for Adolescence. There is also a family CD set with this information available as well as articles on the Focus on the Family website (click here for articles). We highly recommend that you at least read the articles before your special weekend. Both the book and CD set can be borrowed from the Children’s Ministries office. Check out the resource list for many other resources that are available.