The Heritage Parenting Series- Wanowrie Experience

Marg Wanowrie church has been going through a paradigm-shift in our understanding about parenting. After a discussion on our Whatsapp chat group about practical tips on parenting, someone suggested we together watch a series of sermons that shows parenting from a Biblical world-view. The series is titled “Heritage- parenting wisdom for the ages”.

“Wait a minute. How is a sermon series on parenting even helpful if I am a teenager?”

“How will that help if I don’t ever get married?”

“I want to have children, but I will never be able to have them. How is this series of any use to me?”

I am certain that thoughts like these might cross your mind.
Parenting is a part of everyone’s life. All of us have had some sort of parents, and we might ourselves parent at some point, either as a reaction – “I will never bring up my children like my parents raised me”, or as an affirmation to parenting- “I am gonna raise my kids like my parents brought me up”.

But how does God want us to do parenting? Does it not make sense to go to the only Giver of life to learn how to handle new life entrusted to us?

You see, Christ-followers lives in the light of the reality that God our Father made us His children at the ultimate price of His own Son Jesus’ death for our sins. And all of life, INCLUDING parenting, needs to be lived in the light of how this one truth affects us.
I believe that those who are not parents, will have an advantage in learning Biblical parenting, way before they enter marriage. Those who don’t see a future, with their own children, will benefit to know what God does teach so that they can raise younger people in their spiritual care, and also help other parents handle their kids.

Here is a summary of 3 sermons we at Wanowrie have heard so far. Each one of them have challenged whatever little basics of parenting we knew at Wanowrie. Here goes –

1. Video #1 – At the outset, Josh McPherson begins with the Bible being the authority he goes to and the truth of Jesus’ death to save His people as the basis of his sermon. The theme is from Psalm 127 – children are a heritage from the Lord, an undeserving reward. This may not sound like what the world might be telling us today. Having a lot of children is usually considered a hassle, an inconvenience, an interruption in our plans.
But God’s word unabashedly says just the opposite. Parents are, in the beauty of God’s design, the ONLY people who will have the maximum influence to shape the lives of generations after them.

2. Video #2 – The generation right after Israelites who crossed the Red Sea and were delivered from Egypt by God Himself, did not know God and did not even know His mighty deeds! This shocking fact shows that their parents, the generation who saw God’s might and care, somehow neglected to tell about about God’s work to their own kids, forget the world!
True success in Biblical parenting just depends on one goal: Raise children who hope in Jesus. But we don’t want to raise kids who think the world revolves around them, And this has one implication: Our children are not our highest value, Jesus is. This means they will also observe your life well and exactly worship what you in your heart, worship.

3. Video #3 – In this sermon, Jeff Vanderstelt explains with examples unhelpful ways of parenting – the use of shame, or isolating yourself from kids or the use of fear of punishment. This will give the wrong motivation for kids to live!
We want them to see God pursuing their parents with much love through Jesus. He pursued us, so we pursue our children with that same love.

What tools and resources have helped you understand parenting? Please share your thoughts with us.