Ephesians 6:18
Now we’ve taken a break for the past two weeks including today from our Revelation series. For one, we last week joined together in prayer in advance of the National Day of Prayer, and we had an amazing time of worship and praying together, and we’re certainly going to make sure that we get opportunities like that in the days ahead as a congregation where we dedicate this place as a house of prayer. We did go to [sound level drops momentarily] Washington D. C. this week, Deb and I, along with a contingency from our church, PowerPoint as well, and we led in the national day of prayer. It was a blessed week in every way.
Thank you for all your support, your prayers. I saw all the… all the notes, as well as the tweets, and Facebook posts, and Instagrams. The social media is a great way to connect and I do read those things, by the way, when you send them our way. But just so many of you… more… much more than that prayed with us. Here at our church on Thursday we partnered with the National Day of Prayer. There were hundreds and hundreds of people at all of our campuses praying all day, putting a great evening service together.
And during the day… Thursday, May 7th, this past week one million people prayed across America on the National Day of Prayer! That’s cause for celebration for all of us [applause] and we’re grateful and thankful for so many that prayed and that so many of you have joined the movement and the mission of praying for our families, the future of our country. Our theme was “Lord, hear our cry” and we continue to cry out to the Lord and make this a matter of personal prayer… each one of us, and as I mentioned for the church as we pray together going forward.
And today is Mother’s Day and therefore, since Revelation… we are at chapter 13 of Revelation which describes the rise of the beast the antichrist, I thought it might not be a good idea to preach on the beast on Mother’s Day. [laughter] My goodness, we already got up to tornado sirens this morning. How was that to great the day? I say great! I mean turn on the sirens, blow the bells, sound the whistle, mom is here, and we celebrate this day. But we’ll be back to our Revelation series next weekend, but today I want to preach on the subject “How to Pray for your Children.”
So take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 18. Please engage in the word of God. I would encourage you to talk notes this morning. Please, let me ask a favor, that you not get up and down and leave during the service, and disturb others and stay all the way to the end to the invitation when we invite people to follow Christ.
When we were in Washington D. C. we saw many monuments relative to the past, the World War II memorial… memorials and monuments to Lincoln and Washington, and just the places of power, the White House, the Capital, the Supreme Court building. Washington is a seat of mighty power for… for sure, but not the greatest power.
The greatest power on earth, the greatest power in the universe is the power of God! And we connect with that power, the power of Almighty God when we pray! And specifically the power of a praying mother or grandmother is in my view the greatest force on earth. As women cry out to God in behalf of their families. I’m here to say today on this Mother’s Day, 2015 that the heart cry of a praying mother or grandmother can change America! [tap, tap] Because when we pray for our families, pray for our children, we change our homes and our families and their future. And if we change our families, we change our communities! And when our communities are transformed by the power of Jesus Christ then our country can be transformed, and ultimately the message gets to the world. But it all starts in believing prayer.
Now mothers have been called from time to time the heart of the home. If the husband as the Scripture tells us is the head of the home, certainly the wife, the mother is the heart of the home. Just as your physical heart pumps life and blood into our bodies, our mothers give us spiritual life and from the hearts of godly women, the influence of their life in us. A mom who loves, a mom who serves, a mom who blesses her children, a mom who strengthens her children… her value is priceless. Can’t put a number on this. It is immeasurable. And to be a mother is the highest and holiest of callings. Don’t let anyone underestimate… or undermine you as a godly mother, because your value… your worth is so great.
And the mission of every Christian mother is to partner with God in raising up a generation of godly young men and women. To teach and train and develop and disciple boys and girls into young men and women and adults who will love the Lord and serve Him. And there is no greater legacy that you can give your children or your grandchildren than the legacy of prayer. Your prayers will shape the destiny of your family for generations to come!
Since I didn’t get an Amen on that, I think I’ll say it again! [laughter] Your prayers, moms, will shape the destiny of your family for generations to come. The influence of your life and, yes, of your prayers will live on long after you are in heaven. Long after you have gone on to be with the Lord. And a hundred years from now your mother’s heart of prayer will still be beating in the lives of your children’s children and their children, as your prayers today will be answered even in eternity. Prayer will transform your parenting because prayer will transform your own life. And prayer will also transform your children.
Now it’s important to nourish your children; essential. And we’re told in Scripture that as parents… mothers and dads we are to nourish our children, we are to train our children, we are to bless our children, we are to discipline our children, we are to lead our children. But the priority for all of us in doing all of this is prayer. Because prayer will energize you in all that you attempt to do with and for your children.
Many moms feel inadequate. You feel like “Am I doing enough?” “Am I getting it all done?” There’s so many demands upon your life. There’s the thing… you can look it up on the internet, it’s called Mommy Guilt. Ha, and a lot of moms feel guilty that they’re not doing enough or getting it all done. Let me assure you, Christian mom, if you are praying for your children, you will be energized to do exactly what you need to do in the time that God gives you for your children. Give it to the Lord!
It’s been said that prayer is the mother of a thousand blessings. I agree with that, but I would turn that upside down a little bit and say a mother’s prayer births a thousand blessings and more. There is power when a mother prays. A mother’s prayer is irresistible. Your children may not listen to your words. They may reject your wisdom. They may ignore your warnings, but they are powerless against your prayers. They are defenseless against the prayers of a mom who calls out to God and cries out to God for their children.
So we are to pray for your children, you are to pray with your children, and you are to pray over your children. I’m going to repeat that one as well. You ought to pray for your children, you ought to pray with your children, and you ought to pray over your children. Taking time even in the night when your children are asleep to put your hands on their heads and to pray over them. What a privilege it is to pray. It’s important to talk to your children about God, to tell them about Jesus. But first, before you talk to your children about God, talk to God about your children! And then they will hear you when you talk to them about God.
As I said, prayer will transform your parenting and your children as you pray because prayer is a priority, prayer is a practice, prayer is a principle of life, and we’re commanded and called again and again and again and again and again in Scripture to pray, as in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 18. Look at it with me:
18) praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To the end… or to that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Now I don’t know about you all, but I see a lot of ‘alls’ in this passage. All prayer all of the time; all in! Now Paul’s command… admonition here to pray is in the context of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6 describes this unclean battle, this invisible war in which we are fighting against not flesh and blood but against principalities and powers… Satan himself. And coming out of that discussion of putting on the whole armor of God, he says pray! Pray all the time, pray with all prayer.
The fact is that secret prayer is our secret weapon when it comes to advancing the Gospel of Christ and defeating the enemies of Christ. Prayer is the battle. Prayer is not a weapon in the battle; prayer is the battle! The warfare is prayer! In all prayer at all times! And we are in a spiritual battle in our generation. Traditional values are diminishing in our own culture here in America. Religious liberties are at risk… increasingly so.
Even as we speak the family is being redefined by some in the culture and now the Supreme Court of the United States of America is ruling on the definition of a family. The judgment is coming sometime in June. You need to be praying, you need to be crying out to God. The word that we get is that it’s not good, and that marriage as we have known it for millenniums- thousands of years, since time began—will be changed by the court and redefined. And if that happens it will open the doors, not only to the denial of religious l… liberties, but in the changing, the very atmosphere of homes and families in America, the breakdown and the future of the family at extreme vulnerability at this time. If this passes, we’re in trouble.
That’s the times in which we live! And therefore we must stay engaged in the battle and praying at all times. Good times and bad times, in times of privilege as well as times of persecution. In times of crisis as well as in times of celebration. We celebrate when we dedicate a baby and their parents to the Lord. We celebrate when someone follows Christ with their baptism, when someone trusts in Christ and openly professes as we will do at the end of this service. We pray with thanksgiving and celebration. But we also cry out to God in our own generation because these are difficult and dangerous days. We’re seeing that in our study in the Revelation. Christ is at the door. He’s coming soon, and it’s going to be either revival in America or ruin, retribution or else the return of Jesus Christ in our own day!
So we need to be praying! And of all the prayers that we pray, let’s pray for our families, let’s pray from our children. And mothers, you can lead the way in this. What kind of prayer should we pray for our children? The Scripture here speaks of all kinds of prayers. Prayers, petitions, supplication. He says “with all prayers”. What does that mean? What kind of prayers would be included in all prayers. It’s not just all praying or all in praying, it’s all different kinds of prayer. There are various elements in prayer.
For example, when Jesus taught us to pray and gave us a model by which we can pray, the Master’s Prayer, the model prayer. We call it the Lord’s prayer. “Our Father, who art in heaven…”, there are elements in this prayer that teach us not only how to pray personally but I believe teaches how to pray for our children.
[Matthew 6:9]“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” We are to pray for our children with adoration. In prayer we start with the adoration of our God. We start with the exaltation of God! “Our Father who art in heaven, holy… hallowed is your name.” We begin when we pray by glorifying God who is the Father of life. So when we pray for our children, we pray with adoration, starting with giving glory and thanks to God for our children who have been gifted to us, given to us by His hand. Life… the lives of our children are not an inconvenience! They are a blessing from God! These are the heritage of the Lord, and God has called us to teach our children by precept and example to love the Lord God with all their hearts, their minds, their soul, their strength. If you want to just put it simply…
I was conversing with Deb yesterday about Mother’s Day. I said, “What should I say to the moms today? What do moms really need to hear today?” And she said, “It’s very simple, love the Lord and teach your children to love and follow Him.” That’s where it starts. When we pray in adoration for our children, we pray that our children would know God through Jesus Christ; that they would honor Him and please Him and serve Him all the days of their lives; to worship Him. It’s thrilling to see these students worshipping God! That comes from the heart and the prayers of moms and dads and families who are teaching their children well to adore God.
And then not only are we to pray with adoration—“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” But [Matthew 6:10] “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So we’re to pray with submission. “Lord, not my will but your will be done.” And when it comes to praying for our children we should pray for our children that they would glorify God by allowing Him His rightful place of preeminence in their lives. When we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” we’re praying that Jesus will rule in our lives, that He would be Lord of our lives! And so to pray for our children is to pray that Jesus would rule and reign in them! And that His will would be done in their lives. Pray not for your will to be don in the lives of your children, but for His will… God’s will to be done in the lives of your children.
Sometimes because we want good things for our children we can push them, we can pressure them, we can prod them. Don’t do that. It’s good to have desires for your children, but the goals for your children should come from God. Pray that they would ask the Lord for His divine will and guidance in their lives. Pray that your children would have a heart to follow hard after Him; that God’s will would be accomplished in them; that their aim would be the agenda of God. Again, not my own personal agenda for our children, but the will… the perfect will of God. As we yield our own lives to the will of God, our children will see it and live it by example, but pray that it will be true in you and in your children.
There’s a third segment, if you will, in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. All prayer… this prayer is comprehensive. It includes adoration, it includes submission, but it also includes a petition. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done. [Matthew 6:11] Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus taught us to ask and receive. To always pray that we might receive good things from God who desires to give good things to His children richly to enjoy.
So pray for your children that not only would have God’s provision in their life… that God would take care of them and meet their needs, but when you’re praying for your children there are petitions that you can pray for them that will make a difference in their lives now and forever. These petitions are seen in the life of Jesus Himself. Luke 2:52 describing Jesus in His childhood years says that “He grew in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man.” In wisdom… that is intellectually, mentally; in stature… physically; in favor with God… spiritually; and in favor with man… relationally. So if I want to pray that my children would be like Jesus, which we should, then we ought to pray in our petitioning… in our asking, we ought to pray for them intellectually or mentally, we ought to pray for them physically, we ought to pray for them spiritually and relationally.
First, intellectually… wisdom, mentally. Pray that your children would have wisdom and knowledge to know God and to obey His word. The discernment that they will need in our generation to separate truth from error, and to reject the lies of Satan! Wisdom… seeing things from God’s perspective. Wisdom… the practical, personal application of truth and knowledge. We want our children to get a good education but unless your child is educated in the things of God, they’re missing the most important part… piece of their preparation for life and their future. And there are so many lies advancing and your children’s minds are the targets of the enemy! So pray for the mind of your children, that they would grow up in wisdom and knowledge.
And not only that but psychologically, the emotional balance that they need. Pray for your children that God would give them stability emotionally, psychologically. Suicide rates among teenagers are the highest ever. And many children are facing problems because of the breakdown of the home and the difficulties of this culture that is advancing, and the consequences of sin in our culture. Many kids are facing the emotional consequences of living in the world today. And so how you ought to pray that… that their minds and mentalities, and psychology, which speaks of the soul, would be protected. Pray about that every day.
But not only in wisdom, but in stature. Jesus grew physically, and our children have not only a spiritual life and a psychological life, but a physical life. Pray for your children’s health. Pray for their safety, pray for their protection physically. We should do that at all times. But I would also include as we’re praying for their physical life, pray for their bodies, that they would be pure sexually, that in mind and body they would live godly lives.
Pray for your children physically, mentally, and then spiritually. I’ve already reference this really, but to know and love God, and that they would grow spiritually. Not only that they would come into the family of God and become Christians and go to heaven, but that all the days of their lives they would walk with the Lord. Pray for their spiritual walk. Pray that your children will be a good example, that they would walk under… in authority and under authority, and the authority of God and with respect to people and all the spiritual commands and precepts and principles of God’s word. Pray for their spiritual health.
And then pray for them relationally. Jesus grew in favor with God, spiritually, but He also grew in favor with man, that’s relation; relationally. So pray for their friends and pray for their future mates. Their relationships. That they would reject peer pressure and not be conformed to this world… sucked into the system of this world, [Romans 12:2] “but be transformed by the renewing of their minds” in Jesus Christ.
Of all the things that you can pray for your children… and all of these are important, but to pray for their relationship is so important. Pray that God would bring friends into your children’s lives that would build them up and not tear them down. You know as a parent, as a mom, you know it, how important the choice of your children’s friends is to their lives and to their well being. And as I said, pray in advance for the man or the woman that your children will meet to be their spouse some day. We’ve prayed that for all of our children and God has answered those prayers with godly people to be our children’s mates. We’re thankful for that. But pray for them relationally. This is all about petition.
And not only petition but Jesus said when you pray with adoration, when you pray with submission and you with petition, also pray with confession. [Matthew 6:12]“Forgive us our debts or our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Now, of course, you cannot confess your children’s sins for them. Every person must confess their own sins. But here’s what you can pray in regard to sin and temptation in your children’s life… and forgiven. You can pray that God would always keep their conscience sensitive, that God would all… that God would always protect them against the evil one, that your children would have a sensitivity to repent the moment they sense that sin is in their lives, or temptation is at work in their lives.
You can pray that they would know forgiveness, that they would not live in guilt all the days of their lives but they would find the grace of God and experience His love for them, His love to forgive. And not only knowing that they have been forgiven, but that they would be forgivers, because people who have been forgiven by Christ forgive others. That God would give our children a spirit of grace and mercy and tenderness and love towards people who are fallen, towards people who have failed. That’s praying in confession for your children, praying for your children’s own confession. And if your child is in the far country… if your child is a prodigal, mom, remember I said they’re… they cannot resist your prayers. They may have turned away from your faith, they may have turned away from you, but you have access to the throne of God and you can cry out to God, and one day may God bring your children home to Him and home to you.
But not only confession, Jesus taught us to pray for protection. [Matthew 6:13] “Deliver us from evil.” Pray that your children would be delivered from the paths of sin. [1 Peter 5:8] “Satan is like a roaring lion seek whom he may devour.” Satan is a very real enemy! You need to pray and prepare your children for the onslaught of evil in this culture. And the only way that they can overcome is to know the power of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus in their lives. You are called to be your child’s provider. But even above that, you are called to be your child’s protector. And moms, you can protect your children when you pray for your children. To pray a covering of protection over your children’s lives.
Then there is celebration. [Matthew 6:13b] ”For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!” To celebrate the goodness and the grace of God and the glory of God. Pray that your children would know that spirit of… of celebration, the hallelujah that comes from knowing God! The gratitude that comes from following Him.
I wish I had more time to cover all of this, but there you have how you can pray for your children. These petitions of adoration and submission and petition, and celebration and protection, and provision in God’s life. Pray comprehensively.
I’m wrapping this up but I want to say this text tells us to pray continually, every day and in every way. [It] Doesn’t mean when it says with all prayer, all the time that we go everywhere on our knees. No, of course not. It means, however, the spirit of prayer… the life of prayer is in us at all times. So we’re praying for our children at all times. We’re always to be praying with tenacity and determination and discipline!
Now the fact is we won’t pray everywhere until we p… pray somewhere! So it’s important that you get a place where you can pray. I know… And that’s not just at church, ha; that’s in your daily life. I know you may have a hard time finding a place with all the children crying and screaming and the stuff… and… and… all that. But Suzanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism… She had nineteen children! Now how do you find… and lived in a small house with nineteen children. Now how do you find a place and time, the quietness to pray, ha, in a household with nineteen children? You know what she did? She would put her apron up over her head, and the children knew when the apron was on that the prayers were on and they were to quieten up and let mama pray.
So I don’t know what you need to do, but you can find time to pray! Goodness gracious! The cell phone! All our time on twitter and all the rest! Has forever… has ever thrown away every excuse we have regarding prayer! There is time to pray! And we are not too busy to pray, we’re too busy not to pray! That’s especially true of a mom. You’re too busy not to pray! So pray with determination.
You know to pray at all times is like having a sensitivity to prayer. It’s like what a mother has. Have you ever noticed that a mother has this intuition? They always find out what you’re doing, whether you… And you don’t know how, right? I could never figure that out. How did Emogene know? I think she was just guessing most of the time. And I was like the Scripture. You know it says “the guilty flee when no one pursues.” But she nailed me every time typically.
And when our children were little and they would cry out in the night, the slightest move, Deb… It was amazing to me. She could just hear… and this was before, you know, sound systems and speakers in your house. Deb could hear a child whimper or cry just a little bit, and she would be up. Now I have to admit here on Mother’s Day that there were times that I heard it, too. [laughter] But it was a little bit of a game of chicken right there to see who was going to get up and go. But moms have this radar for their children.
And prayer is like radar with God. We have this connection with God. We can pray anywhere, anytime. And prayer, therefore… We can pray not only comprehensively, we are to pray continually, we’re to pray confidently. Pray the Scriptures over your children. Pray the Word of God. Because when you pray the Word of God, you’re always praying the will of God. Teach your children to know and love God’s Word, because God will speak to them.
Holly Shivers, the wife of David Shivers, one of our pastors, has written a book on memorizing scripture for children. It’s especially designed for children. It’s a fantastic book. Every mom… every parent ought to have it, grandparent. It’s incredible because it teaches your children to mark and memorize Scripture and prayers by which you digest the Word of God into your life. Moms! Teach your children by praying the Word of God into their lives! That’s praying with confidence because He’s promised to hear us.
Pray confidently, pray comprehensively, pray consistently, and don’t ever quit! Don’t ever stop! Jesus said, “You ought always to pray and never ever quit!” Don’t give up… even when you’re at your tired-est and you don’t know what to do, you have the Holy Spirit as your prayer partner who will interpret your heart’s desires to the Lord, who will minister His grace in your life to keep you going. As I said, prayer will energize you like nothing else to keep going.
So Moms, keep on mothering, keep on nourishing, keep on serving, keep on teaching, keep on training, but above all else, keep on praying! We need it! Your children need it, your husbands need it, your grandchildren must have it.
Last week I met for the first time Dr. Ben Carson. Had the privilege of having a private meeting with Ben, as he likes to be called, and then up at Washington D.C. actually he was on the program, spoke just before me at the National Day of Prayer. I’ve been so impressed with him, especially when I heard the story of Dr. Ben Carson which is told in a docudrama called “Gentle Hands”, also a book, I believe, by the same name.
But Dr. Ben Carson is a retired neurosurgeon from Detroit and is a current presidential candidate of the Republican Party. And he told us of the story of growing up in a very poor neighborhood that was infested with drugs and alcohol, and that he and his brother… his older brother were being raised by a single mom… the father had left. The single mom had a third grade education. Ben and his brother were having a lot of struggles at school. Couldn’t keep up with the work academically. Just struggling at every level. And their mom who was deeply concerned about that, of course; didn’t know what to do. She had a third grade education, as I said. She couldn’t very well teach her boys.
But she was a Christian and is a Christian. And she began to pray diligently for her boys. And she asked God to give her wisdom as to how to raise these boys and how to teach these boys, and how could her boys have a life beyond their neighborhood, a lift that could… could be great for God. And she began to pray that. She didn’t have any money. She didn’t have much education but she did have a relationship with Christ, and therefore, she prayed for those two boys and they came to Christ. They developed a love for Christ and a belief in prayer. And she kept on praying.
One of the things that God showed Ben’s mother in praying for her children was to tell them to turn off the television. And they began turning the television off, and she commanded… not asked, she commanded that her boys read two books a week. And give her a written book report on those two books. Now she didn’t know how to read but she demanded a book report, or barely knew how to read. The boys didn’t know that though and they began to read those books and their minds began to grow. They began to read the Bible.
In fact, in the ninth grade, Ben said, “I was a very angry young man.” He said, “Some of those young men you’ve seen in the streets of Baltimore.” He said, “I grew up in those streets around Baltimore.” He said, “I was one of those angry young men.” And in the ninth grade he got into an argument with a fellow student over music, and Ben pulled out a knife and attempted to kill that fellow student. And he would have killed him perhaps, but when he thrust the knife forward it hit the boy’s belt buckle and stopped the knife. Ben as so alarmed by his own anger… so upset that he would be driven with such anger to do such a thing that he ran home and he went to the bathroom of their little house and he shut the door! And there was a Bible there, his mother’s Bible.
And he opened it up and he began to read the Proverbs, and verse after verse about anger and what anger would do in destroying homes and communities and people’s lives. And he saw all those verses and he said, “When I came out of that room that day, I was no longer full of anger or rage.” He said, “God changed me that day.” And I would tell you in just meeting Ben Carson briefly, that he is one of the most gentile and gentle men I have ever met. You can’t see any anger in this guy. Jesus changed his life!
He went on to excel in school. He went to Yale on scholarship. He eventually went to medical school and found himself at the height of his career as the head of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He had such gentle hands and skilled hands that he was the first surgeon to every successfully separate conjoined twins, and is respected as one of the brightest and most beautiful minds in the medical community. In 2014… last year… a Gallop poll listed Dr Ben Carson as sixth on the list of the most admired men in the world.
How did that happen? How could a young man born into a broken home, into a troubled neighborhood with seemingly no future… how could a young man rise to such success and prominence, to maybe even one day becoming president of the United States? How? The prayers of his mother. The prayers of a woman who didn’t know much, but she knew God, and she knew how to pray. And prayer… a mother’s prayers… listen to me… again, a hundred years from now the prayers… the mother prayers, the blood prayers of mothers will be heard in heaven for those here on earth. Your children and your children’s children. Moms, keep on praying, and don’t ever, ever quit.
Would you stand with me, all of us standing together? Heads are bowed and eyes closed.
If you had a praying mother you are blessed. I realize that’s not the privilege of everyone. Maybe you grew up in a home where your parents… your mom even didn’t know Christ in a personal way. But you can start something new in your own life and your own family. You can be born again into the family of God. You can begin a legacy in your life and in the lives of your children, by first coming to Christ and following Him.
If you’re a husband or a dad or a child that needs Jesus in your life today, people have been praying for you. Your mother has been praying for you. Today’s the day of salvation. Today’s the day to come to Christ. Your grandmother has been calling your name to the heavenly Father. [background music begins] Come to Jesus today. Follow Christ this moment.
You say, “How do I do that?” Listen, He died on the cross for you, He rose again, and the Bible says “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” So turn from you sin, be willing to walk away, turn around… that’s repentence; and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ… that’s faith; and come forward today to say, “I want to follow Jesus all the days of my life. I want to begin a life in Christ and a legacy with Christ for the future of my own life and eternity and for that of my family.” There are children yet unborn… children yet unborn who will be in heaven because you’ve come to Christ today. Would you come?
Others need to join this church and make Prestonwood your church home. Every person needs a spiritual home. Just as you need a heavenly home… to know that you’re saved and going to heaven, just as you have an earthly home, your family, you need a spiritual home; that’s the church. So come today and as God the Holy Spirit is prompting you and leading you, join this church. It will be a great example to your family. Your children know whether Christ is first in your life. Where the worship of Jesus and the service of God is important in your family. Why don’t you come today before your children. Set the example and bring your children, bring your family today and join this church and be a faithful member and follower of the Lord.
Maybe you’d like prayer. We’ll pray for you. If you need to rededicate your life and your home, we’ll pray with you as well. But come forward today.
I know it’s Mother’s Day. Mom and everybody else is watching. Ha! But don’t let anything keep you from coming to Jesus today. Not the time, not the hour, not the moment. This is God’s day. This is why God brought you here today. Come to Jesus.