Big Idea: We need special friends to encourage each other to follow Jesus.

Parent Prep: In Australia today, 1 in every 10 Generation Y young adults do not know any other Christians. It's an even lower number for Gen Z and Gen Alpha – the children of today. (You can read more here at Faith and Belief.org). For most of our kids, that means their faith in Jesus will be an anomaly on the playground. It's tough for anyone to follow Jesus when you're the only one, and it's even harder for our kids. Children learn to define themselves by the thoughts and opinions of the important people in their worlds, and by the time they are teenagers, their peers are some of the most important voices in their lives. If by and large, these voices aren't voices who also speak the truth of the gospel, statistically, we recognise that children begin to drift from their faith communities and eventually their faith. The current statistic is that 50% of church-going young people will have walked away from their faith by the time they are university age. The best evidence we have suggests that having around 5 important voices speaking a similar language of faith will help steady a child through their adolescent years as they grow more independent in understanding what they believe. These important voices can be parents, grandparents, small group or youth group leaders, peers and family members. It's best to have a mix of ages – so that kids have many people of various generations speaking the wisdom of God into their lives. Without a support network of faithful, encouraging believers, it is unlikely that a child's faith will last through to adulthood. We can help our children's faith grow deeper and stronger by encouraging them to find friends and build relationships with others who are intentionally following Jesus.

 

Read Philippians 2:19-30  together in a children's Bible, or this easy-to-read version here.

Talk

Read the passage together, and make a list of all the great things Paul says about his friends.

  • Timothy:

    • Genuinely cares for his friends v20
    • Cares about the work of Jesus v21
    • Tells others the good news of Jesus v22
    • He is servant hearted v23
  • Epaphroditus

    • Works hard for the Lord v25
    • Serves others v25
    • A good helper v30
    • Put his life in danger for his friend v30
    •  Almost died for Jesus! v30

Listen

Can you think of any friends who are like Timothy and Epaphroditus? Ask children to think of people they know in their lives who are like Timothy and Epaphroditus. Try and think of 5 together, and ask if each child can think of one friend like this. 

Do

Make a list of these friends, and commit to praying for them. You could even write down things that are great about these friends too, so you can continue to thank God for your gospel-partner friends. As a family, make a commitment to spend time with these people often and regularly so that you can enjoy their company and be encouraged to be like Jesus together.

Have a great week!