Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Making disciples requires instruction, and not just in rules and regulations. God was seeking to form the Israelites into a people who would be faithful to Him, which is another way of saying disciples. Moses gave them the Law, and it’s interesting to note that even though he told them not to add to it (verse 2), they eventually more than doubled it with all sorts of nit-picking interpretations. However, faith isn’t based on regulations, and faith is most important in discipleship. The problem of short attention spans is receiving a lot of notice these days, but it has been a problem with mankind ever since creation. God gives us faith-building experiences and encounters with Him, and then we turn around and forget them! That’s what this verse is talking about. Actively remembering, recording, and sharing those things will implant them in our hearts, as well as transmit them to succeeding generations. God meets with all who seek Him honestly, but unless people hear how God has touched others, they will have little idea how to seek Him, much less expectation of finding Him. Anyone who is a true disciple of Christ will be active in sharing the story of how God saved them, and saves them daily in countless ways.

This is a major reason we have Testimony Time in our worship services. It is a happy problem that we are now having so many that the services are getting longer and longer! I need to help the believers understand how to share such testimonies in a variety of settings, and not just on Sunday mornings, without cutting off the enthusiasm for sharing in any way. The failure of parents to transmit faith to their children is a major problem throughout the Church. It is true that each person’s faith must be their own, but many parents, if not most, fail to be active in talking about their faith with their children. It is of course vitally important that children see faith demonstrated in their parents’ lives, but parents need to talk about it as well. I know from experience that talking about faith, sharing it, strengthens it. The closest parallel is love, which grows when expressed and shared. I need to help the believers overcome their inhibitions and talk about their faith with those they love and care about, so that the Holy Spirit may take their words to instill faith in their hearers.

Father, this is a vitally important point. I ask for wisdom and timing in communicating it to the believers. I pray that as they read these same Scriptures day by day that Your Spirit would speak to them as You speak to me, so that together we may grow and mature to be the disciple-making disciples You desire, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!