Discipleship in the Home: The First Place We Make Disciples

Romans 15:4 – The Foundation of Learning and Teaching

Sermon Title:

Scripture: Various Scripture

Occasion:

Date: TBD

Introduction: Discipleship is for Everyone

Church, let me ask you a question tonight:

Who in this room is called to make disciples?

Is it just the pastors? No.

Is it just the spiritually mature? No.

Is it just the ones who have been in church for years? No.

Every single believer is called to discipleship.

Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 was not just for His first disciples—it was for all who follow Him:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

Now, I know what some of you are thinking:

"I don’t know enough to disciple anyone." "I’m not qualified." "I don’t have the time."

But here’s what I want you to hear tonight: Discipleship is not primarily academic—it is relational.

That means:

If you are a Christian, you can disciple someone.

If you are walking with Christ, you can take someone with you.

No matter where you are in your journey with Jesus, you are called to help others follow Him too.

What is Discipleship? A Clear, Working Definition

Let’s define discipleship so we can put it into action:

Discipleship is the intentional and relational process of helping others follow Jesus by teaching them His Word and prayer, modeling a life of faith and godliness, and walking with them in the ordinary rhythms of life.

Discipleship is intentional—It doesn’t happen by accident.

Discipleship is relational—It happens life-on-life, not just in a classroom.

Discipleship is practical—It happens in homes, in conversations, around the dinner table, in daily moments.

Discipleship is biblical—It is rooted in the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, and the means of grace.

And here’s the key truth I want you to see tonight: The first and most natural place for discipleship to happen is in the home.

Let’s open our Bibles to Romans 15:4:

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Paul reminds us that God gave us His Word so that we would learn, endure, and grow in hope.

If that is true, then our homes must be places where the Word is spoken, modeled, and lived.

A Historical Account: The Power of Family Discipleship

Let me take you back to 17th-century Scotland, during the time of the Covenanters. These were men and women who were persecuted for holding to the authority of Scripture over the rule of kings.

During one period of persecution, many pastors were exiled or executed. The church was driven underground. But do you know what happened?

The faith was preserved in the homes. Fathers taught their children. Mothers nurtured them in the Word. Families gathered in secret for worship.

One historian noted: "When the pulpits were empty, the kitchen tables became the new pulpits, and fathers became the shepherds of their little flocks."

Beloved, if tomorrow our churches were shut down, would your home still be a place where Christ is worshiped? Would your children still hear the Word? Would discipleship continue?

This is why family discipleship is essential.

I. Why Discipleship in the Home is Biblical

A. God’s Pattern for Family Discipleship

From Genesis to Revelation, God commands His people to make disciples in their homes.

The home has always been the first and primary place of spiritual instruction and formation. Before there were seminaries, Sunday schools, or even formal gatherings of the church, God established the home as the first training ground for discipleship.

Listen to the words of Genesis 18:19—God speaking of Abraham:

"For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him."

Abraham was chosen not just for personal faith, but for generational faithfulness.

The same pattern is reinforced in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, where God commands Israel:

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Notice the natural, organic rhythm of discipleship in this passage.

It happens when you sit – around the dinner table, in daily conversations.

It happens when you walk – in daily routines, car rides, and life’s transitions.

It happens when you lie down and rise – beginning and ending the day with the Lord.

 This tells us that discipleship is not just about "Bible lessons" but about making the knowledge of God a natural part of daily life.

Psalm 78:4 reinforces this:

"We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done."

1. Teaching the Word as a Family Discipline

Practical Ways to Teach the Word in the Home

🔹 Family Worship – Set aside time daily or weekly for reading Scripture, singing hymns, and prayer as a family. Puritans called this “the little church in the house.”

🔹 Bedtime and Morning Scripture Reading – Read one Psalm or Proverb in the morning and a short passage from the Gospels or Epistles at night with children or family members.

🔹 Memorizing Scripture Together – Challenge your household to memorize a verse or passage each week and discuss how it applies.

🔹 Turning Everyday Moments into Teaching Moments –

When a child struggles with fear, read Psalm 56:3 ("When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.")

When someone in the family is blessed, read James 1:17 ("Every good and perfect gift is from above.")

When facing trials, read Romans 8:28 ("We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.")

 Puritan Richard Baxter once said: "You are not only to teach your people in public, but also privately… And because a family is the first society that God hath set up, it is one of the greatest duties you owe to God to see that family worship is maintained and that your children are raised up in the fear of the Lord."

2. Modeling a Christ-Centered Life

One of the greatest dangers in Christian homes is teaching the Bible but failing to live it out.

 Children and spouses need to see not just that we believe the truth, but that it changes how we live.

Practical Ways to Model Christ in the Home

🔹 Show repentance and forgiveness –

Parents, when you lose your temper, be quick to confess sin to your children.

Spouses, when there is tension, let your marriage display the grace of the gospel.

🔹 Live with consistency –

If we tell our children to love God’s Word, but they never see us reading it, what will they learn?

If we say prayer is important, but we only pray before meals, what message does that send?

🔹 Prioritize the Lord’s Day as a Household –

Make Sunday worship non-negotiable for your home.

Prepare your household’s hearts before service—talk about what will be preached and how it applies to life.

Sing the songs at home that you will sing in corporate worship.

 Jonathan Edwards wrote: "Every Christian family ought to be as a little church, consecrated to Christ and wholly influenced and governed by His laws."

B. The Household as a Miniature Church

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith teaches us that the home is where discipleship begins.

 Chapter 22, Section 6 states: "God is to be worshiped everywhere in spirit and truth; as in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself."

This is why family worship is so essential.

The Puritans practiced this faithfully. A Christian home without family worship was unthinkable to them.

 Matthew Henry said: "The families where God is honored will be blessed, and their children will rise up and call their parents blessed."

1. How the Home Strengthens the Church

Churches are only as strong as the homes that make them up.

If our homes are places of prayer, Scripture, and Christ-centered love, our churches will flourish.

If our homes are filled with worldliness, busyness, and spiritual neglect, our churches will weaken.

This is why pastors and elders must encourage household discipleship. The health of the church starts in the home.

Practical Ways to Build a Household of Faith

🔹 Make Prayer the Center of Your Home –

Pray before meals, before bed, and before big decisions.

Keep a family prayer journal and pray through it together.

🔹 Read Aloud the Great Works of the Faith –

Read the stories of missionaries, Reformers, or Puritans to your children.

Let them hear of the faithfulness of men like William Tyndale, John Bunyan, and Charles Spurgeon.

🔹 Open Your Home for Fellowship –

The early church met in homes (Acts 2:42-46).

Let your home be a place of Bible study, prayer, and gospel hospitality.

Conclusion: Start Where You Are

If you’re hearing this tonight and thinking, “I haven’t been discipling my home well”—beloved, start today!

Start small, but start intentionally.

How to Begin Immediately

Set a time for family worship this week – even if it’s just 10 minutes.

Choose a Bible verse to memorize together as a household.

Pray daily with your spouse or children.

If single, find someone to disciple or invite over for fellowship.

Commit to making your home a place where Christ is honored in word and deed.

Final Challenge

Church, let me ask again:

 If our pulpits were empty tomorrow, would our kitchen tables become our pulpits? If persecution came, would our children still know the gospel? If everything else was stripped away, would our homes still be places of worship, prayer, and discipleship?

Let’s build gospel-centered homes, so that we may raise up disciples who will one day lead others.

As Romans 15:4 reminds us:

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Let’s be faithful to disciple in our homes, that Christ may be exalted for generations to come.

🔹 Next Session: Discipleship in the Church—where we will see how strong homes lead to a strong household of faith.

Now that we have established why discipleship in the home is biblical, we must move to the how.

It is not enough to know what we are supposed to do. We need to know how to put it into action and be prepared to overcome the obstacles that will stand in the way.

Many of us have good intentions. We hear a sermon like this, and we say, "Yes! We need to make disciples in our home!"

But what happens?

Life gets busy.

We get distracted.

We assume we’ll have time to do it later.

Sin, laziness, and spiritual warfare creep in.

We must recognize that we have an enemy who does not want our homes to be filled with the Word of God.

Satan will do everything he can to keep us distracted.

Our flesh will resist structure and discipline.

Slothfulness will cause us to put it off for another day.

Busyness will convince us we "don’t have time."

If we do not disciple our homes, the world will.

If we do not fill our homes with the truth of God, the world will fill it with lies.

So let’s talk about how to practically disciple in our homes, despite these challenges.

A. For Married Couples: Discipling One Another

When a husband and wife are growing together in Christ, the entire home benefits.

A strong marriage rooted in discipleship will shape the way we parent, the way we engage with the church, and the way we witness to the world.

But let’s be honest—many Christian marriages lack intentional discipleship.

Husbands and wives get comfortable.

They assume the other is "doing fine."

They let busyness take over.

They don’t make spiritual conversations a priority.

If we are not actively growing in Christ together, we are drifting apart spiritually.

Practical Steps for Married Couples

Pray Together Daily

A marriage without prayer is like a house without a foundation.

Pray before meals—not just routine prayers but meaningful thanksgiving.

Pray before bed—confessing struggles, lifting up concerns, seeking God's help.

Pray before making decisions—asking the Lord to lead both of you.

Obstacle: Many couples feel awkward praying together.

Start small—even a 30-second prayer is better than nothing.

One prays one night, the other prays the next.

1 Peter 3:7 – "Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way... so that your prayers may not be hindered."

Read the Bible Together

It doesn’t have to be long—one chapter or even a few verses can change your day.

Read a Psalm together before work.

Read a short Gospel passage before bed.

Pick a book of the Bible to work through slowly.

Obstacle: “We don’t have time.”

Turn off the TV 10 minutes earlier.

Read a passage before you check your phone in the morning.

Colossians 3:16 – "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another."

Encourage Spiritual Conversations

Most marriages revolve around work, kids, bills, and schedules—but what about the things of God?

Ask intentional questions like:

“What did you read in the Word today?”

“What is God teaching you?”

“How can I be praying for you?”

Hebrews 10:24 – "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works."

B. For Parents: Raising Children in the Fear of the Lord

Practical Steps for Parents

Teach the Word Naturally

Discipleship should not feel like a forced classroom lesson.

Talk about Scripture at the dinner table.

When your child struggles with fear, point them to a Psalm of comfort.

When your child is disobedient, show them how Jesus forgives and transforms us.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Have Family Worship

This doesn’t need to be complex—just 10-15 minutes together in the Word.

A simple model:

Read Scripture (One short passage).

Sing a hymn or worship song (Encourages joy in the Lord).

Pray together (Let children participate).

Psalm 78:4 – "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord."

Model Repentance

Children learn more from what we do than what we say.

If parents never confess their sins, children assume Christianity is just rules.

If children never see grace in the home, they will not understand the gospel.

When you sin in front of your kids, humble yourself and confess it.

Ephesians 6:4 – "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

C. For Singles: Discipling Yourself and Others

Practical Steps for Singles

Be Intentional in Friendships

Singles have an incredible opportunity to disciple younger believers or peers.

Find one or two people to meet with regularly.

Ask someone to mentor you in the faith.

2 Timothy 2:2 – "What you have heard from me... entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Commit to Spiritual Disciplines

Daily Bible reading.

Intentional prayer life.

Active involvement in the church.

1 Corinthians 7:34 – "The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord."

Practice Hospitality

Open your home for fellowship and Bible study.

Serve in ministries that encourage discipleship.

Romans 12:13 – "Seek to show hospitality."

D. For Teenagers: Learning to Follow Christ Now

Practical Steps for Teens

Read the Bible for Yourself

Make a habit of daily time in the Word.

Journal what God is teaching you.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 – "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth."

Seek Wisdom from Older Believers

Find a mentor in the church.

Ask questions about faith, struggles, and growth.

1 Timothy 4:12 – "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example..."

Serve in Your Home and Church

Help lead in worship, children’s ministry, or outreach.

Honor your parents by serving in the home.

Mark 10:45 – "For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve."

Start Today

What step can you take tonight?

Husbands, will you start praying with your wife?

Parents, will you set aside time for family worship?

Singles, will you begin investing in discipleship?

If we do not disciple our homes, the world will.

Conclusion: The Urgent Call to Discipleship in the Home

Church, we have heard the call. We have seen from God’s Word that discipleship is not optional—it is our privilege and duty.

We must not let this message slip from our hearts as soon as we leave this place.

We must act now.

Why? Because time is short.

Every day we delay, our children are being shaped by something other than Christ.

Every day we neglect prayer and the Word, our marriages lose spiritual intimacy.

Every day we push off discipleship, the enemy works to disciple our homes in his ways.

A Historical Example: The Forgotten Family Altar

Let me take you to the early 20th century, when Christian homes in America were strong, and the Word of God was central.

In nearly every believing home, there was a family altar—not a physical structure, but a time of daily family worship.

Fathers led their children in the Scriptures. Mothers nurtured the home in the fear of the Lord. Children were raised knowing God, His commands, and His gospel.

But then something changed.

The world crept in.

The busyness of work took over.

The distractions of entertainment drowned out the voice of God.

The priorities of the home shifted from Christ to comfort, from devotion to distraction.

And what happened?

A generation arose who no longer knew the Lord.

A culture that once revered Scripture became a culture that despised it.

The church, which once stood firm on truth, became influenced by the world.

Why?

Because discipleship in the home disappeared.

One historian wrote: "The downfall of Christian civilization did not begin in the courts or in the schools, but in the homes, when fathers ceased to be priests of their households and children were left without daily instruction in the Word of God."

Beloved, if we continue in the same neglect, do we think the outcome will be any different?

We are one generation away from seeing another massive decline in biblical faithfulness.

And I ask you tonight—will it happen on our watch?

The Hope We Have: It’s Not Too Late

I do not share this to discourage you, but to wake us up.

We must not despair—we must act.

Paul says in Romans 15:4:

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

God has given us His Word, not to shame us for past failures, but to instruct us for future faithfulness.

God is not calling you to be a perfect parent, a perfect spouse, or a perfect disciple-maker.

But He is calling you to be faithful.

If you have never prayed with your spouse, start tonight.

If you have never read the Bible with your children, open it tomorrow morning.

If you have never led your home in worship, take a small step this week.

A Final Story: A Legacy of Faithfulness

There is a famous contrast between two men who lived in 18th-century America:

Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes.

Jonathan Edwards was a faithful preacher and theologian, but more importantly, he was a devoted husband and father.

Every night, he gathered his family for prayer, Scripture, and worship.

Max Jukes, on the other hand, was a man who lived for himself. He neglected his family spiritually, leaving them to drift in the ways of the world.

Years later, historians traced their family lines:

Jonathan Edwards’ descendants included 300 pastors, 100 missionaries, 120 college professors, 60 authors, 30 judges, and 14 university presidents.

Max Jukes’ descendants included 310 paupers, 50 prostitutes, 7 murderers, and 60 thieves.

One father built his home on Christ. The other built his home on the world.

Beloved, which legacy will you leave?

The decisions we make tonight will shape the generations to come.

The Final Call: Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Joshua stood before Israel and declared:

"Choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

Who will your home serve?

What will your home be known for?

A house that sings the praises of the world or a house that declares the praises of God?

A house filled with distractions or a house filled with the presence of Christ?

A house that is lukewarm or a house that is set ablaze for the glory of God?

Do not delay. Do not push this aside. Do not wait until life slows down.

Start Tonight. Start Now.

Husbands, take your wife’s hand and commit to leading her in prayer.

Parents, open your Bible with your children tomorrow morning.

Singles, find someone in the faith you can invest in or learn from.

Let the Word of God dwell in your home starting now.

Because if we do not disciple our families— the world will.

If we do not prioritize the Word of God— the world will fill the void with lies.

If we do not lead our homes toward Christ— they will drift away from Him.

Closing Prayer: A Cry for Help and Faithfulness

O Lord, We confess our failure in leading our homes in the ways of righteousness. We confess that we have been too busy, too distracted, too afraid. But tonight, we repent.

We ask You to revive our homes. Let our families be filled with prayer and worship. Let our marriages be strengthened in Christ. Let our children be rooted in Your Word.

Lord, may the next generation not suffer because of our neglect. Instead, may they rise up to call You Lord, to proclaim Your gospel, and to glorify Your name.

For Your glory and our joy, we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Final Charge: Go and Make Disciples

Do not leave here unchanged.

Let tonight be the beginning of a new devotion in your home.

Because one day, when you stand before Christ, you will not regret the time you spent in the Word with your family. You will not regret the time you prayed with your spouse. You will not regret the sacrifices you made to ensure your home was a place of discipleship, worship, and faithfulness.

May our children and our children’s children rise up and say:

"We were taught the Word in our home. We saw Christ in our parents. We were raised in the fear of the Lord."

Let us go and make disciples—beginning with those we love the most.

Next Session: Discipleship in the Church

In our next session, we will see how our homes prepare us to be disciple-makers in the church, strengthening the household of faith.

But first— Let us build strong homes, filled with the presence of Christ.

Go and start tonight.

Amen.

Let’s pray.