The Worlds Okayest Pastor

Foundations Matter: Your Home Is Your First Ministry

• Jason Cline

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What foundation are you building for your family? After exploring God's sovereignty in the book of Daniel, we turn our attention to something equally important but much closer to home—the spiritual foundation we're establishing for our children.

The research is crystal clear and compelling: parents are the primary spiritual influence in their children's lives. A national study from the University of Notre Dame concluded that "the single most important social influence on the religious and spiritual lives of adolescents is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents." This influence exceeds that of youth pastors, friends, or any other mentor they might encounter.

Just as Jesus taught that the wise builder constructs his house on solid rock to withstand storms, we must build our family's spiritual foundation on something that will last. When heavy rains and floods come—and they will—what foundation will your family be standing on?

Many of us teach our children that success, sports, or financial security are top priorities, often without realizing it. We show what we truly value by how we spend our time, energy, and resources. When we consistently choose sports over church, work over family worship, or entertainment over prayer time, we're silently communicating what matters most.

Joshua's bold declaration should be the anthem of every Christian family: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." This isn't just a decorative wall hanging—it's a daily commitment that shapes generations. Research shows that when faith becomes optional for one generation, it becomes unnecessary for the next, and eventually unimportant to the third.

What will your children remember about your family's priorities? Will they recall a home where God was central, prayer was normal, and following Jesus was more important than anything else? The foundation you're building today will determine whether their faith can withstand tomorrow's storms.

Speaker 1:

For the last eight weeks we spent a decent amount of time in the book of Daniel, kind of went through all 12 chapters, kind of hit a few in passing, but got to the end. And the biggest focus of Daniel is the whole idea of the book is that God's sovereign right. And so we talked a little bit about this last week and the end of the world. And I'm telling you, man, I don't watch the news very much, but every time I do I feel like the end of the world's tomorrow. Or there's moments where I'm like Jesus, if you're going to come back, now's a really good time, like if you just want to go ahead, like we're ready and we're waiting, but we don't know right, we don't know the end, but we do know that it was God's sovereign. So in the end God wins. And that's one of the things that he establishes throughout the book of Daniel is don't worry about these things, don't stress about them, because ultimately God's in charge of everything. And that brings us hope, that should offer us hope. And so now we're going to kind of shift gears a little bit and we've been looking kind of at the big kingdom. So this is God's kingdom and that's always our focus, but we're going to bring it down to a very practical level and we're going to start looking at the kind of kingdom we're building in our homes, because I think that that's significant. I think it matters how we raise our kids, I think it matters what we teach our kids. I think foundations are important, as is a 6'5". 379 pounds now, 379 pounds.

Speaker 1:

I'm a big dude. I've been a big dude my whole life. So I just want to let you know, if you ever invite me to a family function, you offer me a folding chair. I'm probably not sitting on it. I don't trust them. I never have, because every phone interview I've ever sat on it bends every single time okay. And so, like, when I look at like sitting down, I'm like like if you ever see me sit down, like I'm always in a squat position, because I'm like my muscles on my legs are never not set, because if it goes out like, I'm going to stand up. So foundations are important. If you've ever sat down on a chair that broke in front of a bunch of people, you understand Foundations are also important, because sometimes, when your foundation falls out from under you, you wipe out. So I'm going to share this with you.

Speaker 1:

It's an embarrassing moment that happened to me at camp. So Thursday night we had a ton of rain out of camp and I had my, my flip-flops on my, my hey dudes, and you know, danny and the boys came out and so there, you know, we took a break and we went to the basketball courts and we're playing basketball and there's like water, like all over the basketball court, and so so they're shooting hoops and Everett loses his ball and it bounces off and it rolls into this very large puddle of water. And so me, being dad, I'm like I'll get it. And so I walk over this water and I very gingerly tiptoe my way through the water as to not upset the balance of gravity, right. And so I'm walking and in the blink of an eye I realize my legs were no longer going to be underneath me. In about three seconds I feel my foot slip, my legs go up, both legs kick up and I fall flat on my back in this giant puddle of water. I disperse so much water I think it dried it. So I disperse all of of this water and I'm laying.

Speaker 1:

By the way, I'm the camp medic, so keep that in mind, that if I get injured, who's going to help me, right? So I fall, I land on my back and, luckily for me, I'm smart enough to keep my head up, so I don't whack my head, so I just lay there. And I'm laying there because my next thought is do I fake being injured? So this isn't embarrassing, because if I'm injured, no one's going to make fun of me. And as my senses start to come back, I can hear my wife laughing, which is to be expected, and I can hear Everett going ooh, right. And so luckily there's no one outside, but there's this group of people over here and I'm like God, please don't let them have seen this. I don't need this right now. So I gather myself and I get up, and it's at that moment that you appreciate having a good foundation, because when your foundation fails, it's miserable, right? Thank God nothing happened. I could have been really injured, I could have smacked my hand. My pride's a little broken, but that's to be expected.

Speaker 1:

And so when we talk about foundations, the Bible was very clear on what it is to have a biblical foundation. The foundation, the tone you set in your home, I would argue, is the most important tone you can set, because your first ministry is your family, always More than the church, more than like participating in the church. The only thing that goes above your family is God. That's it. The only thing that goes above your family is God, but your family is one of the most important foundations that you set. And so, just to give you some idea, here's some research, real quick, of why this is important.

Speaker 1:

This was a national study of youth and religion. This was conducted by sociologist Christian Smith and a team out of the University of Notre Dame. After the research, they said the single most important social influence on the religious and spiritual lives of adolescents is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents, which means your kids are paying attention to you. The impact of their parents and how they lived out their faith was more important than their friends, their youth pastor, the pastor of the church or anyone they encountered, a youth group, any coaches, any other mentors. The number one influence on how they choose to follow Jesus starts at home. This is research led by Dr Cara Powell in the Fuller Youth Institute. It said that intergenerational relationships and parents who live out authentic faith have the most lasting spiritual impact. The presence of five or more adult mentors, parents included, also correlates with stronger, lasting faith into adulthood. They emphasize that faith that sticks after high school is often built in the context of family conversations, service and community. The Barna Group study says this. That repeated research from the Barna Group supports these other two right? So the National Study of Youth and Religion and the Fuller findings. It says children raised by parents who are highly engaged that's important highly engaged in their faith are more than twice as likely to stay connected to Christianity as adults. So, as Barna also notes, the parents talking about faith in their daily life, not just going to church, is a critical factor. So the way that you talk about your faith, the way you live out your faith when you are home by yourself, is significant Not only for you but for your children. It needs to be modeled at home first.

Speaker 1:

So this morning we're talking about foundations and why foundations matter. I'm going to try to go for an easy one here, right, I might be really bad at this. So foundations matter, right, the things you teach your kids matter. So the kind of faith you have, the kind of decisions you make, the way you live, is important. Jesus actually sums it up in Matthew 7, verses 24 to 25. He says this. He says therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had a foundation on the rock. So Jesus is talking about this actually in the Sermon on the Mountain. So he's and he's talking about this actually in the Sermon on the Mountain. So he's given all this instruction of how to live, things to do, and he says listen, because if you take what I teach you, if you take what I believe and what I'm showing you, and if you can make that your foundation, you're going to find that your life is going to work out a lot better, because that foundation, the foundation that I've given you, is solid and it matters. And so that's question one, right? What does it look like? What's the foundation you're setting for your kids? The foundation you're setting for your kids?

Speaker 1:

Maybe you spend the last couple years teaching kids that making a lot of money is the most important thing that they can do in this world. Not a bad thing, right? You know, everyone wants to have a good job. My kids want to have a cyber truck when they get older. I have no idea why. I don't know how they're to have a good job. My kids want to have a Cybertruck when they get older. I have no idea why. I don't know how they're going to pay for it. It's going to be college with a Cybertruck. They're not getting both Right. But maybe you teach your kids that having money is important. Maybe you've built a life on teaching your kids that you know sports is the way to go Right. Maybe it matters. Maybe we're teaching our kids that sports is the most important thing. And how do we do this? We put sports above everything else. We put sports above family time. We put sports above church else. We put sports above family time. We put sports above church being at church. I know, listen, I live in the same world that you do.

Speaker 1:

When I was younger, playing baseball on a Sunday wasn't a thing. I used to wrestle. We always wrestled on Saturday and usually we had Sunday tournaments and I didn't really go to church when I was younger. But I remember oh man, this is tense To all of you that have anxiety. I'm really sorry about this. Yeah, I remember Sunday really wasn't a big concern. Sunday was kind of sacred, right. I mean I don't even remember stores being open on Sunday and then Walmart went 24-7 for some reason. But I remember when my oldest started wrestling and so he started he would wrestle on Saturday. And then everyone's like are you coming to the meet tomorrow, on Sunday? I'm like no, we're not. And he asked me one started he would wrestle on Saturday and then everyone said are you coming to the meet tomorrow on Sunday? I'm like no, we're not. And he asked me one time he's like why? I'm like because God's more important than wrestling. I was like because that am I kind of bummed, you're missing it, because an opportunity to practice, of course, but your relationship with God and being in church is more important. There's always going to be more times to wrestle. I'm not worried about that.

Speaker 1:

And so we've set a tone very early on in our kids' lives that Sunday matters. Sunday is important, being in the Word of God is important. So what do you? What foundation are you setting for your kids? Right? That's kind of a cheap one, right there. So Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, he says listen, you're believing me, my words, my truth that these things matter to you. So what kind of foundation are we setting for our kids? We tell them that God is important, but do we model that it's a whole thing to say it, right Word of mouth, but do you model that as a family? Are you in the Word of God? Are you studying the Scriptures together? Are you praying together? Are you helping your kids understand that Jesus is the only thing that lasts? So why does this matter? One Jesus is the only thing that lasts.

Speaker 1:

Paul says it in 1 Corinthians, 3.1, says for no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is in Jesus Christ. Matthew 7.25 says the rain came down and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock, on Jesus. Colossians 2.7 says rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. Proverbs 20.7 says the righteous who walk in his integrity, blessed are his children after him. So the kind of things that you teach your kids about God matters. Is God priority? Is building the kingdom of God in your home something you talk about often, or is it something you do in passing when you have time? And it's so important that, as families you set the tone for for your kid's faith. And what's interesting is the research actually shows that that actually shows itself later that even as kids walk away from their faith, they're more likely to return to it if they had a strong foundation in the home that modeled it for them. Because that happens, right. I spent the weekend with a bunch of high schoolers and a bunch of middle schoolers this week and let me tell you, that happens right. I spent the weekend with a bunch of high schoolers and a bunch of middle schoolers this week and let me tell you that happens. Some of them aren't so sure where they stand. Some of them have grown up in houses their whole life and they're wrestling with it. But again, what foundation are you setting for your kids?

Speaker 1:

Rt France, in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, says it reminds us that the parable of the wise and foolish builders would have made immediate practical sense to Jesus' original audience. In a region where sudden flash floods could turn dry riverbeds into raging torrents, the need for solid foundation wasn't just theory, it was survival. And so when Jesus is saying, listen, if you put your foundation on me, all things will be okay and he's talking to people who are aware of what it means to lose everything Because foundation matters. You know, one of the craziest things about water is water has this really incredible ability to erode foundations away. You know, things don't last like they used to.

Speaker 1:

We were out eating yesterday and we saw I really want to attempt to take one from the top man. So we were out eating yesterday with the boys and we saw this old truck. It was an old Ford Ranger. I think it was like 1970s and I love the fact that my kids appreciate old cars. And then I remember thinking to myself. Or Everett said to me he's like well, they don't make them like they used to. I'm like man, you were right. I was like if I've taught you anything well in this world besides Jesus, it's that. But over time things fade, buildings collapse, money disappears. We're so built, we're so determined to teach our kids that they've got to have a secure future, but yet when it comes to teaching them about the only secure future possible, we ignore that, or at least we don't prioritize it enough.

Speaker 1:

What does it look like to be a family that follows Jesus? What does it look like when we teach our kids to pray, to not give up To have hope in difficult times. What does it look like when we teach our kids to have a solid foundation, one that matters, one that's eternal, one that they can stand on forever? I think Jenga is one of my favorite games, because you ever seen people do stuff. You're like I have no idea how that even works. But what if we taught our kids that the most important thing in the world was to follow Jesus, him above everything? And the question is what does that look like?

Speaker 1:

When Jesus says that on this foundation, your house will not fail, I've always understood that to mean that when storms come, when life gets hard, I have something to stand on that's unshakable. I've always understood that when bad things happen, even when good things happen, at the end of my life, even looking at the world that we live in, I'm not worried about the future. I don't, because I know where my foundation is. If anything, the only thing that I worry about is am I teaching my kids to follow Jesus? Am I modeling for them?

Speaker 1:

Deuteronomy 6, verses 6-7, says these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you get up, faith that is modeled is meant to be this idea that it's consistent, not perfect. Keep in mind your kids need to understand you're not perfect, that's okay. No one's perfect Kids. Parents mess up they do. That happens sometimes. But a godly parent comes back and says listen, I'm sorry, forgive me. Let's keep following Jesus together. Let's do everything we can to make sure that our marriage, our finances, our life, every moment of every day, is built on the one thing that's eternal, because all the other stuff will fade away, and we know that, right, we know that. I've never met anyone who disagrees with that. But we get so distracted by the world we allow everything else to get in the way. Everything Jesus says build your life on me. Model for your children what it means to have faith in God. I might regret this one, but I'm committed. Yeah, see, here's what I know.

Speaker 1:

Without Jesus, it doesn't matter much, right? I love this game. It's fun, foundation's important, and so that has to be the thing we continue to ask as a family, and there's a whole lot more that we're going to talk about in the next couple weeks. But what is your foundation. What foundation are you setting for your kids? Does church matter? Does going to church matter, or is church something that you do when you have time? Does spending time in the Word of God matter, or is God something you only get to when nothing else is in the way? Do we teach our kids to pray only when things are falling apart, or do we teach our kids to pray and seek God even when things are going right? It starts at home. That's it. That's the bulk of this entire message.

Speaker 1:

If there's one thing I pray that you walk out of here with, is the realization it's not your church's responsibility to teach your kids about Jesus. I know right, ooh, because I know what I do for a living. My goal is to minister and to disciple people. That's important, incredibly important role that I take seriously in my life. But if the only place your kids are finding about Jesus is a church or youth group, then they're missing something. They need to see it at home more than anything. The research has proven that that modeled for them is more important than anything else, and I know I know you don't think your kids are paying attention, but, man, they are. Your kids watch how you react. So if church is an option for you, eventually it becomes an option for them. If spending time in the Word of God is something that only you do whenever you have time, then eventually it becomes something that only they do when they have time, when praying out to God, it is really only done when things are going south. Your kids learn and model that behavior.

Speaker 1:

There was research done a couple of years ago and it actually shows kind of the ways that we lose the church in four generations. Talk about this idea that for the current generation, church is optional. Right, so this is something you do on occasion. The next generation, it becomes optional and unnecessary. So they'll go every now and then, but really they start to wrestle with it later on in life as it's something that really matters. The generation that follows that it becomes unnecessary. They're not against it, they're not opposed to it necessarily, but they don't really think it's important because it wasn't modeled for them. And then the last generation is all together, it's just unimportant. They walk away from it. They, they completely avoid it all together.

Speaker 1:

We have a culture that has not made church important enough. We have a culture that that has not made faith important enough. And listen. I again I'm probably going to rub some on the wrong way. I'm not opposed to prayer in school, don't get me wrong. But that's not going to bring our families back to Jesus. We are. We have to be the ones that model that for them. They have to see it at home. If you're insisting on prayer in school every single morning, then you better be praying in your house every single morning, because that you can do. No one can stop that for you. If we're insisting on having the Ten Commandments on display in the public eye, then you better be living them out. People better see that modeled for you, because I'm telling you right now, they might see it on a plaque, but if they don't see it in you when you follow Jesus, it's not going to mean a single thing to them.

Speaker 1:

We talk about how we need to bring people back to Jesus. We need to have a nation who returns to the Lord. I believe that and I believe it starts in your home. If you want your kids to think church is important, then you need to show them that church is important. If you want your kids to believe that prayer is necessary, then you need to model that for them. If you want your kids to know who Jesus is, then tell them about Jesus. Stop waiting for someone else to do it for you. Your number one priority is your family. You are responsible for how your kids follow Jesus. Now there comes an age when that's their decision. I get that, but until they leave my house, man, they better see a whole lot of Jesus, because when they go into this world, this world is not going to show it to them. Wherever my kids go to college, I pray they go to Johnson University. That's where I went to school. That's a really cool Bible college in Tennessee. That's a shameless plug. It's amazing. I get to hang out with some of their students this week, but they might not. They might go to a college that doesn't have anything like that and they might not see Jesus on a regular basis. But I hope that the foundation that I give them is strong enough.

Speaker 1:

In Acts 2, chapter 10, we come across a man by the name of Cornelius. By the way, imagine, of course they didn't know, but imagine like you're in heaven, you find out your name was written in the Bible. I think it's a pretty cool thing. It says that, caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius a centurion. So keep in mind, he was Roman A centurion in what was known as the Italian regiment, and he and his family were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly, he said. One day, at three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God who came to him and said Cornelius. Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, lord? He asked. The angel answered your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon, who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner. His house is by the sea.

Speaker 1:

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything he had happened and sent them to Joppa. And so, as the story continues, he goes to Peter, who's a devout Jew, and Peter hasn't quite understood yet that the gospel that he has is also for the Gentiles. Cornelius would have been a Gentile. So this angel appears to Cornelius, a man who's devout and he's following God, so much so that his family, he's modeling it for them. And he goes and he's the one. And so Peter has this vision of unclean and unclean animals and wrestles with that. Based on his background, things were considered unclean and God said don't you call anything unclean that I've called clean. And so, all of a sudden, cornelius, this Gentile, shows up. Peter has this realization that the gospel is for all those who have chosen to follow God, even this Gentile Roman soldier. So there's a turning point in the book of Acts for Peter. But I love it because, even before all of this happened, the focus is on the fact that Cornelius was someone who was dedicated to God and he prayed, he showed it, he modeled it, so much so that an angel came to him.

Speaker 1:

Because it matters. It matters what you teach your kids. It does, it always has. We allow so many things to get in the way of building a solid foundation and then we wonder why the world is the way that it is. You know, the biggest thing that concerns me in my life is my kids. You know, the biggest thing that concerns me in my life is my kids. I want my kids to follow God wholeheartedly. I want to teach my kids that, even if they have to lose their life for the sake of the gospel. It's worth it. How do you teach that to a kid? Man Sounds nuts right. But I think how you model it matters. Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to go the distance? Are you willing to prioritize God over everything? Or is this just something you do on occasion because you have nothing else to do?

Speaker 1:

I'm not saying being in church is a bad thing it's the opposite, actually but how you live from Sunday to Sunday matters, because your kids are watching you, what they get downstairs. I love Jesse Birch man. Jesse's our youth pastor. He's a phenomenal guy, incredibly wise. Now they get married, excited for him, his future. He does amazing things. All the people who volunteer downstairs I know Marian goes down there. John, we have wonderful people that go down there. Glenda, we have wonderful people downstairs. They teach your kids amazing things. It's awesome. It's so much fun. Sometimes I think I'd rather be downstairs because they get a snack and I never get a snack during church and that's not fair, but it is whatever. But we have people who are here dedicated to teaching kids about God. But it comes back to you. I do want that Slim Jim, but I'm not going to eat that right now. I appreciate that, but it all comes back to you.

Speaker 1:

What are you teaching your kids? Does church matter, does a relationship with God matter, and are you someone who just gives lip service to it, or are you actually living it out the way that you're supposed to? Proverbs 20, verse 7, says the righteous who walks in his integrity and blessed are His children after Him. It's all about living for Jesus. It's all about modeling what it looks like to follow after Him. Seeing it at home, research proves, is the best way to ensure that your kids will follow Christ.

Speaker 1:

I love going out to camp, but almost always I can tell the kids who come from a Christ-centered home and the ones who don't Behavior's different. You know what? How they view themselves is different. I've learned that how they view themselves is different Because if they don't have someone telling them how much Jesus loves them, if they don't have parents modeling for them what it means to be gracious and forgiving, and if they're overrun by the world and the lies of this world, you see that in them and they come out to camp and they get a small window of hope and then you pray for them because you have no idea what they're going home to. So think about that. Not even your kids. What about the friends of your kids? What do they see when they come in your house? That matters you might be the only Jesus they ever see. What if God has put you in their life to model that for them? What if you're supposed to bring their parents to an understanding of who Jesus is? What if your ministry is not just in your home but in your neighbor's home? What is your foundation? Does it matter enough to you to prioritize? Because foundation matters. And if you're not setting a good foundation for your kids, it is Because if they're not learning about Jesus from you, they're learning about something else, from somebody else. I guarantee that, man, the stuff. My kids come home sometimes and tell me they've learned and they've heard from their friends, and I'm like, okay, let's talk about that.

Speaker 1:

In the book of Joshua, israel has made a lot of mistakes. They've done a lot of weird things. They've fallen away, they've lost track of their faith. They've, you know, got involved with other cultures and worshipped other gods that they weren't supposed to, and a whole lot of bad has come with it. And so Joshua comes along, and Joshua's determined that he's going to live differently. Right, they find the book of the law and they read it and they understand it and they try to process it and obviously it's a call of conviction, but it's also this reminder of who God is.

Speaker 1:

And Joshua 24, 15, when he's standing in front of the house and I love this, and if you've ever been in anyone's house who follows Jesus, this is on the wall in their house, or should be. And if not, go to Hobby Lobby. It's there, but I think it's important and I don't want to downplay that at all. But Joshua 24, 15 says but if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. He says but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. He's saying listen, you can follow whoever you want, but me and my house, we follow God. Don't mistake that, don't confuse that.

Speaker 1:

When you come in my house, you will find I pray, you find that the most important house person, our home, is God Doesn't mean we're perfect by any means, but I will teach my kids to follow God because it's the only thing that lasts forever. It's the only thing that matters. It's the only foundation worth building. If God blesses them with those other things, so be it. It's his choice, but if my kids grow up, it's my responsibility to show them what matters most. God matters more than anything, and my prayer is that they take that into their homes, generation after generation after generation.

Speaker 1:

You know the research is rough, for how to lose generation. When church becomes optional for you, it becomes unnecessary for your kids. I think the reverse is true, though. When church and the relationship with God is the most important thing to you, it becomes the most important thing to your kids, above sports, above money, above all of it, because, at the end of the day, god is only going to ask you if you knew who Jesus was. That's it, that's the solution, that's the answer. If your foundation is built on him, everything else will crumble, but not Him that matters. All right, let's pray, god. We thank you still.