Standing on the historic Huldah Steps in Jerusalem, Bible teacher and evangelist Perry Stone shared a message close to the hearts of many Christian parents and grandparents: the salvation of their families.
Stone, known for his prophetic insight and deep scriptural teaching, delivered what he called “one of the most different messages” he’s ever preached from the Holy Land. This time, he didn’t focus on prophecy or historical revelations — he talked about the heartbreak many believers face when their children or spouses walk away from the faith.
“We receive a lot of prayer requests for men and women and moms and dads saying, ‘Would you pray for my children? They’re not saved.’ A lot of wives say, ‘Would you pray for my husband? He doesn’t know the Lord,’” Stone told the gathered crowd.
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This burden stirred Stone to seek the Lord for answers — not just comfort. What he uncovered is something many in the church might recognize but haven’t always addressed.
In a particularly touching moment, Stone recalled a conversation with an elderly woman from Georgia who broke down in tears over her unsaved children and grandchildren. Her confession was striking.
“She said, ‘My problem is I never taught them how to love Jesus. They never fell in love with Jesus. I tried to get them to fall in love with the church doctrine,’” Stone recounted. “‘When they got to be 18, they said, “We don’t want this bondage,” and they left and they will not come back.’”
That story became a centerpiece of Stone’s message — a call to parents to shift their focus from rigid rule-keeping to fostering genuine relationship between their children and Christ.
“As long as you preach, will you tell people to raise their kids to fall in love with Jesus?” the woman had pleaded. “Don’t fall in love with a doctrine, don’t fall in love with just a strict teaching, don’t fall in love with a holiness movement. Fall in love with Jesus.”
Stone added, “That’s really true. If you love the Lord, your heart is to always try to do the right thing. And I’ll tell you something else, if you love the Lord and you ever do something you shouldn’t do, your heart always wants to turn back to the Lord.”
For Stone, this wasn’t just anecdotal, it was a revelation.
“So one of the reasons that some people are not in church today is they were taught the dos and the don’ts, but were never taught how to fall in love with Jesus,” he said. “If you will teach your little children and your grandchildren how great Jesus is… and with childlike faith, you teach them while they’re young, I do believe what the Bible says: train them up in the way they should go, and then when they get older, they shall not depart.”
With cultural values constantly shifting and distractions all around, Stone’s message serves as a clear reminder to parents and church leaders that eternal impact begins at home and is rooted in love.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
