40 Days of Praying - Day 5

40 Days of Praying - Day 5

Childrens Ministry: Ask God's richest blessings on our children and on those who teach and lead them. Pray for new and effective ways of reaching kids for Christ.

Mt 18:2-4 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children , you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Lk 18:16-17 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

A little longer than usual. Skip to the bottom and pray if you want. I got a little windy today.

Today we pray for children. I have been thinking all day about the kingdom and children. Why would we put such an emphasis on children and children's ministry? I can think of three reasons, one intrinsic and two strategic.

The first self-evident reason is that Jesus teaches us that there is an inherant value in children. Children matter to God. Children are important. This one may be an adult world, but the world to come gives preference to them. So it should be normal and accepted that we spend time and energy and resources training and encouraging and inspiring children--just because Jesus said we should.

If that weren't enough there are at least two more strategic reasons. First is the issue of fruitfulness. If you want to make a disciple, you are far more likely to see it happen in a child than an adult. Study after study has shown that the likelihood of someone coming to faith in Jesus decreases dramatically every year after 18 and is virtually non-existent after 22. The heart of a child is very nearly a heart of faith. When we teach them to obey Jesus, we are far more likely to make a disciple than if we targeted a middle-aged man. If you want to be fruitful plant in fertile ground.

The second strategic reason is that modern families are child centered. Like it or not, from sports to school most families are focused on their kids. People determine where they will live according to the quality of the school system. It stands to reason that if we want to reach the parents and have an opportunity to connect them to Jesus we have to do a great job with kids. Every single church I know that is effective at proclaiming the gospel in a way people can understand so that they become Christ-followers is also extremely effective at children and youth ministry. It is hard to have one without the other.

One final thought--maybe you have asked the question about whether we can really do any good with 30-45 minutes of Bible teaching on Sunday morning against all the messages and influences of a godless culture. It just so happens that I was reading a sermon by John Piper (I wasn't looking for it, I stumbled on it. He is one of my favorites.) where he addresses this very issue. I love what he said. He looks back over his own life and notices that the moments that made a difference in his life. He says we are wrong to compare the few moments in a Bible class or children's worship with the massively greater number of moments with the television because that would diminish the value of the "holy moment." He recalls lines in a book or sentences in a conversation that changed his outlook on life. You have those too don't you? Don't you have experiences or passing comments from a teacher or parent or friend that you never forgot? That you live by still? This is the power of the holy moment. A lot of us can recall something that a teacher or youth minister said that totally connected with our heart and shaped the direction of our lives. For me it was when my Aunt Francis put both hands on my face and said, "Someday you are going to be great preacher." I don't know whether I will fulfill that or not, but I've never forgotten it. As far as I know it determined my college major and most of my career choices. I guess it was for me a holy moment.

Read this last paragraph in his sermon as an encouragment to teachers. I think it gives us a way to pray.

"Do not think that your thirty-minute lesson on Sunday morning is nothing in relation to twenty hours of T.V. Prepare with all your heart, as if the truth you teach is astonishing and revolutionary. Pray with all your heart for those you teach and for yourself. And you will create - perhaps unbeknown to you—you will create "immeasurable moments" for your students. Never underestimate the power of truth spoken in a single sentence."

God help us reach the children. Help us plan and prepare for our kids. Help us invest all that you want us to in their eternal destiny. Help us teach them and help us learn from them. O Lord, I ask that you reveal to us ways to reach children who are not ours and through them their parents. Make the gospel come alive here. Make Jesus a wonderful name for thousands of kids and let the kingdom advance with the little children. Amen.

Grace.