I have two great son-in-laws. My daughters married excellent men and I'm grateful for both of them. My son-in-law Greg (married to Kelly) is doing his Post-Doctoral work at UW Madison Hospital. He's not a doctor, but a researcher with a Doctorate in his area of expertise. He also is a mentor, teacher and youth leader in his church. He wrote this article to explain to his own church family why he teaches the kids who come to his youth group. Greg is not a theologian or a Pastor, but he has a pastor's heart and a mind that thinks, and that is a good starting point in serving God wherever he calls us. Here it is:
Why I teach children the
gospel, (Greg Barton)
It is sufficient to say that everyone here would agree that we want all of the children in the
church to reach their potential in life. To reach one’s potential, it will
require answering the question; “What is the reason for life?” Christian
doctrine tells us the entire reason for life is to be “In Christ”. Jesus says,
“I want all of you!” What does this mean? CS Lewis puts it like this speaking
from Jesus point of view about the reason for life: ”Hand over your whole
natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you
think wicked-the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I
will give you Myself, My own will shall become yours.” He further states, “This
is the whole of Christianity.” My heart is to see these children reach their
full potential, and to be plain, they will only reach their potential until
they know what they were designed for: to be In Christ, to become “little
Christs” if you will.
This truth is
valuable and has immense ramifications for the life of the young people in the
church. In addition to the Christian home (eg, parents), it is in the church in
which children will learn this message of truth and therefore, the answer to
“What is the reason for life?”
Winston Churchill said this about truth: “The
truth is so valuable. In fact, it is so valuable that it is often surrounded by
a bodyguard of lies.” The young people in our church will be and have already
been exposed to lies, and it is incumbent upon us to sow seeds of truth in our
children, so that they will be able to understand truth from untruth, so that
they will not mistake the reason for life as something other than living In
Christ.
What does the
Word of God say about investing in children (eg, teaching them the gospel
message)?
Deuteronomy
6:4-7
4 “Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,5 You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your might. 6 And these words that I
command you today shall be on your heart. 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.
Matthew 19:14
14 but Jesus said, “Let the little
children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of heaven.”
The Bible
lays down in strong terms and in a peremptory urgent manner the command to
steadfastly teach the children in the church the gospel. The ramifications are
eternal, and a failure to do such would be to hinder them (the exact thing
Christ said not to do).
I ask and
urge you to consider donating some time as a helper or teacher of these little
ones. I mention this, because we are told that we “the church” make up the body
of Christ. If you are wondering to
yourself; I do not know these children and what I might have to say does not
matter, that could not be further from the truth. For example, when I teach the children they
may get a glimpse of the shadow of the right index finger of God. If four of
you sitting before me on successive weeks teach, help, or interact with the
children; in one month’s time these children may get a glimpse of the right
hand of God. If we are indeed the body of Christ, then children would see only
a small portion of Christ as it is presented in a few teachers or helpers, but
the fullness of Christ becomes more fully illumined in a community of
believers.
I really do
not see anything more valuable than the young people knowing Christ, being
known by Christ, and to ultimately fulfill their potential in life by living
according to the very design of God; as the apostle Paul would say, by being “In
Christ”.
Something to think about, Peace
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