"Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her." I Kings 10:3
Don't you wish you had the wisdom of Solomon? Don't you wish that you could easily explain the hard questions we are often confronted with?
Many people assume it is easy to answer kids' questions. Actually, it's quite the contrary. Kids can ask some of the hardest questions every pondered.
Where did God come from?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
If God knew the devil would do evil things, why did He create Him?
What about kids who live in foreign lands and never hear about Jesus as they are growing up? Will they go to heaven?
Why doesn't God stop things like tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes from happening?
How do we know the Bible is true? What makes it different from other books?
These are all valid questions that we need to help kids find the answers to. In fact, I wouldn't wait until they ask the questions. I would be proactive and seek out these types of questions to discuss with the kids.
You want this to happen now when they are younger. If they hear these questions for the first time in a secular college classroom, the result will not be good. While they are young, we must help them question, search and find the answers to the hard questions.
The battlefield for the next generation begins in elementary school now, not in high school.
Our children's ministries should be a safe place where kids can ask anything. A place where they can work with caring leaders to find the answers to the hard questions. A place that empowers them to defend their faith. A place where kids can be equipped to answer the hard questions.
Here are some ways you can help kids explore the hard questions and find the answers in God's Word.
Let your children's ministry be a place where anyone can ask anything without being made to feel like they don't believe or they are doubting God.
We all have questions at times. Deep questions that make you ponder if what you have been told is really true.
It's part of the discipleship journey. Let kids know their hard questions are welcome. See it as a way to help them grow in their faith.
Be okay with saying "I don't know the answer to that. But I will find the answer for you and we can talk about it next week."
Take time to do a deep dive and find out the answers that week. Present your findings to the kids the next week.
Be proactive and bring up the hard questions. Let kids explore and find the answers. You want them to get the answers to the questions now.
I am currently teaching the kids in my home church an apologetics series called "Pranksters." The main thing I want them to understand is that people are going to try to prank them and say the Bible is not true. When that happens, they need to know that the Bible is true and you can trust it completely.
We are looking at some hard questions and together finding the answers. We are even looking at some verses that atheists say contradict each other. Here's a video clip from one of the lessons.
I am also preparing to teach the kids a series called "Mythbusting." We are exploring and answering these hard questions with the kids.
Is God Real or Not?
Did we come from a big bang or not?
Is the Bible God's Word or not?
Is Jesus the Son of God or not?
Here is a video from this series.
I often say this.If we do not teach kids apologetics while they are young, they will apologize for what we taught them when they are older.
These lesson series are available for you at this link.
Kids will ask hard questions. Be ready.