RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

A recent survey by Cultural Research Center has revealed that a third of pastors believe you can earn your way to heaven by being a good person.

This viewpoint is in direct opposition to the teachings of Scripture.  

Ephesians 2:8-9 reveals to us how you receive eternal life. 

''For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.''

This is no small secondary issue. This is in direct opposition to the clear teachings of Scripture regarding salvation.  God's Word is very clear that eternal life is not based on what we have done, but rather on what Jesus did for us on the cross. 

It is crucial that we teach the next generation the truth about how you receive eternal life and what a growing relationship with Jesus means.

Eternal life is a free gift.  You can't earn it.  You can't be good enough to deserve it.  You can't work for it.  It is by grace through faith in the Gospel that we are saved.  Scripture is very clear on this.  

We must be diligent to teach kids the truth about eternal life.  We must be diligent to teach kids that it's not about what you know, but rather who (Jesus) you know that brings eternal life.  It is not by works that we are saved, but rather it is faith in the finished work of Jesus.

Are you sharing the Gospel with kids on a regular basis?  Are you teaching them that we are saved by trusting Jesus as our Leader, Forgiver and Friend?  

This is no secondary issue we are talking about.  What you believe about this determines if you have eternal life or not.  Salvation through faith in Christ is the most important teaching in Scripture.  Get this wrong and you will forfeit eternal life.

We must, must, must, must teach children doctrine. If they get the doctrine of salvation wrong, they have missed everything.   

Here are a some proven ways you can teach children about salvation.

A teaching series about salvation needs to be a high priority.  Check out the teaching series Road Trip. It clearly lays out the plan of salvation so kids understand what it means to know Jesus (can be used on Sunday morning or Wednesday night).

An apologetic series will help kids understand why Jesus is the only way to heaven. Mythbusting helps kids see why Jesus is the only way to heaven (can be used for Sunday morning or Wednesday night).

Starting Point is a class designed to help kids know what it means to accept Jesus and follow Him.  Hundreds of churches are using this class to reach kids and parents with the Gospel.  

I am reminded of these verses in Romans 10:9-13 today.

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.^'  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved^.'"

With more and more churches and ministries turning toward a works salvation, it is crucial that we teach kids God's plan of salvation as outlined in Scripture.

This past weekend, I was teaching the elementary group in my home church.

I asked one of the girls, who is 9 years old, if she had accepted Jesus as her Savior.

Her response was, "Not yet. My mother doesn't think I am old enough to understand."

I have also seen the opposite happen.  A parent is pushing for his or her child to "pray the prayer" and then get baptized. But the child is only 5 years old. 

So how do you know when a child is old enough to step across the line of faith?  

As a children's ministry leader, it is crucial that you know what to look for and how you can help families navigate the most important decision their child will ever make.

Here are the things a child needs to know if they are going to enter a relationship with Jesus.

I have sinned.  Before you can be saved, you have to understand that you are lost.  If you ask a child if they have ever sinned and they say "no," then they are not ready to be saved.  Romans 3:23 makes this very clear.  

There is a price for sin that must be paid.  A child must understand that they cannot enter a relationship with Jesus until their sin bill is paid. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus died for our sins.  He has paid our sin bill.  We must ask Him to forgive our sins and trust Him and Him alone, for our salvation. (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10)

Another way you can know is this - the child keeps bringing up the subject on their own. If they keep coming back to you about this, then it is a sign that God is drawing them to Himself.

Here's something else to look for - you sense the child understands they need to make this decision. It is not because their friends have done this and it seems like a cool thing to do.  Or they saw their friends get baptized and it looked fun to them.  There's a big difference between "wanting" to make a decision vs. "needing" to make a decision.

What age should a child be?  This is different for each child.  However, around age 7-8, children begin to understand abstract thoughts.  Here's an example.

You tell a child that Jesus is the bridge back to God.  A 5-year-old child is thinking there is a literal bridge back to God that you have to cross.  But an older child understands that this is just an example of what it means to follow Jesus. 

Here's what I often tell parents and church leaders.  It is not our role to hold a child back from making a decision.  It is also not our role to push children into making a premature decision. Our role is to walk beside the child and have conversations about following Jesus. As you do this, God will draw them to Himself.  

It is so important to be thorough when sharing the Gospel with children.  Children are the greatest mission field in the world. We know that most people come to Christ before the age of 18.  We must reach them while their hearts are open to the Gospel.

If you are looking for a resource to help you lead children and parents to Christ, then Starting Point  is a great resource.  It has been used to lead thousands of kids to Christ.  You can get more information at this link. 

What a privilege we have to share the Gospel with children and their parents.  May God continue to pour down His blessings upon you while you are sharing the Gospel.  There is nothing that is more important than this. 

This provides kids, who are Christ-followers, the opportunity to share their faith with their classmates. 

Our part in this is placing the tools in kids' hands that they can use to effectively share their faith. We are called to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry."  There is no work more important than sharing your faith as a Christ-follower.

Over the years, I have tried to encourage kids to share their faith.  One way I did this was each week I would pass out an invite card that kids could use to invite their friends to church.  Each week, I would ask for 5 kids who would be bold enough to share their faith and invite a friend to church.  They would use the invite card for this purpose.  

I wanted to make sure the kids took this seriously, so that is why I only passed out the invite cards to 5 kids.

And God used it. Each week, we saw 1 or more kids return with their friend they invited.  And many of those friends entered a relationship with Jesus and became followers of Him.  

Why?  Because we were intentional about equipping kids to share their faith and invite people to church.  What you emphasize is what you will get. 

Out of a heart to see kids equipped and confident to share their faith, I also created a 4-week curriculum that not only helps kids see why they need to share their faith, but also provides them with 4 simple tools they can use to do this.

The series is called the "Blab Lab" and it teaches kids how to "blab" about their faith.  Each week, the kids create a simple tool they can use to share their faith with their friends, neighbors, classmates, sports' team, etc. 

Below are some samples.

Here is a sample share your faith tool the kids make. 

Here is a lesson sample.

You can get more info. about this teaching series at this link.

I promise you that if you are intentional about encouraging kids to share their faith, you will see God use them to spread the Gospel.  One of the children who went through this teaching series, took one of the tools she made at church and during a show and tell, she shared it with her entire class at her public school.

Kids who are passionate about sharing their faith will grow up to love and follow Jesus for a lifetime. It's our responsibility to equip them for this purpose.

A few weeks ago, I was sharing the Gospel with a group of kids at a summer camp. 

Most of the kids were from a Christian, church going background.

I always ask some key questions when I am sharing the Gospel in that kind of format.

One of the questions I asked was this - what does a person need in order to have eternal life through Jesus Christ?

To be honest, I was shocked at some of the answers I got.  One girl in particular believed that Jesus alone is not enough to have eternal life.  She believed you also had to do a lot of good works to enter heaven.  Several of the kids affirmed this line of thinking.  Plain and simple, they believed in a works salvation.  Which obviously moves away from grace and into having to earn your way to eternal life.

I took the opportunity to share with the group of kids that salvation isn't based on what you do, but rather on who you know as your Savior...Jesus. 

I used an illustration to help them see this.  This is a great illustration to share when you are teaching kids that you can't earn your way to heaven.

"Let's say that I brought you a gift.  It was already paid for.  It had your name on it.  I held it out to you.  What would you have to do for it to be yours?  That's right.  You would have to reach out and accept it.

Does Jesus love everyone?  Yes.  But is everyone going to heaven?  No.  Because some people say, 'I don't want the gift Jesus is offering me.  I don't believe He is the only way to heaven.  He can keep His gift.'

Would those people be going to heaven?  No.  Because they didn't accept Jesus' free gift of salvation. If you want to live with Jesus forever one day, there has to be a time when you reach out and accept His gift of salvation." 

Think about this as well.  If something is a gift, you can't earn it, buy it or work for it. It is something you must reach out and accept. 

What if I brought you a gift, but before I handed it to you, I said, "You have to wash my car before I give you this."  Would that be a gift?  No.  Because you had to work for it.  Again - if something is a gift, you can't earn it or buy it.  

Look what it says in Ephesians 2:8.

"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God."

Notice how this verse shows us that salvation is a gift from God that we must accept by faith.  There is nothing you can do to earn it. It must be accepted freely.

There is nothing more important than sharing the Gospel with children. We must present it clearly, so it can be understood and accepted by the next generation.  

The culture today's kids are growing up in says there are many pathways to God. And to say that there is only one way is intolerant, unkind and narrow-minded, 

Share John 14:16 with kids and help them examine the exclusive claims that Jesus made. 

"I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

Is Jesus really the only way to heaven?  Yes.  And we must share the Gospel clearly so kids understand and believe the exclusive claims that Jesus made. 

What the next generation needs more than anything else is a personal relationship with Jesus.  Let's be faithful to share God's plan of salvation with them. 

There is nothing more important than this.

Here are 2 great resources for sharing the Gospel with kids. You can click on the title to see more about the resource.

Starting Point Class

Road Trip curriculum series

• Week 1 - The Bridgenator 2000
  

• Week 2 - The Smelly Jeans Jelly Beans

• Week 3 - The Spin to Win

• Week 4 - Jesus Chainz

• graphics for posters, social media, promotions
• graphics for slides for Power Point, Pro Presenter, Media Shout, Keynote and more
• 4 cool, ready-to-go, share your faith inventions kids can make
• 4 weeks of lesson videos
• 5-minute video countdown
• 4 weeks of lessons that can be used in large group format, small group format, traditional classroom format, mid-week format
• lessons are editable and flexible to fit your specific ministry context
• small group leader guide that's easy-to-use and requires little prep
• hands-on, experiential, interactive learning
• connects with all learning styles
• games that bring fun and learning together
• take home pages for each week