RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

As I read this verse, my heart is stirred.  I want to see God do more in my ministry, don't you?

In Luke 5, we see the story of some people who saw God do far more than they could ever have imagined.  In this passage, there are 7 steps to seeing God do more in your ministry.  Read the passage and then I'll share the seven steps with you.
"One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the Word of God.  He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fisherman had left them and were washing their nets.

Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water.  So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.  When He had finished speaking,  He said to Simon, 'Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.'

'Master,' Simon replied, 'we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing.  But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again.'

And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!  A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, 'Oh, Lord, please leave me - I'm too much of a sinner to be around you.'  For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, 'Don't be afraid!  From now on you'll be fishing for people!'  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus!"
Luke 5

Step 1 - MORE JESUS
It was when Jesus showed up that they saw the miracle.  His presence was the difference between no fish and boatloads of fish.  It's His power that brings more!

If you want to see God do more in your ministry, more than anything, you need Jesus' presence and anointing on your life.  Without this, you can labor for a lifetime and you won't see any miracles.  Fun games, high-energy videos, cool videos and awesome class spaces don't change lives.  I'm not against these things, I use them.  But they won't change a kid's life.  Only Jesus' presence can do that.

You see, God can do more in 1 second than we can in lifetime.  When we invite Jesus into our ministries through prayer, we will see great miracles.  You can then walk in Godfidence...knowing that He is going to do more than you could ever imagine or ask for.

Step 2 - MORE OBEDIENCE
When Jesus asked them to go back out into the water and let their nets down, they obeyed...even though it didn't make sense.  Look what Simon says...
You see, more obedience results in more blessings.  What is it that God is asking you to do?  Are you willing to obey even though it may seem unreasonable or not make sense?

Step 3 - MORE FRUIT
They saw Jesus do more than they could ever have imagined.  Two boats full of fish!  You may have reached a lot of kids and families up to this point, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.  God wants to use you to reach so many more.

Step 4 - MORE STRETCHING
Did you notice that their nets were stretched so tight that they started to tear and their boats were so full that they almost sank?  Talk about being stretched!

If you want to see God do more, then you have to be willing to be stretched out of your comfort zone.  Always growing...always learning...always teachable.

The temptation after you've been in children's ministry for awhile is to grow complacent...take your foot off the pedal...put it on cruise control.  Guard against it.  Look what Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14.

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one things I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude."

Step 5 - MORE HELP
In order to receive all that Jesus had for them, they had to call for some friends to come help them.  If you want God to do more in your ministry, then you've got to prepare by bringing other people to help you receive it.

Build your volunteer base to receive more kids and He will send them.  Check out this verse in Matthew 9:38.

"So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send MORE workers into His fields."
Step 6 - MORE AWE
When Simon saw the miracle, he dropped to his knees in awe.  He realized the power and majesty of Jesus.  It ushered him into a mode of worship.

That is the response that must come from our hearts when we see God begin to work and bless us with more.  We cannot let the "more" that God sends our way cause us to become prideful or begin to be impressed by ourselves.  We must stay humble....realizing that it is His power that is at work and not our own.

Step 7 - MORE OF WHAT REALLY MATTERS
Look what Jesus tells Simon at the end.

"Don't be afraid!  From now on you'll be fishing for people!" 

If you want to see God do more in your ministry, then you must keep your focus on what matters to God...PEOPLE!

Everything we own is headed to the junk yard.  The car we drive...the house we live in...the clothes we wear...the new 80" flat screen HD TV...it will all eventually be trash.  But there is something that will last forever...something that really matters...and that is people!  People whom Jesus died for and loves.  People who need hope and faith.  People God wants to use you to reach.

May God pour out His blessings on you and your ministry.  May He send you MORE than you could ever imagine or ask for!

Years ago, there was a family that lived in a small house right beside the church where I was the children's pastor.

I would see the kids playing outside.  Based on their appearance, it was obvious the family was very conservative.

Occasionally the family would attend our church service...filling up an entire church pew.  You guessed it...the family was the Duggars.  If I remember correctly, they only had 10-12 kids at the time.  This was before the days of their reality television fame.

If you've been watching the news lately, you've seen the dilemma they are experiencing.  It has come to light that the oldest son, Josh, abused several of his sisters when he was a teenager.  I won't go into the story and how it is unfolding, but I would like to share some thoughts on the situation.

Outward compliance doesn't always mean there is inward obedience.  Just because a child is conforming to the rules, guidelines and beliefs of his or her parents, doesn't mean the child is obeying from his or her heart.

Jesus talked about this in Matthew 15 when He said, "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

We see this many times when a child who has grown up in church finally gets some freedom and begins doing things that are the exact opposite of what he or she was taught.  Eventually what is in the heart will be manifested.

From this we learn that our primary goal as parents and church leaders must be to reach the heart of children.  Outward compliance will only last for so long.  But inward, intrinsic obedience that comes from loving Jesus will stand the test of time.

Good parenting isn't a guarantee that kids won't stray from the faith.  I talked about this in an earlier post.  Many people quote Proverbs 22:6..."train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it"...as an ironclad promise.  It is not.  It is a principle.

Kids have a free will and must choose for themselves whether they will follow God or not.  You can be the best parent in the world and still see your children make bad choices and stray from the faith.

As parents, our job is to provide the most fertile soil possible for our kids faith to grow in.  But at the end of the day...it is their choice.   

Being ultra-conservative isn't a true measure of spiritual maturity.  Just because you don't wear this or don't watch this or don't go there, doesn't mean you are spiritually mature.  Spiritual maturity comes from your relationship with Jesus...not from rules you follow.

Abusing children is a devastating sin.  It can devastate a child...it can devastate a family...it can devastate everyone involved.  Children are a gift from God.  We must do everything in our power to protect them.  First and foremost...it's about the children.  Abuse must be dealt with immediately and decisively.

Your Christian testimony and witness can be destroyed in seconds.  It takes years to build a solid Christian testimony and only seconds to destroy it.  The Christian witness the Duggars have tried to share over the years through television has now lost credibility with unbelievers.  Unbelievers are scoffing and will not take serious what they have to say about God.  Integrity matters...a lot.

Those are my thoughts.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  What else would you add or say about the situation?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

"Gotta Move" is a great VBS curriculum from the Go Fish team. 

As usual, Go Fish brings a fresh, innovative approach to children's ministry.  The lessons are designed to give children a Biblical understanding of what it means to follow Christ.  5 lesson themes include...

• HIs Grace, Our Obedience (Genesis 6-7)
• His Word, Our Commitment (Joshua 1& 3)
• His Son, Our Response (John 1)
• His Forgiveness, Our Repentance (Luke 15)
• His Spirit, Our Trust (John 14)

 The kit includes...

• Director's manual
• Materials on CD
• DVD's with opening/closing sessions, Bible study, and music videos
• Music CD
• Posters
• T-shirt sample and more.

You can order this great resource at www.GoFishResources.com.  We will also be giving away one kit.  You can enter the giveaway by emailing me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.  The winner will be announced next Tuesday, March 19, here on this site.