We sat sipping our summery drinks, discussing the ministry of teaching the gospel to children. She told me, “I think the most important thing is to let them know that they are loved, that they are valuable, made in the image of God.” Okay so far.
“And to show them how the Bible is a guide to help them make healthy choices in life. So they don’t just end up playing video games all day without learning life skills that will help them be more successful in high school and college, the things that employers are looking for. We want to help them develop into leaders. Is this what you think?” she asks.
Hmm. How to respond? My initial reaction: “Well [said more like “weeeelll”], I think that the priority is to share the gospel and teach them about Christ and their need as sinners for him. Unless they receive him and have him change their hearts, they can’t even understand the things of God. I want to show them through the scriptures who he is so that they can taste and see that he is good and come to put their trust in him as Savior.”
She comes back with, “We do need to talk about sin, but not spend too much time on it. I like to share inspirational videos of stories of people overcoming hardship to become successful so that they know they can do that too.” I sigh inwardly and leave Panera more than just a little stirred in my spirit.
That conversation caused me to revisit my ideas about children’s ministry, particularly our own church’s goals in Bible teaching at the children’s level, and I thought that this beginning of a new Sunday School year would be a great time to reiterate that for you as well. And what better topic for my first blog on the new Christ Covenant Church website!
My ministry colleague loves the Lord, and she really cares about those kids who are participating in the program we were discussing. Her goal of ensuring that they know they are loved is a worthy one. Jesus came to show us that love (John 3:16; 13;34-35; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph. 3:17-19; 1 John 4:7-19). I pray that His love is central in my life and my teaching and in our church’s ministry to kids from infancy.
But from this point, our philosophies head in different directions. She wants to steer away from an emphasis on sin. I believe that without an understanding of our sin, we cannot appreciate God’s love (Luke 7:40-48). The proof of God’s love is that Christ died for us while we were sinners, while we were his enemies (Romans 5:8-10). He doesn’t love us because we’re worthy, but because He himself is love (Matt. 5:44-48; 1 John 4:8-10).
Unless sinners are born again, they are blind and cannot comprehend spiritual truth (1 Cor. 1:21-24; 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:4 and 3:16). Through the gift of God’s common grace to humanity, they can understand common sense. They can make “healthy choices” that will help them have a measure of worldly success, but that is not our ultimate goal because this world is not the end. In fact, it is passing away (1 John 2:17), and so all our teaching must flow from an eternal perspective. Will they make the right ultimate choice, the one that matters first, to leave all to follow Jesus out of love for him?
This is what the Bible is about. It is not a mere guidebook written with my choices in mind. It is God’s revelation of himself and his plan to redeem the people he made for himself. It is living and active, revealing the gospel which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12). Does it give us wisdom and counsel? Of course! But it does so in the context of God’s holiness (Prov. 9;10) and his mercy toward us (Rom. 12:1-2).
All that God tells us to do is rooted in who he is, and if we divorce wisdom from his character, we’re left with mere postmodern individualized truth, without a foundation for righteousness–just one system among many that can work for you.
Our goal is to dig into the Word of God so that kids can taste and see that He is good. We want them to see his greatness, his holiness, his authority, his wondrous works so that they will put their confidence in God and not forget him, but follow him in the obedience that leads to life (Psalm 78:4-8; Matt. 7:13-14).
I want them to know that they were made for a purpose—to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Their sin keeps them from fulfilling that purpose (Rom. 3:23) and separates them from him, putting them at enmity with him instead of being in fellowship (1 John 1). Sin is the reason for all the conflict they experience with their parents, kids at school, on social media. Sin is the reason they are tempted to find fulfillment in things that don’t satisfy—sex, drugs, video games, social media, entertainment, sports, fashion, whatever. Because they don’t want to do life God’s way, they miss the mark and are left adrift.
I pray that the Lord will empower me with grace and wisdom and love to show our kids, and those outside our congregation to whom he lets me minister, the truth of who they are: made in God’s image, but marred by sin; made with purpose, but fallen short; loved by God but separated. And to show them the good news of Jesus for us, we who are too poor to save ourselves. He came to release us from captivity to sin (Rom. 6:16-18); to give sight to our eyes blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4-6); to free us from the oppression of the world’s lies (John 8:32-33; Col. 2:8); and to bring us into favor with God (2 Cor. 5:17-21; John 3:18; Eph. 1:3-13 and 3:11-12).
THIS IS THE GOSPEL–GOOD NEWS INDEED!
By Tina Miller
