I am always fully entertained when communicating with a child. I see their fascination, their ability to believe easily, their excitement and their joy. Most of all, I see things that I might have lost somewhere in adult hood. My heart understands why Jesus would say that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Sharing the Gospel with someone is a huge privilege. You get to invest in God’s will for the world and that is for people to come to Jesus and be saved. Yet, when this is done, we have a tendency to stick with adults; because we see their need to have a change of heart. We see sin and we see spiritually blind people. With this blog I hope to open your mind to one of the biggest blessings in the world: To share the Gospel with little children.
When we approach adults with the Gospel, we often use their personal experiences to tie it to their need of a Savior in their lives. People are lost, they desperately need true peace and joy. The scenario changes, however, if you already have a little person in front of you with stars in the eyes, bubbly joy and no care in the world.
I guess the first question we need to get answered is: why would this child need to hear the Gospel in the first place? Ephesians 6:1 – 6 says: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
The simple conclusion to this Scripture lies in the foundation of a child’s life. They need to be brought up with knowledge of the Lord. They need instruction and they need training. They need to do what is right in the sight of the Lord. A very interesting phrase I found says this: “If we do not teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to.” Children are our future and tomorrow’s leaders. The way we can contribute to a better world is to teach our children right from wrong.
A child’s mind is like a funfair. So many colors and literally an environment that does not allow for a long attention span. They could be busy with something that interests them for 5 minutes. Before you know it, they have moved on searching for something more interesting. So, an hour long Bible study of Revelations will never work.
I was truly blessed with being able to experience what it is like sharing the Gospel with little children. This experience taught me the fine line between normal education and story telling. On one occasion I would teach them a deeper meaning of a Scripture in lecture form. On another occasion, I would use props and a story to teach them a certain concept. For instance: It would be difficult for me to forget those big eyes when I used an empty bag filled with air to prove the existence of God. Or a glass of chocolate milk and a spoon to explain how the Holy Spirit works. To them it was so fascinating, that I had little to no space in front of me. With every step in the illustration, they would move closer and closer. I am eternally grateful to the Lord! This is by far my favorite part of sharing the Gospel!
My conclusion to this is: God needs to open up our eyes in wonder! Then we would see the world through a child’s eyes. The road to a child’s heart is through awe and wonder! God’s Holy Word is filled with rich treasure. Just look at the way Jesus attended to the crowds. I can see the child in me jumping for joy the moment Jesus did a miracle with the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish! He often used animals and farming to teach the crowds certain concepts. Luke 15:4 says: “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?“
I cannot help but to love the Lord even more when I see His character in His teachings! He is obviously the best Story Teller there ever was! He used the shepherd and his lost sheep to teach a concept to grown ups. In this day and age, grown ups look for intellectual worthy terminology to entertain our minds. But Jesus took very simple examples to show us His heart. When we use the same approach with children, they are fascinated. You broaden their attention span, but more important than this. You sow good seed on good soil! When they get older, all these stories and pictures contribute to their spiritual growth.
This means only good news! When the Lord puts it on your heart to share the Gospel with little children, it is time to have fun! It is time to take out those finger puppets, build Noah’s Ark out of paper, collect instruments to teach them the ‘Jesus loves me’ song, take them to a fruit tree to teach them the fruits of the Spirit, or literally anything you can put your mind to. God has blessed us with initiative and unique personalities. He also blessed us with little children who have the boldness to believe without any doubt.
May the Lord awaken the child in us!!!