The child and commitment to Jesus
During many children’s ministry programs, there will be opportunities given for children to respond to what they have learned and heard in that particular lesson. Some responses will be to the Gospel message that Jesus died for our sins to bring us back to God. Some of these responses will be to a challenge about simple, single faith steps. These single steps are still important, and can be made by children who have already accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord of their life as well as by children who are still examining and getting to know God.
An example of that single step commitment might be; “Today I have learned that God is trustworthy and keeps his promises, so I want to respond by trusting God more.” While this isn’t a ‘salvation moment’, it is still enormously significant. As we teach lesson-by-lesson:
- We expect God to reveal himself.
- We hope for children to grow in their knowledge of God.
- We pray for their spiritual lives to flourish.
- We ask God to teach and guide and draw children to himself.
- We desire and pray for real life-changing commitments in the lives of the children.
- We mentor and support children to walk daily with Jesus.
This is valid for the Christian child and one who has not yet made the choice. Some children will respond with a full heart, before their head begins to understand; and others will come to a deep knowledge before they are ready to invest their faith. Offering these ‘commitment choices’ is a way of offering a journey towards faith with integrity as it only expects children to know and understand what has been taught so far (it hopes and prays that God is revealing more by his Holy Spirit). Basically children can only be asked to commit… “All I know about me to all I know about God…”
That having been said, there will be wonderful moments where we think we are offering a single step and the children are ready to run into the kingdom. That’s why Jesus’ choice of children as models for faith still resonates today.
Jesus said; “People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom. You will never get into God’s kingdom unless you enter it like a child!”
Luke 18:16-17 (CEV)
It is necessary to be able to explain the Gospel to the children at any time, whether or not it is explicitly stated within a curriculum or lesson. Wherever your children are up to, it is important to meet them where they are at, whether it is simple steps or gigantic leaps, remembering that it is God’s Holy Spirit that is at work in their hearts. At all times be prayerfully upholding them, that their journey of spiritual growth would continue at whatever pace God takes them – never stagnating but always moving forward.