I am deeply interested in evangelizing children. By “evangelize,” I mean to proclaim the Gospel with intent to convert the hearer to Christianity. This is the business of an evangelist but evangelizing children should be the business of every Christian.
So why am I so interested in evangelizing children? “Why” questions are the most important questions of life! It has been said that the man that can answer the question “what” will always have a job. But the man that can answer the question “why” will always be his boss. On one hand, some may consider an article that answers the question “why evangelize children?” a moot point. God said to, that’s why! Case closed. Paper finished! Yes, God commands that we evangelize children, and that is more than enough of a reason to do so. But God loves obedience that comes out of a desire to understand and know the heart and mind of God rather than simple rote duty. I have found it worth my time to meditate upon several reasons that are born out of the ultimate reason of simple obedience. These reasons serve to put a healthy weight of responsibility upon me while simultaneously empowering me to evangelize children for God’s glory.
So let’s consider the answer(s) to the question: Why should you and I evangelize children?
ONE: Because Children Have A Fallen Nature and Desperately Need Christ
I have the joy and privilege of speaking at summer camps from time to time. Most frequently I minister to juniors during these occasions. One summer week, I encountered a 5th grade girl who adamantly insisted that she had “problems” and that the camp staff should provide her with special treatment. What did she have? She had a “disease” called Oppositional Defiant Disorder…or ODD for short. I had to suppress a chuckle when I found out we were dealing with an odd child. I let it slide at the time, I think.
But as I began to research this out further, I was surprised to see how “doctors” defined this “syndrome” known as ODD.
Here, from the Mayo Clinic’s website is a list of ODD symptoms.
· Negativity
· Defiance
· Disobedience
· Hostility directed toward authority figures
· Frequent temper tantrums
· Argumentativeness with adults
· Refusal to comply with adult requests or rules
· Deliberate annoyance of other people
· Blaming others for mistakes or misbehavior
· Acting touchy and easily annoyed
· Anger and resentment
· Spiteful or vindictive behavior
· Aggressiveness toward peers
· Difficulty maintaining friendships
· Academic problems
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-disorder/DS00630
Isn’t it odd how the world responds when they are confronted with their own depravity? They try to relegate their anti-God character to medical disorders or circumstances. Our God has something different to say about such behavior:
(Eph 2:1-3 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
This world system is dominated by an attitude of disobedience against God. And without Christ, everyone, including boys and girls, are held in bondage to that attitude.
Children need to understand is their lost and fallen nature apart from Christ. For kids that grow up in a Christian home and an environment that is largely a Christian subculture, it is easy for to compare themselves against more outwardly sinful children and consider themselves “okay.” I remember thinking this way too. I evaluated my standing before God based on what the bad kids were doing and what I wasn’t doing! But I had the exact same nature as those “bad” kids: I was dead in sin, held captive by the power of sin, and a child of wrath by nature. I desperately needed Christ. When I speak to boys and girls, I want to do my best to remove any false object of faith. I don’t want to send kids away with the idea that somehow they have within themselves the competency to measure up to God’s holiness. We must not give pride any soil in which to grow! Tell children firmly yet lovingly how desperate their condition is apart from Christ.
Boys and girls are often told how good they are. I remember Steve Pettit asking the boys and girls a question one summer when I was a counselor at Northland Christian Camp. He asked the crowd: “How many of you boys and girls have ever been told: [impersonating a woman’s voice…possibly an aunt] ‘You’re a GOOD little girl. You’re a GOOD little boy?’” Boys and girls would raise their hands. Then Steve told them: “Guess what? They lied!” As I surveyed the sea of little faces, I could tell that they needed the wake up call.
(Rom 3:10-11 KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
(By the way, thank you for that brother Steve. I’ve used that many times.)
TWO: Because Children Are the Church of the Future
Charles Spurgeon said: “It is the duty of the church of God to maintain, in fullest vigor, every agency intended for the religious education of the young; to them we must look for the church of the future, and as we sow towards them so shall we reap.”
It is important that the church of the future be filled with true converts! We must never assume simply because a child has been raised in a Christian home that he has been converted to Christ. Many children look to a recited prayer when they were very young as their moment of salvation. I know this firsthand, because I looked to a fuzzy memory and some repeated words as the source of my salvation for many years. The object of my faith was in a memory, not in Christ.
The key problem in many of these instances is that there is no true understanding of sin because turning from sin and to Christ by grace through faith is not presented as the greatest need! In my case, the teacher presented my greatest need as going to heaven rather than hell when I died. What was skipped, however, was the reason WHY I would not go to heaven…namely, SIN. I had offended my Creator. I was guilty. What does God call sinners to do? Repent and believe. God commands us to be converted.
(Acts 3:19 KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
“Conversion,” in a word, means turning. Conversion is turning from sin and turning to Christ. One cannot turn to something without turning away from something else. This is not a tough concept for children to grasp…stop loving my sin and start loving God! This is God’s requirement for salvation. Not repeating words to a prayer. Not being raised in a Christian home. Not putting a date in a Bible. Conversion. Do you want to be saved? Then be converted! Repent and believe!
It is entirely my responsibility to repent and believe. It is entirely God’s work. I don’t understand these two truths fully, but these truths liberate me to passionately persuade boys and girls to give their lives to Jesus Christ while I trust in God to be at work in their hearts and minds.
A true convert is changed by God and continues to be changed by God. A true convert loves God and hates sin. The Bible exhorts us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Jesus Christ rebuked his disciples when they were arguing about who would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven by bringing a small child into their midst and using him as object lesson. Instead of answering their question at first, Christ raised and answered another question: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:13).” Christ was helping these sinful men see that instead of being concerned about being great in the Kingdom of Heaven, they should be far more concerned about simply getting into the Kingdom of Heaven because they were so sinful (just like the rest of us).
Spurgeon continues his thought about children: "So far as they can be taught by word of mouth, or learned by the hearing of the ear, we are to communicate the faith and fear of God, inculcating upon the rising generation the principles and practices of piety…We should be winning and attractive to the youngsters, bidding them "come," and not repelling them with harsh terms. We must get them away, apart from toys and sports, and try to occupy their minds with better pursuits; for we cannot well teach them while their minds are full of other things. We must drive at the main point always, and keep the fear of the Lord ever uppermost in our teachings.”
Amen, Pastor Spurgeon. Amen. The main point must be God. If children miss God, they miss everything.
THREE: Because Christ and Faith in Him Is the Foundation for Any/All True Knowledge
In our post-modern culture, it has become somewhat noble to let children “decide for themselves” what they believe concerning religion. The idea is that we should be entirely neutral when we teach boys and girls anything. Schools endeavor to teach boys and girls reason and logic. But the very foundation of all reason and logic is faith in the God of the Bible. Consider these passages of Scripture:
· (Prov 1:7 KJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
· (Col 2:3 KJV) In whom [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
If a child does not have the foundation of Christ, then a child has no real knowledge and will not be able to develop in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They will develop into adults who are incapable of making truly wise or God honoring decisions. In fact, if they do stumble into making a wise choice, they are by necessity borrowing from the Christian’s worldview.
I remember hearing about a talk show in which a woman expressed that she did not feel she had any right to impose her religious beliefs upon her children (or any children, for that matter). Basically, what she was telling her children in no uncertain terms is that mommy had absolutely nothing to offer when it came to the most important area of their lives. She had no spiritual heritage to give because she did not know God.
But as Christians that know and love God, we have a precious spiritual heritage to pass on to both our own children and the children of others.
But children today are ignorant of God.
Ken Ham has described our culture lately as being an “Acts 17 Culture” versus an “Acts 2 Culture.” He explained his citing of Acts 17 was a reference to Paul’s appearance on Mars Hill in which he teaches a group of completely uninformed Greeks. Paul starts with the most basic truths about God. In Acts 2, however, Peter delivers a sermon to people that had a solid knowledge-base of the Scriptures, and knew the “basics.” Fifty years ago our culture was more of an “Acts 2” culture. People read the Bible and held it in high regard. Today, we are definitely an “Acts 17” culture. People, especially children, are ignorant of even the most basic truths about God.
As teachers of children, we must “be all about God” in hopes that our audience will hope in God.
(Psa 78:1-8 KJV) Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Hoping in God changes everything! I want to see a generation that knows their God through the truth.
FOUR: Because Evangelizing Children Gives Me Another Valid Reason To Beg God For Grace To Keep Me From Falling.
Why should God keep you alive? More importantly, why should God grant you the grace to keep you from falling? The Psalmist knew one valid reason for which to beg God for more grace: so that he might declare God to the next generation.
Psalm 71:17-19 says, “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!”
When the Psalmist begs God not to forsake Him, he could mean something like this: “God, please do not loosen Your hold on my life or permit me to go astray.” This reminds me of the great hymn that says, “Prone to wander Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love!”
In the day and age which we live, we need grace more than anything. We need grace to keep us from ourselves. Praying like the Psalmist prayed reminds us that we do not live our lives in isolation. We spend our days here with many eyes upon us. May we be found faithful so that we might show Your glory and power to the next generation.
FIVE: Because I Want To Be Zealous About Those Things Which God Is Zealous
When I was in the seventh grade I had a great teacher. His name was Jack Shea, and he taught in a public school in Crystal Lake, IL. I’ll never forget the first day we sat down in his class. He opened a big black book and began reading, of all things, poetry. As junior high students, we did not know what to make of this dude. We weren’t interested in poetry, we were interested in pizza and guns and video games, but definitely not poetry.
But as the semester wore on, an amazing transformation began to occur in us: we started loving poetry. His passion for poetry was contagious. In fact, I remember recesses in which my buddies and I talked about the poems we were writing. That is abnormal for junior high boys! What made the difference? A passionate teacher. He was in love with the subject he taught and we starting loving the subject too.
Are you and I in love with the Subject that we teach and preach about?
I want to be passionate about the things that matter most. I want to be passionate about that which God is passionate.
Consider God’s passion:
(Deu 6:4-9 KJV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
It is impossible to avoid God’s passion for His Truth and that children would learn this truth about Him! But is a passage like this applicable for New Testament believers like us?
Absolutely.
God’s character is unchanging. If he was passionate then about His truth, He is most certainly passionate about it now. Also consider this: what was the chief difference between us today and the children of Israel then? We have more light! They had the Law. We have the One Who has perfectly fulfilled the Law. We have Christ. God has revealed Himself to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. And knowing God in Christ is EVERYTHING.
(John 17:3 KJV) And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
By God’s grace, I’m a member of His Kingdom because I know Christ through faith.
(2 Pet 1:3 KJV) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
By God’s grace, everything I need for life, and godliness, and growth have come and are continuing to come because I know Christ. Praise the Lord! Logic, reason, and human effort were not the tools by which this came…it was the GRACE of God.
May boys and girls be attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ in us. May we never be found to be cold, dull, lifeless, and boring. May we be passionate about that which God is passionate. Let us evangelize children for the glory of God. May we present God in all His glory in Christ, may we amplify the sinfulness and lost condition of man, and may our goal for children be true biblical conversion so that the church of tomorrow is filled with people that love and follow God.