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Wright Track Ministries 6675 Moondance Drive Olive Branch, MS 38654 (662) 890-6398 |
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Children's Education and Ministries |
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Advice from Noel & Barbara Wright |
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Our Sunday Schools must be places where our children are presented with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A children's Sunday School class is more than just a story hour. It is our opportunity to introduce our children to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In working in the ministry for many years I have come to develop a love and appreciation for the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). I would like to encourage you to visit their website, you can find the link for it list below in the "Links to Internet Resources" section. The following is an excerpt from an article by Eric Stuyck of CEF.... Several philosophies that are held by some in the Church actually challenge the idea that children need to be or even can be evangelized. The educational philosophy, says that a child should not be led in making a decision for Christ, but rather given a Christian education with an opportunity to develop Christian thinking and habits, assuming that the child’s natural choice one day will be to follow Christ. The first problem with this approach is that the unregenerate can neither understand nor live spiritual truths. I Corinthians 2:14 says, "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." If the unregenerate child attempts to live the Christian life he will fail. No matter how enthusiastic he may be at first, he lacks the power the Holy Spirit gives to enable the believer. He will become disillusioned and perhaps hardened to spiritual things making him actually harder to reach as he gets older. It is impossible to guarantee that anyone, even raised in a Christian environment, will come to faith in Christ. It has even been shown that the older one is the less likely it is that they will believe. Another philosophy presenting itself an adversary to child evangelism is based on modern psychological thought. It contends that a child is incapable of making a reasonable decision for Christ since he is unable to comprehend symbolism and abstract concepts. Nobody ever made a decision for Christ based on reasoning. It is not that an unreasonable decision must be made; faith in Christ is very reasonable. But it is still a faith decision and not a reasoning decision. Remember that to the "natural man ...the things of the Spirit of God ...are foolishness." Nobody comes to Christ with every question answered. Salvation is a work of the Spirit of God, not a function of the brain. Even if we assume without argument that children cannot grasp symbolism and abstract concepts, they are still expressed in ways that are very real, if not downright concrete. Love is an abstract concept, but children love and know what they mean when they say, "I love you." Perhaps faith comes easier to a child precisely because he is not as experienced as an adult in reasoning why he should not submit to Christ. Eric Stuyck |
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Biblical commands to instruct children... |
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When God gave Israel His eternal laws (Romans 7:14), He told them, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Here, God not only told parents to teach their children His ways, but He said to be diligent about it. He also said to do it throughout the day when they were sitting, walking, going to bed or getting up in the morning. This is all-inclusive; not much time is left. The people of the Bible clearly understood God's direction to teach children His ways. Abraham, called the friend of God in James 2:23, was given high praise by God for teaching his children and household God's way. Genesis 18:19 says, "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." Abraham was conscientious in obeying God, and his descendants-Isaac, Jacob and Joseph-also diligently followed God's ways. King Solomon understood that when we reach maturity, we reflect the training we have received as children (Proverbs 22:6). This also includes religious training. History clearly shows that Israel did neglect teaching and obeying God's laws as given in Deuteronomy 6 and they suffered the tragic results. The verses previously cited in Deuteronomy and Ephesians clearly show that God expects parents to teach their children His religious values. |
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Books and Resources for Children's Workers |
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| You can order these books and others through our website from Amazon.com. A portion of your purchase is donated to Wright Track Ministries without adding anything to your cost. Just click on the icon below and a portion of your purchase will go to support this ministry . God Bless You and Thank You! | |
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Links to Internet Resources |
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International Network of Children's Ministries Reaching and Teaching Children Christian Answers Kid Explorers |
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Tips and Ideas for Children's Workers and Ministers |
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