I was just browsing through my book shelf yesterday looking for a right book to read and the first one that caught my attention was this book called, “Soldier with Little Feet” by Dian Layton. I thought then it was a book on discipleship or something similar to that line. Little did I expect this book to be on children’s ministry. The author shared on her experiences, some practical tips working with children and who they are in God’s kingdom. The whole book was really good and practical but there was one page that totally changed my view of children and made me see them in a whole new way.
We had been worshipping the Lord, and I was encouraging the children to listen to God’s voice, then come up to the front and tell us what He said. Slowly, a few began to move out of their seats. There was a mixture of comments, complete with “My dog is sick.”(So we included a litlle teaching on the difference between a testimony or prayer request and something God tells us! No problem.)
Then Karen Cazemeir, with her curls bobbing up and down confidently, came to the front and took the microphone. “The Lord just told me that my spirit is just as big as an adult’s spirit!”
She went and sat down. I stood there, with her words echoing in my mind. The truth of that statement become one of the foundation stones of my ministry.
When a person receives the Lord into his heart as his Savior, the Bible says he is “born again”. And age is not a factor. A child who read the Word, pray, and worships the Lord will be spiritually stronger than an adult believers who doesn’t!
…Consider the child who is born again at the age of three, four, or five. He loves the Lord. He attends church regularly with his family. He has a regular devotional time with Jesus. When he reaches age ten or eleven, he is perhaps six years old spiritually. How would you feel if you had been a Christian that long and still had no way to give, still had no way to serve? If week after week you were told to sit and listen? Is it really a surprise to see the majority of ten-and eleven-year olds uninterested and bored with church? Without God’s intervention, and perhaps the help of a dynamic youth pastor, this attitude continues into the teen years.
When I caught a revelation of how BIG the spirit man is in them as he is in us adults…=) I saw how much more they could do. I am not only helping these little ones to walk or to read, but I’m nurturing their spirit man like I would to my youths or friends. The Holy Spirit in them do not understand less just because they can physically do less or unable to read the books we do, but the Holy Spirit in them is as MIGHTY as He is in us. Have a simple child like faith. If they can hear from God, I'm sure you can too!
The best times too I had was when I was serving in my children’s church. I would quietly wish in my heart that the teacher would ask me to take the offering bag.And when she did, I was happy. I’m sure you did too =) and to the times I got the opportunity to act on stage. If you have them around you, let them serve and help you. Tell them to do it as unto the Lord. Then can they also fully understand and express their love for the Lord.
Some extra nuggets :
Are you afraid of the dark?
A few years ago, I was wearing a black cape and hat in a skit. I was showing the children how satan lies to us. One of the younger girls got frightened and began to cry. I immediately push back my costume to show her it was just me, but she was still upset. I went to the Lord about it. “Lord, I don’t want kids to be afraid of the enemy, I want them to hate them. How can I portray his real character in these skits?” And soon after that, I got a new revelation. Now, whenever I am teaching about satan, I say. “Kid’s the devil’s not scary! He is gross, dirty, ugly and awful…I pick my nose, belch, and scratch my belly button. The kids love it! They respond, “Oh gross!!” I feel it is an accurate portrayal, and it has done wonders in raising up mighty little soldiers who are at war – not running scared!
This story helps me too =) I used to, or still is sometimes Hehe~ afraid of the dark. I still sleep with a small light on if it's pitch black dark;) I would imagine some big scary thing would appear. But now when I picture the devil as an ugly person rather than the big black monster, fear don’t seem to cripple me as much. Try it out!
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