Kids can get it
Part of my frustration to is that I grew up in church and have always felt connected to God. I’ve rebelled but always felt drawn to Him. I thank God for that now, but being a teenage I remember hearing tremendously amazing stories of life change from adults. Addicts that lost addictions, violent men become teddy bears, and sexual deviants changed into God-honoring servants.
Yet, I couldn’t find huge evidence of life change and I always struggled with it. Not that I didn’t have any or that I doubted that life change was a pre-requisite, but instead that what I read in Scripture didn’t match up with what I perceived to be my story.
But Jesus was saying kids can get it and that adults need to become like kids to get it. It shifted from despair of not understanding how kids can get it to instead, how can they get it?
My desire isn’t for kids to know everything but at least have heard of Jesus and His love for us and His life, death, and resurrection being traded for our everyday life.
Non-Negotiables
- God’s plan of Creation (God created us for good)
- Our sin and consequential disconnection from our original purpose and from God
- Jesus’ rescue of us
- Our response (faith and repentance)
- Call to action (prayer, find an adult, sign up for baptism, etc.)
Sometimes
- Balloon illustration (our balloon pops and Jesus trades His balloon for ours)
- Chair illustration (placing your trust in the chair)
- Story of Christ and His life, death, and resurrection
Never
I’ve done most of these. I’m saddened by it but hope to never do them again. Thankful for the Gospel and that God is bigger and better than my teaching.
- Try harder, do better (the solution is to lean into Jesus)
- Quit that behavior (I try to talk about turning to something in addition to turning away from something)
- Confirming the prayer they prayed gets them to heaven (It might not, just like donating a lot of money to the church doesn’t)
- Once saved, always saved (very complex…this could be confusing to children)
I know that the way that I’ve presented Jesus has changed over the past few years, but I finally feel some progress because I’m confident that point kids to Jesus in all things is really the Gospel.
I hope to help children see that Jesus, not effort or a prayer or a lifestyle, is what gives us assurance and that is what I want my kids to lean into it.
- Share the story of God
- Share your story
- Focus on faith and repentance (both are necessary for faith)
- Look for response
- It’s more than just a one-time conversation or event, so keep going
What are some of your struggles in sharing the gospel? Has it changed over the years?
