Help Children Know, Love & Follow Jesus!

I've been writing for the past few days about how much it matters for us to be sure we are offering more than programming, events and fun in our children's ministries. Yes, I believe we need to offer programming, events and fun, but if this is all we do then we will fail to help children know, love and follow Jesus for all of their lives and nothing matters more than this.

So, how do we help children know, love and follow Jesus for all of their lives? This past Friday I wrote about evaluating what we are doing; I think this is the key, but I think we have to give careful thought to the questions we ask. Consider the following . . . 

• I believe it is important for children to begin to learn what the Bible teaches, but we have to be on guard against just giving children a head full of facts. Head knowledge does not mean children know, love and will follow Jesus for all their lives. It can leave children thinking, "I've already heart that story" and never really understanding what God's Word has to teach them.
• I also believe it is important for children to put into action what they are learning. When I review curriculum I look for resources which give children ideas of things they can do to live what they learn, but we have to be on guard against giving children the idea their walk with God is measured by what they do. I recently reviewed the book, One Way Love, and appreciate how it strongly proclaims God's love is not something we earn to get or earn to keep. We have to be on guard against giving children a "works gospel" because they will either burn out and give up or become self-righteous. When serving God and living what they learn is something which flows from a heart which knows and loves God they will not burn out or become self-righteous, but if our focus is on all the do's and don'ts, we run a risk; a high risk of children getting the wrong message about walking with God.

So, with these things in mind, how do we evaluate? How do we know the children in our ministries are learning how to know, love and walk with God? I think the key involves focusing in class on how the Bible lesson we learned helps us know, love and walk with God. I think it involves asking questions of children about how what they have learned helps them know, love and walk with God. I think it involves keeping our focus on knowing, loving and walking with God.

If we want the children in our ministries to know, love and walk with God all their lives so they do not become like the people in Judges who didn't know God and forgot Him, then we need to keep our focus on knowing, loving and walking with Him. It is all too easy to be distracted by programming, events and activities (all of which are good things for us to offer) and even by focusing on the wrong things (knowledge of the Bible and serving). Yes, we want children to know God's Word and serve Him, but if they are not learning to know, love and follow Him, they will forget Him. If they learn to know, love and follow Him they will want to know God's Word and will want to serve Him. There is a difference!

What are you doing to help children know, love and follow Jesus for all their lives?