Today is the fifteenth of September — the day our children and grandchildren set off for school. But will they set off not only for school, but also for Sunday school in our churches? Will they take part in the children’s ministry? What is our attitude toward children and toward the children’s ministry in the church? What is the purpose of Sunday school? What does it serve? Why is our attitude toward the children’s ministry so important? Because our attitude determines our actions. For example, if we think that the children’s ministry is not as important as the ministry to young people and to adults, then we will invest very little time and effort in it. If we think that children cannot understand much about God, we will not teach them, but will simply keep them busy or entertain them. If we consider that children are not ready to hear God’s voice, then we will not encourage them to know, to love, and to obey God.
Often our actions show that, for us, the teaching and discipling of children is only partly important. But what does God say on this matter? What does He say about the importance of children and about the enormous responsibility and calling we have for their instruction?
With the help of God’s Word, we will reject three mistaken notions concerning children and their relationship with God.
“CHILDREN ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO GOD”
The first mistaken notion concerning children is that they are not important to God. There is a thought that creeps into the church, and it is that the purpose of Sunday school and of the children’s ministry is to entertain the children so that the adults can listen to the sermon undisturbed. According to this view, Sunday-school teachers, or those who work with children, are like zookeepers or circus clowns. They are supposed to care for the children and keep watch over them, because the children are like wild animals trying to get out of their cage. Their minders are there for this — to make them behave nicely and properly, to feed them and entertain them, and after the service is over to return them to their parents safe and sound. Is this true? No. Our role and responsibility toward children is far greater. And it flows from the fact that children are exceedingly precious in God’s eyes. In Psalm 127:3 it says:
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3)
What is a “heritage”? If you receive an inheritance, do you rejoice? You rejoice, because an inheritance is something valuable. What is a “reward”? A reward is also something valuable. This means that, just as an inheritance and a reward are valuable, so children are valuable to God. And if they are valuable to Him, they ought to be valuable to us as well. Children are a blessing from God — a blessing that comes from God. He gives them, and they are His. We are only stewards over our children. And therefore we are responsible to treat them as treasures that belong to God and have been given to us by Him.
Children were precious to Jesus while He was on this earth. In Matthew 19:13-15 we read:
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. (Matthew 19:13)
Why did the disciples rebuke the little children who had come to receive a blessing? Because they thought that children were not important to Jesus. They thought that Jesus had more important business, higher priorities. But our Lord did not think so.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. (Matthew 19:14-15)
Jesus gave the children special attention. He showed that they deserved His time and attention. He commended them — He said that “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” — and He blessed them, placing His hands on them.
Without realizing it, we think that in order to come to God, children must grow up and become like us. But in fact it is exactly the opposite — if we want to come to God, it is not the children who must become like us, but we who must become like them (Matthew 18:2-3).
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-3)
We must guard ourselves against treating children with contempt — against thinking that “they are small,” “they do not understand,” “they have no place in our ministry,” “they must grow up.” No. In Matthew 18:10-14 it says:
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 11 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:10-14)
Notice, God does not want a single child to “perish.” God wants children to be saved from sin and its gravest consequence, which is eternal separation from God. How can a child be saved? In the same way that every person is saved — by believing in the gospel. There is no other way. In Romans 10:13-14 it says:
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:13-14)
This is why children should be in the church. This is why the church should have a children’s ministry. The leader of this children’s ministry is their “preacher,” who teaches them about God, so that they may believe in Him, call upon Him, and be saved. Children are important to God. And they need salvation, just as adults do. To work with them is an enormous privilege. God has given us the task of carrying His Word to them so that they too may know Him, love Him, and obey Him, as we do.
“CHILDREN CANNOT LEARN THE TRUTHS ABOUT GOD”
The first mistaken notion concerning children and their relationship with God is that they are not important to God. That is not true. Children are exceedingly important to God from the earliest age, even from their conception. The second mistaken notion concerning children is that children cannot learn the truths about God. “Why should we have a Sunday school, when even if they attend it the children will not learn anything about God?” If this were true, then God would not command us to teach children His Word.
We see already in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, how God commands us to share His Word with our children in every matter connected to life:
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:6)
First, God’s words must be in our hearts. And see what is said immediately after this:
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
We are responsible to teach our children God’s words. We must not only teach our children God’s commands, but we must do it diligently — being attentive in it.
An unbelieving mother once said to her son, who was a believer: “Why don’t you ask your children whether they want to go to church? If they want to go, let them go; if they don’t want to, let them not go.” Is this right? The son asked his children: “Do you want to go to church?” They answered: “No.” But he told them: “Get dressed right now and let’s go!” We cannot let the children tell us what to do. Because if you ask them, “Do you want to go to school?” they will say, “Why should we go to that school — we don’t like it.” “Do you want to go to after-school care?” — “We don’t want to.” Then why do we send them, if they don’t want to go? Because they need to learn and to develop. The same applies to us. First we must be disciplined, and then we must discipline our children too. And we must do it diligently, because God has entrusted them to us. Remember what God said to Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19:
17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:17-19)
A little further on, in Deuteronomy 11:18-19, it says:
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)
God’s Word not only encourages us that children can learn God’s truths, but it also exhorts us to begin this teaching as early as possible. The earlier, the better. Otherwise, if we wait for them to grow up, a time may come when it is already too late (Proverbs 22:6).
6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
A New Testament example of a child taught early in the truths of God’s Word is Timothy. The apostle Paul reminds him in 2 Timothy 3:15:
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)
This is how children are saved — as adults are also — through “salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” And earlier, in this same letter, mention is made of Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, who raised little Timothy in the way of God (2 Timothy 1:5).
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)
This is why mothers and grandmothers are so important. They are the ones who carry the traditions and customs into the community. Of course, we fathers are important too, but mothers are also exceedingly important for the biblical upbringing of children.
The conclusion we can draw on the basis of the verses we have considered is, first, that despite their early age children are precious to God. Even though they are children, they have souls that must be saved. God loves them; He treasures them. Let us not underestimate them and think that they cannot learn the biblical truths. They can understand them, and the earlier we begin to teach them the Holy Scriptures, the better. I came to believe in God when I was six years old — I had not yet started school. But God revealed Himself to me, and I began to go to church, together, of course, with my mother, who raised me in the way of God.
“CHILDREN CANNOT RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL”
The third mistaken notion concerning children and their relationship with God is that even if they do manage to learn some truths from God’s Word, they cannot respond to God’s call and obey Him. The mistaken notion that creeps into the churches along these lines is the following: “We can teach children theory, but there is no point in calling them to repentance and insisting that they put the biblical truths into practice in their lives, because they are still too young for spiritual things.” Such a position is entirely mistaken. From older people I have heard that before the ninth of September, nineteen forty-four, “The Law of God” was taught in the schools of Bulgaria. Today there are attempts to introduce a subject called “Religious Education” in the schools. But God’s purpose is not for children merely to have some knowledge of religion, not merely to be informed. Children can not only learn truths about God; they can respond to God’s call; they can hear God’s voice. Children can obey God, even though they are small. They simply need a little help and some guidance from the adults. A wonderful example in this regard is Samuel. Through him, through a single child, God changed the spiritual condition of an entire nation. In 1 Samuel 3:7-10 we read:
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:7-10)
Samuel was a child, but the Lord spoke to him, and he heard God’s words. And he was bold enough to pass them on to Eli. For although Eli was the high priest at that time, he was not hearing from God, and it had to be Samuel who told him what God’s word for him was, even though it was terrifying. Often children are more open to God’s voice than adults are. And God can speak to them more than to us.
Children can not only hear, but also “learn” God’s teaching. In Psalm 78:1-7 it says:
1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. (Psalm 78:1-8)
In this passage we can see how God thinks about the generations. One generation passes God’s words on to the next generation. And that next generation passes them on to the one after it, and so on. Our responsibility, as a generation that is now at its peak, is to pass God’s words on to the next generation. “Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” In the Bible two different kinds of generation are mentioned. One is the good generation, and the other is the evil generation. We must choose what kind of generation we will be. Our children too must choose what kind of generation they will be. For although we can tell them the truth about God, we cannot make the decision in their place. God has arranged it so that we have free will. He did not make us robots. If He had wanted, He would have made us all believers. But He does not want forced worship and service; He wants it freely — if we desire, if we come to know Him, if we hear Him, that we serve Him.
It is the same with our children. We cannot make them believers by force. Nor do we wish to do this. Because they may obey us while they are under our authority, but if they do not have that personal conviction which stands behind faith in God, then when they grow up they will go their own way.
We must pass on to our children the truth of the gospel. When they have learned God’s teaching, the children will apply it in their lives. Children can put their hope in God. They can know Him, they can obey Him, they can pray to Him, and they can serve Him.
At certain moments, as in the case of little Samuel and Eli, children can have more insight and can respond more fittingly to God’s revelation than adults do. A New Testament example of this is the reaction of the children during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:15-16).
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (Matthew 21:15-16)
Do you see? While the chief priests and the teachers of the law were indignant against God’s Anointed — blinded, unable to see that Jesus was the Son of God and His Messiah — the children understood who Jesus was, and they showed it by giving Him the praise He deserved. That is why Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
And so, what should our attitude toward children be when it comes to their relationship with God? First, we must not despise children. On the contrary, we must give them special attention and serve them in a special way.
Second, we must not underestimate children. They can learn and know about God. Our duty is, first, to be a good example for them — an example that they will like and follow. We ourselves are to speak God’s words — both when we sit down and when we get up — and to apply them in our lives. And then we are to teach them the same truths that we ourselves have learned from God’s Word, simply presenting them in such a way that they can understand them. With simple words, to explain and to tell them: “This is the truth about the Son of God. He died for us at Calvary. He rose again for our justification. Through His sacrifice He made an exchange — He took our sins and gave us His righteousness. Through our faith in Him we are redeemed. Every sin of ours is forgiven. So we can draw near to God and be His children.”
And third, we must expect of children, and encourage them, not only to know the truths about God, but also to obey Him — to obey both His call to be His, and His commands — to live a godly and full Christian life.
Today we have these problems with our children — drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, bad friends. And some say: “Let them play sports. Sports will save them from drugs.” But in fact, the only thing that can save them from all the vices in this world is not simply sports, but faith in God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). And we must teach our children to have the fear of God. Then they will grow up as God’s children and will be blessed. They will have blessed families, and we will have blessed grandchildren.
Knowing all these things, let us pray for the children in the church and for our children’s ministry. May God help us to look at children and at the children’s ministry with His eyes and to have His attitude.