Jesus & Children

Thoughts for today, February 22, 2015

I have heard many times lately, “The Children’s Ministry always needs help.”  And that is true. 

It is true because we don’t value children the way God does.  If we did, we would have an over abundance of enthusiastic people who can’t wait for the privilege of serving one of the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.  Jesus says that when we serve the “least of these”, we are indeed serving Him (Matthew 25:30).  In three of the gospels, Matthew 19:14, Luke 18:16 and Mark 10:14, the same story is recorded by 3 men.  There are 4 gospel writers.  Sometimes there are things recorded in one place and not the others, sometimes there are stories that all 4 of them write about, but here, 3 recordings of this same teaching.  That means, pay attention, this is vitally important to God. He is telling the people, His apostles, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 

The Kingdom of God. 

Belongs to them. 

That’s profound if we take time to really think about it.  Even in the Old Testament, we see God repeatedly reveals His heart towards children and the fatherless (orphans).  He usually refers to the orphans and widows together and from that we can discern the importance of the protection and provision a father and husband is designed to provide.

Psalms 82:3, Job 29:12, Deuteronomy 10:18, Psalms 10:14, Psalms 68:5, Psalms 146:9, Jeremiah 49:11, Zechariah 7:10, Deuteronomy 24:17, Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, Deuteronomy 27:19, Exodus 22:22-24, John 14:18, Galatians 4:5

The enemy of our souls knows how valuable children are.  In our culture there exists a great lie that at its essence devalues life, devalues the innocent, the helpless, the weak, the deformed.  It says, “abort the imperfect deformed child with down syndrome.” “abort the inconvenient, unplanned pregnancy.” “Put them out of their misery with mercy killing, euthanasia, physician assisted suicide.” “who wants to live like that.” “abort the product of rape and teen pregnancy. You don’t want to ruin your life. What kind of life can you possibly give that child? It doesn’t deserve that.  Just have an abortion and start over when you’re ready.”  This voice exists at so many different levels.  Any time we speak to our children with impatience, any time we feel inconvenienced, any time we fail to see our children in the Light of God and His great heart for them, we are in danger of speaking death over them and partnering with this same spirit that exists in the world.  Any time we think things like, “Oh it’s just children’s ministry,” we are failing to see the great honor and privilege it is to have the platform, or office, or authority to build up and speak life into one of God’s precious favorites.

This spirit of abortion, death, and preying on the weak is as old as sin.  People of the ancient world engaged in child sacrifice and the bible even talks about them eating their own children in times of famine.  The sexual sins committed against children are an entirely different topic of discussion because of its magnitude, but it has roots in the same kind of evil and perversion.  It is anti-God, anti-life, and anti-Christ.  It is an attempt to destroy that which God delights in, the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, the heirs to Life.  If we understood as even the enemy does, just how important these children are to God’s greater plans, we would flock to be a part of what He is doing for our future, by speaking life into and over the little children now. And I pray we arise to the occasion to understand as God does.

Another platform for attack on children is the war against men and families.  In short, God designed man and woman as co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven and with that balance, man loving his wife as Christ loves the church, woman honoring and allowing her husband to lead as Christ submitted to the Father, that is the plan for Godly protection and provision for the children.  Secular studies have shown that children who are raised in households where the father is not present (whether physically or mentally or spiritually) are at an increased risk for doing poorly in school, for engaging in risk -taking behavior (drugs, alcohol, gangs), and are at increased risk for being sexually preyed upon.

Even in the walls of the church this kind of deception exists.  Marriages are under attack, people seek out worldly counsel versus Godly truth, husbands are leaving their wives and vice versa.  Where does this leave the children?  Children end up taking on adult roles, there is a spirit of rejection, and brokenness which exists to keep people from being able to readily receive the pure love and acceptance that God freely gives, which is sonship.   

I have not always seen this way.  I always felt I got “stuck” in Children’s Ministry because that’s where the help was needed and I know God put it on my heart to serve wherever I was needed, although I thought I knew I wasn’t called to be in children’s ministry.  It was during this season, those years serving even though my heart wasn’t in it, that caused me to press in and seek God’s heart for children.  As I did my life journal and saw how often God spoke of children and learned His heart for life, creation, and even me, that caused me to persistently ask God to give me His heart for kids, because I knew I was missing something. 

When He did, I was on my knees with repentance for how I did not value children nearly as much as I thought I did. My heart felt like it was going to explode with His love that He put in me for those who the world thinks weak and lowly, an inconvenience. And then He gave me eyes to see the unique and special vision He has put in each of these special babies, and all I had to do was ask Him for that sight.  He gave me the ability to speak life into their future.  He showed me how so many children bear wounds of rejection from their teachers, peers, and parents.  I must show them how much they are loved and valued by God.  How they are so worthy of love.  How they are already delighted in, special, and each have a unique calling and purpose on their lives.  So, it is an honor and a privilege to be called to shepherd over our children.  And yes, I do feel a need to protect their souls from the potentially damaging words and thoughts we can have towards them.  It is my prayer that all who are allowed this unique platform to influence a child not take it lightly, nor speak or even think careless thoughts over them.  These are God’s little prophets, prayer warriors, intercessors, healers, miracle workers, pastors, evangelists, mommies and daddies, missionaries, spiritual warriors.  As a servant to these children in ministry, you have been allowed the privilege to leave your imprint upon them.  It is a privilege given by God, and to Him we are accountable.  I pray we do our best.