Release the Potential

Release the Potential

The famous 19th Century evangelist Dwight Moody, having returned home after speaking at a meeting, is reputed to have told his wife that three and a half souls had been saved that night. A little perplexed his wife asked him whether he meant three adults and a child.  To this Moody responded "No, three children and one adult".  His point was that the adult had already spent half his life and could only live the remaining half for God.

Moody, together with his song leader, Ira Sankey, grew up in the USA won acclaim as an international evangelist and established a pattern for evangelism later taken up by Billy Graham.  But his ministry began with children.  Unable to obtain an opportunity for ministry he focused his attention on reaching the poorest children in Chicago.  He rented and filled three pews in his local church each Sunday and grew his Sunday School to around 500 if I remember the account aright.  I love it that this great man of God had such a vision for ministry to and with children.

In my rural ministry children have played an important part.  Through the labours of my late colleague, Monica Cook, hundreds of children have found a saving faith in Jesus and grown in discipleship,  Some now occupy positions of leadership in various churches.  This would never have happened had we not treated children as seriously as we do any adult.  We do so because that is exactly what Jesus did.

Evangelising children calls for sensitivity and common sense but in many ways it is no different to the way in which we share the gospel with adults.  The method and language is adjusted to suit the audience and care is taken not to employ methods that might manipulate emotions.  Telling the story simply is always best.  Those with whom we share the gospel story should always be encouraged to make a response, but children could simply respond because they want to please you.  It has always been our practise to encourage children who might want to ask Jesus Christ into their lives to talk with us after the meeting.  We then ensure that there are distracting and fun activities before the meeting ends.  Those children who seek us out afterwards are usually sincere.

Jesus spoke about the value of childlike faith and I think that there are few greater privileges than to pray with a child who understands and sincerely gives their life to Christ.  One soon discovers just how real this is and how much we can learn from the faith of children.

To talk of children as the church of tomorrow or the church in waiting is nonsense.  Regardless of age anyone who has placed their trust in Jesus and his work for us on the cross is part of the church of today.  We do not control admission; it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  But this then begs the question about how children develop in discipleship.  This is a glorious contrast to what extreme Islamists do with children.  We do not seek to mould their attitudes or coerce them into service.  We simply explain the resources God has given, help them learn to pray and know how to read the Bible and encourage them to seek the fullness of God in their lives.  This is no different to how we counsel adults.

If some children are real Christians it follows that they are also part of the body of Christ with gifts and ministries given them by the same Holy Spirit who gives gifts and ministries to us all.  That's where releasing the potential of our children comes in.  I have witnessed children with the gift of evangelist or a gift of pastoral ministry showing the love of God among their peers.  Monica often ran Prayer days for children with great effect.  I once went to a church where over 50 children voluntarily met for prayer for half an hour before Sunday School.  I know of schools where children have established their own fellowship meetings where staff have not been available.  If we fail to take seriously that Christian children ought to be disciples, with growing faith and ministry experience, we fail them, we fail the Church, we fail the world and we fail our God

Too often we treat children as second class.  We marginalise them when it comes to allocating space and resources.  We withhold from them what is not ours to withhold. When I was the Minister at Herstmonceux Free Church in Sussex we had the joy of having many children who had become Christians.  We celebrated communion (Eucharist) once a month and at first the children were mere spectators. Since I could find no biblical justification for refusing them the elements (we used non-alcoholic wine) I moved to inviting any children who wished to take the bread and wine to do so "if their parents approved".  A Christian father urged me to remove all qualification as he did not feel he should be the arbiter of his childrens walk with God.  I did so.  What a blessing!  But best of all was the first Sunday when the children served the bread and wine to the adults!

We need to affirm Christian children as part of the Church of today and encourage them to grow in faith and realise their potential in Christ.  Their experience and faith is only limited by our attitude.

Current items for praise & prayer
Thursday 6th - Communion at HMP Gartree, Leicestershire.
Sunday 9th - Sunday Service at HMP Gartree followed by the Sunday Morning Meeting atYelvertoft CC
Monday 10th - Friday 14th - Holiday at Home, Market Harborough.  Each morning we run various activities under the auspices of Churches Together for older people in the community.  We share good news but this is not overt evangelism.
Tuesday 11th - HMP Gartree in the afternoon.
Sunday 10th - Yelvertoft CC.

Wednesday to Friday last week was spent in Kent and Sussex.  We encourage your prayers for Dunks Green Evangelical Free Church as we work with them on constitutional matters.  This is a part f the ministry of Action for Christ. We also encourage your prayers for Herstmonceux Free Church where a great Christian has gone to be with the Lord recently and whose funeral service I attended on Thursday.  It is good to see the church going on well.  Pray too for one of my colleagues, Canon Elizabeth Ingram and I as we seek to manage a difficult situation elsewhere in Sussex.

On saturday I met with others to explore possibilities for ministry with children and young families in the East Midlands.  Your prayers for wisdom and God's guidance will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Barry