BRING YOUR CHILDREN TO JESUS

“Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ~Matthew 19:13-15

The above verses describe one of the most precious and intimate scenes from Jesus’ earthly ministry. Parents are bringing their young children to Jesus, and he is laying his hands upon them and praying for them. What a marvelous scene, the Son of Man is praying for the sons of men. And yet, not everyone thought this scene was precious. Jesus’ own disciples scolded these parents for intruding on his ministry schedule. But Jesus responded with his own scolding. He said to his disciples, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” The disciples saw the children as a hindrance to the kingdom, but Jesus saw these children as the perfect illustration for who inherits the kingdom.

There are three implications that we can draw from these verses.

1. You must come to Christ like a child if you wish to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Think about it for a moment. These children could not bring themselves to Christ, nor did they have anything to offer him. Did you bring yourself to Christ? There is no way! The Bible says, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Did you have anything to offer Jesus? Absolutely not! “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THRE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE” (Romans 3:10-12). We bring nothing to the table of salvation, but Christ serves a mighty banquet of grace to all who humble themselves before him. “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Have you come to Christ as a child, one who needs everything he has to offer? May you turn away from all reliance upon self for salvation and cast yourself upon the mercy of Christ.

2. Parents, we should be bringing our children to Jesus.
I say “we” because I too am a parent. I say “bringing” because we must be diligent in our efforts. My oldest son will be 14 this July and I am realizing that we only have a short window to influence our children for Christ. I understand that this is not an easy task, and I don’t think God intended it to be. He intends for us to put forth effort in teaching our children the truth of God. Permit to offer a few pointers to help you in your efforts.

       -Treasure your children as a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-4; 139:13)
       -Teach your children the truth of God by keeping His word in your heart and          
         giving your children many reminders (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
       -Live a godly life before them. (1 Samuel 2 describes what happens when we fail             to do this)
       -Love them! (Colossians 3:21)
       -Trust God with them (Proverbs 22:6)
       -Tell them about Jesus (Romans 10:17)

3. Church, we must receive children and help parents.
How? You can participate in our regular children ministries: Sunday School, VBS, ABCkids, and youth. You can commit to praying for each of the ABC families with children. Also, you can invite one of our ABC families over for time of fellowship and prayer. There really are several ways that we as a church can help our families if we will be willing and creative. Parenting is tough but knowing that you have a church family that is willing to help you honor Christ in your parenting is a tremendous blessing.

Jesus has a special place in his heart for children and so should we. In fact, how receive them, love them, and disciple them says a lot about our own spiritual health.