They Cannot Bring Themselves

My heart is heavy today. I've been praying under a heavy burden. A burden for lost souls. That burden shifted at some point to a burden for little children. Little children who are growing up in homes where the Bible is never opened, the name of Jesus or God are never uttered except in profanity, prayers are never offered, and where abuse is rampant. Verbal abuse. Emotional abuse. Physical abuse.

I begged God for a ministry to these little ones. I LOVE CHILDREN. I volunteered at VBS and had children hanging all over me. They clutched my hands, hung all over me, sat in my lap and begged for my attention. It made me uncomfortable because of all the abuse scandals but I could not fight them off. They were persistent. Precious little souls Jesus loves. Yes, Jesus loves the little children as the song goes. All the children of the world. Children of all races. They are precious to Him. That means they are precious to me too!

Many times I used to take my sons lunch. Their friends would fight to sit near me and get my attention. I nicknamed one troubled little kid, "Cool Breeze." He never forgot it. Each time I returned he wanted to make sure I knew his nickname.

My burden intensified in prayer today when I thought of the scores of children who would love to learn about Jesus but nobody tells them and they cannot bring themselves to worship or a Bible study. Somebody has to bring them if they will ever come. Or we have to go to them.

I once heard someone complain about parents dropping their children off for a Bible study and using it as baby sitting. I say praise God they came. Praise God their impressionable and formative little minds heard about Jesus and heard Bible truth. How many dozens and dozens would love to come and learn if they just had someone to bring them. The greater good is served if children meet Jesus and Savior and maybe entire families.

I know children are fidgety. They wiggle and squeal. They often run instead of walk. They talk incessantly. They sometimes do not follow the rules. Yet, Jesus with a group of little children just like that welcomed those little ones. How can we the people of God not do the same. Children are inconvenient. They are tattle tales. They can be unruly. They are messy and loud. Yes to all that but JESUS LOVES THEM. WE AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD MAY BE THE ONLY CHANCE THEY EVER HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT HIM because their own families do not know Him.

Mark 10:13-14 (NKJV)
13  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

After VBS most of those beautiful little ones never returned. How can they? They cannot bring themselves. This stirs in my soul right now. How do we minister more effectively to children? If they are not coming to us then we have to find ways to go to them. Children are important to Jesus and must be important to us.

When I was in fourth or fifth grade we attended a worship service as a family which happened infrequently. In my little class I learned about a contest they were having. Whomever brought the most friends over the next several weeks would win a free airplane ride. My competitive juices kicked in. I'd never rode in an airplane and I determined to win that contest. I invited my friends, cousins and anyone who would come. Me, a very irregular attender myself, won that airplane ride. I drove my family crazy to make sure we picked up those I invited and I did not miss a week during that contest. It was an exciting plane ride for awhile on a small two propeller plane and then I got bored and fell asleep.The one thing I do remember is flying over the football stadium where I would play high school ball. More importantly it's the place I met Jesus as Savior as a teenager.

Later that year I went to a children's camp. They had a contest to give away a trophy to the person who memorized the most Bible verses. I wore my counselors out quoting verse after verse all day. I skipped free time to memorize verses. I wanted that trophy. I was lost in my sin but memorizing scripture. I won that trophy. It was many years later before God won my heart.

I think of all the pain, insecurity, anger and trust issues that could have been avoided in my life if I had met Jesus at an earlier age. I had a hunger for spiritual things. Often I got my grandmother's Bible and read it. I often looked through the pictures in my children's Bible. I had a hunger to learn. My mother did not. She seldom ever took me to any church related activities. When she did it was infrequent.

Somebody brought Jesus to me while watching a football game. What  child out there needs me to bring Jesus to them and their family. What group of friends need me to bring Jesus to them at a park or in their neighborhood. Somebody just like me needs to hear about Jesus as a youngster.

I know a youth pastor, 64 years old, who still plays flag football with neighborhood students every Sunday afternoon. Dozens show up to play with Mark Julian. He invests in them and many have to come faith in Jesus and been discipled under his leadership. Mark's knees hurt him after such games. He still shows up. Yes, he loves football. He loves Jesus and students more.

How many children cannot bring themselves but long to learn about Jesus. Church, what will we do about it. Hope they will somehow come. Will we go and get them? Will we go where they are? Will we be like Jesus and welcome them?

I'm 51 today. I've been saved 31 years. I look back and thank God for the First Church of the Nazarenes and for Denman Avenue Baptist Church back in Lufkin, TX. One church touched me in my childhood years. Denman Avenue youth ministries were used to introduce me to a saving relationship with Jesus and disciple me into maturity as a teenager. It was through Denman Avenue on a Sunday evening I first felt God's call to preach and publicly surrendered months later.

How many others are just like me when I was young out there. Hurting. Lonely. Needing to be loved. Needing to be introduced to Jesus. Jesus, I beg You to burden our hearts with Your love for those little ones and help us find ways to minster to them and bring them to You. In Your name I ask and believe it. Amen.