A B C & Ds of Salvation

Here's a quick and easy outline I use for sharing the steps to salvation with kids.

A. Admit that you are a sinner and that you deserve to punished with eternal death. Romans 3:23; 6:23

B. Believe that Jesus loves you so much that He chose to take your punishment of death so you don't have to. That happened when Jesus died on the cross. Romans 6:23, 1 Peter 2:22, 24

C. Claim the forgiveness and salvation the Jesus offers. Romans 8:9, 10

D. Decide to let Jesus direct your life. Proverbs 3:5, 6

Have A Schedule And Don't Stick To It!

by Pastor Steve Severance.

It was one of those moments when time seems to speed up and go whizzing past you so fast that the world around you is a blur. I had planned a 45 minute program for my portion of our community kid's program but my time had been cut to just 30 minutes. And while my watch seemed to speed along like an 8 year old on Mountain Dew I struggled to get through all the material I had carefully planned: before the bell rang. As I was telling my story I mentioned something like, "this is what a Christian would do in this situation". Austin raised his hand.

"Yes Austin?" I said, hoping his question wouldn't be too long.

"What's a Christian?"

"Someone who trusts Jesus for salvation" was my totally meaningless, yet accurate answer. I hurried on with my story, but before I could get too much farther Austin's hand was waving in the air again. I waited as long as I thought I could before recognizing him. Finally I had no good excuse not to, so I asked what his question was.

"Am I a Christian?" He wanted to know.

I looked at my watch; I had no time for all this. "You are if you've confessed your sins and asked Jesus to come into your life." was my quick reply; demonstrating my vast knowledge of Christian cliché. As I continued on with my well-thought-out program, Austin's hand once again slipped skyward.

"How do you become a Christian?" he asked sincerely. While I remained calm on the outside, inwardly I was so frazzled that my vision literally seemed to blur. I had planned out a wonderful program for these kids. I had an important Biblical message I was trying to communicate, and now, not only had my time had been cut short, I kept getting interruptions! I grabbed for the first cliché that came to mind, "You have to confess your sins and ask Jesus to come into your life," I said, not even thinking about what or who I was talking about or to. My mind was on my schedule; and I was nearly out of time. Soon the bell interrupted me; I hastily closed in prayer then prepared for the next group of kids.

That evening when all the activity subsided I thought of Austin. His questions had been sincere. He wasn't from a Christian family, his mom was in jail and his dad was a drunken deadbeat whom he hadn't seen in years. He lived with his grandparents who attended a church that taught salvation by works and ceremony instead of grace. Yet through all of that, the Holy Spirit had impressed his heart. He wanted to become a real honest to goodness Christian, but when he asked me how to do it I had been so worried about my schedule that I hadn't taken time to lead this precious little boy to Jesus! It was then that I realized that I had made my schedule more important than this kid's salvation. When he asked that question I should have stopped the whole program and taken however much time was needed to explain salvation and lead Austin, and any others, in a prayer of salvation.

I confessed my sin to God and He forgave me. Then I made up a new rule for myself. "Have a schedule and don't stick to it." It sounds strange, I know, but then again sometimes a strange rule will stick better then a normal one. What my rule means is that it is important to have a schedule. I do need to plan out what I'm going to do and say or else I won't get much accomplished. But it's equally important not to chisel my plan in stone or stamp it with the seal of the Meads and Persians that cannot be altered or revoked. Keep in mind the most important things and if something more important comes up, lay aside the schedule and take the time necessary to follow up on it. The schedule can wait; the moment of conviction will not.

The next time I saw Austin I tried to talk to him about salvation but his interest had waned. The moment of conviction had passed. It was too late.

For sure, this was one of the hardest lessons I've learned as a children's minister. That's why I share it with you. I hope that you will incorporate this rule into your own life so that the next time your little "Austin" seems to disrupt your program with an important question, you can guide him right to the loving arms of his Savior who always has time for his questions. Remember, "Have A Schedule And Don't Stick To It!"

Kids Ministry Ideas Forum

There's a neat little magazine called Kids Ministry Ideas published by my church. For quite some time I've been thinking that they should open an internet forum so that people could post their questions.

They just did so! It's at kidsministryideas.com

There's not much on it yet because it's brand new but if people, like those who read this blog, patronize it, it will soon be an awesome resource!

Go KMI!!!!!

Social Benefits of Homeschooling

I recently read an inspiring comment on one of my favorite blogs, ministry-to-children.com. The author, Tony, asked for comment on the homeschool vs. public school debate and one lady told this story which I thought you'd like to hear:

This is by Carrie Fetters. Read it in its original context here.

"I thought I'd share the fruit of homeschooling. There are lots of "opinions", but real life speaks for itself.

"The oldest of our 4 children is 14. We pulled her out of the school system after 2nd grade. We attend a church in a rural setting (appro. 350-400 people) with "good" public schools in the area. We have some homeschoolers in our church, some Christian schooled children, but the majority is public school children.

"Every summer the Jr. High leads a Back Yard Bible Club in an area neighborhood. The Jr. Highers are supposed to lead songs, tell a story and then just play with and get to know the neighborhood kids and tell them about Jesus and the salvation He brings. I showed up early on the last day, and sat in the car waiting to pick up my daughter (then 13). This is what I saw: Most of the neighorhood kids were playing by themselves. ALL of the public school kids were huddled up together. My daughter (the only homeschooler in the group) and the 3 Christian schooled kids were either talking with or playing on the playground with the kids. My daughter was sitting in the grass talking with a little girl. I saw my daughter get up and grab her Bible, then return to the little girl she was talking to, then another Christian schooled girl joined my daughter in talking to this little girl.

"I got out of my car and walked past the huddled public schooled kids (kids I love and have taught in SS). As I walked past, I said, "Why don't you guys go talk to some of the kids?" One person spoke up and said, "I don't know what to say to them." I encouraged them to talk to them about the lesson that was shared, but no one moved. I continued on and talked to one of the leaders, until we were interrupted by the little girl that my daughter was talking to. She was beaming and said, "God loves me and I just asked Him to be my Savior!"

"Later I talked to my daughter about the events as I saw them. She said, "Mom, it was like that every day. The public schooled kids care too much about what their friends think of them. They don't reach out."

"In that moment every doubt about homeschooling I ever had flew away. Years of hearing from a Christian neighbor how my daughter should be in the public school to be a witness...I won't even get into what her 14 year old "Christian" daughter is like.

"If we, and our children are prepared to be a witness, God will give us and them opportunities, but we can have all the opportunities in the world and not move on them if our hearts are not ready.

"At first when my daughter was in elementary school it was harder to tell the difference between the homeschoolers, and public schooled kids, but now as the fruit is maturing (going into highschool) it is evident.

"In our experience, homeschoolers are less peer dependent, community focused, and interact well people of every age. Yes, I do know there are exceptions!

"A sick peach tree can still give a few healthy looking peaches, and a healthy peach tree can give a few sickly peaches, but what kind of tree do you want your kids growing on?

"One last note: Often people are remarking how accomplished my daughter is musically. This is no accident. She has the time to work hard on both the harp and the piano. This past year she was actually invited by a public school in the area to come play the harp for a large event in which many teachers, children and parents attended! Talk about God creating opportunities for a ready heart!"

Thanks, Carrie, for that reminder.