And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16 ESV

     This week we have the greatest opportunity afforded a church. To minister intentionally to children from the first through the sixth grades. I understand this is something that is done all year long in the church but, when you have a Vacation Bible School it could be compared to having a mini church camp at home for the children. We pour into the lives of these children everyday for three hours the good news of the gospel. We teach them that Jesus loves them more than life. We know this to be true for He gave his life as a sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven. So now comes the question, “How are you to be involved?”

BRING CHILDREN:

     There are many stories in the Bible in which people experienced and did great things. One of the greatest things, however, was when parents, grandparents or whoever they were, brought children to Jesus. You read the Bible story about the sea parting so that more than a million people could cross on dry ground, manna from heaven to feed them, and water pouring from a rock providing enough water to quench the thirst of all these people. Remember the generation that experienced these things did not enter into the promise land, but their children did. This page couldn’t begin to cover all the great events and miracles of the Bible but, the desire to bring children to Jesus should not be passed over as just another biblical account. If you see a miracle, you will talk about it forever, and it will have the greatest impact upon only those who experienced it. But if you bring a child to Jesus it will not only impact that child, but will be a living miracle of God’s grace that could touch the lives of many through their lifetime.

BECOME AS A LITTLE CHILD:

     Jesus said when speaking about the children, “For to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (vs 14 ESV) Think about this for minute…. we are to become like children in respect to heaven…. totally dependent. When is the last time you heard of a small child going off to work for eight plus hours a day to provide for the family? Obviously you haven’t, so how does that child survive? They survive by trusting the one who does provide. Left to themselves they would become sick, starved and eventually die. So it is with the one who enters into heaven, they are to be totally dependent upon the provision of grace and mercy from the heavenly Father. Dependent in every area of life. So this week, as we should every day, come as a child in our teaching, praying, and all we do, knowing it all depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of every child God allows us to minister to.

BECOME THE ARMS OF JESUS:

     Be a servant used by God to touch and bless these precious children this week, whether you will be serving directly with the children or indirectly through prayer. VBS is a church wide event and requires everyone’s participation for it to be a success. Some of you will not be able to physically be present, but how very important is your prayerful support. Set your alarm clocks or whatever means you need to remember to pray during the 6:00 to 8:30 hour each evening this week. Jesus laid his hands on the children and blessed them, and I wonder….. what did the rest of their lives upon this earth look like? We will never know this side of heaven, but I would dare to say they were never the same as they experience the touch of the Master’s hand.

     I heard over the years many time the phrase, “Why doesn’t God do something?” This week He is. He is using us to minister to children that he one day may use to change the world. Many of you know Billy Graham as the evangelist who has affected the world in sharing the gospel of Jesus. Who were his teachers as a child? Who was his pastor? Who was it that prayed for him? How big was the church he attended? Unless you read his autobiography, most likely, you would not be able to answer those questions. My point is this; this is a very important time in our church this week. Don’t let it slip by unnoticed in your days, for we never know how God may chose to do great things in the life of the church this week.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David