If you have been in the children’s or student ministry for any length of time, you have probably heard comments from well-meaning people that minimize the importance of your ministry. You’ve heard the “it’s just kids” or the “when are you going to get into the real ministry” or, even worse, instead of asking about spiritual results after your service, you hear the dreaded “Did you have fun today?”. If we aren’t careful, we can allow these comments to cause us to adopt what I call a “spiritual babysitter” mentality. Consequently, week after week, you just make it through a service until the parents come to retrieve their angels.
While reading my devotions this morning in 1 Samuel, I was reminded of these important facts …
- Children/youth are capable of serving the Lord and being involved in His work even at an early age. (1 Samuel 2:11,18; 3:1)
- Children/youth can be taught by word and deed how to serve the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:11; 3:1)
- Being in God’s presence should be a part of a child/youth’s lifestyle and not a when-convenient occurrence. (1 Samuel 2:21)
Discipleship/mentoring provides the opportunity for a child/youth to grow spiritually and be blessed by God and loved by people. (1 Samuel 2:26)- God wants to visit and speak to children/youth. (1 Samuel 3:4,6,8,10,11)
- Children/youth are fully capable of hearing God’s voice. (1 Samuel 3:4,6,8,10,11)
- Children/youth need to be trained to recognize and distinguish God’s voice. (1 Samuel 3:7,9)
- Children/youth need to learn to respond to God’s voice with a “yes, I’m listening”. (1 Samuel 3:9)
- God can give supernatural insight to children/youth not received by adults/leaders. (1 Samuel 3:11-14)
- Children/youth are capable of communicating the heart of God to others. (1 Samuel 3:15-18)
- Children/youth can grow in the Lord and be taught by the Lord to accurately flow in His anointing. (1 Samuel 3:19)
- God’s constant interaction with a child/youth will set the stage for continued revelations that will impact people groups, cities, and nations. (1 Samuel 3:21)
Do your children/youth ministries a huge favor by copying and then sending this reminder to all involved in these important ministries. Believe me when I state that these facts will eliminate any and all ministry minimizing. We all need to be reminded that there are young Samuels and Samuelettes (that’s my name for female Samuels) sitting in our classroom that need someone to pastor them. Through our ministry, they will know God, learn to recognize His voice, and then begin to speak for Him to their generation. They are counting on us!!!
