Let the Children Come…
If you work in kids’ ministry, there is an excellent chance that Luke 18:15-17 is written on something you own. Grab your bible and read those verses to see what Jesus had to say about children.
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:16
Are you done? Have you taken in the magnitude of that statement? This is the King of the Heavens. The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. He values children. This was so counter-cultural during this time. Kids were not valued during Jesus’ time. Kids were looked over. The disciples rebuked people who were bringing kids to them. They thought Jesus didn’t have time for them. Jesus rebuked his disciples and showed us the place kids have in His heart. The kingdom of God belongs to them. We must become like a child to enter. Jesus placed value on children. Jesus elevated the status of children. Jesus showed that children should never be overlooked.
It is easy to look at this passage and think we would never do that to a child today. We understand the value of kids. But have we really moved that far from the biblical times? Do we invite the children to come to Him? We say we want children to come to Jesus, but do our actions always match that? Kids can be an afterthought in our churches. Kids can be considered a burden. Kids are loud, and they can make messes. Kids can’t give money to the church. We will write “Let the children come.” on the nursery wall, but do our actions show we believe that? Sometimes, we want to add a little bit to that verse. “Let the children come as long as they don’t make a mess.” “Let the children come but keep them quiet.”
“but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
That was not what Jesus had in mind when He said, “Let them come.” Just as Jesus welcomes us as we are, Jesus welcomes kids as they are. You can’t say to Jesus, but do you know they can be so loud? He knows. You can’t say to Him, but they will make a mess. He knows. Jesus knows kids because He created them. He knows us. He knows our sinful hearts, yet Jesus still died for us. As the verse says above, we make a mess and Jesus died for us. If Jesus welcomes us with all our mess, we should welcome children.
Just as Jesus commanded His disciples not to hinder these children, that command is for us. Sometimes, we need to get out of the way. Look at our ministries and see if there are things that will hinder a child from coming to Jesus. Ask yourself these questions. Do I have rules that hinder kids from coming to Christ? Does my programming get in the way? Do I have volunteers that might be blocking the path to Jesus? Does my church believe that Jesus wants kids to come to Him?
This week, I will pray over every aspect of the ministry God has allowed me to oversee. I am asking God to give me the wisdom to see if there are any walls I need to break down to allow kids to come to Jesus. Would you join me in praying for this? Would you pray for me as I look at my ministry? Comment below, and I will pray for you as you review your ministry. I pray that all of us can say we are not hindering children from coming to Jesus. God Bless.