CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Bob

Presenting Christ to Children

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Equip 2nd Quarter 2011Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Bob Edmiston who has served CEP as Coordinator of Training and is presently a consultant. A major part of CEP’s ministry is oriented to the “rising generations.” With that word, we commend the following article to you.

MINISTRY TO CHILDREN

Making disciples and assisting parents to disciple their children is the long term task of the church’s ministry. Discipleship is more than eliciting a profession of faith and teaching Bible stories; it is helping children understand what it means to love God, and to love others with the prayer that God will make Himself known to them and bring them to Himself. Also, it is attempting to model, by word and deed, that Christianity is a way of life built on the Word of God and a personal relationship with Christ.

PRESENTING CHRIST TO CHILDREN

Theological Considerations

When we present our children publicly to the church, we do so on the basis of God’s covenant promise-to be our God and the God of our children. But we also acknowledge our children’s need of the cleansing blood of Christ and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Parents and the church agree they will be actively involved in teaching and modeling the Gospel of the Kingdom before them. This reminds us of two things:

1. Our children are covenant children of God and 2. The need to be taught and urged to see their need to believe in Jesus and repent of their sins, in order for our beliefs to become their beliefs, growing out of our faith and trust in God. Our hope is they will follow in the faith which they own for themselves.

Along with those covenant promises upon which kingdom discipleship operates:

The Bible indicates that we are sinners for at least two reasons:


1. We sin. Though the word “sin” is seldom used outside the church, and our society finds it increasingly difficult to objectively identify certain behavior as wrong, the concept permeates the Bible. Today the issue is “what is right for you?” But there is a standard of right and wrong. It is defined and described in the Scriptures. The human race, individually and collectively, has not measured up. The good news is God has dealt with our failure. It is not necessary to hopelessly travel the road leading to destruction.

2. We come into this world with the need for a new nature. In Romans 5, Paul indicates sin entered the world through one man – Adam (v. 12). Death reigned because of his disobedience (v. 17). As a result of that one trespass our entire race is condemned (v. 18).

While original sin is part of Christian theology, this doctrine has been at odds with contemporary understandings of human nature for some time. The idea that children are born with an innate goodness or innocence persists.

How does God look at a child? Christians have responded in several ways:

1. Some suggest that God will withhold judgment until an “age of accountability” – that is, the point at which a person knows the difference between right and wrong. The difficulty is that this view has no biblical support.

2. Others believe that baptism washes away the stain of “original sin.” That posits a view of baptism which has been, and continues to be, held by large constituencies in the church.

For theo Roman Catholoc view of baptism, timing was a consideration and baptism was to be done as quickly as possible for the protection of the child.

The PCA’s Book of Church Order (BOCO)says, “Baptism is not to be unnecessarily delayed.” It does not support the idea that baptism cleanses from original sin. Rather it is a sign that the child is part of the Christian family.

3. A third group goes back to the covenant God has made with his people. This is the PCA’s position.

The words of Paul are comforting to Christians. If a believer is married to an unbeliever, the unbeliever is sanctified by the believer (1 Cor. 7:14). Strong language; yet the covering given by the believer is short of salvation. To become part of God’s family the unbeliever must turn in faith to Jesus. Paul continues, “Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy” (v. 14). This is particularly hopeful to those who have lost young children.

The children who are part of the Christian family are:


1. Those who have at least one believing parent. They are “non-communicant” members of the church. They are members on the basis of the promise of God, and parents who claim that promise by faith.

Some have suggested the regeneration of such children is a given. Consequently, they are assumed to be believers and are seldom, if ever, challenged to believe in Jesus. Congregations, even entire denominations, have suffered as a result. The most acute pain, however, has been felt by those parents whose children grew into adulthood without ever making a commitment to Christ.

Even when children are faithfully challenged to follow, there are those who refuse to believe. Some within the church say, or imply, that if parents and others do certain things there is a virtual guarantee that children will turn out “right.” But the Bible does not support that. The classic example: “Jacob I loved; Esau I hated” (Mal.1:2, 3; Rom.9: 11-13).

God has given the church promises. It is much more likely that a child of believing parents will follow Christ. But it is also clear that many of our covenant children have forsaken their heritage. The promise is not void; in fact many children will come back. Still, it is sobering to consider how many we are losing.

In baptism, children of believing parents formally become part of the church. When adults transfer membership, their baptized children are listed with them as “non-communicant” members (BOCO 12:5). However, those children must be continually challenged to claim the faith of their parents as their own, as expressed in the baptismal vows.

2. Those who have believed. Children are able to believe with whatever capabilities they have at any given age. Consequently, age characteristics should be considered when children are challenged to believe, not whether they should be challenged.

Some children express faith as preschoolers; however, it is imperative that their parents and the church continue to press the claims of Christ as they mature.

Believing children, whose parents have not come to faith, are also part of the church, even though there is no formal way to recognize that until such time as they are able to make a credible profession of faith. Most every church has children like this who are in Sunday school, Pioneer Clubs or VBS. They have responded in an age-appropriate way to the claims of Christ.

They are vivid illustrations of the way God constantly stretches the boundaries of his church. His grace is experienced not just in Christian homes but in the families of many who do not know him.

A high priority for the church should be incorporating such unbelieving parents into the Christian family.

Coming to faith in Christ can be:

1. A gradual experience. Faith is a process. The prevailing notion is that faith is an event. Many who point to an event however, do so because they are culturally conditioned, but in reality their faith grew over time and the event may or may not have had the significance they have attached to it. Some children seem to respond to Christ naturally from their earliest years. Such was the case with Samuel (I Samuel 1 & 2 especially, 1:23 – 28; 2:11). There are instances where regeneration occurred in the womb: John the Baptist (Luke l:15) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah l:5). Children raised in Christian homes hopefully will experience the nurture of parents and give evidence of saving faith.

2. An event – often a dramatic event. Many have professed faith in this way. But if the norm is the formulas present-day evangelicals use, there were centuries in the history of the church where almost no one came to faith.

The “sinner’s prayer” is often offered as the way to come to faith and has been the means by which large numbers of people have expressed belief in Christ. At the same time it can be an obstacle:

A. There are many who have prayed the prayer and believed that they have fulfilled all that is required to be “saved.” Sometimes it is necessary to explain why a person is not a Christian before it is possible to talk about how to come to faith. Large numbers of people have been lulled into a false sense of security, believing that they are right with God when, in fact, they are not. Children are particularly vulnerable to this distortion. They tend to be easily manipulated. It is possible to get them to raise their hands and repeat prayers asking Jesus to forgive them when they have no concept of what faith entails.

B. There are those who have prayed the prayer but nothing seemed to happen. There were no dramatic changes. The struggles remained. Consequently, doubts not only appeared, but were overwhelming. Some people have prayed the prayer again and again, each time hoping for light to dawn, feelings to change, and destructive behavior to suddenly become a thing of the past. After awhile they may wonder if it is possible for them to attain salvation.

Faith is not works, yet faith grows as it is expressed in the disciplines of faith. Through those disciplines commitment to Jesus is internalized.

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The Power Source

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Why is it that there seems to be so little evidence of power in the preaching and teaching offered in our churches?

The question makes an assumption: Power is lacking.

The message might be biblical. And the Bible does say that the Word of God is powerful (Hebrews 4:12).

The lesson could be presented in a compelling manner. People respond positively. So, what’s the problem?

My answer is that our efforts seem to produce comparatively little change.

Granted, teaching has a cumulative effect. Yet, even factoring that in, for most of us life goes on and we function the same way day in and day out with little observable difference in our values or lifestyle.

Sometimes change is precipitated by a catastrophic event–a job loss, a major illness, a terrible accident. Such change can either draw us to God or push us away. And when the crisis is past the tendency is to revert to the familiar pattern disrupted by the trouble.

Here is another assumption: We need to change.

I fear that some, perhaps most, in the Christian community tend to think of change in the moral and spiritual realm as something that took place in the past. And the longer we are in the church the more likely it seems we will have such an attitude. Most of us are at best dimly aware of how much work God still needs to do to bring us to maturity, let alone the perfection he demands.

We could look at various areas in an attempt to come to grips with the problem.

For instance, the dominant culture has a profound affect on all of us. Christian people are far more tolerant of things like homosexuality and divorce than was the case a generation or two ago. As far as ministry is concerned, that has some advantages and disadvantages, for obvious reasons.

As a group we give generously compared to others but we are stingy relative to our wealth. Yet so many carry so much debt they wouldn’t think it possible to give more.

Materialism is so much a part of our value system that we have difficulty recognizing its presence. Preachers and teachers might make us feel guilty on occasion, but usually not guilty enough to make a significant difference in the way we live.

Then there is the “Christian culture,” which is expressed in concrete form in the church with which we are associated. We have our own brand of political correctness that encompasses everything from family and politics to education and entertainment.

Recently, my wife and I were invited to a “main line” denominationally affiliated church for a special Easter program. I had to check myself because I was fully prepared to be critical. It proved to be just the opposite. The production was one with which I would have been pleased to be associated. Yet I had to consciously refrain from looking for things I considered “wrong.” And that is just plain wrong. This sort of thing can be seen in many areas. If a democrat said it, it can’t be right. If a family has their children in public school there must be something wrong. Christian people watch movies today that their counterparts fifty years ago would have condemned. Use of alcoholic beverages has become commonplace.

At the same time, ministry to the poor has taken on great importance. Previous generations would not only have been less than enthusiastic, there would have been a strong suspicion that the church was compromising the gospel. We are more concerned about racial reconciliation than we ever were in the past.

Yet with all this I’m not hitting the target. We could legitimately write volumes about our inability to think biblically, our lack of desire to follow Christ wholeheartedly, the numerous ways we are regularly deceived – justifying that which will hurt us and shrinking from that which will help us. But rather than attempt to pile on the guilt, let’s think about this a little differently.

The Word is powerful. The Bible indicates that God’s basic way of getting that Word out is through proclamation. Yet there is something more. It is the Spirit of God who changes us as he applies the Word to our lives.

So if you preach or teach ask, “God, what do you want to say to me?” If we speak regularly it becomes difficult to let the Word through the Spirit work in us before we move on to the next thing. And the same thing happens with those who hear. The message is given and it seldom sticks with either the speaker or the listener.

With our hectic pace is it possible to slow down enough to let the Word simmer and then as the Holy Spirit might prompt to make it concrete in some way? It might be in a seemingly insignificant area. But if it’s something positive it could be picked up by a friend who has noticed the difference in us. Or it might become a challenge for a small group. In such ways we become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

That will make us attractive to some and cause us to be condemned by others. Peter talked a lot about suffering for doing good. The net effect will be that the Kingdom will grow.

When we enter the secular arena, whether it’s government, the ministry, business or school, we must be conscious of our own weakness. If nothing else it will help avoid a “holier than thou” attitude. Along with this we much become increasingly conscious of the way Christian values might influence what happens in our area of responsibility.

Think of the student who is teased because she’s still a virgin. Or the young man who refuses to help a friend cheat on a test. Such influences can propel us toward behavior we might otherwise shun.

What happens if you’re the person who befriends a person nobody else wants anything to do with? The risk is that you will be identified with him-an outcast.

We don’t need to think about changing a nation or even a church. We can pray that God will make us open to his Word and sensitive to his Spirit as we face the challenge of everyday living-the challenge of living with ourselves.

Small Groups – A Place to Serve

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Two negative outcomes are possible when a small group of the same people meet together indefinitely. One is that the group gradually disintegrates. Another is that the group becomes exclusive. Other people aren’t really welcome-even if it’s said that they are.

One way to avoid this is to try to get people involved with a different group each year. It’s something I’ve found fairly successful. Another is to focus on the “empty chair.”

To have an empty chair means that as a group you think about someone who will fill that chair. It could be a follow church goer, a friend of one of the group members, somebody’s neighbor or a relative. The group then prays for that person and the person who will extend the invitation. That’s one task most any group can take on, if there is a willingness to see others become part of your meeting. And it could lead to someone making a profession of faith in Christ, feeling they’re a part of your church or growing in their relationship with the Lord.

At Covenant Church in Fayetteville, GA, where I work we’ve done some significant mercy ministry projects through our small groups. One that has become a staple is Prison Fellowship’s Angel Force-both the Christmas gifts and the summer camp ministry.

To do something for somebody else is an important component in a small group’s life. It helps to get the focus off the needs in the group and centered on someone or something else.

If a group isn’t careful they can find themselves centering virtually all their prayers around needs of people related to the group. This too can be one of your tasks-to pray systematically for someone or something not directly related to you.

In addition to all this, working on a task together will help cement relationships within the group.

Remember the three legs of the stool which enables small group ministry to stand-task, Bible study, and an opportunity to tell your story.

Small Groups – A Place for Bible Study

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If you read this column regularly you might have noticed similar articles related to small group ministry in the last two issues.

Some years ago when I began having regular meetings with the small group leaders at our church (Covenant in Fayetteville, GA), I introduced Lyman Coleman’s three legged stool. It’s not complicated: Bible study, share your story, task. Still it was months into the meetings before the leaders could immediately recite those three basic elements.

Bible Study:

Years ago the small group model identified with InterVaristy Christian Fellowship focused almost exclusively on Bible study. Today there are small group ministries that de-emphasizing Bible study, preferring to concentrate on fellowship. I believe this is a mistake.

1. We all are painfully aware that people today don’t know the Bible. It’s not just foreign to our culture, it is virtually a closed book to many who profess faith in Christ. Yet it is on the Scripture that we base our faith. Consequently, if a group is to have a Christian focus the Bible must be prominent.

2. With some, there is a question regarding the difference between a small group that does Bible study and a Sunday school class. Because the Sunday school class is usually larger and the small group more intimate, the study of Scripture in the small group can be more personal. If such is the case its message can become more pointed as the Spirit applies the Word through the discussion of those present.

3. Finding materials for the sort of Bible study that will facilitate meaningful personal interaction around the Scripture can be problematic. More and more I find myself doing my own material. It’s time consuming. Some will feel inadequate making such an attempt. But the reward can be great.

I include a couple of other things under the Bible study heading:

1. Singing: there are groups where this is a regular part of their meetings. 2. Praying: at Covenant I encourage each group to have a significant time of prayer. That is our congregation at prayer. In the group I lead, we have practical “conversational prayer” which is basically the group having a conversation with God. This allows members to enter in as often as they like. We can easily spend 15-20 minutes in prayer and to me it seems more like just a few minutes. More importantly, we’ve seen God work in our midst in significant ways. Often the most rewarding part of our evening is the conversation we had with our Father.

In today’s world there is at least one other caution that is important. Too often people looking at a biblical text ask the question “what does it mean to me”? wthout first asking “what does the passage mean”? and asking the first question without dealing with the second is to run a significant risk. That the Bible will be made to say whatever an individual or group wants it to say, the meaning will be entirely subjective. And the truth found in Scripture will not only be compromised it could be lost.

Small group ministry is an important facet of many church programs. But small groups meeting without wrestling with the implications of the Scripture for their lives, individually and corporately, are at the very least deficient.

Small Groups – A Place to be Known

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Continuing from the last issue with the topic of small groups, I would like to review Lyman Coleman’s three-legged stool approach. A Christian group needs to involve:

1. Bible study, or more broadly worship. Some groups sing. Each group I work with allots a significant time for prayer. And the Bible should always be our reference point. 2. An opportunity to tell our stories. Everybody has a story to tell and almost everybody wants somebody to hear it. These stories are seen against the backdrop of Scripture, which gives us ongoing instruction for living and encouragement in our various relationships. 3. A task. We need to look beyond ourselves. That might involve inviting others to the group and/or taking on some sort of service project. Much of the mercy ministry effort in the church I work with flows from the small groups. It could also be that the task would be primary with time allotted for the other elements such as a choir, Session or Board of Deacons.

Small group suggests a level of understanding that grows as people come to know each other better. And that is a significant inhibitor. Many of us don’t want to be known. This makes us vulnerable. If they really know me will they still accept me? I ask myself that question. Whether you ask it or not, there’s a real possibility that it makes you cautious in relationships.

Yet we long for meaningful relationships. Many of us are lonely and feel somewhat isolated. But we fear what might be entailed in attempting to really connect with others. So we choose to remove ourselves, limiting relationships to those that are casual and consequently non-threatening.

To get close to someone suggests caring for that person. And caring can be both costly and scary. Often when there is a death we don’t know what to say to the one grieving so we avoid the issue by avoiding the person. When there is a serious illness the tendency is to refrain from any mention of it. We don’t want to say the wrong thing so we say nothing. When there is public sin there is a tendency to talk about the sinner but not to the sinner. Yet if it’s a friend isn’t there an obligation?

It might surprise you to know that many who practice such avoidance are the clergy – people we tend to think of as professionals in relationships and the practice of caring.

Friendships carry obligations. To avoid those obligations, we must avoid friendships.

Christians have experienced the love of God in Christ. That love should cause us to love others the way we have been loved. One forum for that is a group where people learn to look out for each other, challenge one another and pray with and for each other all the while reflecting on the message from the God who has brought us together.

Are you involved with a group of Christians who are stimulating your growth in grace? If not, why not?

Small Groups – A Program with Purpose

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bob.jpgAt the last PCA General Assembly I was amazed when some 150 people came to a seminar I led on small group ministry. (I had prepared for 25 thinking I might have 10.) Those who came represented a variety of situations. Some wanted to know how to start a small group ministry. Others wanted tips for enhancing already thriving ministries.

Small group ministry is not new-or even relatively new. I remember how many Christians viewed small groups with suspicion in the ’60s and ’70s. Today, if you don’t have such a ministry you’re out of step. It’s become a major component in discipleship efforts.

First century believers met regularly in homes. These were relatively small groups. The Methodists, who got their name because they had a method, met each week in groups. It was part of the method. One question they asked was, “how is it with your soul?” The Sunday school has, for the most part, been a small group ministry.

What churches presently call small groups are in place in part because our living situations have become so transient and relations so scattered that the need for connectedness is often acute. Small groups, in some measure, help plug that gap.

Last May, as the group I led was winding down for the summer, I asked them to talk about their reaction to our previous ten months of meetings. One couple said that this was the primary means by which they had gotten to know some people in the congregation. That’s not unusual.

But small group ministry is a program. Like any program it should be viewed as a means to an end. If you don’t have a clear idea what you want a program to accomplish its value ought to be seriously questioned. To put it another way: don’t have a small group ministry because you think everyone else has one.

My purpose in small group ministry is threefold. I obtained this outline from Lynn Coleman a number of years ago:

  1. Bible study: Actually I would broaden it to say “worship”. Each group needs to base their discussions on the Scripture. Further, I want each group at Covenant Church, where I work, to have a significant time of prayer. That is Covenant Church at prayer.
  2. The opportunity to tell your story: Everybody has a story to tell. Often those most reluctant to begin are ones who talk the longest. Over time those stories are seen in the light of the biblical message.
  3. Task: At Covenant we do much of our mercy ministry through our groups. We’ve often encouraged Lyman Coleman’s empty chair-praying that someone will fill that chair in the group.
  4. If you want to re-examine the purpose of your group ministry the three-legged stool is a good plan to start.