CHILD EVANGELISM

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. John 17:23

In Jesus’ prayer, recorded in John 17, He prayed for church unity so that the world would know that God loves the members of the church as much as He loves Him. A powerful feature in a church’s work of evangelism is church unity.

Churches that are having conflict among their members would do well to think about what their lack of unity is doing to the spiritual lives of the children of its members.

Think of young children overhearing words of parents who are grieving about the problems in their church. The problems become worse when children overhear conversations between their parents who are involved in church conflicts.

Think of a young child at church that is listening to someone being critical about his father or mother. It is conceivable that some children of godly parents made a decision not to follow Jesus early in life just because they had overheard such words.

In contrast, think about small children overhearing their parents telling about their love for other people who they know also love them. Or think of children overhearing adults speak loving words of praise about their parents or other members of the church. Such experiences could be the turning point of a child choosing to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

When we find a church where the members are living out their union with Christ, we will find a church that is quietly making an impact for Christ in the lives of the children.