Do We Infect our Children with Jesus or Inoculate Them Against Him?

35170104 - illustration of kids standing happily in front of a church

Do our children enjoy coming to church? This is a good question to ask and a very important one. This question gets a lot of attention in Christian circles everywhere. Our children’s programs must be fun and entertaining or children won’t want to come.

Are our children getting the message? Do they learn why Jesus came to earth, to suffer and die for their sins so they can have abundant light through believing in him?

If embedded in all the fun and games, we fail to teach them the real-life reasons they need to know about Jesus, they will drift away when they are old enough to decide for themselves whether they want to be a part of the body of Christ. If their reason for coming to church is for the fun and games, they will find that the world also offers them fun and games.

It grieves my spirit that I have seen so much entertainment at the expense of in-depth teaching in Christian church settings, especially for children and youth – and even for adults. I’ve seen at least one situation where it was obvious that the “teacher” didn’t teach the Bible because she didn’t want to bore here students with it. She just wanted them to have fun. I guess she figured they would learn what they needed to know about the Bible somewhere else. I want to know who was bored with the Bible in that situation, the children or the “teacher.”

If people who accept the responsibility to teach our children about Jesus fail to take it seriously, they may well be inoculating our children against ever taking Jesus seriously. We need to infect our Children with the love of Jesus, not inoculating them against it.

Written by Janice D. Green, author of The First Christmas and The Creation.

Comments

Do We Infect our Children with Jesus or Inoculate Them Against Him? — 10 Comments

Crystal Bowman on January 9, 2018 at 10:11 am said:

I agree, Janice. There is a fine line between worship and entertainment when it comes to music. And when it come to teaching Bible lessons, children love to listen to stories. A good story teller can hold their attention long enough to teach them some biblical truths or an exciting story from Scripture. All the “props” and stimulation are really not necessary. Are we trying to impress our kids or teach them?

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- Janice D. Green on January 9, 2018 at 1:41 pm said:
  
  Thank you Crystal. I pray that people will wake up to the need to share real heart to heart faith with our children, faith that will stick and carry them through the hard times in their lives.
  
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Kristie Wilde on January 9, 2018 at 12:18 pm said:

This is true, Janice.
I think congregations as a whole – the bride of Christ – are often distracted by entertainment in our churches. There is a place in prayer when we are yoked with God that is the most exciting place I’ve ever been. Sadly, many Christians don’t know that place, or that it even exists. You can tell people, but it seems to bounce right off. It doesn’t make sense to the natural mind.

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- Janice D. Green on January 9, 2018 at 1:42 pm said:
  
  How can we reach them with the kind of faith that makes a difference, the kind of faith that changes lives?
  
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  - Kristie Wilde on January 9, 2018 at 2:06 pm said:
    
    I think that walking it out may be most effective, taking them to minister to the poor and hurting, emphasizing prayer groups in their classes and praying about really important things. When they are practicing their faith – even just going through the motions – they are more likely to actually be touched by the power and reality of it, making an impact in their lives. If this is a once a year thing, it may not work so well because it would be the exception, not the norm. If it were their daily norm then they may be more likely to discover the truth and power of the living Gospel.
    
    These are just my thoughts. Raisng my kids in a home with an unbelieving spouse, even with my fervent passion, some of my children walked away – but God isn’t finished with them yet! It’s a real challenge seeing as we each have free will ; )
    
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    - Janice D Green on January 9, 2018 at 6:28 pm said:
      
      I certainly understand about raising children with an unbelieving spouse. I went through that with my daughter. Thankfully, she didn’t rebel against going to church, though she did seek out her own church when she was in high school. In some ways, our children were privy to seeing life from inside and outside the church. That can have its benefits, I suppose.
      
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Dr. MaryAnn Diorio on January 9, 2018 at 6:42 pm said:

A most relevant topic, Janice! Thank you for addressing it.

The Church in America has bought into a watered-down Gospel without power and depth. We have substituted the superficial for the substantive and created weak Christians who care more for tolerance than for truth. The apostate church that John the Revelator prophesied is here in our midst. Woe to those pastors who tickle the ears of their flocks! Perhaps when persecution comes to Christians in America, we will know the meaning of a true relationship with Jesus Christ.

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- Janice D. Green on January 9, 2018 at 7:57 pm said:
  
  Thank you MaryAnn. You speak the truth.
  
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Ava Pennington on January 9, 2018 at 8:21 pm said:

Thank you, Janice.
Sadly, many Christians have fallen for the lie that we must be like the world to attract the world to us. For 2,000 years, the Church has grown the most when it offered an alternative to the world instead of copying it.

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- Janice D. Green on January 9, 2018 at 10:12 pm said:
  
  Agreed wholeheartedly.
  
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