“Life Blood of The Church”
The little boy asked his parents, after worship on Sunday, “Didn’t the adults ever do anything in the Bible?” The parents asked what he was talking about. He said, “In Bible class this morning my teacher kept saying the children of Israel did this and the children of Israel did that and I was just wondering if the adults ever did anything.” We are thankful for the innocence of children.
Children are the lifeblood of the church. The term lifeblood means, “the indispensable factor or influence that gives something its strength and vitality.” While not stretching the meaning of this, it draws attention to the importance of children in a congregation. Children are vital to the growth of the church and the vitality of a congregation. A look back at Biblical history will reveal the importance of children. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). After the flood, God gave the same command to Noah and his sons (Gen. 9:1). The Psalmist had this to say, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Ps. 127:3). We know the love Christ had for children from the following verses:
“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:13-14).
Church pay attention to children. Some congregations are dying and you often hear “we just don’t have children in our congregation anymore.” The greatest sound in a church building is that of a child. I feel sorry for those preachers who dismiss the children to a class during the worship. Those preachers are missing out on the opportunity to hear the beautiful sound of a child who whispers to a parent during the sermon, or seeing a parent take a child out of the auditorium to correct the child and then bring it back in. Those preachers will not have the opportunity to influence those children in his congregation because they are not in the worship. Isn’t it great when little boys want to imitate the preacher?
Parents pay attention to your children. Are you feeding them spiritually? Many children miss Bible school and other activities of the congregation because they have their children so involved in secular activities. Parents remember the words of Solomon, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).
In worship one Sunday as the collection was being past a lady was searching her purse for something to put into the collection plate. A little boy noticed her and said, “Here, you put my dollar in, I can hide under the pew.”
Larry