Children:The Church of Tomorrow?
*Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (nkjv)
I am always annoyed when someone says that "children are the church of tomorrow". I totally disagree. If children are a not functioning part of the church today at some level and allowed/encouraged to participate, then they are apt to lose interest, being reduced to being a mere spectator. They will be ill prepared to be tomorrow's church leaders.
For example, a person who is always sitting "on the bench" and never allowed on the court to develop their skills, or build camaraderie with the team, cannot be expected to jump in at the last minute and be effective participant with any kind of confidence. They are at a disadvantage.
You may question the second part of the scripture and ask what happens when parents have reared their children to love the Lord, have modeled that in their daily lives, and their children still choose a different "lifestyle" when they get older? Well, the simple answer is that if they have been taught this things, it is still with them, even though they make a conscious decision to reject them. Each one has make that decision and commitment to follow Christ for themselves. Never give up on them. Pray, pray, and pray some more that the Holy Spirit will not allow them to rest until they make the decision for Christ.
Blessings.
~CWP~
*Some will recognize this as the scripture verse for the Sunshine Band, a children's ministry.
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