It saddens me when I see children
that have never heard about Jesus.
Never!
I taught in our VBS last summer. One lesson was on the Crucifixion. I prayed that I would explain the Gospel clearly to my class of 4 and 5 year olds. We had a newcomer that day, so I had to give a bit of a review for them. The five year old girl said she had not heard any stories about Jesus, and she didn't think her big sister (in another class) had either.
"Have you heard the story about Baby Jesus at Christmas - of the angels singing to the shepherds, of the wisemen following a star to find Baby Jesus?"
She shook her head.
Sigh . . .I thought, 'Where do I begin?' How can teach about the Crucifixion to a little child who doesn't have ANY idea who Jesus is - in only a half hour? I had to start at the beginning.
"Jesus is God's Son. God made this earth. He made the sun and stars, the animals and trees. He made people, but the people didn't obey him. We call that sin. God lives in Heaven and wants people to live there with Him when they die, but there's a problem.
"God can't let any sin in Heaven, not any sin at all. He hates sin. Everyone has done bad things - getting angry, telling a lie, not obeying their parents. Nobody is good enough to go to Heaven. God said the punishment for sin is death, or to be separated from God in an awful place called hell.
"God doesn't want people to go to Hell, so He made a way for us to go to Heaven. He sent His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus came as a little baby, but He grew and grew to be a man. He told us all about God. He told us that God loves us. Jesus told us that He loves us, too. Jesus never sinned. He never did anything bad. He obeyed God all the time.
"Remember, the punishment for sin is death. Jesus loved us so much that He took our punishment for us. Some people didn't like Jesus. They were angry because He said He was the Son of God, but He was telling the truth. They were so angry that they nailed him on a cross to die. Jesus didn't do anything wrong, but He died instead of us. He took the punishment for our sins, so that we can go to Heaven.
"Jesus didn't stay dead. He is God. He came alive again and went back up to Heaven. If we are sorry for our sins, if we believe that Jesus is God and wants to forgive us, then someday we will go to Heaven with Him."
It was a lot for a little one to understand all at once, but it's a beginning. Maybe the next time she hears the name of Jesus, she'll remember what I've told her.
It's sad that in our country of the United States, a nation that was established on Christian principles, has gotten so far from the Bible. Our country, which once sent thousands of missionaries to foreign lands, is now in need of missionaries itself.
It must sadden Jesus to see that the children are being turned away from Him, just as they were when He was on earth. How it must grieve Him!
Are there children in your neighborhood who have never heard about Jesus?
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8 comments:
I didn't know who He was (other than a curse word) until I was in my teens - and even then, as you know, it was just a head knowledge (if I even believed it was more than fiction). Breaks my heart too.
I thought it sad that today's churched children are not learning the old Sunday School songs I grew up with, but this is far sadder. Thanks for the eye opener.
Thank you, Lord for the
witness to this little girl.
Praying for her.
Sunny
Great post today. I know my pastor says every time he preaches he teaches because so many people don't know Bible stories any more. You are making me very grateful today for a mama who taught me so well and help me know Jesus. Thank you!
A seed has been planted Yvonne.
Nice, simple answer for little. It is especially sad that a child - anyone - in the USA has never heard of Jesus.
My husband stopped at a convenience store and was led to witness to a couple of 20-somethings checking out behind him.
To his surprise and dismay, they DID NOT KNOW anything about Jesus. Had never heard of Him outside of a curse word casually spoken.
We must step outside our comfort zones and realize that the mission field IS outside our front doors.
Thanks, Niki
That is so sad. I agree with you. We need to see our neighbors through God's eyes and speak to those around us.
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