For some reason, in our area of ministry, many adults do not believe or do not give children a chance to accept salvation in Jesus Christ. When Christian was here, he faced this head-on. There were approximately 25 children and 3 adults that came to hear what he had to say about God’s Word and salvation. At the end, he asked if anyone wanted to pray to receive Christ. Several of the children and adults wanted to pray. As they were about to pray, the headman said, “no, these children cannot.” Christian with a great amount of boldness told him that Jesus said, “let the little children come unto ME.” He was bold and didn’t back down and the headman understood and allowed it. The children prayed with great joy and happiness.
Again, this brings about another question. “Why don’t they think that children can come to know Jesus?” Many times when we ask our friends about their testimony of salvation, a majority of them prayed to receive Christ when they were 12 years or older. When asked why they were older, they simply don’t know. Praise the Lord that they came to Christ but why weren’t they given the opportunity at a younger age. Do they not think that a child can make a choice to follow God or Satan? There is a story to illustrate that children CAN choose.
Paul came to work yesterday, June 14, with a story from his home. He told us that when he arrived home from work on the 13th he didn’t find his boys at home. He began to ask his neighbors where the boys had gone and when they left. After searching, he found his boys had gone to their friend’s house. Here is the account of what happened at their friend’s house. The boy told his boys to come to his house to “play”. When they got there the little boy (8 or 9 years old) told them that they could play and if they wanted to go somewhere he could make an airplane, car, or an ox cart for them to go in. Paul’s boys were a bit amazed and wondering if this was true. He told them that they could draw a cross on the ground and 4 of them could stand at the ends of the cross points and they would start to move around the circle and then they would end up in Malawi or Mozambique. The boy instructed Paul’s sons to stand on the points and his boys said, “NO!” He told them since it was daytime, he couldn’t go alone because it would take him under the water at the river and the crocodiles would eat him, but if they came with him they would fly somewhere on the “airplane”. His boys told him that they didn’t want to go anywhere. The boy then told them that he could make an ox cart for them to play in. Immediately he began to pinch his body and move around. He then bent over and out of nowhere came an ox cart. Paul’s boys then knew that something was not right. The boy encouraged Paul’s sons to get in the ox cart and immediately they ran away from the boy. As his sons ran away, the ox cart and the boy came down the road after them. The boy yelled for them to stop and told them that he wanted to play. The boys stopped and turned around and saw the boy get out of the cart and it began to roll away then it completely disappeared from the road. His sons began running again. They were afraid. When they saw their Daddy at home they began to tell him about their day and how afraid they were. Paul spends a good amount of time with his 5 sons teaching them God’s Word and they were afraid of this “magic” that this boy was doing. The next day the boy came to Paul’s house again wanting to play and when the children saw him, they all scattered into the village to get away from him. A man on the road asked them why they were running and they said, “that boy does magic and we are afraid of him.”
“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the dept of the sea.” Matthew 18:1-6
Back to the question at hand, can a child come to understand and know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior? Well, look at this young boy already steeped in magic and witchcraft. He is 8 and has perfected these things that he has been taught. He has been taught evil and believes in it. Paul’s sons have heard God’s Word and know the difference in good and evil and at the sight of this magic they ran away.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
Jesus said, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Mark 10:14b-15
The answer to the question is, yes a child can come to know Jesus and understand salvation. If a child can know and understand Satan and his evil ways, a child can know freedom, hope, love, joy, and peace that is found in Jesus alone. May we never miss an opportunity to share Christ with anyone no matter their age.
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