“Then people brought little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.’ When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.” (Matthew 19:13-15)
Jesus had a special place in His heart for children. He rebuked His disciples for seeing the children as lesser or even as a distraction to His ministry. He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” Jesus embraced children, He loved children, and He even called His disciples to have child-like hearts! (Mark 10:15) How very different this is from many people’s hearts toward children today.
Sadly, since the beginning of time, Satan has targeted children. In Moses’ generation, because God’s people, the Israelites, were growing fast
and becoming a threat to Pharaoh’s Egyptian empire, innocent male children were thrown into the Nile River to either drown or be eaten by
crocodiles. In Jesus’ generation, male babies got murdered because Herod caught wind of a future King to be born in Bethlehem. So he perceived Jesus to be a threat to his rule. By killing the male babies, Herod thought He could kill Jesus. These babies did nothing wrong and were not responsible for hurting anyone. But in Satan’s plot to eliminate any future hope for God’s people, zeroing in on children was paramount.
As much as God does not change, (Malachi 3:6) neither does Satan. The strategy of Satan is the same today as it was yesterday and the day
before. Today, according to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 73 million induced abortions per year. That equals about
200,000 abortions per day. In North America, 20 percent of all pregnancies get aborted. That is one out of every five pregnancies. Why are
they aborted? For the mother’s safety? For economic reasons? Sure. But mostly, these children are aborted because their parents want to live
sinfully and selfishly without consequence. Once more, this furthers Satan’s agenda at the expense of innocent children.
These statistics are shocking, but we are only talking about babies that don’t make it to birth. Sadly children are forced to endure another as they enter their developmental years. They have to face being indoctrinated by political and LGBTQ+ agendas. They are also exposed to
sexual ideologies earlier than ever before. Some even get abused and exploited. This attack is all just a part of Satan’s overall plan to harm children because children represent purity, hope, and the future of God’s people. So it’s no wonder Jesus had such a profound place in His heart for children!
In God’s Kingdom, we must have Jesus’ heart toward children! Jesus never viewed children as a hindrance but rather as an opportunity to
“start [them] off on the way they should go.” (Proverbs 22:6) And in our children’s ministry, or as we affectionately call it, “Kingdom Kids,” we aim to start children off in Christianity! Kingdom Kids is not a babysitting service; it is a training opportunity. And although no one will get baptized through the immediate teaching efforts of the Kingdom Kids teachers, the hope is that each child will one day be baptized as an adult and lead many others to do the same!
Tragically, I have heard reports of disciples having bad attitudes when asked to serve in Kingdom Kids. As a parent, this is heartbreaking, as I
want my kids to learn to love God’s Kingdom as much as I do. And as an Evangelist, it is disturbing to hear that fellow disciples think they can serve Jesus without having the same attitude and heart toward children that Jesus did. Jesus would rebuke you if he was here! Children are special, and even more so to God!
I praise God for each Kids Kingdom teacher who gives their whole heart to training children in the way they should go. It warms my heart as
a parent to know that my kids are being loved and trained in God’s Word! But more than that, it encourages me to see disciples sharing in Jesus’ ministry with the same heart as Jesus!
Therefore, if you get asked to serve in Kingdom Kids, I pray that you see it as a tremendous honour. For you will be allowed to serve the children, their parents, and most of all, the Lord! And because Satan wants to impact our kids negatively, it is all the more important that we show them the love of Jesus in a positive way! And so, as Jesus so passionately stated, I pray that when asked to serve in Kingdom Kids, you will also say, “Let the children come to me!” And to God be all the glory!
Evan Bartholomew