We have just started using some new music in children's ministry. The kids LOVE it!
The music comes from Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK.
Kids on the Move website
You can also find it on iTunes
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Leading Your Child to Christ - Part 2
A great friend of mine in children's ministry, Pat Holland, saw on Facebook that I had led my son, Jayden to Christ recently. She also has a blog and she asked me if she could interview me for her blog. I was certainly glad to help and it was fun to share our story on her blog. And I thought it would be great to share the story with all of you. Be sure to check out Pat's website: http://www.letusteachkids.com
"Pastor Jason Yon and his wife Amy have been my friends for
years. I've had them in my home and love this precious couple. Recently
Pastor Jason had the privilege of leading his young son to Christ. It
was so moving that I immediately asked him if he would share it as a
guests on my blog. He agreed. Here's that conversation.
I understand you just led your son in accepting Christ as his Savior. I was moved to tears when you told about it on facebook. Would you share it with my friends?
- My son, Jayden (5 years old), had been having a difficult week that week obeying his teacher at Pre-K as well as my wife and I. Last Thursday, he had a particularly rough day doing things he knew he wasn’t allowed to do and lying to his mom once and then lying to me that he didn’t lie to mom. Poor kid. Anyway, I knew he had lied to me when he did it because my wife told me what happened earlier in the day. So, when he did, I called him on it and his heart broke. It was Easter weekend and so it was a perfect opportunity to talk about what Jesus did for him. We talked about Jayden’s sin, how bad he felt about it and that God wanted to forgive his sin. We also knew what the punishment his mom and I were going to give him for his disobedience and lying, so I used to opportunity to illustrate to him what “Grace” is. I told him that he deserves to be punished for what he did wrong, but we were going to give him grace just like God gives us grace. He then decided that he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to forgive him and be his savior.
Leading a child to Christ is really important stuff. It’s the most important decision they’ll ever make. Shouldn’t I leave that job to the professional—the children’s pastor?
- You are correct, leading a child to Christ is not only really important stuff, it’s the MOST important thing in anyone’s life. And because it is so important, it SHOULD be the parent who should lead their child to Christ. God gave parents the specific responsibility to train their children spiritually and to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. (Deut 6) That relationship begins with Salvation and I believe parents are the best person to help children begin that relationship. The job of the children’s pastor is to come along-side a parent, to help them lead their child to Jesus, train them how to have the conversation, give them tools to assist them in the process.
The day when a child accepts Jesus as their Savior is the most important moment of a child’s life. That moment should be shared with and cherished by their parents.(Luke 2:51-52)
So does that mean you, as the children’s pastor never offer opportunities for children to accept Jesus at church or special events?
- Absolutely not. Our goal as a church is to help every parent to be the best spiritual leader for their family in their home. However, we have some children that visit our church or attend one of our events who do not have Christian parents at home and we do not want to miss the opportunity to lead them to Christ. However, as a church, we are doing everything we can to inspire, equip, and assist parents to lead their own children to Christ at home BEFORE we offer the opportunity at church.
Can I really lead my child in making a decision for Christ? What if I make a mistake?
- You certainly can lead your child in making a decision for Christ. You don’t have to be a “professional” (Or a pastor). It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can begin by sharing your own personal story with your child of when you accepted Christ. They need to understand they have sinned, that sin separates us from God, and Jesus died so that we could be forgiven for our sins. The way we accept Him as our Savior is to simply ABC- Admit, Believe, Confess. Admit you are a sinner, Believe Jesus died for your sins, Confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
How do I know if my child is ready to accept Christ? How important is timing in this talk with my child?
- I believe timing is somewhat important. This is also why I believe it is best for the parent to have the conversation rather than a children’s pastor. No one knows your child’s heart better than you do.
A few weeks ago, my son and I were on our way to school and he was asking a lot of questions about sin and salvation and I could tell then that he was getting close to reaching out to Christ and understanding his need to pray the prayer. I considered keeping him out of school to continue the conversation, but I just felt in my spirit that he was just not quite there yet. But I knew he was close and that I needed to keep my spiritual antenna up for my son to capture the right moment or situation and seize that opportunity to lead him to the Lord. So, on that Thursday night when I knew Jayden had a rough day of sin in his life, I seized that “God Moment” and sat down with him and talked about what he had done, what Jesus had done for him, the gift of grace, and prayed with him.
What if they don’t want to pray that prayer with me?
- If for some reason your child does not want to pray with you, I would suggest going with your child to their children’s pastor and talking through it together. This should be a shared experience and you need to be the one to continue and encourage your child’s spiritual growth after their salvation experience with the help of your child’s children’s pastor.
I would like to add, don't push them. Don't feel like you failed. They may not be ready or they may not fully understand. The Word of God is seed and it may take some time to come up in their hearts. Continue to pray for them. Plant additional age appropriate seed as you see the opportunity.
What kind of follow up have you done with your son since he accepted Jesus that day?
- The first thing we did was celebrate at home. Jayden went upstairs and told his mommy and his sister what he had just done. We then called his grandparents and celebrated with them over the phone. I posted the news on Facebook and I showed Jayden everyone’s comments a day later. Jayden is also learning to read and he is really beginning to love it. (Praying that continues better for him that is did for his father). So we bought him his first full Bible (NIRV). And we have been reading it together every night. We also make sure that he shares with other adults that are close with him that he has accepted Christ – his teacher at school, his children’s pastor and Sunday School teachers, close friends of our family, etc.
Just to clarify the NIRV is the New International Reader's Version easy to read and understand. Thank you Pastor Jason. I appreciate your ministry to children so much. I'm absolutely thrilled that you had the opportunity to lead Jayden to Christ! Wow, what a privilege."
I understand you just led your son in accepting Christ as his Savior. I was moved to tears when you told about it on facebook. Would you share it with my friends?
- My son, Jayden (5 years old), had been having a difficult week that week obeying his teacher at Pre-K as well as my wife and I. Last Thursday, he had a particularly rough day doing things he knew he wasn’t allowed to do and lying to his mom once and then lying to me that he didn’t lie to mom. Poor kid. Anyway, I knew he had lied to me when he did it because my wife told me what happened earlier in the day. So, when he did, I called him on it and his heart broke. It was Easter weekend and so it was a perfect opportunity to talk about what Jesus did for him. We talked about Jayden’s sin, how bad he felt about it and that God wanted to forgive his sin. We also knew what the punishment his mom and I were going to give him for his disobedience and lying, so I used to opportunity to illustrate to him what “Grace” is. I told him that he deserves to be punished for what he did wrong, but we were going to give him grace just like God gives us grace. He then decided that he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to forgive him and be his savior.
Leading a child to Christ is really important stuff. It’s the most important decision they’ll ever make. Shouldn’t I leave that job to the professional—the children’s pastor?
- You are correct, leading a child to Christ is not only really important stuff, it’s the MOST important thing in anyone’s life. And because it is so important, it SHOULD be the parent who should lead their child to Christ. God gave parents the specific responsibility to train their children spiritually and to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. (Deut 6) That relationship begins with Salvation and I believe parents are the best person to help children begin that relationship. The job of the children’s pastor is to come along-side a parent, to help them lead their child to Jesus, train them how to have the conversation, give them tools to assist them in the process.
The day when a child accepts Jesus as their Savior is the most important moment of a child’s life. That moment should be shared with and cherished by their parents.(Luke 2:51-52)
So does that mean you, as the children’s pastor never offer opportunities for children to accept Jesus at church or special events?
- Absolutely not. Our goal as a church is to help every parent to be the best spiritual leader for their family in their home. However, we have some children that visit our church or attend one of our events who do not have Christian parents at home and we do not want to miss the opportunity to lead them to Christ. However, as a church, we are doing everything we can to inspire, equip, and assist parents to lead their own children to Christ at home BEFORE we offer the opportunity at church.
Can I really lead my child in making a decision for Christ? What if I make a mistake?
- You certainly can lead your child in making a decision for Christ. You don’t have to be a “professional” (Or a pastor). It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can begin by sharing your own personal story with your child of when you accepted Christ. They need to understand they have sinned, that sin separates us from God, and Jesus died so that we could be forgiven for our sins. The way we accept Him as our Savior is to simply ABC- Admit, Believe, Confess. Admit you are a sinner, Believe Jesus died for your sins, Confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
How do I know if my child is ready to accept Christ? How important is timing in this talk with my child?
- I believe timing is somewhat important. This is also why I believe it is best for the parent to have the conversation rather than a children’s pastor. No one knows your child’s heart better than you do.
A few weeks ago, my son and I were on our way to school and he was asking a lot of questions about sin and salvation and I could tell then that he was getting close to reaching out to Christ and understanding his need to pray the prayer. I considered keeping him out of school to continue the conversation, but I just felt in my spirit that he was just not quite there yet. But I knew he was close and that I needed to keep my spiritual antenna up for my son to capture the right moment or situation and seize that opportunity to lead him to the Lord. So, on that Thursday night when I knew Jayden had a rough day of sin in his life, I seized that “God Moment” and sat down with him and talked about what he had done, what Jesus had done for him, the gift of grace, and prayed with him.
What if they don’t want to pray that prayer with me?
- If for some reason your child does not want to pray with you, I would suggest going with your child to their children’s pastor and talking through it together. This should be a shared experience and you need to be the one to continue and encourage your child’s spiritual growth after their salvation experience with the help of your child’s children’s pastor.
I would like to add, don't push them. Don't feel like you failed. They may not be ready or they may not fully understand. The Word of God is seed and it may take some time to come up in their hearts. Continue to pray for them. Plant additional age appropriate seed as you see the opportunity.
What kind of follow up have you done with your son since he accepted Jesus that day?
- The first thing we did was celebrate at home. Jayden went upstairs and told his mommy and his sister what he had just done. We then called his grandparents and celebrated with them over the phone. I posted the news on Facebook and I showed Jayden everyone’s comments a day later. Jayden is also learning to read and he is really beginning to love it. (Praying that continues better for him that is did for his father). So we bought him his first full Bible (NIRV). And we have been reading it together every night. We also make sure that he shares with other adults that are close with him that he has accepted Christ – his teacher at school, his children’s pastor and Sunday School teachers, close friends of our family, etc.
Just to clarify the NIRV is the New International Reader's Version easy to read and understand. Thank you Pastor Jason. I appreciate your ministry to children so much. I'm absolutely thrilled that you had the opportunity to lead Jayden to Christ! Wow, what a privilege."
Kids "Concordance"
Do you ever go to the back of your Bible to the concordance to find something in the Bible about a certain topic? This resource is a Concordance made for elementary-age kids to help them do exactly that in a way they can understand.
My First Message Bible Search
is the perfect interactive companion to your child’s Bible. With over
40 situations common to elementary-aged children, Scripture references,
and activities, they’ll understand what the Bible means to them today.
They’ll also get a dictionary of cool words helpful for them to know.
You should be able to find this book in our Reflections Bookstore and if not, we can order it for you.
My First Message Bible Search
is the perfect interactive companion to your child’s Bible. With over
40 situations common to elementary-aged children, Scripture references,
and activities, they’ll understand what the Bible means to them today.
They’ll also get a dictionary of cool words helpful for them to know.You should be able to find this book in our Reflections Bookstore and if not, we can order it for you.
New Bible for Kids
A parent sent me a link to a website with a cool new Bible for kids."This Bible is designed for parents and children to seek answers from God’s Word on common sinful problems. Topics include: disobedience, selfishness, anger, complaining and fear.
The Child Training Bible makes it easy for parents to bring the truth of God’s Word into times of instruction
- Simply use the key on the inside-front cover of the CTB to locate the sinful behavior and find the section and color flags to go to.
- Read the highlighted verses with your child and explain what God says about the behavior that needs to be addressed.
This looks like a great tool for helping children find answers to life's questions and troubles in God's Word.
Thanks for the link Kim!
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Coolest Backpack Ever
i just read a great blog post that i thought would be great to share with you. A great friend of mine in children's ministry, Pat Holland, wrote about the "Coolest Backpack Ever". Its a great article about packing the tools for children for them to be successful.
http://letusteachkids.com/blog/18-the-coolest-backpack-ever.html
http://letusteachkids.com/blog/18-the-coolest-backpack-ever.html
Friday, March 16, 2012
"I Don’t Want to Raise a Good Child"
Lysa TerKeurst writes devotions for a blog called Proverbs 31 Ministries. Yesterday, a parent forwarded us an email of an excellent devotion about parenting a strong-willed child. We thought you might want to read it. Dads, this devotion was written to moms, but I believe you will get a lot of out it. The concept is not just for moms.
Click Here to read it
Click Here to read it
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Leading Your Child to Christ
I wanted to post a helpful tool for parents to guide you in leading your child to Christ when you think your child might be ready to pray and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Please post a comment if this is helpful for you and/or you just had the opportunity to pray with your child to accept Christ.
How do I know when?
Important things to look for:
Walk them through the following and help them understand:
How do I know when?
Important things to look for:
- Children begin asking questions about spiritual things.
- Children may experience a change of behavior indicating the Holy Spirit’s work in their life. Conviction may be playing a new role in their moods, attitudes, etc. These times should be authentic and not based on the threat of consequences.
- Children begin to go through prolonged periods of spiritual interest.
- Children begin to put pieces of their understanding together as it relates their personal relationship to God.
Walk them through the following and help them understand:
- God loves you and has a plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11, John 3:16)
- Everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
- What is sin? – Disobeying God; breaking God’s law; making a decision to do things which are wrong; knowing what is good to do but not doing it; not loving our neighbors.
- Ask your child to name sins he/she has made...
- Ask your child what the result of sin is? – death, separation from God
- What do we deserve? - death and separation from God
- What does God give? –
“the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23;
“but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 - God gives a free gift of salvation because of what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus lived a perfect life and then sacrificed His life for us on the cross to give us the ability to have a relationship with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- One Way: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6
- What do we need to do?
- Repent. “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out…” Acts 3:19
- Confess and Believe. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:9-10
- Pray. By their own choosing, a child must turn from sin and commit to Christ. The next step is for your child to pray, confessing his sin and asking God’s forgiveness. A model of what a child could say is below:
- Share with the church and friends – We want to celebrate with you!
- Get Baptized
- Baptism Class
- Sunday Morning Baptism
- Family Baptism Service
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