Dear Brethren,

Jesus, Friend of Children

“And they brought young children to him,
that he should touch them:
and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased,
and said unto them,
Suffer the little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not:
for of such is the kingdom of God.”
(Mark 10:13-14)

Our Church will organise a Vacation Bible School (VBS) this Saturday (31 May 2014). Why do we have this outreach to children? The reason is because Jesus is a Friend of children. Mark 10:13-14 tells us of our Saviour Jesus Christ who has a special compassionate heart for little children. He wants every child to trust in Him to have eternal life in Heaven.

Do you know the greatest cruelty that you can have towards a child is hindering one child believing or coming to the Lord Jesus Christ? Thank God for those who went forth in evangelism to sow the Gospel seed to invite children to come for the VBS. May I encourage you to pray and continue to reach out to invite your relatives’ and neighbours’ children to come for the VBS. To our young students in primary school, I am sure you can do your part too by asking your classmates to come for the VBS. Pray to God to give us a burden for souls and fulfill our responsibility before God to invite them to the VBS. This is the last week to do the invitation. Don’t waste the opportunity to do something good for the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is sad to note that there are Christian parents who do not care for the souls of their children. They spend hours in working and thinking that money will bring happiness to their children. Their only concern is that their children will score “As” in their examinations. A children’s hymn goes like this:

I’m not too young to sin,
I’m not too young to die,
I’m not too young to begin
A life of faith and joy.

I’m not too young to know
The Saviour’s love to me
In coming down to earth below
To die upon the tree.

When my daughter reached 3 years old about the age of accountability and understanding, I wasted no time to share the Gospel to her. It was a joy to lead each of my 2 daughters to Jesus Christ to pray with them the prayer of repentance and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Once a child learns to love Jesus, loving His Word is the natural next step.

“And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15)

I exhort every parent to put your child’s salvation as your priority and also guide and train them to grow spiritually in the Word of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6,

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Our Church has the Little Ark and Tabertots Sunday School classes with the same intent that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be shared to all the children in the earliest possible time. It is an important ministry of our Church. Our young ones need to be saved and then to grow in the Word of God. Little Ark and Tabertots classes are not a session for children to play and run around the classroom. It is spiritual work. Hence, pray for all the children’s salvation and that every teacher be faithful and zealous in the teaching of God’s Word. Parents must remind and teach their children to be serious and earnest to learn God’s Word in Sunday School classes. May the Lord bless and save all our children by His grace and mercy!

Elder John Leong