When are children too young to hear the Gospel?

Carl Emerson

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Do we share a different Gospel with the very young?

Do we appropriately emphasise the love of God and leave out the judgement of God.

"Allow the little children to come unto me..."

What do we say to them about Jesus without it being inappropriate.

I am thinking of ages around 6.
 
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Pavel Mosko

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I don't know... it seems like the Sunday School materials, and Bible story books that I grew up with did a decent job at presenting the Bible in a simplified and engaging way.

Now sermons were a different matter. The Lutheran church pastors had pastors that were dry and boring even for adults, but they had the sense to send the kids to the children's Bible study that was basically like Sunday school only with cookies, cake, milk, punch and other treats, and well that seemed to work well enough. I think I had a much better time there than my parents did in the Wednesday night study.
 
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ViaCrucis

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Do we share a different Gospel with the very young?

Do we appropriately emphasise the love of God and leave out the judgement of God.

"Allow the little children to come unto me..."

What do we say to them about Jesus without it being inappropriate.

I am thinking of ages around 6.

There has never been a time in my life that I haven't believed. My mom sang to me, and both my parents taught me stories from the Bible and told me about God's love in Jesus--the Gospel--from the time I was in diapers, or even when I was still in the womb.

Our Lord said to suffer not the little children to come to Him. Parents brought their young infants to Him, and He blessed them.

There is no inappropriate age. The word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.

Just earlier today I was thinking about a dream I had when I was a small child, it's the oldest dream I can remember, and is one of my oldest memories--I was maybe three or four years old. In that dream I was in a small simple room, with small tables with high chairs with other children my age at each table. Sitting at the table I asked the other child at my table what was going on, to which they responded that Jesus was here to give us His cup. Jesus came to my table, I don't remember any of the other children at this point, but there was Jesus, full of love, and a cup in front of me. I don't remember Jesus saying anything, but I knew that here was His cup and I could drink from it, or not. Then woke up.

I try not to put stock into dreams, visions, and personal experiences. But this particular dream has always stuck with me the entirety of my life. Maybe it means nothing, maybe it means something--but it certainly has always meant something to me personally.

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
infant_baptism-600x398.jpg


-CryptoLutheran
 
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Hank77

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3f27fcff629ec923a0c1e72decd74c62--prayers-for-children-little-golden-books.jpg

My great-grandma introduced me to the Lord when I was under 4 yrs. old. This is the exact book of prayers that she gave me as well as other children's books with stories from the Bible, at 5 she gave me my first Bible with Jesus' words in red. I still remember one of the prayers in that book, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. :)
I think she gave me a good foundation for later understanding the full gospel message.
 
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Pop D.

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My mother was taking me to church from a very young age (3, I think), and while it took me most my life to truly turn to the Lord things I learned during my formative years were critical to my salvation.
 
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Hammster

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Do we share a different Gospel with the very young?

Do we appropriately emphasise the love of God and leave out the judgement of God.

"Allow the little children to come unto me..."

What do we say to them about Jesus without it being inappropriate.

I am thinking of ages around 6.
Catechize them from birth. :)
 
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RDKirk

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My daughter had heard her mother prayers enough by age 4 that once she saw me clearly unhappy, she laid a chubby hand on arm and gave a simple prayer to cheer me up (which it did).

My daughter understood her mother's bible lessons well enough by age 5 that she recognized on her own that The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe was about Jesus.
 
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Rene Loup

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I know of a Bible version called the International Children's Bible. It is a third grade reading level and would be a good start for their Bible study.[1] My mentor recommends picture Bibles, especially in graphic novel form.

Bible Gateway passage: John 3:16 - International Children’s Bible

Here is also my mentor's advice on raising children:

When raising a child with Biblical values, it's important to teach them critical thinking rather than have them parrot all of your values. By doing so, they will be better prepared for when their faith gets challenged in the real world. The most important thing to teach your kids is the reason for their faith by asking, "Why are you here?" The answer is simple: Jesus Christ.

Provide them an intellectual challenge rather than discouraging them from asking questions. When they ask questions you should be honest while keeping it age appropriate, maintain your integrity by admitting you don't know everything, and do NOT lose your temper with them. An example would be the story of Jonah and the whale. It is scientifically impossible for a man to remain in a large fish's digestive system for three days with limited oxygen. However, the answer to that sort of question is this: With God, all things are possible. It takes faith to accept the things that are not scientifically understandable at the time. Science itself is not infallible and is subject to change over time, so this is where faith comes in. Social science is a better way of proving the Bible correct as it supports the Biblical view of human nature very easily.

Ultimately, the most important documents for teaching are the four Gospels of the Bible. Use them to teach about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Encourage them to read the Bible and to use critical thinking to come up with their own conclusions. Bible verses that seemingly contradict each other require the critical thinking skills to see the much larger picture of what the Bible is trying to say. Teach them about the hard and soft virtues for a more balanced view of God.

If accused of indoctrinating your own children, tell them, "Yes, I am indoctrinating my own kids. If I do not, then someone else WILL."
  1. What are the reading levels of the Bibles on Bible Gateway?
 
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Paidiske

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There are, perhaps, ways to think about being age-appropriate. I think, for example, of a church I knew of some years ago where the minister showed part of the Passion of the Christ at a Good Friday service with very young children present. Some of the parents were upset because they felt their children were too young to watch something so brutal, and they found it overwhelming and distressing. It's probably not necessary to do that in order to share the part of the gospel that is about Christ's death.

That's just an example, but there are probably other ways we need to think about what children are able to handle.
 
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Carl Emerson

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There are, perhaps, ways to think about being age-appropriate. I think, for example, of a church I knew of some years ago where the minister showed part of the Passion of the Christ at a Good Friday service with very young children present. Some of the parents were upset because they felt their children were too young to watch something so brutal, and they found it overwhelming and distressing. It's probably not necessary to do that in order to share the part of the gospel that is about Christ's death.

That's just an example, but there are probably other ways we need to think about what children are able to handle.

Yes... that was in part what I was thinking about...
 
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Carl Emerson

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How about the plight of the unsaved?

Jesus had them on His knee and loved them...

I think they would have ran to mum if He mentioned hell fire...

What is an appropriate age to introduce the consequences for not accepting the Gospel?
 
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RDKirk

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There are, perhaps, ways to think about being age-appropriate. I think, for example, of a church I knew of some years ago where the minister showed part of the Passion of the Christ at a Good Friday service with very young children present. Some of the parents were upset because they felt their children were too young to watch something so brutal, and they found it overwhelming and distressing. It's probably not necessary to do that in order to share the part of the gospel that is about Christ's death.

That's just an example, but there are probably other ways we need to think about what children are able to handle.

What are they watching on television?
 
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Paidiske

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What are they watching on television?

Knowing the parents in question, I'm pretty sure it was nothing comparable to the scenes in that film. (I mean, we are talking pre-school age).
 
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RDKirk

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How about the plight of the unsaved?

Jesus had them on His knee and loved them...

I think they would have ran to mum if He mentioned hell fire...

What is an appropriate age to introduce the consequences for not accepting the Gospel?

Do you think young children back then did not see animals slaughtered? Or never saw dead human bodies?
 
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RDKirk

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I know of a Bible version called the International Children's Bible. It is a third grade reading level and would be a good start for their Bible study.[1] My mentor recommends picture Bibles, especially in graphic novel form.

Bible Gateway passage: John 3:16 - International Children’s Bible

Here is also my mentor's advice on raising children:



If accused of indoctrinating your own children, tell them, "Yes, I am indoctrinating my own kids. If I do not, then someone else WILL."
  1. What are the reading levels of the Bibles on Bible Gateway?

There is always "indoctrination" going on, and it's more obvious now than ever.

In the US Army, "indoctrination" is not a bad word. It's an entire department.
 
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Landon Caeli

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Do we share a different Gospel with the very young?

Do we appropriately emphasise the love of God and leave out the judgement of God.

"Allow the little children to come unto me..."

What do we say to them about Jesus without it being inappropriate.

I am thinking of ages around 6.

I started Catholic school in first grade... I recommend 1st grade - that's 6 or 7.
 
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ViaCrucis

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How about the plight of the unsaved?

Jesus had them on His knee and loved them...

I think they would have ran to mum if He mentioned hell fire...

What is an appropriate age to introduce the consequences for not accepting the Gospel?

I wouldn't be teaching my children (if the Lord one day blesses me to be a father that is) that if they don't do X, Y, or Z then they will experience torturous hellfire; but that is because I don't believe in that.

That isn't what I believe about the nature and reality of hell as a concept; or that God goes around throwing non-believers into fiery pits of torment. I believe the reality of hell is far more sobering and sad than that, I think that what the Scriptures teach, and what the Church has very frequently taught, is more serious than how it is frequently presented in modern times.

I will, however, teach my children of the seriousness of sin, of the seriousness of God's Law, the truth of our sinfulness and unrighteousness before the Law; and of the glorious grace of God's saving power through the Gospel. I want them to hear the word of God in truth and in love. The same as I would want for anyone.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Carl Emerson

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I wouldn't be teaching my children (if the Lord one day blesses me to be a father that is) that if they don't do X, Y, or Z then they will experience torturous hellfire; but that is because I don't believe in that.

That isn't what I believe about the nature and reality of hell as a concept; or that God goes around throwing non-believers into fiery pits of torment. I believe the reality of hell is far more sobering and sad than that, I think that what the Scriptures teach, and what the Church has very frequently taught, is more serious than how it is frequently presented in modern times.

I will, however, teach my children of the seriousness of sin, of the seriousness of God's Law, the truth of our sinfulness and unrighteousness before the Law; and of the glorious grace of God's saving power through the Gospel. I want them to hear the word of God in truth and in love. The same as I would want for anyone.

-CryptoLutheran

Thanks for your comments...

What about the consequences of sin?

What about the consequences of rejecting Jesus?
 
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