BRINGING CHILDREN TO THE LORD JESUS

“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them” (Mark 10:13 NKJV).

Our verse is about bringing children to the Lord Jesus Christ which is very important. When a child is saved, not only is a soul saved for eternity, but a life is also saved from waste. Thus, we want to note the opportunity, objective, and opposition to such action.

Opportunity - “Then they brought little children to Him.” These parents took advantage of the fact that the Lord Jesus was in the area and took their children to Him. Scripture says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6). When spiritual opportunities present themselves, we need to take advantage of them since we may not get such opportunities again. Further, the best time to bring a person to Christ, to teach them the right way, is when they are young. You can mold clay when it is soft and pliable, but when it hardens it becomes very difficult to change.

Objective – “That He might touch them.” These parents wanted their children to come in contact with the Lord Jesus Christ. Many parents will take their children everywhere else except to the Lord Jesus. They want their children to be in touch with all the activities of the world and with the stars of the world. But they never take their children to the Lord Jesus to get in contact with Him. However, the greatest need of our children is for them to have contact with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Opposition – “The disciples rebuked those that brought them.” Whenever we set out to do something good, we will always encounter opposition. And sometimes that opposition will come from the most unlikely places; in this case it is the Lord Jesus’ own disciples. But we should not let opposition stop us when it comes to taking our children to the Lord. Some may frown on our zeal in teaching our children about the Lord Jesus, but we should not let this keep us from doing the noble task of taking our children to the Lord Jesus.

(Adapted from Butler’s Sermon Starters Vol. 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches!”

Charles Hodge (1797 – 1878)

Reformed Presbyterian Theologian and Seminary Principal

Word Study

Excuse (have nothing to do with / reject)

In 1 Tim. 4:7 read, “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness!" (NASB).

Excuse (have nothing to do with / reject) is the Greek word paraitéomai (παραιτέομαι = par-ahee-teh'-om-ahee). It is made up of two words: “pará” which means alongside, and “aitéo” which means to ask or beg. Literally, the word means to ask alongside. Thus, it is to seek to turn aside by asking. In classical Greek, paraitéomai carries the idea of entreaty, or asking. It could also means refuse or decline. In the Septuagint paraitéomai also carries the idea of entreaty or asking. In the New Testament paraitéomai spoke of refusing or making excuses. The word is also a present imperative which means that the apostle Paul was commanding Timothy to make it his habit to refuse “worldly fables.” With this command the apostle Paul reaffirms his rejection of myth and underscores his commitment to Christianity’s sound doctrine.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things” (Joel 2:21 KJV).

Did You Know…

The Book of Philemon was written to deal with the problem of a runaway slave (Philem. 1).

Bible Quiz

What happened to the golden calf idol that the Israelites made in the desert?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What happened when Peter was talking to the people who had gathered at the house of Cornelius? The Holy Spirit came to those who heard the message (Acts 10:46).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“MESSIAH”

"The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things!” (John 4:25 NKJV).

1. Meaning – MESSIAH speaks of the Lord Jesus as the coming One from the Davidic line who would explain and restore all things.

2. Insights – The name “MESSIAH” is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word “Māshîach” and means “the Anointed One.” The Samaritans also expected a coming Messianic leader. However, they did not expect Him to be an anointed king from the Davidic line since they rejected all of the Old Testament except the Pentateuch. They did expect a Moses-like figure (cf. Deut. 18:15-18) whom they called “the Restorer” who would solve all their problems. The woman believed that the coming One called Christ, would make plain many things, and would declare many things.

Did You Know – Christian History

Titus Coan was born on February 1, 1801, in Killingworth, Connecticut. He was an American minister and Christian missionary to the Hawaiian Islands.

The son of a Connecticut farmer, Coan attended East Guilford Academy. Conversion came during the course of a revival with Charles Finney in Western New York. Though he had interest in pursuing a future in business, Coan felt a strong call into ministry. He began ministry studies at Auburn Seminary in June of 1831. Coan was ordained in April 1833, and in August of that year sailed on a mission trip to Patagonia (a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile) for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

In 1834 Coan married Fidelia Church and sailed to Hawaii as a missionary. As soon as he had mastered the language, he declared his intention to visit every one of the 16,000 people on Hilo Island. Determined to conduct sound follow-up work and to pray intelligently, he made systematic notes on each person he met. In future tours, he would check up on each person and update his notes.

Wherever Coan went, men and women fell under conviction. The classic signs of revival followed. People cried out for mercy. Panting to hear more of God, they ran from meeting to meeting. They studied the Word late into the night and then rose early the next day to seek God anew. Prayer services ran for hours. Friends led the blind and carried the lame to church so they would not miss the opportunity of salvation. Hardened sinners turned their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thousands turned from wicked deeds. In the two year period 1837-38, so many converts were added to Coan’s church that it became the biggest single congregation in the world. By 1870 it had 13,000 members. No one was admitted to membership until he or she proved over a period of several months that their repentance was sincere. A check of the trusty notebooks told the story.

Coan always hoped to “to die in the field with armor on, with weapons bright.” That wish was granted. He suffered a stroke in the midst of a revival. He died on December 1, 1882, praising God. He had seen 70% of Hilo’s population turn to the Lord Jesus.

A Little Humor

The story is told about a grandpa who won $100,000.00 in a sweepstakes. The family knew that he had a bad heart, so were afraid to tell him. They decided to let the preacher tell him since “he had a way with words.” So, the preacher was sitting on the porch with the old man, and he asked him, “If you won $100,000.00, what would you do with it?” the old man said, “I would give it all to the church.” And the preacher fell dead!

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“People may laugh themselves into hell but never laugh themselves out!”