We love children at Glory of Christ Fellowship. We love fathers and mothers and seeing them prosper in their marriages for the good of their homes and the good of their children. We love family at GCF, family the way God outlines in his holy Word, the Bible. Oh, did I mention that we love the Bible at GCF? We believe it is God’s authoritative Word through which he rules and reigns over his people as they respond to him by faith. We also believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, which means that the bible “contains all the words of God that he intended his people to have in each stage of redemptive history” and that it “contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.”
We believe that children are a blessing from God (Psalm 127:3-5) and we receive them as such. Jesus told us that children have things to teach us about the kingdom, namely, childlike faith and humility, just like we have things to teach them (Matthew 18:1-6). We believe that while children are precious and endearing they are born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; 58:3) and need Jesus to save them from their sins (Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-13). Jesus taught his disciples to “let the little children come to me” (Mark 10:13-16) and from this we glean that it is never too young for us to point a child’s heart to the living Christ in hopes that God will begin his work of salvation in their hearts. This can be done through age appropriate Bible teaching and fellowship within the body of Christ where a child is surrounded with other believers who love Jesus and model living faith (Philippians 4:9; 1 Timothy 4:12).
We are strongly convicted at our church that parents are called to disciple their children. This begins with God’s law being on the parents heart, teaching God’s truth formally and informally throughout the natural course of life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), blessing God and worshipping him (Psalm 103:1-2, 13), telling the next generation the glorious deeds of the Lord (Psalm 78:1-8), and modeling faith in Jesus Christ in numerous ways such as knowing and doing God’s word (James 1:22-25), setting up Ebenezer stone equivalents (Joshua 4:1-7; 1 Samuel 7:12-13), and believing in the gospel by modeling repentance and dependence on God’s promises of eternal life in Christ (Acts 2:38; 2 Peter 1:3-4).
In addition to parents being called to disciple their children, we believe parents are primary in the task of discipling their children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 78:1-8; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21). We further believe there is a particular need for children to be discipled as early as possible. Proverbs tells us that folly is bound up in the heart of a child but the rod of discipline drives it far away from him (Proverbs 22:15). Proverbs 22:6 calls God’s people to train children in the way they should go instead of allowing them to persist in their own way, which is not directed to God as a consequence of original sin (Psalm 14:1-3). Proverbs also warns parents who are reluctant to provide stern and loving discipline to their child, suggesting that the failure to intervene in a child’s natural waywardness is hatred (Proverbs 13:24). Implied in this is the parent’s responsibility to diligently point the child in the direction of God.
At the same time, we believe the church has an important role in developing disciples for the glory of Jesus. The command to make disciples was given to the church (Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 16:18). Furthermore we see that the bride of Christ, the church, will endure throughout eternity on the New Earth while family will cease to be after Christ returns (Revelation 21:9; Luke 20:34-35; Matthew 10:34; Matthew 12:46-50). In other words, we believe that parents are primary in the discipleship of their own children but the church gladly accepts its role to make disciples and assist parents in their task. God has equipped the church with many gifted people who love Jesus (1 Corinthians 12) and therefore it must assume its own responsibility to partner with parents and help raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
In Psalm 103 we see king David say: “Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name.” To bless the Lord means to speak well of him, to praise him and give him the honor and glory that he deserves. Psalm 34:1 tells us that blessing God and praising him are basically one in the same “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” To teach Sunday School at GCF is to teach the Word of God to children. It is to bless the Lord, O my soul in the presence of impressionable people. This is no small thing, it is God’s word that we are commending, it “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). In Psalm 19 David declares God’s word to be perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, enlightening, and altogether righteous. David sees God’s word as having the ability to diagnose sins even when they are not discernable by himself (verse 12). The outcome of God’s law to the heart is restoration to the living God, including a desire to please him (verse 14). In 2 Peter 1:3-4 we are told that God’s promises, which are revealed through Scripture, provide believers with everything needed for life, godliness and becoming partakers of the divine nature. In this, Scripture provides both the diagnoses of the human condition: hidden sin and the goal of discipleship: becoming partakers of the divine nature. When 2 Timothy 3:16-17 indicates that Scripture is breathed by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness they are also describing the means whereby the man of God becomes complete and equipped for every good work.
Brothers and sisters, I hope I have made my case. To teach Sunday school is the opportunity to utilize the most powerful resource (the Bible), for the highest task in the history of the world (making disciples and glorifying Jesus) to some of the very most precious and strategic people who are in our church (children).
My prayer is that you are stirred by this call. And speaking of call, it is my hope that my phone will be ringing off the hook with people wanting to volunteer for teaching children from God’s holy Word.
With high hopes for a high calling,
Pastor Kevin
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