Ten Tips On Developing A Heart For The Lost In Kids
1: Your family is your first mission field. Share Jesus with your kids. As you read the Bible and pray with your children balance between talking to your kids about turning to Jesus and living for Jesus. As children grow it’ll become clearer whether they’ve understood God’s good news – it’s not what we’ve done, but what Jesus has done for us.
2: As a family pray for opportunities to share Jesus with friends and family.Pray as you go to parties, to extended family gatherings, on the way to the park…
3. Share with your children every opportunity God has given you to talk about Jesus. Encourage your children to do the same. Share your joys when things go well. And share your failures… when you’ve failed to open your mouth, when you’ve not known what to say, when you regret what you’ve said… Be real and honest.
4: Adopt a missionary as a family. Write letters to, draw pictures for, send gifts to, Skype, pray for, read newsletters from, place their picture on your fridge, learn about the country they live in and what they do there…
5: Do mission together as a family. Look for mission-focused program you can become active members of: Playtime, Music & Movement, Kids Club…Go on mission together as a family: church-run holiday clubs or Scripture Union family missions that are run up and down the coast each Christmas holidays.
6: As a family sponsor kids (not your own) to go on camps and clubs so that they’ll get to hear about Jesus. Set aside time and petrol money in the family budget to be the family taxis that gets kids to and from mission programs. Ask opened ended questions in the car so that the kids (yours and those who you’ve offered to transport) talk about what they’ve been learning.
7: Learn simple gospel outlines as a family. An easy outline can be a simply drawing (e.g. Bridge to Life), a series of colours (e.g. The Wordless Book) or an action chant: God made it (one thumb up) He owns it (both thumbs up) We broke it (both thumbs down) He fixed it (both thumbs up again)
8: Talk about how to answer difficult questions that may be asked when sharing Jesus. Open the Bible and role-play possible answers.
9: Memorise verses of scripture that summarise the gospel:
John 3:16 John14:6
John 20:31 Acts 2:21 Acts 10:43
Acts 16:31 Acts 17:30 Romans 5:8 Romans 6:23 Romans 10:9
Titus 3:5 Ephesians 2:8-9
10: Remind your children that no one can make another person a Christian – God does that. Nor is anyone the reason why someone does not turn to Jesus. But we can make Jesus look attractive if we live our lives loving and obeying Jesus. We first tell people how good Jesus is by the way we live… the way we love others, obey our teachers, play fair, speak the truth, say sorry quickly, don’t hit back… Jn 13:35
Written by Sandy Galea © 2015 Kidswise. Sandy is the Children’s Minister at MBM Rooty Hill Anglican Church.
Recommended Resources:
* Who Will Be King? (a gospel track for kids aged 7yrs & up)
* Gumtree Gully by Kel Richards (an engaging fable set in the Australian bush that seeks to illustrate the gospel for kids, available: www.matthiasmedia.com.au)
* The Amazing Rescue by Quizworx (great comic for kids 7 yrs & up, available www.quizworx.com)
* Case For Christ For Kids by Lee Strobel (a great read for kids aged 7-11, that answers big questions about Jesus existence, his ministry, his miracles, his resurrection… available www.reformers.org.au)
