I have always liked the following passage from 1 Corinthians:
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. [1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ESV]
Those of who are parents and/or work in children’s ministry have been called by God to proclaim His Good News to children. No matter what bells and whistles we might utilize, the focus of our ministry to kids, the very heart of we must proclaim to them, must be the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is critical that we give them a firm foundation in the Gospel of Christ or everything else we do will likely be for naught.
The best presentation I have ever heard on this subject was delivered by Jill Nelson at the 2007 Children Desiring God Conference. Entitled “Presenting the Gospel to Children,” this presentation lays a foundation for the need to teach kids the gospel and then proceeds through 10 essential truths that we must convey to children in order to ground them in the truth of the Gospel. Each of the 10 truths is supported by scripture, thoroughly explained in kid friendly language, illustrated in kid friendly ways and is associated with a clear implication.
I was so moved by that presentation that, in this series, I have laid out each of those gospel truths along with my notes from listening to her presentation. I urge any parents to read carefully through these posts and listen to the original presentation. The eternal fate of your children and those you teach may very well depend on it.
The following are the entries in this series:
- Sharing the Gospel With Kids (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #1: God is the Sovereign Creator of All Things (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #2: God Created People For His Glory (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #3: God is Holy and Righteous (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #4: Man is Sinful (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #5: God Is Just and Right to Punish Sin (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #6: God is Merciful. He Is Kind to Undeserving Sinners (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #7: Jesus Is God’s Holy and Righteous Son (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)
- #8: God Put the Punishment of Sinners on Jesus (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)