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Child Evangelism A God-Centered Approach for Genuine Conversion By Massimo Lorenzini 14 But
you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of,
knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that
from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:14-15).[1] Why this subject matters: for the
honor of Christ, the truth of the gospel, the eternal souls of children, the
happiness of parents, the purity of the church, and the sake of those outside
the church who are repelled from Christ because of the hypocrisy of false
Christians. A lot is at stake! The Reality of False Professions Are all professions of faith
genuine? Not according to Jesus: Even so,
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their
fruits you will know them. Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matt 7:17-23). Why did Jesus say this? Because
He understands the horrible and tragic reality of false professions of faith.
The purpose of this booklet is to help bring discernment in child conversion
and give a biblical basis for assurance of salvation. As Charles Spurgeon said, It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; no, but
I do hope self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but
false security, which we would kill; not confidence, but false confidence,
which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace, which we would destroy. Discerning genuine salvation in a
child is very difficult. Quite often assurance will not come until he is older
(after 12 years of age). Jim Eliff wrote, “If I
gave you a seed to plant in the ground and told you it was a certain type of
flower, you would not know for sure it was so, even if it began to sprout. You
would know more when it put out leaves. And you would be even more sure when
the bud appears. But you would know for certain when the [flower] blooms!” This is another way of saying,
“you will know the tree by its fruit.” Children are to be Evangelized I believe our Lord does want us to teach children about Him and
encourage them to believe in Him. He made this very clear to His disciples. Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but
the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was
greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and
do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means
enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and
blessed them (Mark 10:13-16). However, we are still obliged to
exercise wisdom and discernment when evangelizing children so as not to mislead
them. Charles Spurgeon said, “You are teaching children, so mind what you teach them. Take care what
you are doing! …It is a child’s soul you are tampering with… It is a child’s
soul you are preparing for eternity… If it is an evil to mislead gray-headed
age, it must be far more so to turn aside the feet of the young into the road
of error, in which they may forever walk.” Childhood is a Time of Immaturity A child’s thinking is
undeveloped, simple, and naďve. We should be reluctant to place too much
expectation on a verbal commitment to Christ just as we would any commitment a
child makes. For example, how many of us smile without taking too seriously a
young boy’s ambition to be a police officer. He may in fact do that, but we are
not really counting on him to keep that commitment. “When I
was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child;
but when I became a man, I put away childish things,” (1 Cor 13:11). “Brethren,
do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in
understanding be mature,” (1 Cor 14:20). “that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine,” (Eph 4:14). Why do we have child labor laws,
age of consent laws, compulsory education, age limitations for drinking,
smoking, voting, driving, marriage, etc.? Because children are unable to render
responsible judgments and decisions. They are unable to see to what extent
their choices will affect their lives. They are immature. Childhood is a Time of Preparation The child is in a state of
physical, social, and spiritual development. They need to grow and learn in
order to live on their own without depending on others. “Train up a child in
the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs
22:6). Children are to learn obedience to their parents and to have their
consciences instructed by God’s law (see Eph 6:1-3, Col 3:20, Deut 6:6-7, 2 Tim
3:15, Proverbs 1:8-9). Your Child’s Salvation What is a child’s greatest problem? Total depravity, a sinful heart (Jer 17:9). One police study on juvenile
delinquency stated, Every baby starts
life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered: he wants
what he wants, his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, his
uncle’s watch, or whatever. Deny him these and he seethes with rage and
aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is dirty;
he has no morals, no knowledge and no developed skills. This means that all
children, not just certain children, but all children are born delinquent. If
permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free reign
to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a
criminal, a killer, a thief, and a rapist. (Cited in Reb Bradley, Child
Training Tips.) What is your child’s greatest need? Regeneration, a new heart. John MacArthur wrote (in Successful Christian Parenting, chapter 2): Parents today tend to make parenting more complex, and yet more superficial, than it really is. Christian parents today are begging for more detailed programs, step-by-steps methodologies, and meticulously delineated instructions. Parenting gurus happily oblige. They offer detailed plans for feeding infants God’s Way; Christian methods for toilet-training toddlers; extensive lists of dos and don’ts governing preschoolers’ social lives; and similar catalogs of rules for every stage of life up to marriage. … Many parents live in terror that something they do wrong might mar their child’s otherwise virtuous character in some irreparable way. They think if something goes wrong in childhood, the child might drift spiritually or wander morally. But the truth is that our children are already marred by sin from the moment they are conceived. The drive to sin is embedded in their very natures. All that is required for the tragic harvest is that children be allowed to give unrestrained expression to those evil desires. In other words, children do no go bad because of something their parents do. They are born sinful, and that sinfulness manifests itself because of what their parents do not do. … There’s only one remedy for the child’s inborn depravity: The new birth—regeneration (see John 3:3-7; Rom 8:7-8; Eph 2:1-3). … Here’s why so many parents think of parenting as hopelessly complex: They are ignoring their child’s greatest need and focusing their energies instead on stoking the child’s self-image, managing the child’s external behavior, protecting the child from outside influences, or some other approach that deals with symptoms rather than the cause. All such approaches only multiply the complexities of parenting. What then is your top priority as a parent? To be their primary evangelist. A parent makes the best evangelist for a child. How can you accomplish this goal? Recognize that evangelizing your child is not an event, but a lifestyle. There must be a period of preparation and cultivation before the joy of the harvest. The role of parents is to
cultivate the heart of the child to bear spiritual fruit by consistently doing
five things: 1. Removing
the stones of apathy by modeling integrity (Prov 20:7; Col 3:21). 2. Removing
the weeds of foolishness through discipline (Prov 13:24; 22:15). 3. Plowing
the hard ground of the heart with instruction in God’s law and holiness (Rom
3:19-20; 7:7). 4. Sowing
the seed of the gospel through teaching both in formal family devotions and
informally through teachable moments as they arise daily (Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4). 5. Watering
all of your efforts by prayerful dependence upon the work of the Holy Spirit
(Mark 10:25-27). Most often, fruit-bearing takes
place later as the child gets older and is able to make independent choices. Most of the teaching for young
children is to focus on behavior, what’s expected of them. They look to us for
guidance. They are not in a position to tell us what they believe. Young
children are not mature enough to understand the ramifications of conversion
and render a valid profession of faith (this is not to say a young child cannot
exercise saving faith, I only mean that we are not able to discern the validity
of their profession of faith). It is spiritual malpractice for a
parent or teacher to apply pressure on a child to make a profession of faith
rather than patiently waiting for God to bring about faith in the child’s
heart. The reason for this is because if you do apply that pressure, the child
is not able to emotionally bear it and will go ahead and make that profession
simply to satisfy the adult. What Should We Teach? So
faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message
about Christ (Rom 10:17, HCSB). What is the Bible says our
children need to hear? The message of Christ. What is the message of Christ?
The message of the cross of Christ. Why is the cross necessary? To atone for
sin. What is sin? Breaking God’s law (1 John 3:4). Who is God? The loving,
sovereign, Creator of all. So, as you can see, there is a
connection between the many doctrines of the Bible that a child must hear to
comprehend the gospel and believe it. Teach your child very thoroughly who God
is, what He’s like, what He’s done in creation, history, and redemption. Teach
your child about God’s law and what sin is. Teach your child about Jesus, the
cross, the resurrection, salvation by grace through faith, repentance, counting
the cost of discipleship, etc. Teaching about God’s great works
in redemptive history is the responsibility of parents: 1 Give ear, O my
people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I
will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which
we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We
will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the
praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a
law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known
to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know
them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to
their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And
not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And
may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A
generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful
to God (Ps 78:1-8). Children must be taught to fear
God. This is necessary for their salvation and living a godly life. God should
not be presented solely as a kind, gentle, Santa Claus type figure. Children
should be afraid of God in the sense of not wanting to offend Him and incur His
wrath. 11 God
is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If
he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it
ready. 13 He also prepares for Himself instruments
of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts (Ps 7:11-13, see also Ps 97
on the majesty and holiness of God). Teaching Themes ·
We must get a person lost before we can get them saved. ·
This takes time as you build a foundation for a biblical
worldview (you can use some of the books listed at the end of this article). ·
Let your child know that God is very angry with the sins of
children. ·
God expects them to repent of their sins and put their
faith in Jesus. ·
The longer they prolong in resistance against submitting to
God, the more angry God becomes with them and the less chance that they will
ever be converted and find mercy. ·
Children should be converted sooner rather then later. The
following are paraphrased from Jonathan Edwards (in John Gerstner, Jonathan
Edwards, Evangelist): o First,
youth is the flower of their lives and should be given to their Creator. o Second,
they should begin their lives with God and thus set a righteous course for
their future. o Third, if
they give their lives to God in their youth, they have more of their lives to
spend with God and in serving God, rather than serving sin and self. o Fourth,
early conversion prevents a great deal of sin and so pleases God and prevents
many personal consequences brought about by sins. o Fifth,
those who begin a life of godliness early on are more likely to achieve a
greater degree of godliness and usefulness in ministry. ·
Explain the new birth to your child. Say something like
what Jim Eliff suggests, “When God saves a person, he makes him alive from the
dead. When God makes you a true Christian you will see signs of life that will
increase until you can be sure that you are alive to the things of God.” ·
Use concrete analogies like the following: o “There
once was a princess who had a little pig for a pet. She bathed it and clothed
it and even sprayed it with perfume. One day the princess took her little pig
on a walk. They came upon a mud puddle and the little pig jumped right in and
got all dirty. The princess wished she could do something to change the pig’s
heart so he wouldn’t want to go in the mud. She asked the good fairy to give
her little pig the heart of a deer. The good fairy granted her wish and the
pig’s heart was changed to the heart of a deer. No longer did the pig like to
get muddy. Now the pig wanted to stay as clean as possible.” What Should We Expect? We should expect the same
response to the gospel from a child as we do from an adult: “repentance toward
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Don’t look for an event or profession of faith. Rather look for
biblical marks of salvation. When it comes to identifying the marks of
salvation, we too often content ourselves with things like church attendance,
desire to go to Heaven, learning the Bible, participating in church activities,
etc. We must learn to distinguish between things that the natural man can do
and things that only a truly converted person can do. Many people, especially those who grow up in our churches, mistakenly
believe themselves to be Christians because …
Jesus said, regarding those who look and act religious on the
outside, These people draw near to Me with
their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me (Matt 15:8). Think of one person you are confident is a true Christian. How do you
know? Most likely you are thinking something like, “They love God from the
heart and live to please Him.” We are to warn those, including our children, who do not possess the
marks of genuine salvation which consist primarily in loving God from the heart
and living to please Him. They need to know that they must stand before God on
their own. As J.C. Ryle said, I ask the children of religious parents to mark well what I am saying.
It is the highest privilege to be the child of a godly father and mother, and
to be brought up in the midst of many prayers. It is a blessed thing indeed to
be taught the gospel from our earliest infancy, and to hear of sin, and Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit, and holiness, and heaven, from the first moment we can
remember anything. But, oh, take heed that you do not remain barren and
unfruitful in the sunshine of all these privileges: beware lest your heart
remains hard, impenitent, and worldly, notwithstanding the many advantages you
enjoy. You cannot enter the kingdom of God on the credit of your parents’
religion. You must eat the bread of life for yourself, and have the witness of
the Spirit in your own heart. You must have repentance of your own, faith of
your own, and sanctification of your own. Identifying Marks of Child Salvation 1.
Conviction – of sin that is exposed by God’s law (John 16:8; Rom 3:19-20; 7:7). 2.
Revelation – of the truth of God and Christ (Matt 11:25-27; 16:17). 3.
Regeneration – bearing the marks of the new birth (Ezek
36:26-27; John 3:3). a.
Repentance – confessing and forsaking sin (Ps 32:5; 1 John 1:8-10; 1 Thess 1:9). b.
Trust – in Christ’s atonement alone as basis of salvation (Rom 3:19-28). No
mixture of trust in self or works or religion, but only Christ and what He has
done and will do. c.
Affection – love for Christ (1 Cor 16:22). What will love for Christ look like in
a child? A longing to please Him, a stronger allegiance to Him than to anything
or anyone else, a disdain for anything that dishonors Him. Closely related is a
new valuing of the Scriptures. The only way we can know Christ and love Him is
by knowing God’s Word. d.
Obedience – love expressed in obedience from the heart (John 15:15; 15:10; 1
John 2:4). All kids may be taught to obey like Pavlov’s dogs. If there is
enough discipline and incentive, any unregenerate child can behave properly
(this is the danger in parenting that only focuses on winning the child’s
outward obedience without regard to the condition of their hearts). But when a
child is made alive in Christ there is a new sensitivity to sin and a new and
higher motivation to obey. e.
Association – The child has an aversion to the world and gravitates to other
Christians for fellowship (Jas 4:4; 1 John 2:15; 3:14; 4:20). f.
Determination – to follow Christ no matter the cost (Luke
14:27; Matt 16:24). What To Do When a Child Makes a Profession of Faith 1.
Encourage
them—encourage every sign of
faith and use every opportunity to teach them about Jesus Christ and His
gospel. 2.
Examine them—rather than offering assurance of salvation
(which is the Holy Spirit’s role, not ours) look for signs of conviction,
revelation, and regeneration (see above). This will take time. Let the child
know you are happy they’ve repented and trusted Christ and that they should
continue repenting and trusting Christ. Over time it will be evident if they
are truly saved if they display a heart that loves to obey God. 3.
Correct them—correct their behavior always pointing them
to the need for the saving work of Jesus Christ on their behalf. 4.
Teach them—instruct them in the Word of God at every
opportunity. They need to see how the Bible is powerful and relates to all of
life because it is from God. What about the Ordinances? It is prudent to withhold partaking of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism
until the child’s conversion is clearly made manifest. There is no harm in
waiting and there is potential for hardening if a child partakes and is
regarded as a Christian when he isn’t really. We often describe baptism as the “outward sign of an inward reality.”
But we must first confirm that there is evidence of an inward reality before we
administer the outward sign. We are not to baptize those we only hope are
Christians. So we must wait until we know and then baptize soon thereafter. If your child wants to know why they cannot partake of the Lord’s
Supper, explain what the Lord’s Supper represents and talk with them about the
nature of conversion. Help them to evaluate themselves to see if they are in
the faith. This could be the beginning of them diligently seeking God and
giving evidence of being converted. You have no reason to fear harming them if they are truly converted and
you just cannot tell yet. You cannot “unsave” a saved person, but you can give
a person a false sense of assurance that they are saved when they are not. Recommended
Books
We are living in a time when we are blessed with many excellent books
designed to help parents raise godly children. There are undoubtedly more that
could be added to this list, but these are among the very best I have seen. Recommended Gospel Presentations for Children:
Recommended Books for Parents & Teachers:
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