From the Pastor's Desk
A Word to Children's Workers

"Teachers of the Word of God"

 by Pastor Dawn




 

 As teachers of the Word of God, we have to be careful in our lifestyle to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
We should ask ourselves: " What is my motive when teaching children? Why am I doing this and will I ever accomplish anything? " I've asked myself many times why I am  doing what I do. I know it can get very frustrating at times. There are times I look at those little faces and think, " what could I possibly tell them that would help them, and would they understand it?"

What it our purpose in teaching God's word? As teachers, we have an awesome responsibility to teach and train others. Sometimes that teaching is by living example, and usually you have to live what you teach. Our purpose should be to teach in such a way that we present the Word of God in Spirit and in Truth.

" Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

I  taught a Wednesday night class on Faith. I took a empty cereal box and wrote the words "faith" on paper matching the box color and put them on the box. I put it in a paper sack and took it to class. My illustration was that you can not get faith at the grocery store. You can not go down the isle and pick up a box of faith. You can't say," hey, faith is on sale today! I'll pick some up on the way home after work and I'll get some of that new "mountain moving", "overcoming faith" and some "mustard seed" faith too!" Faith is something you have to get by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God.  I thought that was a good illustration and it got their attention. At least for awhile. Adults need to hear this as well.

We need to examine our purposes, motives and ideas concerning how we teach children.  Too many teachers take their responsibility for granted. Never assume that all the children in your classroom are   happy, saved and taught the Word at home. Some children entering your classroom may have been abused, neglected and forgotten. You may be the only JESUS   that those children will see.

In our society today we see the results of these actions. Parents do not realize what happens to their children as the result of ignoring their spiritual needs. The responsibility is some times placed upon the children's workers. And there are times that responsibility is astounding! Unless the children have a home where their parents are listening to them, reading the word , praying or having a family time, they have no hope. The only hope some children have is when they come into your class room. That class room is your pulpit.  What example are you setting?

We need to build the children up by using the Word. We can wash them like soap, through using God's word. It will wash, purify, and purge the soul.

Psalms 119:9 " How can a young man cleanse his ways? By taking heed there unto the Word."

For an illustration you could take a bar of soap with you and start to wash up as you are talking about the scripture. It is like going to the car wash or getting in the shower. It cleanses you, washes you. Maybe you could take your bible and start rubbing all over you like a bar of soap.

What effect or impact are you having as a teacher? I once heard a Pastor of an inner city church say, " One of the children I taught was talking to another child and said he saw me walking down the street. The one child said, "there's Jesus"! The other boy said, "that's not Jesus, he's the teacher". The boy then said, "No, it's Jesus, I've heard him talk."

What an awesome impact that teacher made on that young boy. How would you like to make that kind of impact? Are you so much like Jesus that they cannot tell the difference?
Something to think about.

Psalms 119:114 " Hope in thy word."

Children need hope today more than ever. You cannot teach the word if you are not full of it yourself. If you are not built up, how can you build up others? The Word of God is power packed! It is like a rocket ready to be shot off or a bomb about to explode! It's exciting to teach others what the word has to say about them.

Hebrews 4:12 " For the word that God speaks is alive and full of power making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line, of the breath of life [soul]. And [the immortal] spirit, and of the joints, and and marrow, [that is, of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart, and not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (amplified version)

According to this scripture what does God's word do?

1. It exposes and strip searches your soul. Turns the light on in those dark areas where sin can hide.

2. It sifts-separating good from bad

3. It analyzes-gets to the root of the problem and identifies it as true or false

4. It judges-brings the gavel down and pronounces guilty to those who have unconfessed sin.

5. It reminds us that God knows and sees all.

I can think of a lot of object lessons in this scripture. Think of how many sermons you could come up with.

2 Timothy 3:15-16 " Every scripture is God breathed-given by His inspiration-and profitable for instruction, for reproof, and conviction of sin, for correction of error, and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, that is, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action; so that the well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."

To " teach" means to:

1. didasko - to give instruction, with objects or things taught

2. paideuo - to instruct and train

3. katecheo - to teach, instruct

1 Timothy 4:16 " Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; preserve in these things-hold to them; for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who hear you."[amplified version]

This scripture goes back to what I said in the beginning about practicing what you preach. Pray for the children in your class room. Set yourself up as and example of someone they would want to pattern their life after. Better you than Batman, Chuckie or Freddie.

Don't wait until the last minute to prepare your lesson. I saw this happen when my husband and I were Children's Pastors. I would walk into one of the class rooms to see the teacher reading the lesson and trying to put something together.  Or they would come in late or not show up at all. You would not believe the excuses people make for not showing up for their classes. Kids know whether or not you are prepared.

Here's some the the excuses I heard:

Dawn's top ten:

10. " I didn't know it was this Sunday I was teaching."
09. " I'll be in Oklahoma Sunday."
08. " I have the flu, my husband will teach."
        (He didn't  know)
07.  " I had to stay home and work on my car"
06. " I had to study for a test"
05. " I forgot I was teaching"
04 " My kid puked on the way to church, had to go back"
03. " My friend will be in church and I can't teach, because she might get scared."
02. " I had to fix a dinner Sunday for a relative that might
         die."
01. " My friends kids set fire to his bed Sunday and I had    to help him put it out" (It was his house)

Most of these people did not show up to teach their classes, nor called. I found out why they were not there when I asked them where they were.

James 3:1 " Not many of you should become teachers [self-constituted censors and reprovers of others], my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people], -- thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation." [amplified version]

There was a story on TV one day about a boy named Eric. One day he decided to kill a 4 year old boy as he passed on his bike. He hit him over the head with a rock until he was dead. No one knew this murder was done by Eric because this was not his normal behavior. The police were looking for an adult. He finally confessed and was taken into custody. He had no remorse for what he had done, he said he was "mad and had to take out on someone. " Upon examination, he said he had a problem with anger and had asked his dad to help him. He said he would go out and hit his fits against a tree until they bled. His dad ignored him and did not get him the help that he needed so badly. He father later admitted he knew about the problem. Eric was mad at everyone.

What could have made this young man so angry? How could Satan have gotten this child's mind so confused that he thought he had to kill to get attention?

I heard another story of a 12 year old that hung himself in the back yard tree. He said kids at school made fun of him because he was over weight.

Our society has changed and so have the children. It is now common place to hear of such events in the news. How did we get into such a condition? We no longer live in the days of Leave it to Beaver, "pie in the sky", world. We need to be real and teach in such a way that will reach them. The enemy is stealing the hearts of our young people. They are under continuous attack.

One little girl that was in Pastor Bill Wilson of Brooklyn, New York's Sidewalk Sunday School class, went home and told her drug addict father to quit taking drugs. He took her kitten, cut off it's head and tried to shove it down her throat.

I recently read in the newspaper of 6-7 year old children that are taking guns to school. What is wrong with our society?

There is an urgency to be teaching children God's word today! God needs children's church workers that are dedicated and full of the Word of God and His power. We need to be prayed up, stirred up, and read up, so we can shake up the enemies camp ground and take back what the devil has stolen..the hearts and minds of our children.

1 Timothy 4:2-3
" Be bold and preach the word! Keep your sense of urgency (stand-by, be it at hand and ready), whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable, whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it be welcome or unwelcome, you as a preacher of the word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong and convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning, and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching."

Some things the Word of God will produce:

1. Faith
2. Purity
3. Grace
4. Hope
5. Righteousness
6. Truth
7. Instruction
8. Conviction
9. Correction
10. Discipline
11. Training
12. Salvation

Psalms 119:11
" Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee."

I urge you to dedicate  yourself to teach children to hide the word in their hearts.

EMAIL Pastor Dawn