Making Wise the Simple

"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."
Psalm 19:7

What a good argument for having children in church. If children are anything, they are simple. The remedy? A pew.

One of the things that distresses me has to do with the lack of children that sit in the worship services. I honestly believe that we are training our children to be heathens. Parents drop their children off in the nursery for some free babysitting and then head off to another part of the church. Then, for the next hour, the children learn the basic theology of clay, Lego's, and various other forms of hedonism.

This from a so-called "family friendly" church. Let's be clear, any church that promotes the separation of parent and child is not pro family.

I have heard the argument so many times, "But they don't understand what is going on in the service." But we all know that's a big lie. Kids are as keen as hawks. Sure, they might not get it all, but they pick up quite a bit, even from very young ages.

Moreover, it is the parents duty to review the services with the children. In prior days families would discuss the points of the message they just heard over lunch. This way parents could keep a watchful eye on the development of the child's spirituality as well as assist them in their learning (And if the kids know that they will be quizzed, then they'll be more likely to stay a bit lively too!).

Obviously I'm not down with the "they don't get it" excuse. I honestly believe that, as long as the Bible is being preached in the right way, a child will be able to understand. That's because God gave the Bible to children too, to make them wise.

Moreover we can think of Jesus' preaching. His messages were simple, vivid, instructive (shall we say doctrinal?), and powerful. I don't see him organizing the disciples into a nursery duty rotation. I see him speaking to fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

Certainly the church in Ephesus serves as an example for having children in church. In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul spoke directly to the children. We can safely assume that they were right there by mama and papa. They might have even received a "did-you-hear-that?" elbow in the ribs.

With our children in the pews we can have faith that God will speak to them (much more than He would through a crayola crayon and a ditto sheet with a Bible picture on it), for faith cometh by hearing.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
2 Tim. 3:14-15

Philosophy of Ministry: Attack!

JC Ryle characterized George Whitfield's ministry with one descriptive word, "Aggressive." Whitfield went to the people who would never dawn the doors of a church. Ryle went on to say that Whitfield, as a good fisherman, knew that fish don't naturally come into the boat, fishermen must go after them.

In this Whitfield followed the pattern of Christ's ministry, "He came to seek and save the lost."

Years ago I described the my philosophy of ministry to a supporting church like this:

Christ said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail." So my philosophy is "Attack!"

Philosophy of Ministry ($$$)

We at CRF are getting the final touches on our budget (I have been consumed with it all week!). We're a bit late because of a crazy year. But I thought I would share with you our philosophy of ministry as it ties in with our budget.

Our philosophy has always been, "Do what you can, with what you have." Our resources have always been rather small, but that has not stopped us from seeking to advance Christ's kingdom. Some might look down on a church our size and think, "What can they do?" But remember, Christ had no where to lay his head let alone a mega budget. Moreover, his treasurer was constantly dipping into the stores they did have.

We believe that God has given us everything we've needed to do the work he has called us to do. This contentment couples with our belief that faithfulness in the small things will produce a harvest of righteousness. J. Hudson Taylor's words remain our banner, "God's work in God's way will never lack God's supply."

Happily, we at CRF rejoice in how blessed we've been. The Lord has poured out his love on us in many ways. One of the greatest blessings has been in the area of finances. While many churches yearn for more money, we have been surprised to have an abundance (relatively speaking of course).

Our prayer is that we may continue to be faithful, and even more productive for Christ and his glorious kingdom. Over the next year I hope to see us develop some sort of concentrated mercy ministry and continue to focus on outreach.

In sum (pun intended), we give a hearty Amen to the Apostle's words, "through Christ we can do all things."