Heartprints

            It’s no accident that praying for boldness immediately follows putting on the armor of God.  Paul urges the Ephesians: “With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak—that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20).

            Ovid, who lived around the time of Christ, records an ancient Greek myth called “Baucis and Philemon” in the eighth book of his famous Metamorphoses.  Baucis and Philemon are husband and wife, and unknowingly entertain the gods Zeus and Hermes; when they realize the identity of their guests (after the performance of a miracle), they beg indulgence for being unable to provide better for their gods. Zeus and Hermes punished the people who had not welcomed them with hospitality with a flood and reward husband and wife for being hospitable, unlike their neighbors. Their hospitality was considered an example in the ancient Greek and Roman world.
            The desire of reward and determination to avoid further judgment explain why, in Acts 14:8-20, the people respond in bold gratitude after a lame man regained the ability to walk, greeting Paul and Barnabas so enthusiastically. Since Hermes was regarded as speaker for the gods in Greek mythology, this further cemented the “identity” of both Barnabas and Paul as Zeus and Hermes, respectively. Paul and Barnabas hastily correct their boldness.
 

Today I want to elaborate on the second point-Take Inventory of What You Know. 
Before you begin a spiritual conversation with your child, it is important to take inventory of what you believe, explore the facts of your faith and recall the how’s, why’s and who’s. If the majority of your knowledge comes from your third grade Sunday School class, then it would be an excellent idea to verify the facts and freshen up on the details.

 I watched the movie “Brave” with several children while waiting for their parents to pick them up. The message of the story is that the daughter learns to respect and value her mother (while the mother also comes to appreciate her daughter’s point of view)—their strained relationship is healed at the end of the movie, and the daughter treats the mother more lovingly in the end.
            One of the girls’ mothers approached her older daughter. “Does this movie give you ideas about how to treat your mother better?”

I have the privilege of serving as the Children’s Pastor at my local church that meets at a public middle school.  We pay the school district a great deal of money each month to use their facility.  Part of what we pay for each month is the Janitorial service that is contracted by the School District.  The gentleman that the janitorial service has blessed us with to clean up after us on Sunday mornings is a man named Jose.  Jose is from Central America and is perhaps the hardest working man I’ve ever met.   He works 2 jobs, 17 hour days – 5 days a week and probably another 20 – 24 hours on the weekend doing other work plus be our church's amazing janitor.

 
I have been a faithful church attendee since I was two months old, became a follower of Christ at four years old, attended Christian Elementary School, led Bible studies, and on and on. BUT, the first time I had the opportunity to talk to a child about salvation, I was a mess.

Warning!!!   This blog will offend someone!
What I’m going to do is share what I perceive is some of the many "flavors" of God that people have created as they have developed thier views and understanding of God and Jesus.   It’s really from personal experience, personal observation and a general understanding of people – especially in America.  So as I go through these various “flavors” please take in mind that these are just my opinion of how people perceive God and/or Jesus.  Here we go: 

 
“I shared the gospel; but when it came to the invitation, several kids raised their hands who I don’t think were really ready. How do I handle this?”
Group invitations to follow Christ can be tricky. Especially if you ask them to publicly indicate their decision. Here is what I typically end up with:

• • First is the kid that was too busy carrying on their own conversation about their mom’s speeding ticket or something to hear what I said.
  • Next, is the child I was certain had already accepted Jesus as their Savior and had even been baptized but has just indicated they accepted Jesus for the first time.
  • My personal favorite, the schizophrenic child, who raised their hand for every response.
  • Then the few who I feel certain are authentic responders because they paid attention and even answered a question or two.

1. Your Relationship with God – It may sound generic but just think about it. We spend time with our co-workers, friends and even family on a daily basis and yet none of them will have a greater impact in our lives than God.  It’s amazing that so many of us will go through an entire day and won’t even give God a mere thought.   I’m guilty of this myself, especially when I’m overwhelmed with “stuff” of life.  It’s the “stuff” that ends up being the best tool of the devil because that’s where he creates chaos in our hearts and minds.