The Gospel Multiplies Kid Disciples through Faith Alone
How to teach kids the gospel and faith? Study how kids process information across the world where each kid loves a short story. Short stories act like small time bombs delivered through simple teaching into the ears exploding with complexity to deepen kid’s assurance of the truth. Jesus, the greatest teacher, used short stories known as parables. Parables utilize real world things and people to teach life lessons. Then, how do we teach kids about faith, a seemingly confusing concept?
How to teach kids the gospel and faith? Study how kids process information across the world where each kid loves a short story. Short stories act like small time bombs delivered through simple teaching into the ears exploding with complexity to deepen kid’s assurance of the truth. Jesus, the greatest teacher, used short stories known as parables. Parables utilize real world things and people to teach life lessons. Then, how do we teach kids about faith, a seemingly confusing concept?
Gospel Alone as Seed
Faith may be difficult for kids to understand, as many times faith seems like a fuzzy abstract, invisible concept. Jesus used the concrete image of plant seeds and dirt. Kids understand over time that it takes a certain type of dirt and seed to produce a plant. The same goes for faith in Jesus. The context of Mark 4:1-9 reveals that Jesus challenges the disciples to have faith in him during a storm on the sea (c.f. Mark 4:40). The challenge comes after explaining to them faith as fertile soil receiving seed. In so doing, the seed or the word (Mark 4:14) will spread from person to person just like a plant reproduces seed to make more plants (Mark 4:8).
Faith Alone as Fertile Ground
Jesus reveals that only fertile soil receives the seed and the seeds roots to grow unlike the other soils (e.g. thorns, rocky). Basically, nothing else can be added to God’s word for it to produce life except faith alone. Jesus reveals to the disciples that faith is like fertile, tilled, soil that receives or hears the word of God.
Faith in Jesus to Reproduce Kid Disciples
God promised the disciples that the gospel spreads from them into others, which then reproduces and reduplicates disciples. Meaning, the disciples will not be the only ones to spread God’s word just like Jesus. Jesus speaks to a few in order for many to hear. “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen (Mark 4:9 NET).”
Use God’s spoken words to assist kid’s to understand faith in Jesus as good news for their eternal life starting in this temporal time. God’s spoken word is both general and special revelation. General revelation is his spoken creation (e.g. world, universe, stars, humans). Special revelation is his written word and the living word Jesus (John 1:14). Seeds and dirt are God’s general revelation. Jesus and his words are special revelation. Man that is good news!
To be continued …
Further Reading:
Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods
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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.
