Gospel Beginnings
Mark 10:13-‐16 Mark 10:13-‐16
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
-‐ Observations from the text:
o Jesus welcomes little children.
§ Parents were bringing their children to Jesus.
§ The disciples rebuked the parents.
§ Jesus rebuked the disciples!
o Jesus says, “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
§ Children have a spiritual capacity.
§ Spirituality is a universal human capacity to connect to God and the world around us (Romans 1:19-‐20).
§ They may not have cognitive words, but spirituality is real.
§ Children have this capacity from the beginning because spirituality is not a skill. It is a dimension of our personhood.
§ Examples of children’s spirituality in the Bible:
• John the Baptist (Luke 1:41-‐44)
• Psalm 22:9-‐10
• Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4)
• In these examples we see pre-‐born, newly born and little children respond spiritually to God’s presence or his voice.
o We must receive the kingdom of God like a little child.
§ We are called to be dependent upon God.
§ God can use our children to teach us!
o Jesus took children in his arms.
§ Everyday actions in the home are spiritual foundations.
§ Actions such as kind touch, kind words, generous attitudes or time, help children learn to trust us and look to God.
o Jesus put his hands on them and blessed the children.
§ You can speak a blessing over your children
§ God uses blessings supernaturally
Consider the words of Ed Moll and Tim Chester about loving your child:
“Your first responsibility as a parent is to love your child. Love is often unseen, serving them behind the scenes. Often it’s unnoticed…Be
affectionate. Tell them you love them. Always say good night. A good relationship is the foundation of good discipline because then your approval and disapproval matter to your children.”2
-‐ Application:
o What are some everyday things you can do with joy to love your children and welcome them as Jesus would?
o Is your acceptance of them conditional?
o Do they know you love them in spite of performance? Do you?
Take it home:
-‐ Your assignment this week:
o Write down your hopes for your child’s faith in Jesus Christ.
o Begin to pray for your child’s salvation.
o Demonstrate love to your son or daughter in a special way this week.
o Identify two times each week that you can set aside to gather with your child (or with your whole family) to have a Faith Talk. We won’t ask you to begin that until next week, but for now, determine the day and time that you are going carve out time.
o Read through and get familiar with the two resources:
§ In the Beginning Faith Talks
§ Children’s Catechism
• A catechism is a tool to teach young believers or young children basic knowledge in a question and answer format.
• As we go further we’ll give you some tips and skills.
Move to Small Groups
2Tim Chester and Ed Moll, Gospel Centered Family, ed. Tim Thornborough (Surrey, England:
The Good Book Company, 2009), 53. (Chapter 7, “Children are a Gift,” is full of good suggestions.)
Small Groups:
Break into small groups and find a suitable location to talk. Here are a few directions:
-‐ Share names around the circle and have each person say a word or two about their son or daughter who is in Kindergarten or 1st grade.
-‐ What do you hope to learn or do as a result of this training?
-‐ Do you currently spend regular time reading from God’s word or doing a devotional in your home?
-‐ What have you found helpful that you can share with the group?
To get the most out of our time together, you will need to make the following commitments:
ü Be present for the next four Wednesday night meetings.
ü Complete the “Take It Home” assignments (seven in all).
ü Make plans on your calendar to attend both celebration and recognition
• Gospel Beginnings Breakfast – Saturday, May 10 (9:00 a.m.)
• Gospel Beginnings Recognition – Sunday, June 8 (10:30 a.m.)
Leader’s Guide:
Lesson Overview
Last week we learned through Jesus’ words and in the scriptures that children have a capacity for God that is sometimes underestimated. This week we will turn from focusing on children’s capacity to parental responsibility. We begin with a brief review of Lesson One and then open Deuteronomy 6:4-‐9 to look at God’s commands to parents of Israel. We note why God chooses parents over other options and then examine what exactly God asks parents to do.
The objectives for this lesson are:
-‐ For parents to become aware of their spiritual responsibility for their children.
-‐ For parents to consider their own walk with God.
-‐ For parents to begin strategic practices.
Opening Conversation
We saw in lesson one that children have a God-‐given spiritual capacity. Jesus recognizes that capacity and he welcomes, embraces and blesses children. We can build a strong foundation in our preschoolers and early elementary children with everyday expressions of love and verbal blessings.
In this new lesson we are going to ask and answer the question, “why does God look first and foremost to parents for children’s faith formation?”
Deuteronomy 6 is the classic text where we see God’s primary plan for the spiritual nurture of children. The context is the second giving of the Law to the new
generation who has survived the wilderness. They were children forty years ago at the beginning of Exodus.