Over the past several years, the Lord has been brewing something in my heart that I just can not contain any longer. About two and a half years ago, I could not go to sleep. There was a burden on my heart that I had to get on paper. I had a burning desire to glorify Christ in all things. I was driven to the Scriptures. I read the Word, I read books on Christology, family ministry, and discipleship…and I wrote.

I hope to have a book published out of this…in fact I’m currently searching for a literary agent and/or publisher. I also want to proliferate these ideas through a new site which is now live at Becoming Saturated. The goal of the site is to further dialogue in the Christian community about the importance of the supremacy of Christ (Col. 1:18) with leaving a legacy. I’m not proposing some revolutionary movement, I just think that in all the family ministry, legacy, orange talk out there, we must always be aware of our focus on the centrality of the Person of Christ and the gospel.

I’m encouraged by the gospel-centeredness that the Christian community is heralding more and more. I want to be a part of that. I want to be a helping part of that as a fellow journey man who is on the road to “becoming saturated” with Jesus. I want to see Jesus more and more in my life as a disciple, husband, father, pastor, and leader. I’m sure you do to.

So that’s the deal. Free CM Stuff will remain a site for now, though I will not be updating it with new content. I’m working with another organization to get the Free CM Stuff content on their site, and I think that will be a great partnership. I’ll update you when that becomes more of a reality.

I’m so thankful for the support of my readers. I hope this site has been a blessing. I hope Becoming Saturated will be a blessing as well. I would certainly love for you to spread the word about my new site. Tweet it, share it with your leaders at church, post it on Facebook, put it in your newsletters…whatever avenue comes to your mind. I would greatly appreciate your promotion.

May the Lord bless you richly through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as you minister to the next generation.

Kids on Mission is a great resource from the International Mission Board. Here’s a description from their site:

Through Kids On Mission videos and newslettters, children grades 1 through 6 will learn about exotic destinations, different cultures and what missionaries are doing around the world.  They will see how they can be a part of what God is doing, too!

Each quarterly KOM resource comes with video segments, activity sheets, prayer times, a detailed leader’s guide and hands-on missions ideas. You can subscribe for a small fee and automatically receive a new DVD-ROM release every quarter. If downloading large files is not a problem for you, you can access everything you need for free.

This would be a great addition to your Vacation Bible School, summer camp, or as a monthly emphasis on Sunday mornings.

How do you teach kids about international missions in your church?

What you see above is the Awana Gospel Wheel. When I found out about this about a year and a half ago, I became a big fan. I think that it appropriately communicates the gospel message along with, for the most part, a clear response. I appreciate how the Gospel Wheel utilizes I Corinthians 15:3-4 to accentuate not only Jesus’ death, but his resurrection–a portion of the Good News of Jesus that is often forgotten and relegated to a footnote. I found out now that they have an app available in Android, iPad and Iphone configurations. I just used it this week with my daughters to communicate the gospel to them and it served me well.

I think this is a great tool for those of us who work with children whether you are an Awana fan or not. You can go through the App with someone and never know it is an Awana tool except for the initial splash screen.

One critique I have, and it is a general critique for the gospel wheel, is that they do not include the concept of repentance in this presentation. Repentance, a change in mind and heart–away from sin and toward the Lord, is a critical component in a response to the gospel that goes hand in hand with faith/belief/trust. When presenting this to my daughters I had to insert the idea of repentance in it on my own.

Format wise, I do like how you have three options of presentation to choose from: kids, teens and adults. I believe the adult one could be more visually appealing perhaps utilizing symbols or “icons” to display the truth on screen. I really like how the teen portion allowed for some discussion questions, though a few of them seemed slightly surface level. Others, however, were quite poignant. You also get to choose from NIV, KJV or Spanish–another nice feature. Take a look at this video to find out more.

I have been reading a book recently by a great Chinese pastor named Watchman Nee. The book is called Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things. It is a small unassuming book that you can read in one or two sittings, but it is packed with some earth shaking thoughts about what it means to be in relationship with Christ. I want to quote a few short paragraphs that led me to think about the way I minister to kids and families. I’ve been considering how I revolve my life and ministry around Jesus more and more over the last several years and this just helped me to move my thinking to a different level.

Living Christianity (as opposed to Dead Christianity) Has Only One Person

Probably you will ask me, Why do you lay such stress on this point? Because here lies the difference between living Christianity and dead Christianity. The distance between these two ways is incalculable. One is spiritual, while the other is not spiritual. One is of God, but the other is of man’s invention. Let me say this: that when you have studied God’s word carefully, you will discover that in the Bible there is only a Person, not a thing. And that Person is the Lord Jesus. You cannot find anything except that Person.

A colossal problem exists among God’s children today. The Christianity which they know is quite fragmentary. You obtain a little grace, I receive a little gift, and he speaks a little tongue. This man experiences some change in his conduct, that man possesses some measure of love; this one has patience, that one has humility. This is what is commonly known as Christianity. But is this Christianity? It is not, for Christianity is Christ. Christianity is not reward, neither is it what Christ gives to me. Christianity is none other than Christ himself.

Do you perceive the difference? These are two totally divergent ways. Christianity is not any one thing which Christ gives to me; Christianity is Christ giving himself to me. Here is the problem, that people consider today’s Christianity to be the endowment of Christ. When I was a sinner, Christ endowed me with grace and mercy. Now that I have become a Christian, He endows me with patience and humility and gentleness and whatever. But this is just not so.

So let me pose a few questions to all of you ministry leaders out there:

1. First of all, are you giving your people Jesus? Is he the centerpiece of your ministry?
2. Are you teaching people to do better, thereby seeking to grow in their own righteousness, or leading them to grow in their relationship to the person of Jesus Christ.
3. Are you focusing more on the “gifts” Christ provides rather than Christ being the gift Himself?
4. Is your Bible teaching thoroughly Christ-centered? Do the people under your teaching know that the end of Scripture is the supremacy of Christ?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, convictions and testimonies on this one. Please leave a comment and let the discussion roll!

Sorry for being on a hiatus for a few days. Well, happy late Thanksgiving. Or if you are reading this much later than it was posted–happy EARLY Thanksgiving!

Posts previously in this series have covered asking Jesus into your heart, developing little demons, Martin Luther and children, and making decisions for Christ. Now, I’d like to turn to a brief treatment of what I believe to be a clear way to help children respond to the gospel message. Let me first make sure my intentions are being heard correctly here. I am not anti-object lesson. I am not anti-testimony. I am not anti-video evangelism presentation. This entire series has not been focused on the “how” of presenting the gospel message (I Cor. 15:3-4), but has been an attempt to help you clearly communicate the proper RESPONSE to the gospel message. I believe that proper response to be repentance and faith.

Jesus said to “repent and believe for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” in Mark 1:15. I could certainly stop there with our Lord’s words, but I’ll let other parts of Scripture back him up. The uses of the words “repent” and “believe/faith” are overflowing in the New Testament so I just can not look at them all here. When Jesus sent out the 70, Luke says they preached the gospel (Luke 9:6) while both Matthew and Mark call it preaching repentance (Mark 6:11, Matthew 11:1). The texts of John 3:16, 3:36, Romans 9:14 and Ephesians 2:8-9 are clear calls for faith to receive salvation. In fact, I think that the two words are used so interchangeably, that though they are different concepts, they work in tandem with one another to effect salvation in a person’s life (see Hebrews 6:1). Let’s take a brief look at these two words:

Repentance–Greek, metanoina. This word literally means a change of mind and heart (and yes, they are two different things). Repentance involves a recognition that one can not save oneself and a desire for a Savior. Repentance is not just a turning from the idea that sin is best, but more importantly, a turning toward God (Hebrews 6:1). It should produce fruit, the first of which is faith (Matthew 3:8).

Faith/Belief–Greek, pisteuo. Faith or the word “believe” are the same Greek word. Generally you will see it translated one or the other due to the context of the sentence (i.e. you can’t say “whoever faiths in him shall not perish”). Faith is more than head knowledge. The head knowledge is how repentance in the mind begins. Kids need the facts before they can make any type of spiritual appraisal. Content is a foundational issue not only for children, but for all who do not know the gospel. Faith is a movement of the heart, a recognition of and full personal trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for their forgiveness. Faith recognizes the facts of the gospel message and receives the free gift offered by that message.

When we communicate a response to children, we need to ensure they understand that repentance and faith are how the Lord will work in them. We need to take time to explain these terms and to seek how the Spirit has enacted them in a child’s life. We need to explain these basic concepts so that children have no option to trust in themselves, a cute idea or a decision they are proud of making. I think it’s a huge way to glorify Jesus in how we lead children to him! And I’m so glad this is really an easy process for kids. I mean, Jesus pleaded with adults to have the kind of faith that a child does, right? God bless you as you serve His kids!

I’m going to let this one be more of a conversation than a post of my opinion.

Often you hear these words from a platform: Raise your hand if you would like to make a decision for Christ. Now often, a gospel message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has been presented. The person up front suggests a response of “making a decision for Christ.”

Here’s the question to converse about. I’ll be sure to engage with your comments.

Could using the above terminology lead a child to trust in their decision rather than trust in the work of Jesus?

Look forward to hearing your comments!

Martin Luther, at a very early age, dove into preparations for ministry. He grew up in the 15th century Catholic church, pursued a Catholic theological education, gave up several years of life in a monastery, and then taught philosophy at the University of Wittenburg where he pursued a Doctor of Theology. Luther taught in the church, he worked in the church, and he sacrificed for the church. In essence, he “gave his life to the Lord.” The problem is that Luther’s life was one of works-based righteousness. Until he read the Bible, he thought that righteousness was attained by one’s devotion to a set of religious practices.

In many cases, the terminology of giving your life to the Lord conjures up similar internal motives. Now adults may certainly be able to wade through the waters of that terminology, but to a child, it means give your life in service to Him. That’s what Luther thought it took to receive forgiveness of sin.

Do I think that living a life of service to the Lord is a bad thing? No, I strive for that each and every day, but I know that my salvation is not dependent upon it. This really boils down to the theological concept of being justified by faith. It means that by my faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, God wipes away my sin and sees me as holy, not because of works I have done or a life I have lived, but by the perfect nature of Christ and His life.

Using the terminology of giving your life to the Lord, places the burden of salvation upon the action of the one doing the “giving.” It’s much better to speak in terms of receiving through repentance and faith as in a gift. Give is simply inappropriate terminology to use when it comes to gospel response. The one doing the giving is Jesus.

I’ve had some interesting feedback on these posts. I hope that some great conversation will be spurred. I hope that I am getting you to think and challenging some of the ways that you have typically heard a gospel invitation presented. Keep this in mind. What I’m getting to is communicating the proper response to the gospel call. The Bible is clear that response is repentance and faith. If anything, ask yourself this question: “Will the way I present the gospel lead kids to clearly understand that a proper response would be repentance and faith?”

Tomorrow: “Making a decision for Christ.”

Here’s how this one can go in a counseling situation with a child:

Leader: So Tim, your parents tell me you have been asking a lot of questions about the Lord, huh?

Tim: Yes.

Leader: Tell me what you have been thinking about.

Tim: I believe in God and want to be baptized.

Okay, so that was an extremely over-simplified scenario of a counseling situation where a child is asking questions about the Lord. However, when the gospel message, the DBR is left out of a “gospel” presentation or evangelism opportunity, serious ramifications occur.

Simply believing in God (monotheism) is not what it takes to transfer someone from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of the beloved Son (Col 1:13). The Christian faith is an exclusive faith. It is inclusive in the sense that the gospel is available to all, however it is exclusive in the sense that God only allows one way to be a part of it. That one way is through repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s take a short look at James 2:19 (ESV): “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Though this verse has a direct connotation to salvation leading one to serve others, it also carries with it the nuance that monotheism in and of itself is useless. Here’s what I mean:

If demons are monotheists,

and demons tremble in their belief of one God,

then monotheism in and of itself is of little value to one’s soul.

Demon’s are actually a step ahead of others with religious views like Mormonism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. At least demon’s believe in the existence of the one true God. However, it’s not doing much for them. They do not believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sin (if Jesus would even consider forgiving them in the first place).

When children talk of believing in God, recognize that as a red flag to a limited understanding of God’s work through Jesus Christ. Take time to work out the truth with them so that we veer far from developing little demons in our ministries!

Tomorrow we’ll tackle that old heartwarming evangelical phrase, “Give your life to the Lord.”

Let me introduce this post with a very bold assertion. Those who use the terminology of “asking Jesus into one’s heart” as a proper response to the gospel message have spent little to no time thinking through a biblical understanding of what it means to be saved. That’s what this series is all about: getting you to thoughtfully consider the gospel message and a proper response to it.

This is probably the most widespread misuse of language with children. Beware of its inaccuracies and faulty good intentions. If you use it, change. If your people use it, teach them. If your kids use it, address it in a sermon.

In my humble, but reformed opinion, salvation is a combination of God electing one before the foundations of the earth, calling one to faith, regenerating one’s soul, forgiving them of all of their sin, and justifying them before Himself. All of this is a GIFT of God. That is the theological basis for salvation. Now kids do not necessarily need to know all of those aspects to receive God’s forgiveness, but they do need a basic right understanding of how to respond with genuine repentance and faith.

I would posit to you that leading a child to “ask Jesus into their hearts” involves neither a beckoning of repentance nor faith. Let’s take a look at the theological and practical problems with this terminology:

Theological:

1. It’s just plain wrong. Jesus is not with us. The Holy Spirit is (John 14:26).
2. Jesus plainly stated that he was going to prepare a place for us (John 14:3). It is, therefore, part of the Christian experience to long to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).
3. If repentance and faith are what it takes to bring forth salvation (Mark 1:15), then human will can not be applauded in the work of salvation. A child can be applauded for making the right decision to ask Jesus in her heart. This phrase is human centered at its very core.
4. This terminology downplays the work of the Holy Spirit. He not only dwells in the believer’s heart, but their entire body as well (I Cor. 3:16).
5. One does not need to turn toward God in repentance (a critical act of one’s heart and mind) to let Jesus in their heart.

Practical:

1. It is a warm and fuzzy way to communicate the gospel response. What child would not want to do that when we speak softly and with a high pitched voice about making that kind of decision.
2. Children are literal. This type of verbiage is metaphorical. As concrete thinkers, younger children will actually wonder about how a little man can come live inside such a vital organ! Trust me, I’ve fielded the question before.
3. It is impossible to illustrate. Show me an accurate object lesson or story that properly connects this wording of response to the biblical description of salvation and I’ll recant this post.

Let’s rethink using this type of phrasing. Do we really want to start children out on shaky theological ground? Let’s teach our kids the clear message about Jesus’ death for their sin, burial, and resurrection (I Cor.15:1-4). Let’s not make the lines of salvation unclear. Children easily believe what we tell them. They rarely have a belief problem when it comes to Jesus, they have an understanding problem. Let’s be clear in our message about salvation so that they can understand the raw facts and see the Holy Spirit lead them to genuine faith!

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the obscure phrase “Believe in God.” Talk to you then!

Today begins part 1 of a 6 part series on children and the gospel message. It is proactive in some ways, but, I admit, largely reactionary. It is a reaction to the muddied language I hear in a variety of settings of communicating the gospel to children. I think it is of ultimate importance to first theologically examine the gospel message and in the 6 parts that follow, address some faulty ways the evangelical spectrum of believers communicates that gospel to children (or anyone for that matter).

Let’s start with the word “gospel.” In Greek, evangelion has always meant glad tidings or good news. After the resurrection of Christ, it came to mean the specific good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It is used 76 times in the New Testament and several times by Jesus. Now to Paul:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (New International Version)

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Here are a few things that I easily garner from this passage:

1. The gospel involves receiving and passing on. Evangelism should the the primary function of the church and home because as people are rescued from their sin, the creation mandate to fill the earth with worshipers can be fulfilled.
2. The gospel is of first importance. All of our life and ministry should be wrapped around this good news. We should remember it, cherish it and celebrate it.
3. The gospel is specifically Christ DYING for our sins, being BURIED, and RISING again. I teach this to kids by telling them that the DBR is the most important message in the world. We so often get the dying part right, but we forget to mention that he was buried for 3 days, making the resurrection that much more spectacular. We also very often leave people with a dead Jesus, not mentioning the gospel at all. Kids need to know the entire message because faith is preempted by the internalization of right information (see Romans 10:14-15).
4. Jesus’ death was for our sins. Let us not forget that our lying, cheating, judgmentalism, hatred, anger, malice, sexual sin, and a host of other iniquities nailed him to the cross. This is where the gospel becomes very personal. Children should recognize that their sin offends a holy God, else they will be unable to experience genuine repentance and faith (more on that at the end of the week).
5. All of this is according to the Scriptures. The entire Bible is Christo-centric. The TORAH prepares us for him, the historical books explain his lineage, the wisdom literature imparts his acumen, the prophets foretell of his coming, the gospels proliferate his purpose, Acts empowers believers with his mission, the epistles shape us to be more like him, and Revelation speaks of his return. Christ is the point to the pyramid of Scripture. It is ALL ABOUT HIM!!!!!!

I hope this has been helpful. Please join me for the next several days as I speak to the proper response we should be asking of our children. I’m sure some will be shocked, perhaps a few offended, but I hope most of you will be sharpened as we lead these little ones to Jesus!