Our Evangelism and discipleship of children is Repeated
Your Question:
“How do we deal with children who want to accept Jesus repeatedly? Is there anything wrong with them inviting Jesus into their lives more than once?”
The Issues:
By letting children ask Jesus to be their Lord repeatedly may imply to them that Jesus either “forgets” them or “leaves” them. And yet, we don’t want to “block” children from doing what they feel they need to do spiritually.
Scripture Foundation:
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
Short Answer:
There are two reasons that children may want to accept Jesus more than once: 1) They have a simple, childlike love for God that needs to be expressed, or 2) They need to better understand the concepts of God’s faithfulness, love, and forgiveness. They also need to understand the concept of “assurance” of salvation. These are all very “adult” concepts, and they need to be taught using connections to the child’s real life.
In today’s world, many children don’t understand the concept of “faithfulness” because they have been “bruised” by people or parents leaving them. They may need to feel “secure” in God’s love and forgiveness because they don’t have people in their lives who represent that security. Rather than simply telling a child, “You don’t have to do this again…” we need to take the time to help children understand that God’s love is different from any other love they have felt.
In answer to your question, “Is there anything wrong with them inviting Jesus in their lives more than once?” there isn’t any specific scripture that says that this is “wrong.” But, there are many scriptures in which God clearly confirms His faithful, unending love and presence in our lives.
One of the best statements about this was made by Jesus as He faced His disciples who were reacting to the fact that He was leaving them to return to Heaven. The very last statement in the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28: 19-20), He said, “…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The world for today’s children is filled with uncertainty and insecurity. Rather than block a child from asking God to be their Heavenly Father, we need to help them understand more about His consistent, faithful presence in their lives. For more help in this area click on the APPENDIX link below.
View other articles in the “Evangelizing And Discipling Children APPENDIX“
