But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.”
The Bible is clear that Jesus had a very special place in His heart for children. In fact, His Word says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to “such as these.” Children also hold a very special place in the heart of The Mount. Week after week, several days of the week, there are dozens of people who minister to the youngest members of God’s family among us. From infants and toddlers in the nursery to preschoolers in Waumba Land and all the way up through 5th graders in the older children’s ministry, we have volunteers regularly doing what Jesus did…loving and ministering to the children. There are numerous faithful servants changing diapers, reading books, presenting Bible lessons, conducting small group and large group studies, preparing music and media presentations, organizing snacks and crafts, creating stage sets, and praying with and for the children. Our children’s ministry volunteers are wonderful and they give tirelessly and sacrificially all the time!
Their ministry doesn’t stop with just the children either; they are reaching the whole family through their service to the Lord in this area. Parents who drop their children off in one of our children’s ministries are free to attend worship services and serve in other ministries of the church because their children are being well taken care of. Dads and Moms who may not know the Lord are able to be exposed to the gospel and the Truth of God’s Word because they don’t have to worry about their children during the worship services. Parents are able to rehearse on the praise team, attend life groups, and even enjoy social times during church functions because of the heart our children’s ministry volunteers have for serving.
The various children’s ministries of The Mount also partner with families who already love and serve Christ in their homes. It is a very rewarding experience to have your children learning the same things at church that you are teaching them at home and to know that the partnership between parents and teachers at church is compounding how quickly our little one’s hear and learn about Jesus. It truly is a symbiotic relationship that God has uniquely designed to help His family grow and be able to spiritually reproduce followers of Christ throughout generations.
And one other thing that I’d like to point out is the ministry of prayer that the children’s ministry volunteers provide. They pray with our children, making sure to talk to God about how much so and so wants a new puppy and how this young boy’s mommy isn’t feeling well and this little girl’s daddy lost his job, etc. Those prayers are so special to God and He receives them just as He does our prayers as His older children. Our children’s ministry volunteers also pray for our children even when they’re not at the church. They blanket our children and our families in prayer all throughout the week, and the evidence of their prayers is felt in our lives. That is the body of Christ caring for one another.
This week, as we kick off the “One Prayer” series, I’d like to encourage you to reciprocate the ministry of prayer on behalf of the children’s ministry. During your quiet time this morning, spend a few moments praying for the leaders of our various children’s ministries. If you know who some of them are, pray for them by name. If you don’t, trust that God knows who they are and you can ask Him to bless them for their service. Pray for each child who regularly comes to these ministries and for new ones to come too. Pray that they would early on give their lives to Christ and grow in their understanding of Jesus and live their lives for Him.
Verse 15 in the passage quoted at the top of the page says that Jesus put His hands on the children’s heads and blessed them before He left. You can be a blessing to all the children and leaders in our various ministries today by taking some time to pray for them. Why not do that now before you leave to go on to the next activity in your day?