“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isa 11:6 NASB)
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Journal,
The disciples tried to discourage the mothers from bringing their little ones to Jesus. The Lord said,
“Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Matt10:14,l15)
One of my dear pastor friends shared the following with me. It was written by a 8 year-old from Chula Vista, California, as a third grade homework assignment, to explain God.’ (Thanks Art)
By the way, if you think you can improve on this lad’s theology please let me know.
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Explanation of God
‘One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk And walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.’
‘God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.’
‘Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.’
‘Jesus is God’s Son. He use to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God.
‘They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K!’
‘His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth
so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.’
‘You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.’
‘You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy it’s God!’
‘Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.’
‘If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around when you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.’
But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.
‘And…that’s why I believe in God.
Note: Someone decided to publish this assignment. Miracles do happen.
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How Jesus related to children carries a message for all ministers…
It needs to be understood that before the Lord puts anyone into any kind of ministry role, He is going to test that person to see if they will be faithful. Above all, He wants to know how that person will relate to His sheep. The apostle speaks to this:
“I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor…” (Cf. 1Ti1:12,13)
Later Paul says,
“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.” (1Th2:7)
Did you catch it? The one who would serve as a shepherd under Christ must have a tender spirit. Paul compares this spirit to a nursing mother.
There is a prophecy that fully describes the Lord’s care for his flock. Listen:
“Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him. …
“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” (Isa 40:10-11 NASB)
Is there a more tender scene than this? A true under-shepherd will have the heart of Jesus, be tender towards God’s people, and yet vigilant against the enemy. (This links to the lamb-lion nature of Christ.)
I share these particular Scriptures because I want you to see the heart of one of God’s true shepherds. We see this again when Paul instructs young Timothy on his pastoring role. The apostle says,
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, …
“…if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2Ti2:24-26)
Keep these ideas in view — gentleness, watchman, guardian, feeder, tenderness, not quarrelsome, kind to all, able to teach, and patient when wronged. All these ideas are incorporated into what a true Biblical pastor is to exhibit. Why is this? Because these are the spiritual traits in the Great Shepherd. They are communicated to each of His under-shepherds by the Holy Spirit.
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Where can we find such shepherds?
I believe they are out there by the hundreds of thousands. These watchmen on the wall are true shepherds. They care for their flocks. They are not after money or fame. They are not oppressive or domineering or overpowering or condemning or controlling. They can even rebuke in love. Yet they tenderly care for those assigned to them as a mother cares for her little ones.
Yes, sheep are assigned to shepherds. As for where you should assemble, we must leave that to the Lord. Some groups can be discounted up front. Even when home groups sound like a good thing, there are cautions to be taken. Some groups begin out of a root of bitterness. Bitterness especially in leadership has a way of defiling the group.
So — Can you know where you belong? I believe you can. As a long-time pastor I can just about tell every time if a person or a family is being assigned to our ministry. It is a thing of witness. And the family will know soon enough. If our church is the flock of their assignment, they will not be able to stay away. They may wander a bit, but they’ll come home in time.
Here is a song that will speak to your heart. I’ve shared it before. It remains one of my favorites. Maybe it is time for you to stand still. Think about it.
‘Stand Still’ by the Isaacs.
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Always in love with Jesus,
Buddy
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