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Purpose Construction |
Caye Caulker, Belize, Central America
You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children...for this was Your good pleasure.—Mt. 11:25-26
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.—Mt. 18:17
Children's Church & Youth Church
Kids have the same spiritual hunger that adults do, if not more. They accept Christ as Lord more readily. Eighty-five percent of Christians were converted between the ages of 4 and 14. Kids receive the same Holy Spirit and grow in the same gifts as adults do: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy…the promise is for you and your children” (Acts 2:17,39).
Kids will not be satisfied with the milk of sanitized stories or the vegetarian diet of Veggie Tales. We need to give them the meat of the Word as soon as they can eat it, that they may grow strong enough to overcome ungodly pressures.
They have the same God-given Purpose and Priorities as adults do, to be expressed in terms that they can understand. Instead of the 4 G’s (see Priorities) we teach them the 4 P’s: how to Praise, Pray, Preach and Practice what they preach. We teach kids to praise God in heartfelt music, biblical lyrics and spiritual worship dance. We teach kids to pray the basics of thanks, sorry and please for a whole range of concerns from family to nation to world. We teach kids to preach from Bible stories and their own testimonies of God’s goodness. And we teach them to practice what they preach—at home, at school and in their neighborhoods. We give them activities they can do with their families and friends.
With God’s love we can make our world better. That’s our main Purpose, and there’s also a purpose for us in every part of our world, to pray for and participate in:
God to know
Jesus and His good purposes
family to
be a safe home with love and missions
church to
praise, pray, preach and practice
friends to
have fun, help, understand and trust
school to
learn how our world can work better
jobs to
act as good and faithful servants
village to
use our resources with wisdom
nation to
promote the best and correct wrongs
world to
bring God’s answers to the nations
More and more kids have prayed to receive Jesus and testified to His immediate touch, cleansing, peace and change in their lives. They have prayed for healing and seen sudden improvements. On Serve Squads they bring gifts, prayers, and help with chores to needy neighbors. Kids are not just the future of the church, they are the church today!
Youth Church
When some of the older kids–preteens age 11-13–began to initiate songs, prayers, dances, skits, teachings and even whole meetings by themselves, it was time for a new Youth Church. We wanted to start it the same way the church started in Acts 2—with the power of the Holy Spirit. Six preteens were forerunners who went through the Youth Alpha Course with George and a visiting church team. On the night we asked the Holy Spirit to fill the kids, He did with undeniable power. Since then God has visited us with more spiritual gifts.
Since then God has visited us with more outpourings of healings, words of knowledge and other spiritual gifts. More youth are joining us and learning to listen to God and move in His power. They’re going through the Bible together in church, individually and with their families at home. The most fervent kids are meeting for extra in-depth discipleship that takes them from LISTENERS to LEARNERS to LEADERS.
Parents are getting involved too. Some of the activities are designed for families to do together. We have learning and leadership resources for the whole family as well as for individuals. The more they use these resources, the more prizes we give, including photos of kids and families. In this way we reach whole families, teach God’s word, improve kids’ reading skills, promote family unity, and provide lasting memories of family, friends, school and church.
This also helps parents help kids to grow step-by-step in the
responsibilities and decision-making that turn young people into LEADERS.
See Leadership Training for more.