04/13/14 AS A LITTLE CHILD

04/13/14 AS A LITTLE CHILD

I wanted to share something that was special to me today. We have services in my house (which is not very big). We use the living area, with a hallway, where small children play quietly on the floor, and a bedroom, which is used sometimes for more restless children during service.

It is not unusual for the small children, even under two years (whether with the adults during worship, or in one of the children's areas) to join in the singing. But they also join in the preaching. Sometimes I hear them in the other rooms repeating my words. Today, Angelia (almost two years old) was sitting with her daddy during service. While I was preaching she watched me intently and repeated some of my words, then would look up at her daddy.

I really miss preaching to larger numbers of people. I love to preach. I love people. I love having a growing church. But Pap Pap gets to tell his grandchildren the unsearchable riches of Christ, and I get to worship with them and I get to hear them, even as babies, sing and repeat the words I preach. I miss a larger ministry, but I am not being shortchanged.

I know, from experience, that it is possible to minister to children in a normal sanctuary setting, with a normal sized congregation, so, it is not an either/or situation. I have had services where I allow little children to walk up and stand with me while I preach, to call out requests for songs to sing, to give thanks to God in testimony. I want them to know that they are part of the family of God and I want them to have a desire to help me preach.