Matthew 18:3-6
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The Bible has much to say about children and it would behoove us all to know and heed the significance that God places on children in His Word. In this Scripture, Jesus says that we must be saved by simple faith as a child. We must humble ourselves as a dependent child in order to receive God’s salvation because we are dependent on Him for it. He also says when we receive into our care a child in His name to honor Him and minister Him to them then we receive His blessing and help in our effort. God blesses people who bless children. God blesses churches that reach out to and minister to children. This passage also declares that God takes very seriously the judgment on anyone who does harm to a child or leads a child into sin or causes a child to not follow the Lord. There are a lot of people, churches, and parents who are going to have a harsh accountability in eternity because of their disregard, mistreatment, or deception to a child. Many people in our society abuse, harm, take advantage of, or teach children things that are not true and they will give an account for it to the Creator of those children and of them. Here at Summerville Baptist Church, we need to place a high value on our children and take seriously our responsibility for our care of them. I am sad when I attend a church with no children and no effort to reach children. I don’t ever want to be part of a church that is not serious about ministering to children. I wish we had more people who valued the significance of ministering to children. The education of children in the home, in the church, or in schooling is a privilege, honor, and will be blessed by God. But the neglect of, disregard for, and lack of concern for reaching children with the Gospel, training them in truth, and educating them in life is a serious matter to God. No matter how old you are you can pray for children and be an example to them. No matter who you are you know children or have children around you that you need to take notice of and try to reach out to with God’s love and truth. If you are a parent or grandparent, you have no greater responsibility than honoring God in the lives of those children whenever it is possible for you to do so. This week our church is endeavoring to minister to and reach out to children in our communities and everyone here can be a part of that in one way or another. You can pray and give or you can participate and help, but everyone can do something to glorify God in this matter in our church family.