"Let the Little Children Come to Me"
There are many things that bother me with christians these days, but if I had to pick one thing (at least at this moment) that absolutely disgusts me, it's the lack of respect for children:
A week ago from Sunday, we had a missionary speaker from France over at our assembly and he was telling us about his work over in Europe. Well, after he finished, he opened up the meeting for questions, and this little five year old boy raised his hand and said "I couldn't really understand something you said." The missionary replied with "what didn't you understand?" And the boy said "I don't know..." And the missionary said "well, if you knew what you didn't understand, then perhaps I could tell it to you"
There was soon some laughter and chuckles going around the room (I don't know whether or not the missionary meant it to be funny, but this is how it was interpretted at least). The boy looked around the room, embarrassed and confused, because he still didn't get the answer to his question. I was completely shocked and ashamed to watch this - this poor kid couldn't understand the missionary's accent, so he merely asked a question so he could comprehend it more, and instead of finding answers, all he received from the saints was laughter... it makes me sick.
We wonder why kids grow up and leave the assembly... why they don't have a desire to seek the things of the Lord. You want to know why the youth aren't interested in Jesus? It's because they aren't built up, it's because they're torn down and laughed at, and it does nothing but discourages them. It's because the older ones are living in a "holier-than-thou" state of mind and are too "knowledgeable" to condescend, even for a second, to the "low level" of a child.
I couldn't bear to sit and see this all happening right before my eyes... so I left the room. I later found him just kind of walking around by himself, so I went over to talk to him. He told me where he couldn't understand the missionary any more. I crouched down, listened to everything he had to say, then explained to him the words that he was confused about. He then looked up at me, smiled, and walked away with a boost of confidence, because he finally understood.
About an hour ago, I just had the desire to look at some quotations by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and these two stuck out, since this topic was already on my mind:
"...these dear boys and girls--there is, something to be made out of them. If now they yield themselves to Christ they may have a long, happy, and holy day before them in which they may serve God with all their hearts. Who knows what glory God may have of them? Heathen lands may call them blessed. Whole nations may be enlightened by them. O brethren and sisters, let us estimate children at their true valuation, and we shall not keep them back, but we shall be eager to lead them to Jesus at once."
"Anything we do to hinder a child from coming to Jesus greatly displeases our dear Lord. He cries to us, "Stand off. Let them alone. Let them come to Me, and forbid them not."
A week ago from Sunday, we had a missionary speaker from France over at our assembly and he was telling us about his work over in Europe. Well, after he finished, he opened up the meeting for questions, and this little five year old boy raised his hand and said "I couldn't really understand something you said." The missionary replied with "what didn't you understand?" And the boy said "I don't know..." And the missionary said "well, if you knew what you didn't understand, then perhaps I could tell it to you"
There was soon some laughter and chuckles going around the room (I don't know whether or not the missionary meant it to be funny, but this is how it was interpretted at least). The boy looked around the room, embarrassed and confused, because he still didn't get the answer to his question. I was completely shocked and ashamed to watch this - this poor kid couldn't understand the missionary's accent, so he merely asked a question so he could comprehend it more, and instead of finding answers, all he received from the saints was laughter... it makes me sick.
We wonder why kids grow up and leave the assembly... why they don't have a desire to seek the things of the Lord. You want to know why the youth aren't interested in Jesus? It's because they aren't built up, it's because they're torn down and laughed at, and it does nothing but discourages them. It's because the older ones are living in a "holier-than-thou" state of mind and are too "knowledgeable" to condescend, even for a second, to the "low level" of a child.
I couldn't bear to sit and see this all happening right before my eyes... so I left the room. I later found him just kind of walking around by himself, so I went over to talk to him. He told me where he couldn't understand the missionary any more. I crouched down, listened to everything he had to say, then explained to him the words that he was confused about. He then looked up at me, smiled, and walked away with a boost of confidence, because he finally understood.
About an hour ago, I just had the desire to look at some quotations by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and these two stuck out, since this topic was already on my mind:
"...these dear boys and girls--there is, something to be made out of them. If now they yield themselves to Christ they may have a long, happy, and holy day before them in which they may serve God with all their hearts. Who knows what glory God may have of them? Heathen lands may call them blessed. Whole nations may be enlightened by them. O brethren and sisters, let us estimate children at their true valuation, and we shall not keep them back, but we shall be eager to lead them to Jesus at once."
"Anything we do to hinder a child from coming to Jesus greatly displeases our dear Lord. He cries to us, "Stand off. Let them alone. Let them come to Me, and forbid them not."