197
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
May, 1938
“ It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matt. 18:14). He has paid His utmost to redeem them. He has chosen us to be His witnesses. He has done His part. Are we doing ours?
they are "viithout a preacher” (Rom. 10:14). Though the Child Evangelism Fellowship may have between six and seven thousand children enrolled in Bible classes, vie scarcely are scratching the surface of the great need.
presenting the plan of salvation clearly, at tractively, and convincingly must be brought to Christian teachers who desire help in this task. Among the helps with which the teachers are made familiar are books, charts, and a correspondence course in child evangelism offered by the Bible In stitute of Los Angeles. A central teachers’ class in which often ninety or more are present has been held every Monday afternoon for several months in the Bible Institute Building in Los An geles. These gatherings have become a clearing house for persons active in child evangelism. A t these sessions, a series of lessons, pre pared especially for teachers of home Bible classes, are presented and discussed. The lessons aim to. present the whole range of Bible truth with the plan of salvation made plain in every lesson, but without neglect of the growth of Christian character. Every lesson is so planned as to be complete in itself and yet with the thought o f progres sion in the course. Material for use in the visual presentation of truth is available in mimeographed form on cardboard. Teachers’ training classes are organized also in several communities with compe tent trained teachers in charge. The state committee have available those who, with out financial obligation, will help in the organization of classes. There are also persons who are ready to go to the classes, Sunday-schools, and children’s missions for decision services or to conduct children’s evangelistic campaigns. It has been my privilege to be used in this capacity occa sionally, and I have had a good oppor tunity to observe the work and its results. I have been stirred at what I have seen in visiting groups of white, Negro, Mexican, and Chinese children. I have even had Japanese children come to class direct from the Buddhist school. I have observed that the children are largely those whom the church or Sunday-school is not reaching, those living usually within a block of the home sheltering the class. Other children are from churches which deny the essential truths of salvation through faith in the shed blood o f the Lord Jesus Christ. When God Calls Teachers Although most of those who are teaching classes are worqen, the work is by no means limited to them. A busy medical doctor, whom the Lord called, is giving his Saturday forenoons to conducting a class. Another mian, an ex-miner, is fore going other things, having caught the vision of children lost in sin, and has begun teaching, asking the Lord to lead him to three or four classes. A Bible Institute grad uate from the Jewish Missions Course is now busy organizing a class of Jewish boys, using his unique talent of athletics on the playgrounds to attract the boys to him and to illustrate his message. By means of child evangelism, opportu nity is afforded for contacts in the homes of the unsaved. Here is a work which probably is the only means whereby many children will ever in their lives hear the story of Christ’s love for sinners. There are two hundred fifty thousand children in Southern California who “ have not be lieved” because they “ have not heard,” for
Christian Parents' Fellowship Conducted by E sther W ilson T u rn er Questions for answer in this department should be sent to Mrs. N. F. Turner, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif. No name will appear with the questions chosen for publication.
stored in the mind of the child and can be recalled readily by means of a word or a picture. Parents should be watching for pic tures that will illustrate the thoughts con tained in the Bible verses. A child can memorize at least one short Scriptural say ing a week. Seek to let it be said of your little ones: “ From a child [R.V. babe ] thou hast known the holy Scriptures” (2 Tim. 3:15). Children should hear God’s Word read by those older in years, hear it read slowly, distinctly, and in small portions. Thus they become familiar with the phraseology and beauty of the Word. W e quote again from the letter referred to above: “ Should we encourage the children to pray, forming their own sentences and expressing their own requests, or should we teach them prayers and tell them what to say) when they pray?” It is a mistake to have the parents do all the praying at family worship. It is also a mistake to have long prayers or prayers with practically the same expressions every day. W e suggest that two pray at this time, perhaps an adult and a child. That others outside the family circle may be remem bered, it is wise to have a prayer list, in the forming of which the children should have a part. It is an excellent plan also to keep a “ thank book” at hand, recording the many things (often suggested by the chil dren themselves) for which thanks should be given. Children should be taught to form their own sentences in prayer as well as to repeat certain well-framed prayers written espe cially for children. All should become familiar with the Lord’s Prayer at an early age. It does not take long to sing one or two stanzas of a song at this period of devotion. It is time well spent, for all can participate in this, and what an opportunity it is for the children to become familiar with the great hymns of the church! Occasionally it is most effective to sing a stanza of a song while still kneeling. Now a word regarding the time of day for family worship. One mother writes: “Morning is a rushing time for us; so we have started our Bible reading in the eve ning right after supper.” The time must be determined by each individual family. If at all possible, however (and it often can be made possible), use the morning hour before [Continued on Page 226]
“The Christian Parents’ Fellowship”— that is just what we want this department to be— a fellowship o f Christian parents, a place where they may meet one another for encouragement, inspiration, and an exchange of ideas. Let us ask questions, state our problems, and be willing to tell others how we solved certain difficulties. Many, many times in my travels, I have been given ideas and suggestions o f very great value by faithful workers in obscure and unheard- of corners of the Lord’s field. Yours may be just the word to put confidence into a dis couraged heart. Already many letters have been received from K ing ’ s B usiness readers expressing a desire for this aid. Requests for help from parents in different parts of the country— from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, South Caro lina, Oregon, and California— show how far-reaching the influence of this department can be. Several of those writing have asked that we give suggestions about family wor ship with children o f pre-school age. In this first discussion, therefore, we shall devote our thought to this subject. W e quote from a thoughtful and earnest letter, signed by both parents: “W e find it rather difficult to interest our children (ages 4 and 7 years) in our regular devotions. Would it be better to read or tell Bible stories than to read from the Scriptures?” Possibly the difficulty here lies in the words “ our regular devotions.” So often parents set up a pattern for their family worship before the children appear, then fail to accommodate themselves to the changes necessary if children are to be included. The lambs must be fed as well as the sheep. Let us consider briefly how to include younger children in a daily worship program. What should these ten or fifteen minutes of worship include? Scripture (God speak ing to u s ); prayer (our Speaking to G o d ); singing (praise to G od). Even young chil dren can participate in these three features. They can repeat certain sentences of Scrip ture that contain vital truths. Examples that are of varying simplicity are “ The Lord is my shepherd” (Psa. 23:1) ; “ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11); “ He careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7), and “Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another” (Eph. 4:32). When repeated often enough, these portions become memorized. Before long, many sayings of this kind are
Made with FlippingBook HTML5