Reaching Children in Sunday School (Part 2): Goals

(The pictures in this post are of children from a nearby children's home, Christian school, and church. All these ministries were started by an amazing missionary family who God is using here to do great things. They came for a visit one day. We had a blast! Their new Christian school administrator had just moved here. She is a single woman named Janelle, and one of my heroes.)

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We have all heard it...

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."

Oh, how true! It's important in any ministry to have some goals. After all, if you don't know where you are going how will you ever get there?

The same is true when dealing with children. But what should our goals be? To have a beautiful Sunday school classroom? Pack the class with children? Make the children like us? Create well-behaved children who can recite a bunch of verses? Have the books of the Bible memorized?

I think our goals should be much higher than any of those things. Here are some biblical goals:

Salvation

2 Timothy 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,

which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

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Trusting God

Psalm 71:5  For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. 

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Sharing the Gospel

Psalm 71:17  O God, thou hast taught me from my youth:

and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 

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Prepared for the Future

Ecclessiastes 12:1  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,

while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say,

I have no pleasure in them; 

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Good Example for Others

1 Timothy 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth;

but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation,

in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

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Used by God, Giving

John 6:5-13  When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company

come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread,

that these may eat? And this he said to prove him:

for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him,

Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them,

that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew,

Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here,

which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes:

but what are they among so many? And Jesus said,

Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place.

So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks,

he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down;

and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled,

he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 

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Faithful, Enduring Persecution Well

1 Samuel 17:28-29  And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men;

and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said,

Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those

few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart;

for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 

And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 

Genesis 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me;

but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day,

to save much people alive. 

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Hate Sin

Genesis 39:7-9  And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife

cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused,

and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is

with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he

kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife:

how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 

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Righteous Living, Pleasing God Instead of Man

2 Chronicles 34:1-3  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign,

and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.  And he did that which was

right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father,

and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year

of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the

God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah

and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images,

and the molten images. 

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Living Sacrifice

Daniel 3:14-18  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true,

O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods,

nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that

at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,

and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image

which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same

hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God

that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,

we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so,

our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,

and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not,

be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods,

nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove

what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

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People with Biblical Convictions

Daniel 1:3-8  And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs,

that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed,

and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured,

and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science,

and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they

might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 

Dan 1:5  And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat,

and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the

end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the

children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the

prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the

name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael,

of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his

heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat,

nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the

eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

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Ministering to the Lord, Serving Faithfully, Hearing His Voice

1 Samuel 3:1-10 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli.

And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place,

and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp

of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was,

and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the LORD called Samuel:

and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I;

for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again.

And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel.

And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me.

And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not

yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli,

and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD

had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be,

if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth.

So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood,

and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak;

for thy servant heareth. 

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Growing: Physically, Intellectually, Spiritually, and Socially

Luke 2:52  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.