Kids

This year as many might already know, I moved church to Chatswood Pressie Church in order to gain more ministry experience in a different context.

I have to say, it indeed is completely different from the ones that I was used to attend (both attend and teach actually). I previously taught kids church as well in my old church as well as now. And I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful revelation that I've received as I do this ministry, the joys as well as the pain.

One thing that made one HUGE difference between Chatswood and my previous church was that the kids are both knowledge and behaviour wise different (not in terms of discipline and being naughty etc, but they were different). You know that they are well taught and disciplined to love God even at home. Their answers are mature and their actions shows true understanding of what the Gospel really means. And to be teaching kids who are like these to me was a real privilege. I was so honoured that I often felt insufficient in my own knowledge and my own day to day behaviour and actions and the way I live. When I saw them I often think that I'm the one who needs to be sitting at the student's chair not them.

But during this half a year - God taught me otherwise.

Being and seeing how God works in my life and understanding and knowing God better taught me to see that what matters is not what I know, what I do or what I say. Yes they all reflect something of what we believe in, they do reflect our being, but that does not reflect the real One and True God. What matters is (as repeated in the sermon over and over again) is NOT what I do but what God did! What Jesus had done in the past for me. And they were supposed to constantly be the basis and reason of why I am doing anything for Him and others.

The moment I forgot that it was because of God's grace that I can do anything that is worth noting - that is the moment when I will fail. Just as what the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians:

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Cor12:9-10)

Indeed His grace is sufficient for me. The reason why I was put to be a teacher / shepherd of these kids was NOT because I was able, but because God is capable of using me and giving me the ability to teach them. What these kids needed was not someone whom they could worshipped and look up to when they need someone - but someone who would point them out to God. Not to knowledge, skills, legalistic things / even doing social things. But to point them 0ut to the fact that they are saved - and to keep on reminding them of who they are - so that they would realize the importance of their roles as God's holy priests - chosen nation.

I know that you think I'm talking gibberish - what's with God's holy priests thingy? - chosen nation? huh?

Welll... if you want to learn more - read books n other articles from good website such as this one. But if i have to tell you in a few sentence it would be that when God cursed Adam and Eve out of Eden, He made a promise that He would bring humanity back to Himself, and this is what we called covenant theology. And God made promises first to Abraham that He would bless Abraham with land, people and to be a blessing to other nations. And that was the beginning of the promise to make Abraham the father of God's chosen nation - Israel. As time progresses, the promises are being fulfilled - people from other nations were brought into Israel to be a part of these covenant bearers - to receive God's blessings and to be GOd's representative on earth.

And this also means that each and every one of us is special - so special that we have free access to the Creator of the Universe and that should be our identity. So may we be a child or an elderly - we all hold a special status in God's eyes.

back to my point about teaching sunday school at Chatswood. I do believe that teaching a highly theologically trained children and a non-theologically aware kids are the same. It is not because of me that they would grow to maturity and believe in God - it is only because of Jesus Christ and what He had done, and the gift of God which would help them grow. Just as what Paul said : "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. " Indeed, only God can bring growth. My job is to preach Christ - bring people to Him and not to myself.

It is hard - I struggle and i often forget, but I pray that this post can remind us to not forget that the best thing that we can receive - our greatest reward is to have salvation in Christ Jesus - not in our works, or knowledge but in Christ alone.

Prayer points:

1. pray that I would be faithful in teaching the Gospel of mercy and grace of Jesus Christ

2. pray that I would always be humble

3. pray for the kids that I teach that they would grow up to know and love God - not only with their mind - but with their whole heart and being.