How does your Church deal with Child professions of Faith?

[salzer mtn]

A baptist was once in a discussion with a middle aged woman who unknown to him had been saved on craddle roll. He ask her how long she had been saved. The woman replied, preacher, i've been saved all of my life. The preacher replied, you've been saved too long.

 

[webdog]

A baptist was once in a discussion with a middle aged woman who unknown to him had been saved on craddle roll. He ask her how long she had been saved. The woman replied, preacher, i've been saved all of my life. The preacher replied, you've been saved too long.

That sounds like John MacArthur's testimony.

 

[sag38]

Web, put him on ignore. Let him remain in his arrogance.

 

[webdog]

Web, put him on ignore. Let him remain in his arrogance.

John MacArthur's here?! :laugh:

 

[Amy.G]

Can God not open the heart of a 5 year old?

 

[sag38]

I in no way dispute that you were saved at the age of 6. But I will compliment you by saying you were exceedingly comprehensive at an early age by having such a complete and clear understanding of what you were doing.

What is so hard about it? It is really very simple. Why would you turn salvation into something hard? Either one believes or doesn't believe. Hey, when I was six I knew I was a sinner. I had stolen and I certainly didn't mind lying to my mother. I also knew that hell was a real place. Most children can understand these simple things. Now, hard headed adults who would keep children from Christ because they expect them to believe as a mature adult would is quite another thing.

 

[Zaac]

Is the work of the Holy Spirit limited, and where can we support from Scripture they should never be encouraged or evangelized? I find the timing of this thread ironic and somewhat offensive given the thread I started earlier.

Reading my mind today, huh?:laugh:

As I travel the world, I find that kids are more open to receiving God's truth than are adults. This seems to me to be consistent with Scripture.

If a child says they have accepted Christ, counsel them and disciple them. If they have, you will see growth. If they have not, you may use it as an opportunity to truly point them to Christ.

One of my rules of thumb is that I will rarely if ever tell someone that they are saved. I will tell them how to be saved, and if they ask, let them know if I have seen evidence of fruit in their lives that would be consistent with the fruit of the Spirit produced by the Holy Spirit.

 

[annsni]

IMO as a general rule, children that are of the single digit age think Jesus is still a baby in a manger and if they make professions it is to get love or attention from grown ups, or it is a make believe game to them. Most children sleep during the sermons so their ears don't hear anything but when christmas comes around their eyes see baby Jesus is a manger in the nativity programs.

Wow - you must have limited experience with children whom God has called.

I have 4 children and each one of them were saved by the time they were 7. My two older girls were quite young (5) when they came to us in different ways and wanted to be saved. They both had heard the Gospel all their lives. They had seen it lived out before them and they knew it well. They wanted to be counted as God's child and repented of their sin and believed on Him. Along came my younger two and they were the same. Heck, *I* was just 7 when I came to know Jesus. Was I a full out theologian at that point? Nope, I didn't know the whole of doctrine but I knew the Gospel and that was enough.

My children knew the cross, knew sin, knew the price of their sin, they knew of God's plan of salvation through the Old Testament to the cross. They really DID know a lot by the time they were saved because we educated them. After messages, we ask them their opinion and I can tell you that they do not fall asleep during sermons. My now 12 year old (third child) even will critique my husband's messages on the way home from church.

My two older daughters are 20 and 23 and are walking strongly with the Lord and discipling younger women. Remember, they were saved at 5 years old.

So I disagree with all you said above.

 

[Zaac]

Wow - you must have limited experience with children whom God has called.

I have 4 children and each one of them were saved by the time they were 7. My two older girls were quite young (5) when they came to us in different ways and wanted to be saved. They both had heard the Gospel all their lives. They had seen it lived out before them and they knew it well. They wanted to be counted as God's child and repented of their sin and believed on Him. Along came my younger two and they were the same. Heck, *I* was just 7 when I came to know Jesus. Was I a full out theologian at that point? Nope, I didn't know the whole of doctrine but I knew the Gospel and that was enough.

My children knew the cross, knew sin, knew the price of their sin, they knew of God's plan of salvation through the Old Testament to the cross. They really DID know a lot by the time they were saved because we educated them. After messages, we ask them their opinion and I can tell you that they do not fall asleep during sermons. My now 12 year old (third child) even will critique my husband's messages on the way home from church.

My two older daughters are 20 and 23 and are walking strongly with the Lord and discipling younger women. Remember, they were saved at 5 years old.

So I disagree with all you said above.

I know of lots of similar experiences. you don't have to get fancy with kids for them to understand sin and its penalty. They get the basics and understand that they want to be with God forever, and thus can easily comprehend why they want to be forgiven.

 

[annsni]

I forgot to post how we deal with children and faith in our church.

We rejoice with children who are saved. We do wait until they can clearly articulate their faith before they are baptized. It seems that while they understand it in their hearts, it is difficult for them to communicate it to others and so we've found that when they can do that, it is a great time for them to be baptized. In between the two times, we teach and encourage them in the ways of the Lord.

 

[salzer mtn]

I forgot to post how we deal with children and faith in our church.
It seems that while they understand it in their hearts, it is difficult for them to communicate it to others. In between the two times, we teach and encourage them in the ways of the Lord.

How does anyone know what another understands in their heart if they cannot communicate it to others ? What do you teach and encourage ? Do you teach and encourage a child, not to ever doubt their profession the rest of their lives, when the bible say's make your calling and election sure?

 

[Yeshua1]

Do they encourage? Do they discourage? Are they counciled? By whom? Is there a waiting period for baptism? In my church there are what seems an unusual number of people giving testimonies that they didn't feel that they had a genuine soul saving experience as a child and later were actually born again. These persons are rebaptised.I personally feel childhood decisions should not be solicited or encouraged, but never discouraged.

We take them as being true conversions, but also with the admonition to parents to keep on raising them up in the lord, to keep encouraging and being involved in their chrsitian lives, as some were not really saved, so we want to keep the focus on Christ in their livesto make sure it was real and confirmed!

We do reserve the act of water baptism though to be administered upon a profession of faith at age 12 or later, so no 5 year old get dunked at our church!

 

[annsni]

How does anyone know what another understands in their heart if they cannot communicate it to others ?

We know with our own children. They can communicate enough (a child crying about their sin out of no where in Taco Bell is pretty clear that I didn't give her the words to just say a prayer and be "saved") but sometimes it's hard for them to clearly speak to others.

What do you teach and encourage ?

We teach and encourage them just like any other new believer. We encourage them to pray to their heavenly Father, to read the Bible (even a children's Bible if needed), discuss the Word of God regularly and consistently and help them to learn to deal with life in the view of their standing with God.

Do you teach and encourage a child, not to ever doubt their profession the rest of their lives, when the bible say's make your calling and election sure?

We teach and encourage them to "test themselves" - to be sure that their hearts are new and that they are truly children of the Most High. I can't judge their hearts - only they can. We teach them what God has said about believers and the signs that show that they are a true believer - and ask them to test themselves. Just as we would teach any other new believer whether they be 4 or 84.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

We know with our own children. They can communicate enough (a child crying about their sin out of no where in Taco Bell is pretty clear that I didn't give her the words to just say a prayer and be "saved") but sometimes it's hard for them to clearly speak to others.



We teach and encourage them just like any other new believer. We encourage them to pray to their heavenly Father, to read the Bible (even a children's Bible if needed), discuss the Word of God regularly and consistently and help them to learn to deal with life in the view of their standing with God.




We teach and encourage them to "test themselves" - to be sure that their hearts are new and that they are truly children of the Most High. I can't judge their hearts - only they can. We teach them what God has said about believers and the signs that show that they are a true believer - and ask them to test themselves. Just as we would teach any other new believer whether they be 4 or 84.

And what is your criterion for testing Ann?

 

[annsni]

And what is your criterion for testing Ann?

The Word of God. It is not *I* who test them but the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in themselves.

 

[salzer mtn]

What i would really be concerned about when a child is making a profession is, has this child heard something that has scared them to death, like a vivid sermon on hell. A child can watch a horror movie on tv and have night mares. A child raised up in church can have many impressions of mind and this still not be the true working of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Benjamin]

Let me ask...did the thief on the cross have such a complete and clear understanding of what he was doing, or did he simply understand his condition and cry out for help?

Yeah, my children simply asked and recieved. Certainly would never stand in their way or let anyone else do it either!

I simply shake my head and roll my eyes at these self-appointed gatekeepers. Jesus seemed quite displeased with those who wouldendeavor to hinder the children from receiving a blessing.

Mar 10:14-15
(14) But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
(15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

I came to discover that my believing daughter had wanted to be baptized for quite some time but didn’t ask because she was so young and thought she might meet with opposition because of it. This issue came up when my son, two years younger, began asking on his own about the meanings of being baptized and requested that he wanted it done. I explain this to my pastor and he respected my opinion as their parent that they were both ready. He asked them a few simple questions individually; my son answered simplistically but firmly and my daughter was as if she trying to win at an interview for the best job ever and not only giving the answers in detail but beginning to preach the Gospel at him. Ha, so proud :love2: :smilewinkgrin:. My pastor was a bit surprised at how bad these kids wanted to be baptized and was all grins as he heard their replies and baptized them both on the next Sunday.

Because they were quite young and going together on the same day we both knew, with it going unsaid, that there would be a few sourpusses watching who were obviously going to be coming to ill-informed judgments about it. It was also obvious that a deacon, who was listening in, would have loved to have tried to make it more difficult and to be given the chance to attempt to find reason to deny them, we both glanced at him and with a mere look in the eyes between us related that we understood this and instantly wrote him and his attitude off. Such is life in the church. Oh well, neither of us felt we needed anyone’s approval nor were about to deny these kids or after hearing this matter were even willing to begin trying to act as if we were some kind of mission to be the strict determining gatekeeper.

I have no doubt some here would be like a self-appointed blood hound trying to catch a fox if they heard one child requested to baptized after another requested it and they would have considered it their mission to intimidate and trip them up with their “tests”. All I got to say is lucky for them they weren’t there and that they didn’t attempt to butt in that which was none of their business and try pull their authoritarian approval card out on us, especially on my call as a parent concerning the matter!

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

The Word of God. It is not *I* who test them but the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in themselves.

How do you know they are not faking it, or they have not been pushed & schooled by their parents. How do you know its the Holy Spirit & not some act?

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

We take them as being true conversions, but also with the admonition to parents to keep on raising them up in the lord, to keep encouraging and being involved in their chrsitian lives, as some were not really saved, so we want to keep the focus on Christ in their livesto make sure it was real and confirmed!

We do reserve the act of water baptism though to be administered upon a profession of faith at age 12 or later, so no 5 year old get dunked at our church![/QUOTE]

Thats very wise mu friend..... takes the guess work out of it.:thumbsup:

 

[sag38]

What i would really be concerned about when a child is making a profession is, has this child heard something that has scared them to death, like a vivid sermon on hell. A child can watch a horror movie on tv and have night mares. A child raised up in church can have many impressions of mind and this still not be the true working of the Holy Spirit.

Dude, the same thing could be said of many adults too. An adult can also have many impressions and it still not be the true working of the Holy Spirit. :BangHead: