How to Deal with
Children
Excerpts
from the book, “With Christ After the
Lost,” by L. R. Scarborough.
Proverbs
8:17 (KJV)
I
love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Matthew
19:13-14
Then
were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on
them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
But
Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for
of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Total Depravity
“Total
depravity does not mean that a person is born guilty. It means that he is born with his tendency to
choose evil stronger than his tendency to choose the good and that apart from
the power of Christ he will continue to grow worse and worse in disobedience to
God.”
Death of a Child
“If
a child dies before he comes to the time of accountability to God, what becomes
of his soul? He is covered by the
atoning work of Christ and, not being responsible for any conscious act of sin,
is saved by Christ’s death.”
Age of Accountability
“When
does a child become accountable to God for his soul? There is no certain age – some are younger
than others. When the child voluntarily
chooses sin and is conscious of his wrong, then he becomes an active
transgressor and comes under God’s law…Most children have a sense of sin
between seven and ten years of age.”
Both a Life and a Soul
“The
saving of a child’s soul offers a double opportunity to the worker in that
there is also a chance to train and utilize the child’s talents and powers for
the service of God. A life is saved as
well as a soul. Some of our most
important and useful leaders and Christian workers come from those saved in
youth.”
Cautious, yet Zealous
“Parents
and teachers should be very cautious, and yet zealous, in dealing with
children. They can discourage them for
life or they can over persuade them and get them into the church unsaved,
without an understanding of the way of life.
Teach them; make the way plain; pray for them; give them favorable
opportunity to find Christ. Do not over
persuade, but at the same time give them every opportunity to respond to the
pleadings of the Saviour.”
Difference in Salvation
& Church Membership
“Children
must not be led to join the church in the hope that it will help them to find
Christ. Regeneration is a necessary
prerequisite to church membership. The
church will not save, help save, or keep saved – it is the place for the saved
to serve in helping to save others.
Children should be taught and encouraged to join the church when they
give evidence that they have fully and understandingly trusted Christ as their
Saviour and Lord.”
Home is Best Place
to Win Children to the Lord
“The
best place to win children is in their homes, where the parents can teach the
Word of God. Show them Christ by word
and life. Pray with and for them. The mother should not be alone in this
heavenly task. God says: ‘The father to
the children shall make known thy truth’ (Isaiah 38:19). He should reinforce the mother every step of
the way.”
Sunday School Should
be Place of Soul-Winning
“The
next most fruitful place of soul-winning among children is in the Sunday
School, where teacher, superintendent, and pastor can give them a winning
gospel and urge them individually and by classes to accept Christ. The teacher may have to do some of the work
by visits and prayers in the home in conjunction with the parents’ efforts. Every teacher ought to be a soul-winner…”
ABC’s of Salvation
“The
following is a simple but effective method which has proved its value in
children’s evangelistic services many times.
Call it ‘The ABC’s of Salvation…’
A ‘All have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God’ (Romans 3:23).
B ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29).
C ‘Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool’ (Isaiah1:18).”
Object Lesson
“A
good object lesson to illustrate will be helpful. Let a piece of red paper represent the soul
that is ‘red like crimson.’ Let a piece
of red glass represent the blood of the Lamb slain to cover our sins. Look through the red glass at the red paper;
the paper will look white. Thus it is
with our souls. God cannot see our sin
when He looks through the blood of Christ.
We can have our sins covered by His blood if we will trust Him.”
-L. R. Scarborough, excerpts from “With Christ After the Lost,” Broadman
Press; 1952 (I think originally published in 1919). A great, classic, evangelism book to have in
the pastor’s, and church, libraries.
Lee
Rutland Scarborough (AD 1870-1945) was the first evangelism professor at, and
second president of, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth,
Texas.
“With Christ After the Lost” was
reprinted by SWBTS as part of their Centennial
Classics in 2008.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor,
October 17, AD 2017.
Other
articles in lower right margin.
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