by Donna Lucas
The following article is provided by our INCM/CPC Partner Gospel Light.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).” We adults have heard Jesus’ words, memorized them, taught them-but I wonder, What do our kids understand about truth? About Jesus?
As important as Bible stories, facts, fun and games may be to our kids’ foundation in faith, we need to ask, Do the kids in our churches know Jesus, the Truth of God’s inerrant Word?
As I watch my second and third graders leave our Sunday School class I wonder, Whose influence will win out next week? Tomorrow? This afternoon? As soon as they leave, the world’s distractions begin to chip away at what each one learned that morning.
My own kids’ struggles have brought this home to me. When my oldest entered junior high, public schools were fairly subtle in their agenda. Ten years and two daughters later, there is nothing subtle about it. Much of what we adults know as history is no longer “politically correct.” It is not even mentioned!
As my youngest entered sixth grade studying Early Civilizations, I realized that her understanding about the Bible and about Jesus’ place in those Scriptures was more important than ever. The textbooks were just plain wrong about Jewish history! We had many discussions about the truth of the Bible versus the textbook. As I pulled out my Bible, we compared to show her how wrong her textbook was! As I watched my daughter wrestle mentally, I could see in her eyes that she was asking, Who is telling me the truth-Teacher or Mom? Textbook or Bible?
I knew I had to try something different. But what?
About this time, I was reading God’s Plan by Henrietta Mears. Miss Mears says, “The central theme of the Bible is not humans or even knowledge; the central theme is Christ. He is on every page.”
When I came across this statement, I said to myself, This is what Kelly needs!
As our kids learn how the entire Bible points to Jesus and begin to get to know Him personally, their spiritual foundation goes beyond facts and stories to help them be equipped for battle in the world of their future. Bible head-knowledge will not be enough to carry them through the pitfalls-but a solid relationship with Jesus will be!
I was longing for a curriculum that would help me present Jesus in every lesson. Have you seen a child’s eyes light up when they “get it” as you introduce them to Jesus in the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac? Or how God protected the Jewish people to protect the line of Jesus? Or how the many references in the Psalms point us to the death and resurrection of Jesus? I have-and it is exciting!
At Gospel Light, we focus on the way that the Bible is built around Jesus. The Old Testament sets the stage for Jesus’ life. The New Testament describes His life-and His death, resurrection and the astonishing results that will continue forever! We want our children to see how every story in the Bible points to Jesus-and we know that parents and teachers will be as excited as I was to be able to teach kids how the entire Bible leads us to Him!
Kelly and I continue to connect the dots through Scripture to see how it all comes down to Jesus. As her studies moved on from Judaism to Christianity, she was able to identify where her textbooks were wrong. This gave us more chances to talk about her world and what others are telling her to believe, including her teachers.
Choose materials that can help you make a difference in kids’ lives every day-not just on Sunday! We want to help you equip your kids to know Jesus, love God and live out their faith. It is important that our purpose in teaching Sunday School is to teach the Bible in such a way that children meet Jesus, know Jesus and have their lives transformed by Jesus!
Make sure your curriculum gives every child a chance to know the truth so that they are equipped for the truth wars in their future. Do not just give them fluff that melts in their mouth like cotton candy. Give them Jesus!
Donna Lucas is a mother of three girls and a volunteer Sunday School Director at her Church in Newbury Park, CA where she teaches Kindergarten kids and second and third graders each week. She is also the Publishing Director at Gospel Light Publishing. Send her an email at [email protected]
