Filed under: Christianity,Christians,Gospel,Jesus,Jesus Christ,VBS,Vacation Bible School,church,evangelism,ministry,my-SP-ace,outreach,servanthood,sports evangelism,sportspastor
It is one of the highlights of my summer to direct the sports and recreation time during our church VBS week. In fact, I just arrived home from the training time. We have 350 volunteers that are preparing to minister to over 1,000 children. Needless to say, the place was packed! What pumps me up is that we are going to tell each child about Jesus in age appropriate ways. We will give the older participants a chance to respond to the Good News we share. But that brings up an important question: Do you ever find yourself using “churchy” words when sharing the Gospel with young people?
The truth is, it can easily happen. Using phrases like “give Jesus your heart” can often do more harm than good. In fact, a friend of mine once told me that he shared the Gospel with his grandson and was so pleased when the young boy “gave his heart to Jesus.” The next morning the young boy, with the most innocent childlike faith, came to ask Grandpa the following question: “If I gave my heart to Jesus, when do I die?” You see, he believed that he was actually giving his heart to Jesus! That is one example of “churchy” words causing confusion even with a careful presentation of the Gospel. Some of the greatest evangelists I know recommend the phrase “trust Christ.” We use that term at our summer sports camps and at VBS and it works great. It is so important to be clear when sharing the Gospel with children.
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Hi,
That sounds like a huge VBS to me. I guess I’m just from a small town.
I think using the word trust or faith is great, but it’s only half the story. What about repentance?
Check out Mark 1:15, Luke 13:5, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21 if you get a chance. I think we have a big problem with people who prayed a prayer or raised their hand or accepted Jesus or whatever, but never repented. They go on to prove their false conversion with their lifestyle.
Thanks,
Comment by billphillips May 24, 2007 @ 10:05 amBill
Thanks for your words, Bill. A clear gospel presentation for any age group needs to start with a proper explanation of sin so that one can understand their need for a Savior.
Comment by sportspastor May 24, 2007 @ 7:06 pm