a meaningful message

A Meaningful MessageA Meaningful Message

Keith PalmerAssociate Pastor, Grace Bible Church, Granbury

What should be the primary What should be the primary focus and objective?focus and objective?

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart


2 Tim. 3:16-17 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work

2 Peter 1:2-3 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence


Conclusion: The primary focus and objective of Council Time should be the teaching of Scripture to children

What are some goals in What are some goals in teaching children Scripture? teaching children Scripture?

Teach them about God (Theology) Increase their view of God Help them to understand themselves Open their eyes to the work of Jesus Christ

in salvation Give them a clear gospel presentation Expose them to the Bible Help them develop a biblical worldview Teach them biblical words

Some practical suggestions Some practical suggestions for council time in generalfor council time in general

Make Council Time an exciting time Be Strategic & intentional Offer a follow up time (perhaps during

handbook time or after club) for children to talk to a leader one-on-one about their spiritual condition

Emphasize to children the link between their heart and their behavior – between their theology and their life

Maintain order and build an environment that promotes learning

Some cautions about ministry Some cautions about ministry to childrento children

They are easily manipulated They are easily confused They are more subject to doing something “because

my friends are” (fear of man) They may respond just to please parents or church

leaders They are still developing intellectually – it is not

wrong to say “they are still to young to understand” They may respond because they fear punishment or

disappointment from leaders

Some practical suggestions on Some practical suggestions on teaching the Bible to childrenteaching the Bible to children

Your ability to minister flows out of your own walk with the Lord (2 Tim. 2:21)

Follow the "Ezra" model of ministry: Study, Practice, Teaching (Ezra 7:10). Make sure you have applied the message to your own heart before you apply it to others

"A cloud in the pulpit is a fog in the pew." – If you do not understand the content of what you are teaching, your audience definitely will not be able to follow you


Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance – give yourself adequate preparation time

Major on teaching verse-by-verse through a Bible book

Get the children to interact with you in the text of Scripture

Ask questions to make sure the children are following you. Learn to read their facial expressions and respond appropriately


Help them to learn Observation, Interpretation, Application – train them how to interpret and apply the Bible on their own

Use the same Bible translation in Council Time that your pastor uses on Sunday morning


Be careful using figurative language, symbolism, and object lessons – As a general rule, don't use figurative language

(unless the passage you are teaching does, in which case it should be explained)

– Avoid unexplained symbolism. Instead, teach the straight-forward biblical principles

– Using symbolism or figurative language to illustrate a point is okay, as long as it is explained


Be careful using figurative language, symbolism, and object lessons– Object lessons can be helpful, but children

usually aren't helped by them the way we think they are

– Instead of building a message around an object lesson, build a lesson around a biblical text and carefully use an object lesson as an illustration or reminder of the spiritual truth in the text


Don't water down the content of the biblical text. Don't assume the children can't handle deeper truths

Use biblical terminology, just be sure to explain terms in language that children can understand – Many times, child evangelism materials will use

unbiblical terminology or figurative language in an effort to make the message simpler. Example, "Jesus coming into my heart," or "our hearts are black/dark with sin, etc."


Use biblical terminology, just be sure to explain terms in language that children can understand – This only confuses children, who often cannot

grasp figurative language – It also can be confusing when those kids begin

to read the Bible and are introduced to a whole host of terms they have never seen before

– Instead, use the terms and words the Bible uses – just explain to kids what they mean

a meaningful message

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