Teaching tip 28 - Assurance of salvation.
Teaching tip 28 - Assurance of salvation.Three cats were walking along the top of a wall. The first cat's name was FACTS. The second cat's name was FAITH. The third cat's name was FEELINGS. As long as FAITH kept his eyes on FACTS, he progressed well. But as soon as he turned round to see how FEELINGS was getting on, he fell off the wall!
An amusing story, but it reminds us of an important spiritual truth - our salvation depends on our acceptance of the FACT of Jesus' death and resurrection, and not on whether we 'feel' we are saved. In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on experiencing the presence of God (and there is nothing wrong with that), but we must always remember, especially when relating to children or young Christians, assurance of salvation is based on what Jesus has done for us, rather than how we feel.
I was reminded of this truth a few weeks ago whilst counselling a young girl who had recently made a commitment to Christ. She asked "Why can't I feel God moving in me?" We owe it to our children to adequately explain what salvation is and then, if they do respond to Christ, to assure them of their salvation by explaining clearly that God accepts us on the basis of what He has done rather than on our feelings, which are always changing anyway.
I was once involved in a large after-school Kids club. Most weeks, at the conclusion, an invitation was made for salvation, and usually more than half the children responded. It soon became apparent, however, that largely the same children were responding week after week after week. Why was that? I can only think of two possible answers. Either they kept backsliding each week between meetings or, more likely, they lacked assurance because they didn't really understand what salvation is.
This is how I usually invite children to receive Christ. {Taken from "Teaching tip 8 - Leading a child to Christ (Newsletter 21)}.
I show and explain John 1.12 "To all who received him, He gave the right to become children of God.", stressing the need to receive God's gift of Jesus if we are to become part of His family. I then teach them four simple steps they can take to do this A, B, C, D. I use a folded card which I gradually unfold to show one word at a time as shown below.
Admit
Believe
Consider
Do
Thus, A stands for Admit. We need to Admit we have done bad things, and be willing to turn away from everything we know is wrong in our lives.
B stands for Believe. We need to Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and died on the cross in our place, so that we could be forgiven.
C Stands for Consider. Something to think about. Jesus not only wants to be our Saviour and Friend, He also wants to be Lord of our lives. That means He wants us to put Him first, and live to please Him rather than ourselves. Some people aren't willing to do that, but if you are, you are ready to move onto the final step.
D Stands for Do. We have to invite Him to come into our lives to be our Saviour, Friend and Lord. If we do (and really mean it) we can be certain that He will come in.
Before leading the children in prayer, I will often say at this point :-
"There are probably four groups of people here -
1. Those of you who have already received Jesus. Wonderful, there is no need for you to pray, as once you receive Him, He stays with you forever.
2. Those who haven't received Jesus, but have now considered it, and would like to. You can pray my prayer after me.
3. Those who are still unsure. That's alright. There is no need for you to pray.
4. Those who once received Jesus, but you know you haven't really been putting Him first, and would like to come back to Jesus again. Or perhaps you are not sure if you have ever received Jesus or not. You can all join in my prayer as well, and then you will be sure."
I then lead the children in a simple prayer along the A B C D lines.
Afterwards, I stress that they are now part of God's family, not because of how they may feel, but because God says so " To all who receive Him - - - - - ."
Assurance.
I encourage the children to do two things. Make a note of the date (their second birthday) that they became part of God's family, and tell at least one other person that they have received Jesus into their lives. Then (or the next time I see the child) I will do something dramatic that the child will remember so as to help assure them of their salvation. I say "Watch carefully what I do next." I then stand up, walk around, return to my chair and kick it over. I say "I kicked over that chair. That is a fact. On the (date) at (place) I (Mr Sweetsur) kicked over a chair, and nothing can ever change that fact. In years to come, I might forget that I did it. But if I did forget, does that mean that it never happened? No, of course not. It happened. Or someone may come to me and say "Oh Mr Sweetsur, you're not the sort of person that goes around kicking over chairs." And I might agree with them and deny that it happened. But if I did, does that mean it didn't happen? No, of course not. Even if I denied it, it still happened. That is a fact that can never change.
In the same way if you have received Jesus into your life, that is a fact. It happened and, even if you forgot it or denied it (which of course I hope you don't), nothing can ever change that. You are a child of God - because God says so! - God promised that if you received Jesus , you would become His child. As God cannot break His promise, and you received Jesus, you are now His child."
posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 10:13 PM
