Featured How does your Church deal with Child professions of Faith?

A baptist was once in a discussion with a middle aged woman who unknown to him had been saved on craddle roll. He ask her how long she had been saved. The woman replied, preacher, i've been saved all of my life. The preacher replied, you've been saved too long.

 

That sounds like John MacArthur's testimony.

 

Web, put him on ignore. Let him remain in his arrogance.

 

John MacArthur's here?! :laugh:

 

Can God not open the heart of a 5 year old?

 

What is so hard about it? It is really very simple. Why would you turn salvation into something hard? Either one believes or doesn't believe. Hey, when I was six I knew I was a sinner. I had stolen and I certainly didn't mind lying to my mother. I also knew that hell was a real place. Most children can understand these simple things. Now, hard headed adults who would keep children from Christ because they expect them to believe as a mature adult would is quite another thing.

 

Reading my mind today, huh?:laugh:

As I travel the world, I find that kids are more open to receiving God's truth than are adults. This seems to me to be consistent with Scripture.

If a child says they have accepted Christ, counsel them and disciple them. If they have, you will see growth. If they have not, you may use it as an opportunity to truly point them to Christ.

One of my rules of thumb is that I will rarely if ever tell someone that they are saved. I will tell them how to be saved, and if they ask, let them know if I have seen evidence of fruit in their lives that would be consistent with the fruit of the Spirit produced by the Holy Spirit.

 

I know of lots of similar experiences. you don't have to get fancy with kids for them to understand sin and its penalty. They get the basics and understand that they want to be with God forever, and thus can easily comprehend why they want to be forgiven.

 

How does anyone know what another understands in their heart if they cannot communicate it to others ? What do you teach and encourage ? Do you teach and encourage a child, not to ever doubt their profession the rest of their lives, when the bible say's make your calling and election sure?

 

We take them as being true conversions, but also with the admonition to parents to keep on raising them up in the lord, to keep encouraging and being involved in their chrsitian lives, as some were not really saved, so we want to keep the focus on Christ in their livesto make sure it was real and confirmed!

We do reserve the act of water baptism though to be administered upon a profession of faith at age 12 or later, so no 5 year old get dunked at our church!

 

And what is your criterion for testing Ann?

 

What i would really be concerned about when a child is making a profession is, has this child heard something that has scared them to death, like a vivid sermon on hell. A child can watch a horror movie on tv and have night mares. A child raised up in church can have many impressions of mind and this still not be the true working of the Holy Spirit.

 

Yeah, my children simply asked and recieved. Certainly would never stand in their way or let anyone else do it either!

I simply shake my head and roll my eyes at these self-appointed gatekeepers. Jesus seemed quite displeased with those who wouldendeavor to hinder the children from receiving a blessing.

Mar 10:14-15
(14) But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
(15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

I came to discover that my believing daughter had wanted to be baptized for quite some time but didn’t ask because she was so young and thought she might meet with opposition because of it. This issue came up when my son, two years younger, began asking on his own about the meanings of being baptized and requested that he wanted it done. I explain this to my pastor and he respected my opinion as their parent that they were both ready. He asked them a few simple questions individually; my son answered simplistically but firmly and my daughter was as if she trying to win at an interview for the best job ever and not only giving the answers in detail but beginning to preach the Gospel at him. Ha, so proud :love2: :smilewinkgrin:. My pastor was a bit surprised at how bad these kids wanted to be baptized and was all grins as he heard their replies and baptized them both on the next Sunday.

Because they were quite young and going together on the same day we both knew, with it going unsaid, that there would be a few sourpusses watching who were obviously going to be coming to ill-informed judgments about it. It was also obvious that a deacon, who was listening in, would have loved to have tried to make it more difficult and to be given the chance to attempt to find reason to deny them, we both glanced at him and with a mere look in the eyes between us related that we understood this and instantly wrote him and his attitude off. Such is life in the church. Oh well, neither of us felt we needed anyone’s approval nor were about to deny these kids or after hearing this matter were even willing to begin trying to act as if we were some kind of mission to be the strict determining gatekeeper.

I have no doubt some here would be like a self-appointed blood hound trying to catch a fox if they heard one child requested to baptized after another requested it and they would have considered it their mission to intimidate and trip them up with their “tests”. All I got to say is lucky for them they weren’t there and that they didn’t attempt to butt in that which was none of their business and try pull their authoritarian approval card out on us, especially on my call as a parent concerning the matter!

 

How do you know they are not faking it, or they have not been pushed & schooled by their parents. How do you know its the Holy Spirit & not some act?

 

Dude, the same thing could be said of many adults too. An adult can also have many impressions and it still not be the true working of the Holy Spirit. :BangHead: