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[Thought questions for Discipling Children January 22, 2014

1. The Children’s Ministry. Do you remember special church times just for children? Sabbath school in a children’s division? Story time? Vacation Bible School? Or maybe even children’s church? How important is discipling children in your church family? In your home? By adding “in” after the “n” in “discipling,” have we spelled out a word for something we need more of for our children? Or not?

2. The Hebrew child. Can you imagine raising your children in a society that practiced child sacrifice? Or that measured every child’s worth by his or her economic value? How was it that even Hebrew families came to follow bizarre and evil practices? Were all the families of the Children of Israel led astray by adults who raised their children as surrounding people who worshipped Baal did?

3. Jesus’ childhood. Couldn’t Jesus have come to earth as a full-grown human male? Why did He choose instead to be born a tiny baby and grow in “wisdom and stature”? Does the twelfth year of a child’s life signify something special today? Could it? Should it? What did it mean to Jesus to be considered a young man at the age of twelve? Why didn’t Jesus attend the religious schools? Were they evil? Or just less important than something else to Jesus? If so, what was that something else?

4. Healing the children. If Jesus came to your church and you had a sick child, would you hesitate to ask Him for healing? Do you know a parent who has stood helplessly by as his or her child suffered from a serious illness or injury? What do you think our lesson author means when he writes (Tuesday’s lesson) “Death should be reserved for older generations”? How do you feel when a child you love recovers from a disease? Should we pray more for the children we know?

5. A fearsome warning.  Do you possess a child-like faith? Would you like to? What about children most often illustrates the nature of Jesus? How can we teach our children to love God? What is the difference between innocence, as recommended in this lesson, and doubting? How can people treat children in a sinful way and then show up for church or Pathfinders as if nothing had happened? What does God think of such church members? What should we do?

6. Suffer the little children. Does that phrase (suffer the little children) mean “Let the little children suffer?” How much did Jesus love the children who gathered around Him? What did the children bring to Jesus that their parents and other adults didn’t possess? Do you ever feel that children at church “get in the way?” What can you and I do to show our love for the children? What about being a good example to them? What opportunities are yours to share?

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