Think about it

Getting to Know Jesus as Lord • Jesus wants me to know Him.

Leadin
I can listen to Jesus in Scripture and talk with Him in
Who is God? prayer. Read Philippians 4:6 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

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God wants to relate to us. But we get to choose if we

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want His friendship. The Lord made us to know Him • Jesus wants to take my sin.
and to relate to Him. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, He can trade my sin for His righteousness.

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‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.’” Read 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13, 14; Acts 4:12;
Animals, plants, stars, and planets are not made in and Ephesians 2:8.
God’s image; they cannot relate to God as we can. Only

to th
people can relate to God with worship, with conversa- • Jesus wants me to repent.
tion, and with love. I can turn and make Jesus my Lord. Read 2 Peter 3:9;

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Since God made us His highest creation, we have a 2 Corinthians 7:10; Acts 2:38; and Romans 10:9, 10.
special position. Our special position allows us to thank
the Lord, to obey Him, and to serve Him. Our special • Jesus wants to live in me.
position also places a special responsibility upon us. I can believe in and obey Jesus; I can let Him live in
Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, me. Read John 3:16, 17; Mark 16:16; and Galatians 2:20.
much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48, NIV). It is our
responsibility to choose our response to God. How do I keep in step with the Spirit?
It is important to understand what happens after we
Think about it accept Jesus as Savior. Christian faith is a life-long
• God is our creator. adventure here on earth. With Jesus as Lord of our lives,
I am His special creation. Read Genesis 1:26; Isaiah we build a life of submitting to God, following Jesus,
45:6, 7, 12; and Psalm 8:1, 4, 6-9. and keeping in step with the Spirit.

• God is almighty and eternal. Think about it

I can live with Him forever. Read Psalm 23:1-6 and • The Lord wants me to grow with Him.
Daniel 6:26b, 27a. I can form a daily friendship with the Lord and grow to
have Christlike attitudes. Read Micah 6:8; John 15:5-8;
• God is holy. and Galatians 5:22-26.
I am a sinner. Read Deuteronomy 32:3, 4 and
Romans 3:23; 7:19, 20. • The Lord wants me to rely on Him.
I can escape from temptation. Read Psalm 20:7; James
• God is our father and judge. 4:7, 8; 1 Corinthians 10:13; and Philippians 4:6-8.
I can accept or reject Him; I will be judged. Read Psalm
96:10; Hebrews 12:10, 11 and Romans 6:23. • The Lord wants me to be a servant.
I can grow a servant heart. Read Ephesians 2:10 and
What’s a relationship with Jesus? Mark 10:42-45.
Once we understand who God is, we can develop a A Pocket Guide
relationship with His Son, Jesus. Jesus wants us to re-
spond to His grace (Hebrews 4:7) and follow Him
• The Lord wants me to enjoy Heaven.
I can look forward to Heaven and lead others there. for Leading a Child to a
(Matthew 16:24, 25). Read Revelation 21:1-4; Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians
6:9, 10; and Colossians 3:1-4.
Personal Relationship
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International VersionTM,
with Jesus
NIVTM Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with
permission. All rights reserved worldwide. [Link]
 Watch and pray. Fourth, if you feel you need some help, ask another
Leading Young Hearts to the Lord As you watch and pray, you will see the child develop Christian whom you trust to talk with the child about
independent daily contact with the Lord. his or her faith. Sometimes, a new setting will produce
new thoughts.
Where do we start? Who can do this?
Leading a child to the Lord is like cultivating flowers. The most natural relationship for passing on faith les- Questions you can ask.
Growing beautiful flowers takes time. First, you must sons is between parent and child. “Teach them to your Here are some questions you can use to lead a child to-
prepare the soil. Next, you sow the seed and water it. children, talking about them when you sit at home and ward the Lord. If the child’s answer to a question shows
Later, you will nourish the little plants with fertilizer. when you walk along the road, when you lie down and a lack of understanding, talk together about the verse(s)
When needed, you pull weeds. Then, as you watch when you get up” (Deuteronomy 11:19). after the question to help the child gain understanding.
them grow, you marvel at what God has done. Leading However, not every child has a parent who is pre- • What is God like? (Numbers 14:18)
a child to the Lord is similar. Daily, you guide the child pared to lead him or her to the Lord. In those cases, • How is God different from us? (Deuteronomy 32:4)
with the Word of God and your encouragement. faith grows out of a loving relationship between the • What makes you a sinner? (Romans 3:10-18)
child and a Sunday school teacher, minister, or other • What trade did Jesus make for you? (2 Corinthians
Build a relationship. interested adult. 5:21)
The process begins in earnest when you prepare the • What is God offering to give you? (Romans 6:23)
soil—when you build a relationship with the child. You can do this! • What will happen if people do not take God’s offer?
Before you try to develop a child’s relationship with the Whatever your relationship to the child, know that you ( John 3:18)
Lord, develop your interaction with the child in other can do this! • How do you take God’s offer? ( John 3:16)
areas. Talk about the child’s favorite topics before you • Set a special time for studying selected Scriptures to- • What happens when you repent? (Acts 3:19; 8:21, 22)
talk about God. Let the child choose something to do gether. This will help the child look forward to a time • What happens when you accept and trust Jesus?
with you before you begin a Bible study with that child. to be just with you. (Proverbs 3:5, 6; 1 John 4:15, 16)
You need an on-going, joy-filled involvement with a • Read through each Scripture ahead of time. This will • Why are people baptized? (Acts 2:37, 38)
child before you can help that child build an on-going, help you feel like you know where you’re going. • How do people live for the Lord? (Galatians 5:24, 25)
joy-filled relationship with the Lord. • Write down your own thoughts and questions about •What do you need to do about all of this? (Only the
the Bible verses. child can answer this question.)
Sow the seed of the gospel.
After a relationship has been established, you can plant What if . . . ? This is important!
the seed and begin to nourish the child’s growing faith What if at the end of your study together, the child does There are many things we teach children. We teach
with numerous discussions about Scripture. When need- not commit himself or herself to Christ? What do you do them the basics of life—to brush their teeth and eat
ed, you will root out improper thoughts and attitudes. then? healthy foods. We teach them how to work and how
Each time you meet, talk and listen to the child. Re- First, don’t worry and don’t push. You can’t shove a to play. We want them to know how to get along with
member, you are teaching a child, not just a set of stories child to Heaven. He or she must accept Jesus’ offer per- others and how to be successful in life. But in the end,
or verses. Listening to the child helps the child think. sonally. And each person must come to faith in Christ all of these teachings will mean nothing unless we lead
Listening also helps you know where you need to correct on his or her own schedule. our children to the Lord. Every other thing we teach
the child’s ideas. Use the selected Scriptures in this pam- Second, devote yourself to the Lord and pray. will come to an end but a relationship with the Lord
phlet to guide the child toward a relationship with the Your example of living with Jesus and your continued lasts forever.
Lord. But don’t limit your conversations to session times. prayers can influence the child. Your best teaching tool
Talk, text, or e-mail about the Lord as often as you can. is your life.
Generally, 3rd to 6th grade children are the most fertile Third, talk about the Scriptures again. Whenever the Have a wonderful adventure!
soil for accepting Jesus as Lord. A child should be able opportunity arises, ask what the Bible says about fol-
to read and look for answers in Scripture. He or she lowing God and having a relationship with Jesus. (See
needs to be able to connect Scripture teaching to his or the questions and Scriptures listed in this brochure.)
her own life. A child who has developed these skills is Continue to talk about these matters until you see spiri- This brochure is a summary of Leading Young Hearts to the Lord by
capable of having his or her own relationship with God. tual growth showing in new behaviors, patterns, and Jerran and Carol Jackson—a digital curriculum with 12 sessions for
teachers and 12 sessions for parents. For more information, go to
attitudes. [Link].