OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
By: C. Mason Davis
There was a baptism in church, and five-year-old Emma watched intently as the pastor poured water on the tiny infant’s head and said some important sounding words. Confused by what she saw, Emma leaned over and whispered in her father’s ear, “Daddy, why is Pastor Bob brainwashing that baby?”
After a wedding, the little ringbearer asked his father, “How many brides can the groom marry?” “One,” his father said. “Why do you ask?” Because the pastor said he could marry sixteen,” the boy said, puzzled. “How’d you come up with that?” his father asked. “Easy,” the little boy said. “All you have to do is add it up, like the pastor said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer.”
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
Do you remember the comedy television show hosted by Art Linkletter called, “Kids say the Darndest Things”? The premise of the show relied in the fact that children are often guilty of saying some of the most embarrassing things, but completely truthful. And who amongst us, as parents today, can identify with that truth? In a particular episode, Mr. Linkletter asked a 5-year-old boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The little boy said, “A bus driver or a pilot.” Then Art asked him what he would say if he was flying a plane and all 4 engines stopped. The boy thought for a moment, bowed his head, and then started to say, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…”
The fact of the matter is, Kids do say the Darndest Things. But sometimes those things have validity to them. Children can often be heard quoting and reenacting things they have seen, heard or both seen and heard by their parents and others. In fact, in the Book of Ephesians 5:1-2, encourages us, like children who learn proper behavior from watching their parents; to watch what God (our Father) does and then do it ourselves. A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
On other episodes of that show, Art asked another 5-year-old boy who the boss of his family was, his mother or his father. The boy answered, “bofe of them.” Art then said, “Oh, so you’re a diplomat, huh.” And the boy answered that with: “No, I’m a Catholic Baptist.”
After that, Art asked a 6-year-old boy who he thought the most important man in the U. S. today. The boy answered, “George Washington.” Art followed with, “George Washington. That’s great. Now, is George Washington married?” The little boy answered, “Yes, sir.” Art asked if he knew what his wife’s name is and the child answered, “Miss America.”
Then Art asked an 8-year-old girl, Karen, what she thought would make the perfect husband. She answered, “Well, he’d provide a lot of money, love horses, would let you have 22 kids and doesn’t put up a fight.” Then Art asked the girl, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This little girl responded, “A nun.”
Finally, Art asked a boy if he knew who took the first bite of the apple, Adam, or Eve. The boy responded, “Adam, and then Eve.” Then Art said that it must have made God really mad. The boy agreed and said, “He sure was. He sent Adam and Eve to hell, then transferred them to Los Angeles.”
In the book of John, chapter 6, Jesus took a little boy’s lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and made it enough to feed 5,000, even with a little left over. What was this boy thinking? How did his behavior personally change or alter after watching and seeing our Savior, Jesus Christ, in action? I mean you can’t have a better mentor or role model than Jesus himself. What ever happen to that child? What lessons did he really learn on what may have been a summer picnic in the mountains for him? God cares about us long before we acknowledge who He is. He cares about our inner desires. And this reminds me of a pastor’s wife who was preparing pancakes for her young sons when the boys began arguing over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here,” she told them, He would say, “Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.” The younger boy turned to his brother and said, “You be Jesus.”
We are reminded in the Bible to become as children so that we can enter the kingdom. The core of our faith may be understood in the simplicity of a childhood song such as Jesus Loves Me. The childhood hymn, “Jesus Loves Me” is also easily understood, so much so that its message may be overlooked. Jesus loves me this I know. Stated more simply, “I know Jesus loves me.” One of the foremost human needs is to know that we are loved. When someone says, “I love you,” something wonderful happens inside. Self-doubt, despair, and loneliness are chased away. Our failures are covered, and a feeling of self-acceptance sweeps over us. To be loved, “warts and all,” is a blessing indeed. And how much more a blessing to be loved by God Himself! He looked beyond our faults and saw our need. He set His love upon us. He went to extreme lengths to demonstrate it, even the cross. For the Bible tells me so. I have yet to hear a sinner sing this song from his heart. Even though it is true for him, he feels a certain reluctance to declare it for sin is in the way. In fact, the unbeliever asks, “How can one know beyond any doubt that God loves them?” He wants to debate and put down those who sing this simple, yet profound song. The reason the Christian knows he is loved is because the Bible declares it to be so. This word was not found somewhere under a rock. It was not dictated to David or Moses or Paul. Rather, it was “breathed upon” holy men of old who in turn preserved it and passed it on to succeeding generations.
He cares about our health and well-being! Don’t let anyone hoodwink you or pull the wool over your eyes, God knows and cares about sinners and saints. The Bible is not a science text, although it does contain a great deal of scientific information. It is not an encyclopedia, although it does include a vast amount of knowledge on almost any subject. It is not an answer book or textbook on psychology, but in its pages are principles by which we can live happier and healthier lives. The Bible has as its primary goal the revelation of God’s nature and plan for humanity and its central message is “God loves His creatures, even His sinning creatures.” And those who believe it have embraced this central message with passion.
Little ones to Him belong. I once heard a definition of a Christian that has stayed with me: “One who believes, behaves, and belongs.” Have you ever felt as if you didn’t belong---that you didn’t have a place, a standing, a family? You can belong to Jesus. If you are a Christian, you DO belong to Him. If you are not, you CAN belong to Him. When believers feel small or insignificant, they can take this as their hope and comfort: “I BELONG TO HIM!” Our worth flows out of our relationship with Him. We are favored, set apart as His special possession---adopted into His glorious family. We were once orphans, all of us, but our wonderful Lord had it in mind eons ago to take us into His house. Listen as He invites us in: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and have fellowship with him.” He comes into our house (dwelling place of the spirit) and then takes us in His! And all that is His is now ours as well.
They are weak but He is strong. Yes, it is true. We often hate to admit it, but we are weak, weak in our devotion, in our testimony, in our battle with temptation and the enemy. But God does not leave us in our weakness to struggle alone with forces beyond our ability to cope with. Have you ever felt His hand on your shoulder, a supportive touch to let you know that despite shortcomings you are loved, and you are strengthened? Usually, it comes via a brother or sister in the Lord. Jesus specializes in using others to convey His power and love. Do you remember the time when you felt so all alone and helpless? Then the phone rang and on the other end was a friend who just called to talk. That friend said just the right thing at just the right time, enough to carry you through another day. Later, as you reflected on it, you knew in your soul that it was God speaking through that friend. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He carries us when we can’t carry on.
When I start praying, I put all situations into God’s hands. An incredible peace comes over me, relaxes me, and I know that in some way I would be okay. Either God would heal me, or He would make it possible for me to deal with my circumstances. In time, I always heal from my circumstances. God is so good! Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. In Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
It has been said that children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression. This is so true. It is also true that children can make a great impression on us if we allow them. Jesus spoke a lot about children and how we are to treat them as well as the lessons that we can learn from them. Isn’t it interesting that despite this in many churches children’s ministry is seen as the undesirable duty? I wonder why that is? One day, a Sunday School teacher was just finishing a lesson on honesty. “Do you know where children go if they don’t put their money in the collection plate?” the teacher asked. “Yes ma’am,” a boy blurted out. “They go to the movies.” Maybe kids like that make teaching them undesirable to some. Maybe it makes it more desirable instead.
Here are some stories shared from Sunday School Teachers who teach children:
“Dad, I want to ask you a question,” said little Josh after his first day of Sunday School. “Of course,” said his dad. “The teacher was reading the Bible, about the Children of Israel building the Temple, the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, the Children of Israel making the sacrifices,” said Josh. “So, what’s your question?” his dad asked. “Well, didn’t the grown-ups do anything?!”
The Sunday School Teacher asks, “Now, Johnny, tell me frankly; do you say prayers before eating?” ”No sir,” little Johnny replies, “I don’t have to. My Mom is a good cook.”
A boy came late to Sunday School. Knowing he was usually very prompt, his teacher asked, “Johnny, is there anything wrong?” “No, ma’am, not really,” he said. ”I was going to go fishing, but my daddy told me that I needed to get on up and go to church.” The teacher was very impressed and asked Johnny if his father had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing. “Yes ma’am, he did,” Johnny said. “My daddy said he didn’t have enough bait for both of us.”
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, “does anyone know why it’s necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because a lot of people are sleeping."
Other words of wisdom from children are:
Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”
Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.”
Michael also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”
Susie, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”
Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”
Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”
Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.”
Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.”
How can anyone argue with this much wisdom, out of the mouths of babes.
It has been said that children are the future of the church. As we study the Bible, we find that children are a vital part of the church today. Ministry to children and parenthood comes from intentional decisions to raise kingdom kids in the following ways:
The first thing that we need to do in order to raise kingdom kids is to bring them to Jesus. It is not enough to just drop them off at church. As parents, they need to act in the best interest of their children so they can follow their example. And what better example to children is there than Jesus Christ. Kids look to their parents to learn and as a way to be. Children will follow in their parents’ footsteps. Children need a touch from the Lord just like adults do. Notice that this was not optional.
We also need to banish the excuses of, always being too busy. The disciples did not seem interested in ministry to the children because they saw them as a bother and perhaps even insignificant. Some youth pastors longed to deliver sermons to adults because they thought adults listened more. Was I ever wrong! We always find time to do the things that we really want to do. Building a kingdom with kids takes time. Jesus made time for them. Do you?
If we look for the signs, we can learn a lot from children. Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children. Some things that we can learn from children are things like faith, forgiveness, unconditional love, humility, joy, and repetition. A good way to teach a child about faith is by telling a child you have their nose, and they will believe you even though they feel it on their face. Now that’s faith! Forgiveness is easy to teach because most children do not hold grudges like adults. They can be angry at you one day and be your best friend the next. Because of this, it is easier to teach them to love unconditionally. Because they don’t know how to hold grudges, it’s a very important definition of loving unconditionally. Humility comes by children easily because they are not afraid or too proud to ask for help. When it comes to being Joyful, children seem to express emotions of joy without worry of becoming undignified. Their happiness just flows like water dropping over a waterfall. Most kids are very repetitive, especially with things that they really love. They love the same songs and movies over-and-over again. We need the same spirt and love for the things of God to hear them over-and-over again. Kids will enjoy learning anything if you make it fun for them to learn. That’s also the way to help them to remember what you teach, by repetition. Finally, bless them with your words and actions, especially words and actions of Jesus Christ.
The word "bless" means to speak well of. Jesus spoke well of the children. The blessing had an element of both present and future tenses. To say to a child, negative things about people who they may become like in the future is damaging. We can become snared by our words. The opposite of a blessing is a curse. Jesus in this verse also touched the children indicating that words mixed with practical expressions were acceptable. Whatever we do for little children we actually do for Jesus. What a great way to lay up eternal treasures!
God says it delights Him especially, to use a voice of a little boy to silence His enemy and the avenger. The devil is a mighty enemy. He says, “I’ll stop the sound of praise. I’ll tempt, I’ll destroy God’s church. I’ll instill false doctrine into the church. I’ll destroy this church.” And God says, “I’ll defeat him.” How? By little children. “I’m going to defeat him in church, in the worship of the church.”
Now listen very carefully. Do not take your children out of the church, off by themselves into another room to color while there are worship services going on. Do not do that. You are working contrary to God’s very purpose. We read in the Scripture that God has ordained praise out of the mouth of children. When on earth is God praised? In the worship service. How has God ordained that He be praised? By the lips of children. Now add it all together. That means that little children are to be there. The enemy boasts otherwise. The devil boasts otherwise. They say, “the children, the young people, are mine. Religion is for old people. Religion is a crutch for the aged. But the beginning of life, the seed of life, is mine,” God says. “The flower of life, the teenage years are mine.”
But God silences the devil with the lips of children, with young people paying attention to sermons, with young people opening their mouths to sing of what lives in their heart, that, being the praises of God. This is the strength of the church. The strength of the church is to be found in our children and in our young people. The strength of the church is there. You watch the mega-churches, and the camera is scanning the audience. Few, if any, children. By the wonderful love of God alone, attend a church wherein almost every row has children, lots of children. Maybe they are writing notes. They are being taught to sit still. They are singing. And the devil quakes! If your child or children won’t sit still or keep quiet, try this… After a worship service, a mother with a fidgety seven-year-old boy told us how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet. About halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, “If you don’t be quiet, the pastor is going to lose his place and will have to start his sermon all over again!”
God ordains praise when the church worships and the children are present singing His praises. God ordains praise when they confess the name of God in your home. God ordains praise in the Christian school when children, little children, boys and girls and teenagers, confess His name. When they believe in creation in seven, twenty-four hour days God ordains praise for Himself.
What kind of conduct do you hold before your children? Do you argue and fight in front of your children? What is heard in your home? Then, as we live before our children, let us say, “Walk as I walk, do what I do, live as I live.” To all you parents, be those people to your kids.
But God says it delights Him especially, to use a voice of a little boy to silence His enemy and the avenger. The devil is a mighty enemy. He says, “I’ll stop the sound of praise. I’ll tempt, I’ll destroy God’s church. I’ll instill false doctrine into the church. I’ll destroy this church.” And God says, “I’ll defeat him.” How? By little children. “I’m going to defeat him in church, in the worship of the church.”
Now let us go back to the start. Where shall we find an example worthy of God’s glory? Shall we look to the stars? God says, “Listen to little children when they sing songs and when they pray.” Angels in heaven are silent. Satan is disgusted and angry. And God is glorified when our children praise Him. May it ever be so.
Amen.
