Leading Children to the Heart of the Father

Bringing Them to Jesus

 I remember when my siblings and I would gather around the dinner table, where a visiting pastor or traveling evangelist would share a meal. These impromptu mentors brought fresh stories of God’s work in distant places; their faces were bright with the joy of the gospel. As a child, my spiritual life was being shaped. Faith, for me, was caught as much as taught.

In Matthew 19, Jesus famously corrects his disciples after they try to run off a group of parents with children. Let the little children come to me, Jesus insists, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. He then places his hands on the children and blesses them before sending them on their way.

The simplicity and tenderness of that scene captures both the beauty and challenge of ministering to young hearts. We ache for children to embrace the gospel yet struggle to create church environments where their spirituality can organically grow. I recently had lunch with a friend who observed: “Every church wants to have the halls filled with kids – but very few churches want to deal with what that requires.”

In her book Sticky Faith, Kara Powell puts it this way: “In reality, Jesus’ vision for intergenerational relationships was anything but cute. It was and is both radical and revolutionary.” 

So, how do we lead kids to the heart of the Father? How do we model worship that centers on Jesus rather than hollow religiosity? Let’s consider a few key principles.

Passing Down the Faith

In Deuteronomy 6, Moses challenges the Israelites to wholeheartedly follow God’s commands, emphasizing the role of parents:

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

This ancient wisdom recognized children as imprintable – thirsty sponges continuously absorbing the faith modeled around them. As Dr. Lisa Miller puts it, “Regardless of religious or spiritual orientations, parents instantly recognize what I would call inherently spiritual qualities in their children-their open, curious, loving ways; their immediate instinct to respond from the heart.” 

May our instruction reflect this truth, echoing Moses’ call to impress God’s ways into our children’s lives. 

Generational Worship

The Psalms similarly highlight the role of passing down worship from generation to generation:

“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.” (Psalm 145)

Proverbs reinforce this generational emphasis: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). From the earliest days, we must teach kids to revere God, impressing worship as an ongoing legacy.

Recognizing Unhealthy Practices

In our instruction, we must also remain vigilant against distortions of true worship. Consider four common pitfalls:

First, an excessive focus on religious rules and rituals can breed legalism and a lack of compassion. Second, a judgmental spirit that fixates on condemning can overshadow love. As youth pastor Mark Devries notes, “Very few kids step out of a youth ministry because the programs are lousy. Kids will actually forgive all kinds of programmatic mediocrity if they are certain they belong.”

Third, idolizing religious leaders often leads to blind obedience without critical thinking. Fourth, emotional manipulation through tactics like guilt and fear can coerce insincere expressions of faith.

May we identify and address these dangers, keeping worship centered on Jesus rather than institutional expectations.

Modeling Christ-Centered Worship

If children follow our lead more than our lecture, we must first model genuine, Jesus-focused worship in our own lives. As Kara Powell says, “How you express and live out your faith may have a greater impact on your son or daughter than anything else.”

This means enthusiastically singing praise songs not for appearance’s sake but out of a heart overflowing with gratitude. It means praying with raw honesty, and laying emotions bare before our compassionate Father. It means eagerly serving those in need, just as Jesus modeled sacrifice.

And when we stumble – because we will – let’s readily confess our shortcomings and receive forgiveness. “My little children, these things I write unto you that ye sin not,” John says. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

As parents, mentors, and ministers, may we embody this gospel-centered worship daily.

Influential Adults, Indelible Impact

In addition to parents, other adults can powerfully shape a child’s spiritual journey. After all, faith is best lived in a community. As I mentioned earlier, my parents regularly invited pastors, evangelists, and teachers to dinner when they passed through town. These impromptu mentors left an inedible impression on my young life. As Proverbs 27:17 notes, “Iron sharpeneth iron, so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

From Sunday school teachers to youth pastors to relatives and neighbors, kids draw strength from a matrix of meaningful relationships. “With a strong commitment to do what you can,” write Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof, “and to seek out the help of others to do what you can’t, you practice a version of parenting beyond your present capacity.” May we actively foster such supportive communities, just as Paul mentored Timothy. (2 Tim 1:5) 

The Way Forward

Leading children to the heart of the Father requires recognizing our common tendency to drift into legalism, judgment, blind obedience, and manipulation. But with worship centered on Jesus, we can model the compassionate way of our Savior. We can stamp the gospel on their impressionable hearts by surrounding kids with adults who live out an authentic faith.

I challenge you to prayerfully reflect – how might God be prompting you to guide young people to encounter His heart? What collective actions can we take to center our worship of Jesus within families and churches? I invite you to share your experiences and thoughts below. Let’s lead the little ones to the welcoming heart of the Father.