How to Effectively Share the Gospel with Kids This Easter

The most important thing you will do this Easter weekend is share the Gospel with the kids God sends your way.

What an awesome opportunity God has given you to tell kids that Jesus is alive and wants to be their best friend.

It is crucial that we share the Gospel clearly so kids understand the decision we are inviting them to make.

Let's take a few minutes and revisit how to share the Gospel with children.

Understand that there is not a clear cut, specific age children must be to enter a relationship with Jesus,

It is not our job to set an age of accountability line. That's God's job.

That being said, here are a few signs that God is at work in a children's life.

The child is able to understand concrete and abstract illustrations. Here's an example. If you use an illustration about Jesus being the bridge back to God, a child who doesn't understand abstract concepts will think the bridge is a real, literal bridge.

In many cases, a child begins to understand abstract concepts at the age of 7-to-8-years old. But this is not written in stone. It can vary from child to child.

Help the child understand that Jesus wants to be their FORGIVER. A child must understand they have sinned. If they do not understand they have sinned, then they are not ready to ask Jesus to be their forgive.

Asking Jesus to be your FORGIVER means...

• you understand you have sinned (Romans 3:23)

• you understand that your sin has separated you from God (Romans 6:23)

• you are sorry for your sin (repent) and are ready to turn to Jesus for your forgiveness

• you trust Jesus and Jesus alone for your forgiveness

Next, help the child understand that Jesus wants to be their LEADER. (Romans 10:9-10)

Asking Jesus to be your LEADER means...

• you make Him the "boss" or "coach" of your life

• you will follow Him

• you will let Him control your life

And the third thing is this - the child needs to ask Jesus to be their FRIEND. (Proverbs 18:24)

Asking Jesus to be your FRIEND means...

• you enter a relationship with Jesus

• you make Jesus your best friend

• you can rest assured that Jesus will never leave you

You make Jesus your forgiver, leader and friend by calling on Him through prayer. (Romans 10:13, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10) This means you...

• pray to Him and tell Him the things we just covered

• accept His forgiveness as a free gift

One of the most effective ways to do this is to share in a class that is designated for kids who have indicated they want to invite Jesus into their life.

I have created a class called Starting Point that can help you accomplish this. It is a class where the Gospel is shared with kids and parents together. No drop-offs. Parents must be present. The cool thing about this is seeing parents attend the class and after hearing a clear presentation of the Gospel, they also invite Jesus into their life.

Trust me when I say this - Starting Point is one of the most effective, strategic steps you can take when it comes to sharing the Gospel with kids and their parents. I tell you this by experience. In one year, I saw over 430 kids (and many parents) attend this class and go on to invite Jesus into their life and then follow Him in baptism.

You can check out Starting Point at this link. There are lesson and video samples.

As I wrap up this article, let me say this.

Here are a few signs to look for that will help you know if a child is ready or not to invite Jesus into their life.

• the child keeps bringing up the subject to you

• the child understands that they have sinned

• you sense this is something the child "needs to do" vs. "wants to do"

It is not our role to be behind kids, pushing them to make a decision that they are not old enough to make or don't clearly understand.

It is not our role to hold kids back from making this decision. As I said, God is the one who sets the age of accountability for each child. That's His job...not ours.

Our role is to walk beside children. Holding their hand...so to speak. Having Gospel conversations and praying for them along the way. When we do this, God will draw the children to Himself in His time.

This weekend, I will be teaching as a volunteer in my home church. I will be clearly sharing the Gospel with the children and then will invite them and their parents to attend the Starting Point class which will be held in a few weeks. I am praying and believing that many of them will come to Christ.

You are going to have a larger than normal attendance this coming Easter weekend. Be ready to share the Gospel. We know the vast majority of people who come to Jesus do so before they are 16-years-old. We must reach them while we still can.