God begins here

 

1 Samuel 2:18-21

"Focus on the children." That's something an older colleague ingrained in my mind. It was his advice on how to nurture and grow a congregation. Of course, he was repeating something important within our Wesleyan heritage. John Wesley emphasized the church's need to prioritize ministry with children. If we don't, he said, "the present revival will be res unius aetatis; it will last only the age of a man." Wesley instructed his Methodist preachers to hold a 5-point plan for this ministry. If a preacher didn't feel called to this ministry, it didn't matter. A preacher might say, "I have no gift for this." Wesley's response was, "Gift or no gift, you are to do it; else you are not called to be a Methodist Preacher." So, childhood education, spiritual and otherwise, was a high priority for early Methodists. And just so you don't think this is about quaint, cutesy lessons or programs, consider something Wesley wrote in his journal. He wrote, "God begins his work in children. Thus it has been also in Cornwall, Manchester, and Epworth. Thus the flame spreads to those of riper years; till at length they all know him, and praise him from the least unto the greatest." John Wesley had experienced how focusing on the children spreads revival among us in "riper years." And that is something we also see in Samuel's story. His mother, Hannah, offered him as a "loan" to God. In 2 Samuel 2, as a boy, he's already "ministering before the Lord." As his story continues, you'll notice he stands at the turning point for the people. Eli, the priest, couldn't keep reigns on the evil of his sons. They would have replaced him when he died, but God called young Samuel instead. Are we so sure God doesn't still call young souls today to ministry among us? Teaching and leading our children should be one of the biggest priorities in our churches. If you want revival, focus on the children. Stay blessed...john