The Most Important Lesson You Will Teach in 2024 ~ RELEVANT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

There are a lot of important lessons you can teach in 2024. 

The 10 commandments.

Prayer.

Bible reading.

Worshiping God.

Relationships.

Godly character.

Major prophets.

Fruit of the Spirit.

The great stories of the Bible like David and Goliath.

These are all good topics to teach about.  But they are not the most important lesson you will teach in 2024. 

The biggest, most important lesson you will teach is the GOSPEL.

The Gospel is the heart of God.  It shines brightly as it makes its way from the pages of the Bible and into the heart of the next generation. 

The Gospel is the hope for the next generation.

The Gospel changes lives for eternity.

The Gospel is the central theme of Scripture.

The Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  Paul said this about the Gospel.

For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek.  Romans 1:16

The Gospel can shift the entire trajectory of families.

The Gospel can penetrate the darkness and shine a ray of hope into a family.

The Gospel is the road to eternal life. 

What will you be teaching this year?  Will you be following a scope and sequence?  

Whatever curriculum you are using, make sure it is centered on the Gospel.  Make sure you are regularly sharing the Gospel with the children you are called to minister to.  You can teach a lot of things, but if you don’t share the Gospel with the kids, you are missing the most important component of children’s ministry.

Remember…most people come to Christ when they are young.  We must share the Gospel with children before their hearts get hardened by sin and the culture they are growing up in.

Let me testify about the Gospel.

My family was far from God…a dysfunctional family with major issues to say the least.  We knew nothing about God. We were criminals.  In fact, my great grandfather was sentenced to life in prison for murdering someone with a knife.

The generational curses were passed down to my grandfather. He was a drunkard and violent man as well. He ran a bar and often got into fights.  His nose was broken five times in bar fights.

Church and God were no where on our radar.  We had no hope.

Until one day a man came to our house with the Gospel.  He invited us to ride to church with him to hear the Gospel.  At first, we said “no way.”  But the man wouldn’t give up.  He kept coming back with the Gospel.  Finally, my grandmother told him if he would come by tomorrow, she and my dad would go with him to church.  For the first time, our family walked into a church.  My father was 9-years-old at the time. 

The Gospel penetrated our heart and my grandmother and father entered a relationship with God.  7 years later, my father was called to preach the Gospel.  My grandfather came to hear my father share the Gospel.  The Gospel was shared and my grandfather responded.  His life was changed.  He went from being a mean drunkard to one of the sweetest people you would ever meet.  He never got drunk again and served as a deacon for over 30 years.

I am here today…typing this…because of the Gospel.  

What a great opportunity you have to teach the Gospel in 2024.  You have the opportunity to share the Gospel with people at the most important time in their life.  When kids graduate out of your ministry in a few years, will they have encountered the Gospel?

Here are some great resources you can use to help you effectively share the Gospel this year.

Curriculum series:The Ticket.  This series helps kids see that Jesus is the one and only way to eternal life. You can get it at this link.
  

Road Trip. This series takes the kids on a road trip as they discover that Jesus is the one and only road to heaven.  You can get it at this link.

Starting Point Class.

Starting Point is a one-time class that clearly shares the Gospel with kids and their parents.  Use this class and I guarantee you that you will see kids and parents come to Christ.  I used this class to see over 430 kids and many parents baptized in one year.

You can get Starting Point at this link.

I pray that the major theme you will share with the kids and parents this year is the Gospel.  It is the only hope for the next generation.