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What is Child-like Faith?

I’ve just read that of people who identify as Christians, various surveys show that 7 out of 10 came to faith before the age of 18, while 3 out of 10 came to faith after they became adults.

— I would like to examine what influences this drop in adult salvations.

First, let’s talk about how a child views faith…

Mark 10:13-15 (CEV) Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him.  (14)  When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.  (15)  I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”

(Choose the correct answer)

— Q1. (15) I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it ___ ___ _ _____ ___.” (Fill in the blanks)

O – by understanding all of it     O – as a fun bedtime story     O – the way a child does

— Q2. What does it mean to, accept it (God’s Kingdom) the way a child does.”?

O – To accept God’s authority.     O – To trust Gods lead.     O – To recognize God’s love.     O – All of these.

Let’s discuss why a child would accept God’s rule in their life.

Let’s see what childlike attitudes we can find in Psalm 7:8-10… Our LORD, judge the nations! Judge me and show that I am honest and innocent.  (9)  You know every heart and mind, and you always do right. Now make violent people stop, but protect all of us who obey you.  (10)  You, God, are my shield, the protector of everyone whose heart is right.
For discussion…
From Psalm 7:8… What does a God-believing child think about God’s power to rule in this world?
(How does that apply to us adults?)
From Psalm 7:8-9… What does this child expect from God when they know they are innocent?
(How does that apply to us?)
From Psalm 7:10… What does this child expect when they know they’ve done something wrong?
(How do we adults deal with guilt? — How SHOULD we adults deal with guilt?)

— Q3 a. If you as a child, had a favorite teacher, what about that teacher helped you grow in learning?
             Q3 b. — What kind of a TEACHER have you found God to be?

— Q4. Now, let’s discuss some adult arguments that block their believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ…

Have you encountered these hindrances? — a) Secular teaching.   b) Blaming religions for all strife.

c) False Christians.   d) Churchy attitudes in Christians.   e) False religions or teachings.   f) Fear of losing control.

g) Thinking the church just wants your money.   h) Questioning the love of God. (If there is a God why…)

i) Atheism, claiming humans are just another animal.   j) Belief that there is more than one way to God & heaven.

Jesus tells us what an adult’s relationship to God should be in John 15:9-11… (ESV) I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love.  (10)  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  (11)  “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

— Q5. Jesus gives us… 1) A great blessing;   2) A caution; &   3) A promise here… Can you find them?

After discussion, we’ll close with…

— Q6. How has your relationship with God helped you to trust Him through the good and the bad?

*These will be praise items when we turn to our time of prayer.* (KK)

(Click here for PDF copy)

I have also submitted below ‘my answers page’ if it helps in this study…

What is Child-like Faith? (My Answers – KRK)

— We look at compared to children, what influences adults to reject salvation.

First, let’s talk about how a child views faith…

Mark 10:13-15 (CEV) Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him.  (14)  When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.  (15)  I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”

(Choose the correct answer)

— Q1. (15) I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it ___ ___ _ _____ ___.”

X – the way a child does. – Jesus is explaining the relationship we need to have with our Creator (Father) God.

 

— Q2. What does it mean to, accept it (God’s Kingdom) the way a child does.”?

O – To accept God’s authority.     O – To trust Gods lead.     O – To recognize God’s love.     X – All of these.

– A child who is raised by a loving parent, recognizes their authority, trusts that they only want what is best for them, and is willing to obey their instructions because they are confident that they care about them.

– God is our loving Father (Creator God) and we need to recognize all these factors as we walk through life with Him.

Why would a child accept God’s rule in their life. – Only as they trust in His love for them.

 

Let’s see what childlike attitudes we can find in Psalm 7:8-10… Our LORD, judge the nations! Judge me and show that I am honest and innocent.  (9)  You know every heart and mind, and you always do right. Now make violent people stop, but protect all of us who obey you.  (10)  You, God, are my shield, the protector of everyone whose heart is right.
For discussion…
From Psalm 7:8… What does a God-believing child think about God’s power to rule in this world?

— They believe God to be true and will always do only what is right.
— (How does that apply to us adults?) – Sometimes we need to humble ourselves and yield to the idea that God’s ways are hard for us to understand, because God knows the future, and sometimes He will bring hardships and sufferings to accomplish the best outcome for us, and maybe for others around us.

 
From Psalm 7:8-9… What does this child expect from God when they know they are innocent?

— That God defends the innocent, and that God knows a true heart, and that means He also knows when our hearts have gone wrong.
— (How does that apply to us?) – This means we need to correct any wrong-doing if we want God to protect us.

From Psalm 7:10… What does this child expect when they know they’ve done something wrong?

— They worry that they will be found out and punished.
(How do we adults deal with guilt?) – Well, we often try to shift the blame and find arguments to justify our deeds.

(How SHOULD we adults deal with guilt?) – It may be painful, but in the long-run, HONESTY is the best policy.

— Q3 a. Any favorite teachers that helped us grow in learning? – Those were the ones that I knew cared about me
— Q3 b. — What kind of a TEACHER have you found God to be? – In all His correction and deliverances, I’ve always found that it was all because of His love for me. (I hope all believers have found the same.)

 

Now, let’s discuss some adult arguments that block their believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ…

— Q4. Have you encountered these hindrances?

1. a) Secular teaching. – The worldly mind is in enmity with God and tries to deny His existence. A truthful educator will admit that there are more testimonies to the evidence that there is a God, than to any evidence that there isn’t a God.
2. b) Blaming religions for all strife. – Here is a common attack on Christianity, by claiming all religions are to blame for the world’s problems. When in truth, man’s lust for wealth and power is the real motivator in most wars and conflicts.
3. c) False Christians.– In the Great Deceiver’s plan, these deceptions do real damage to the TRUE MESSAGE OF CHRIST.
4. d) Churchy attitudes in Christians.– Sad to say this ranks right up there with False Christians, as anyone who does not have compassion for the unsaved, and erring, is not following Christ’s example of how we are to live.
5. e) False religions or teachings.– Any divergence from what Jesus taught us in the WHOLE of scripture, is designed to lead people away from the truth. It is just another attack of Satan, that Great Deceiver.
6. f) Fear of losing control. – This hindrance to the Gospel of Salvation tends to come from leadership, and sometimes from powerful personalities. It goes against the teaching of Jesus when He washed the feet of His disciples.
7. g) Thinking the church just wants your money.– This can come from a church that errs in the material lust for notoriety, luxury, or prominence, or more often though, it originates in those who value their wealth too highly, and don’t want to share that with others.
8. h) Questioning the love of God.(If there is a God why…) This may be the hardest one to answer, for it hinges on passing on the knowledge of the true character of God. The key truth of why evil exists in this world, goes back to the choice God gave to Adam and Eve, and subsequently to each of us, to CHOOSE to do right and obey God’s plan for blessing, or to freely choose our own ideas of what’s right and wrong. God did not want robots, He greatly desires us to CHOOSE to follow Him. IF YOU HAVE DONE SO, YOU HAVE BECOME A PRECIOUS JEWEL TO GOD THE FATHER.
9. i) Atheism, claiming humans are just another animal.– Like Secular teaching, the worldly minded are in enmity with God and try to deny His existence. A truthful seeker will admit that there are more testimonies to the evidence that there is a God, than to any evidence that there isn’t a God.
10. j) Belief that there is more than one way to God & heaven. – This current problem will become an end-times ploy to claim a rule of peace and harmony by the Antichrist. For he will also blame all the problems on religious disagreements.

 

Jesus tells us what an adult’s relationship to God should be in John 15:9-11… (ESV) I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love.  (10)  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  (11)  “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

— Q5. Jesus gives us… 1) A great blessing;   2) A caution; &   3) A promise here… Can you find them?

1) A great blessing – “I love you just as the Father loves me;” 

2) A caution – “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,” 

3) A promise – “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

 

— Q6. How has your relationship with God helped you to trust Him through the good and the bad?

— I would have to write a book (or two) on how after 70+ years I’ve witnessed God leading, correcting, blessing, and healing me and my loved ones. If you were to try to dissuade me from my knowledge of God’s goodness and faithfulness, it would be like trying to tell me that the ground I stand upon is an illusion. Sorry, those ideas can’t even begin to enter into my thinking. – I hope that God has made himself that REAL to you as well.

 

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