November 20, 2014October 10, 2016 Peter Witkowski Parenting

Rest for a Crazy World

Life can be nuts. It seems at times, all we do is sleep, eat, work, hold a baby and then sleep again. Our life can be a constant whirlwind of obligations, short rest, and clothes tarnished with white spit up. And this is before you count up the stresses of your job, the critical comments of well-meaning people, the social crises of our day, and the occasional cold for good measure. And as we fall asleep to begin again, we can’t help and wonder if we read too little, done too much, or been too laidback. Wew!

Quite naturally, we all long for rest, a true rest from this world of constant motion stained with sorrow and confusion. Knowing our limitations, God has graciously given us sleep and a day of Sabbath rest. But there is a very real sense in which we will not be fully rested until the glorious return of Christ. We long for it but do not have it as we read in Hebrews 4.

But as we wait for that blessed day of perfect rest, we are not left without resource. And, I am not talking about our beds on a Sunday afternoon or about reading the latest time management book (I am growing fan of both things.). Real rest and the comfort of true wisdom are found in the throne room of Christ. When we take to our knees in prayer and humbly trust upon the Lord, we will find peace regardless of the day or of our struggles. As the Psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46). The moment we cast our cares upon the Lord and realize that he gives life, causes wars to cease, and brings healing to the sick, we will watch our world decelerate into a spiritual calm. The best way to find rest in our crazy world is to prayerfully confess with faith that, “The Lord of hosts is with us;/ the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true

(Frances R. Havergal)

November 6, 2014December 9, 2014 Peter Witkowski Parenting

What’s on the Inside?

My heart leaped for joy. With a little help from my devious hands, I was able to peak through just enough of the brown paper to confirm my suspicions. I was getting a castle for Christmas. The plastic walls, the sticker adorned knights and the flimsy drawbridge would all be mine! With my head buzzing, I settled into my daily routine of chores and holiday festivities, feeling as if Christmas would never come. Could the days pass any slower? Finally December 25 arrived with lighted Christmas tree and wrapped presents. I ripped open my gift and behold the castle in all of its very limited glory. Oh, the excitement!

Though the box sustained me for a few days, I found the reality of having a castle much more satisfying (albeit by a couple of months, but still). In the spiritual world, Christ is also all about what’s on the inside. He is not impressed with confessions of faith, baptism, or even tears on Sunday morning if we keep living for ourselves by lying, stealing, gossiping, and lusting. The outside trappings of our religion do not impress God when they are divorced from the internal realities of our hearts.

If I had opened the box and found only the brown insides of an empty box, my little heart would have melted into despair. In the same way, God deplores giving, confession, and aisle walking that is driven by an empty heart. Quoting from the Old Testament, Christ says worship not driven by a love of God (even when exciting or emotional) is work, “in vain” (Math 15:8-9). In God’s eyes, such expressions are more worthless than an empty box at Christmas.

As our children express interest in following Christ, we should be more excited than an 11 year old boy getting a castle. We should encourage our kids to seek after Christ by teaching them and by praying with them. But as we come alongside of our kids, we should not to make faith about the motions. Yes, baptism and the other signs of faith are important. But having a heart in love with God is even more important. As John Piper notes, “Worship is essentially an inner stirring of the heart to treasure God above all the treasures of the world” (p. 206). As J.D. Greear says, “Repentance doesn’t mean we amend our behavior, it means we begin to pursue God’s will with abandon” (p. 80). Repentance and worship cannot be manufactured through physical efforts. When we see that our children love God by loving family and friends and by placing a high priority on church, the Bible and prayer, then we should encourage them towards the more public expressions of faith and worship. We should get excited about what’s in the box!

Works Cited

Greear, J. (2013). Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart. Nashville: B&H Publishing .

Piper, J. (2003). Let the Nations be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids : Baker Academic .

October 28, 2014February 14, 2015 Peter Witkowski Children's Ministry, Discipleship, Parenting

Why is Children’s Church Good?

The idea of children being blessed by the church is firmly rooted in scripture. In Mark 10:13-15, Jesus welcomed the little children into his arms and blessed them. Christ’s message is clear: kids belong in church just as much as adults.

The Goal of Church

Although our children cannot physically interact with Jesus today, our kids can be introduced to his message, his character, and his very essence through the preaching of the word. This is the main benefit offered to kids with Christian parents: the preaching of the gospel of the glory of God! And while a child does not have to her forehead sprinkled or be dedicated to listen, she does have to be within earshot. For this reason, I believe welcoming children into church is a necessary, good, and blessed activity that all churches should pursue.

One Gospel For All

Now some may counter that kids learn differently today. Because of YouTube, twitter, and video games, they say kids need more music, more freedom, or perhaps they actually need more structure. Who knows? Regardless, many a good church is looking for ways to help their kids bounce out of the sanctuary. And while it’s true that kids are definitely more energetic than your average Baptist, it’s also true that there is one gospel and one name under heaven by which all men and women, and children get saved. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones once said, “There is no greater fallacy than to think that you need a gospel for special types of people.” Our kids don’t need the gospel message repackaged. They just need the gospel!

The Issue For Our Families

However with that said, I also recognize that many of the cute, smiling kids who accompany their parents are unredeemed. Others are unsettled because they have different parental rules every other weekend. And some simply lack the self-control needed to sit through a service for a variety of reasons. Our goal as a congregation cannot be to force children into our nicely sculpted programs. If we ask kids to sit through an hour service when they can’t sit still for more than 5 minute, we will frustrate them and their parents. Regardless of how valid our theology is, we will have failed to lovingly disciple these families seeking the community of Christ.

The church should always be a place where truth is infused with love and compassion. Although we need to encourage our preaching pastors to preach with children in mind and discourage our church members from scowling each time a child rustles some paper, we also need to be prepared to care for families the moment they enter our doors. The church should help kids and parents prepare for corporate worship. I think there is a need for nurseries and for children’s churches. By having limited kids’ programing during the main service, we can more effectively minister to our own church family and better welcome visitors.

Our Response

kids church In American culture, most kids learn how to sit through school by first grade. Consequently by 1^st grade, we think most kids possess the social and mental skills needed to attend church with their family. But until that time, we hope to structure our nursery programs and more specifically our children’s church to help prepare kids to excitedly join their families in worship. FBCE’S children’s church program will follow our churches order of worship. We will have offerings, prayer, singing, and teaching. And then at the end of the year, our children’s church will climax with the graduation of our rising first graders to church. Children’s Church exists not to provide an alternative to “Big Church” but to encourage our parents and to help our kids experience the beauty of the preached word.

Admittedly, no program can fully prepare a kid to obediently sit through a service. Only the redeemed will love the things of God. So parents, we will all have a few rough days. That’s ok. Don’t get discouraged or think you have failed as a parent. God’s word powerfully changes hearts. As long as our kids are exposed to the word, we have hope!