“Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (Matt. 16:25)
This month Vineyard Kids is teaching our Kindergarten through 5th grades the message of salvation and baptism. We created four weeks of teachings last August, and because it went over so well, we are using them again. Our simple intention was to teach children some of our “Christian-ese” words and what these big, abstract words mean in their simplest form. I always love watching their wide, curious eyes look at you right when the light bulb goes on in their little minds. Priceless!
We created a game much like that of the Price Is Right. We set out a total of ten items; eight of them were random objects found in our classrooms, e.g., a DVD, baby wipes, etc. We put a false price on the front of a folded paper that sat in front of the item, and we wrote the real price on the back to reveal throughout the game. The children had to guess if the price was higher or lower, and they were competing against each other in a battle for first place. The ninth object on the counter was a simple, no-frills Bible. The false price was $15, but the real price written on the back was $10.95. The point we wanted the kids to learn was: yes, God’s Word has a price. Just look in our Sacred Grounds Bookstore! Then the tenth item was a piece of paper that had a picture of a lovely, blue sky and fluffy, white clouds with the word “Heaven” printed in large bold print. The false price was $10,000. Many kids were stumped! They had a hard time putting a price on it. They began to have a contest of saying ridiculous numbers like, “One hundred billion trillion quadrillion!” It was the biggest number they could think of! The real price, however, was written on the back of the paper: FREE. That’s right, free! Many were stumped. Then I explained that Jesus already paid the price, and because of Him, Heaven is free for those who choose to follow Him.
Well, that’s all dandy and clever until you have another leader who remembered that he had to give up everything to be a follower of Christ. This leader shouted out, “Hey, that’s not true! Following Christ will cost you your life.” Whoa! He shot me right out of the water! It’s true. It felt as if all of the kids in the room looked at me waiting to hear what I was going to say, but he was right. It really will cost you your life. God, however, dropped into my mind His scripture to share, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (Matt. 16:25) Whew! Truth.
The truth of it all is that Heaven isn’t free. It will cost you to be in an active relationship with a loving Creator. It will definitely cost you your life, but I would gladly give up all that I could have had without Jesus so that I can have all that I have with Him. I would gladly walk through this lonely treacherous life with someone who promises that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I would gladly give up a life of the unknown to have a life of promised love as the King’s daughter. I was so very thankful for a kind reminder that I was blessed to live for Christ at a young age, and I didn’t lose my family, my friends, nor my children over being a Christian. Others must choose: life or death? Also, I believe walking in your identity in Christ takes a realization to know who you are once you dedicate your life to Him. I pray you would all know your identity in Christ and rest in His peace daily.
Much love,
Amanda
You guys do an awesome job!
What a sweet message and what a great way to reach out kids with it!