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ABC Prayer Crusade

Family Communications

Glenn Coon

2 - Husbands and Wives

3 - Be A Magnet

4 - Unfaithful Mate

5 - Bait The Mate

6 - Spiritually Turned-off Mate

7 - Garden of Love

8 - Children Especially

9 - Pry or Pray

10 - Inlaws

1 - Time for a Tune-Up

Pastor Kuhn, we have a number of questions from our audience.

Shall we ask the Lord for wisdom before we answer them?

Our Father in heaven, you've promised in James chapter 1, verse 5, wisdom for those who recognize that they do not possess it.

So we thank you, Lord, that as we ask believingly, we are receiving in Jesus' name.

The first is, I am a primary Sabbath school leader, and she asks, how can I get the children to sit up straight and quiet?

Now, there are 7 secrets of communication, and this fine lady and any others who are seeking to communicate, and we all seek to communicate, should learn these 7 secrets of communication.

So in a religious service where we are leading the young people to Jesus, we certainly should have joy.

Unfortunately, many individuals, when they come into the religious area of life, don't think that they should have joy.

These young people need to know that in the presence of Jesus there's joy.

So Jesus and joy are 2 of the outstanding secrets of communicating with young people.

3 other secrets are faith, hope, and love.

That's 1 Corinthians, the 13th chapter in the last verse.

We should let the young people know that we have faith in them, we have confidence in them, we love them, and this inspires them with hope.

2 other of the special secrets of communication are choice and humility, which means we should take a humble attitude toward the children.

We shouldn't belittle them and we shouldn't sort of cramp them.

Now, to show how this can be done in this particular problem, perhaps I ought to cite an example.

Many years ago, it was my wife and my privilege to be in 1 of these special Sabbath schools where the little people were marching and there must have been 2 or 300 of them and the lady in charge was a very precious beautiful Christian And I had come in by invitation to tell a story to these young people.

Well, after the opening song and prayer and so forth, just a little before she was ready to introduce me to these little people, she said, young people, I would like to explain something to you.

She said, I hope that next Sabbath when you come into church in a Sabbath school that you'll sit up like little ladies and gentlemen, and I said to myself, that's strikeout number 1.

Instead of saying I wish you'd set up like little ladies and gentlemen, she should have joy and faith and hope all connected with Jesus you see, So she could have said something like this, Pastor Kuhn, I am so thrilled.

Did you notice that most all of these young people as they came in this morning, they came in and they sat down like wonderful little ladies and gentlemen.

For the benefit of any of the little people who found it hard to sit up quietly, maybe I'll have to tell them a story of my own experience.

I've always found it hard to sit quietly in any religious service, or at any time for that matter.

When I was the size and age of some of these little people, I used to go to church with my mother and father, and I remember 1 time in winter, we went to a revival series, and the man that was speaking was so dry that I didn't know anything about what he's talking about, and since then I've wondered if father and mother even knew, and I've even almost dared to wonder if he knew.

At least there was no interest as far as I was concerned, and bless her heart, my mother recognized that, and she knew right then she could either turn me off on religion or she could turn me on.

She, I remember, had a fox fur around her neck with the little fox heads, and for eyes she had some pins, big-headed pins, you know, and as this man was speaking, I had to be reverent.

I had no right to be to whisper, but my mother let me relax and start playing eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist on those little fox furs.

I would take out their eyes and examine them, put them back in.

I would wiggle their ears and adjust their hearing.

And while this man was going on with his speech, and mother let me just carry on like that, but I didn't bother anybody.

Of father and mother's 8 boys, 5 became ministers of the gospel.

We weren't turned off because father and mother weren't so irritated with us that they were talking doubt and had this gloomy countenance.

No, they knew that Jesus and joy ought to be equated.

Now, so this fine lady, when she said, I wish they'd set up like little ladies and gentlemen, She might have said, isn't it wonderful how many of these young people are sitting up so beautifully?

And I would have said, you know, I think it's wonderful.

I find it very difficult myself to sit up.

And then she might have taken the next step.

As she saw them begin to get a little rest, they say, shall we all stand and sing a song like everything's all right in my father's house.

That way their excess energy could be taken care of a little.

She said, and boys and girls, next Sabbath morning when you come to Sabbath school, I wish you'd come on time.

And I said to myself, that's strikeout number 2.

She didn't know a thing about equating Jesus and religious services with joy and faith and hope and love.

These little children needed to have the stimulating effects of faith and confidence.

And I thought to myself, you know, she could have handled that much more beautifully.

She could have turned to me and said, Pastor Kuhn, I think it's wonderful how many of these young people have come to Sabbath school on time.

I am just thrilled with how they are here a few moments before Sabbath school opens.

And then she might have said, and pastor for the benefit of some of these little people that couldn't quite make it on time.

I think I know maybe Daddy overslept this morning.

And you know what probably would have happened?

1 of those little fellas had raised his hand and said, Mrs.

My daddy didn't wake up early enough, and I was all ready to go, and mommy was all ready to go, and daddy kept us from being here on time.

And that teacher would have smiled and said, you know, I know just what you mean.

And maybe then I would have come into the picture and I'd have said, you know what, children?

You know, the next time that daddy oversleeps, you know what you could do?

And you know, as I would explain to them what they might do, remember that I'm equating Jesus with joy.

Psalm 1611 says, "...in his presence is fullness of joy." And we want our boys and girls to realize that religion is something beautiful, not drudgery.

So I said, you know what I think you might want to do?

Let me make a suggestion to you, to you young folk.

The next time Daddy oversleeps, I would suggest that you go and get a nice large glass and go to the refrigerator and get some little chunks of ice and put it in that glass and go to the spigot and put some water in that glass with the ice and then you'll go into where daddy is sleeping and just at the time they think that I'm going to suggest you know that they'll throw this ice water on daddy.

I'll say, oh, no, no, no, no, you won't throw this ice water on daddy.

You'll say, daddy, wouldn't you like a glass of water to drink?

And then the little kiddies will laugh, you see.

And Nehemiah 8.10 says, The joy of the Lord is your strength.

If our people who are teaching our boys and girls in their homes and in the Sabbath school and in the church could realize that their boys are and girls are associating 1 thing with another.

They're associating Jesus with joy or just drudgery.

If we can associate them with the joy of Jesus, ah, they'll say like a little child said.

Her mother, her mother called my wife 1 Sabbath morning and And the mother was almost in tears.

She said, little Alice learned that we didn't plan to go to Sabbath school this morning.

I don't know what to do because she so wanted to go to Sabbath school.

My wife and every leader of every division had made up their minds that they were going to equate Jesus with joy and make religion so joyful and so attractive that the children would love to be there, And this little child was crying because Daddy and Mommy weren't going to get her to Sabbath school.

And of course, I was thrilled and my wife was thrilled.

There is a way by which we can equate the religion of Jesus Christ with a joy that's found in Jesus Christ.

So for the lady who put in this question, we've presented rather of a lengthy answer, but we did it so that not merely she, but our audience, all of our audience can know that our children can love Sabbath school, they can love religion in every phase, and may the Lord bless them as they determine to have Jesus and joy, faith, hope, and love, and not forget choice and humility.

Corporal punishment and spankings, how often and how much?

The Bible says that the rod should be used.

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Series

Family Communications

8 - Children Especially

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

One Sheep

47m

How to Prepare Yourself for the Latter Rain

46m

The Fruit of Revival

43m

For My King

45m

Understanding Difficult Topics

3. The 1000 Years of Peace

1h 10m

Gabriel Arruda Weekend

The Anxiety Relief Prayer

1h

Estate Planning

Estate Planning - Part 3: Who Do You Trust

1h 3m

Devotional Life

Devotional Life - Part 2

1h 4m

Science of Worship

14 - Beautiful Believing Rest

1h 9m

The Afterlife

The Afterlife- Part 2

28m

Where Are the O-Rings in Your Faith?

1h

Plenary

The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human

36m

Sound Doctrine