Easter Preparation: Christian Children

Is my child a Christian.......

This has been a thought running through my mind lately. I remember praying a "prayer" when I was young, so did my husband. Yet, our oldest son, 5 years, hasn't said any sort of "prayer" yet. How do I know if and when he will become a Christian, and what do I do about it?

I heard my pastor talking about children joining the church (or anyone) and how to know if they are Christians. He made the point that no where in the Bible does it mention that you have to pray the "sinner's prayer". It does say, you have to believe Jesus is the Son of God, that he came and died for our sins, and if we acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior, and truely believe we are forgiven, we will be saved (see John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23).

That got me thinking. My son and I were going through a bible sticker book and I started asking him questions. He understands that Jesus is God's son and died for our sins. I don't know if he understands the full meaning of what it means to be a sinner and ask for forgiveness-I think everyone knows at this age, there is still a lot of growth left. But he is learning the main points and that thrills me! (We are getting somewhere!)

Now am I knocking the "sinner's prayer"? Absolutely not! It is only natural that prayer accompany belief and there's no better way to vocalize that you are indeed a sinner and are truely repentant. But I bring comfort in the thought my pastor passed on....just because my son has not "prayed the prayer" he could still understand part of what being a Christian means.

I encourage you to use this Easter to start asking your young ones questions about Jesus. If they don't know, tell them.