10-09-2026, 11:03 AM
https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/fu...qus_thread
Why Discipling Our Kids Starts With Delight
May 5, 2025
by Chris Ammen
As a longtime children’s pastor, I’ve rewritten our ministry’s curriculum many times, but one part has always remained the same. It’s a scripted conversation I have with every child who comes through our program, so I’ve logged well over 1,000 of these by now. Here’s how it goes I ask the child to tell me about a friend who likely doesn’t go to church or have a relationship with Jesus. What are they like?
Why are they friends? What do they enjoy doing together?
Then I say: “Imagine you and your friend are hanging out one day, and they say, ‘You and your family are Christians. You believe in Jesus, read the Bible and go to church. How would I become a Christian?’” I ask the child, “What would you tell them?”
Ninety-five percent of children respond with something like this: “I would tell them they’re a sinner who needs to repent and receive the forgiveness God offers through His Son’s death on the cross.”
This is a good answer, but I believe it’s not a great answer for one simple reason: The gospel does not begin with sin. Instead, it begins with delight. How we begin when we talk about the gospel changes everything. Many believe the gospel begins in Genesis 3: The serpent convinced Adam and Eve that God was not as good as they might have thought He was. The first couple fell prey to the lies, sin entered the world, and God cursed the serpent, saying One would come to crush his head. This is good news. But it is not great news if we ignore the two chapters before Genesis 3 and why Genesis was written in the first place. Moses wrote Genesis to forever record the true story of God’s creation, covenant and faithfulness, which simultaneously corrected any false narratives ancient Israel encountered from the surrounding nations. What did these Israelites hear in Genesis 1-2?
Our God made all things. There are no little gods who made the stars, water and animals. One God, our God, made it all. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Our God does not struggle. He creates by speaking. Nothing hinders Him.
Our God made us very good. We are the pinnacle of His creation.
Our God is the center of the story, not us.
Our God delights in us. We are not slaves.
The gospel begins with delight. This isn’t a creative reformulation of the gospel. It’s simply how God chose to tell the story. God’s story of good news does not begin with us. It begins with Him, with what He freely wants to do, not under compulsion or pressure from anyone or anything. It’s clear as day to any reader that God wants to both delight in us and have us know that we are His delight.
Why Discipling Our Kids Starts With Delight
May 5, 2025
by Chris Ammen
Quote:“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
As a longtime children’s pastor, I’ve rewritten our ministry’s curriculum many times, but one part has always remained the same. It’s a scripted conversation I have with every child who comes through our program, so I’ve logged well over 1,000 of these by now. Here’s how it goes I ask the child to tell me about a friend who likely doesn’t go to church or have a relationship with Jesus. What are they like?
Why are they friends? What do they enjoy doing together?
Then I say: “Imagine you and your friend are hanging out one day, and they say, ‘You and your family are Christians. You believe in Jesus, read the Bible and go to church. How would I become a Christian?’” I ask the child, “What would you tell them?”
Ninety-five percent of children respond with something like this: “I would tell them they’re a sinner who needs to repent and receive the forgiveness God offers through His Son’s death on the cross.”
This is a good answer, but I believe it’s not a great answer for one simple reason: The gospel does not begin with sin. Instead, it begins with delight. How we begin when we talk about the gospel changes everything. Many believe the gospel begins in Genesis 3: The serpent convinced Adam and Eve that God was not as good as they might have thought He was. The first couple fell prey to the lies, sin entered the world, and God cursed the serpent, saying One would come to crush his head. This is good news. But it is not great news if we ignore the two chapters before Genesis 3 and why Genesis was written in the first place. Moses wrote Genesis to forever record the true story of God’s creation, covenant and faithfulness, which simultaneously corrected any false narratives ancient Israel encountered from the surrounding nations. What did these Israelites hear in Genesis 1-2?
Our God made all things. There are no little gods who made the stars, water and animals. One God, our God, made it all. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Our God does not struggle. He creates by speaking. Nothing hinders Him.
Our God made us very good. We are the pinnacle of His creation.
Our God is the center of the story, not us.
Our God delights in us. We are not slaves.
The gospel begins with delight. This isn’t a creative reformulation of the gospel. It’s simply how God chose to tell the story. God’s story of good news does not begin with us. It begins with Him, with what He freely wants to do, not under compulsion or pressure from anyone or anything. It’s clear as day to any reader that God wants to both delight in us and have us know that we are His delight.