IDENTITY CRISIS (2)

One such innovation that has become quite popular in recent years is the Children’s Church, Junior Worship, etc., practice.  This is a practice wherein small children are removed from the auditorium, during the worship assembly, to be placed in another area [such as a classroom or gymnasium] to be taught spiritual concepts and stories.  This act may also incorporate training for the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.  Now, we are speaking of children who are 5-9 years old.

· Nowhere in Scripture do we find biblical authority to divide the worship assembly by age or any other form of separation.

· When Jesus taught the multitudes he never made a distinction between adults and children.  On the contrary, he commanded his disciples to let the children come to him.

· If Jesus had divided the assembly of the 5000, he might not have had the opportunity to have met the lad with the five loaves and two fish.

· Acts 20:7 says that the disciples “came together.”  Did that mean that only the adults came together?  In this section, the ASV calls Eutychus a “young man.”  The Greek word here is pais which indicates a child.  He was present for the assembling of the saints at Troas!

· The admonition of 1 Corinthians 14:23, 26 says “when the whole church comes together”  that would include the children would it not.

Next week we will examine reasons why the church should worship together and reveal the fruit of the command to worship together as the one body.

Paul