"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" -Matthew 18:4 

There are many blessings seen when families are united during corporate worship. For one, it affords children the priceless opportunity to observe their parents sing, pray, and, at times, confess sin before the body. The New Testament shows us that children were in the midst of the gatherings of the ancient Church -- watching, listening and learning of the salvation made possible through Jesus Christ. 

It is no wonder that our LORD made reference to children during His earthly ministry, using them and their disposition to teach us truths about "The Way". We see one such use of children in Matthew 18:4. There, our LORD teaches us that humbleness of heart and mind is of great worth to God. This same principle is communicated to us elsewhere in the Holy Scriptures (e.g. Proverbs 16:19; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

Although born with sinful natures and bent toward evil from infancy (1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 3:10-19; 5:14), young children do possess an innocence which we often enjoy. We frequently get a chuckle or two observing them. All of us who have little ones in our lives can enjoy their humble questions -- questions like, "Why is the sky blue?" Or, "Where do animals go when they die?" Or every parent’s favorite, "Mommy, where do the storks get the babies?" Children are often humble enough to ask questions such as these. They are not afraid of appearing naive or ignorant. 

A child’s simplicity of heart and mind can serve as a great witness to the Church body. This was recently observed in our assembly. It started when a father explained to his five-year-old boy that laughing and giggling during prayer time is not respectful to God and is a form of mocking the one praying. Then the father opened Galatians 6:7, and showed his son how mockery of religious things is offensive to God. He reminded his child of the judgment God sent upon those who mocked the prophet Elisha; the boys were killed by angry bears.

After some time had passed during the service, the parents noticed that their boy was a bit upset. His face was red, and his eyes were holding back tears. His mother (unaware that her husband had corrected the child) sat next to him; she wrapped her arms around him, and asked what the problem was. With tears running down his cheeks, he told her that he had been corrected. The boy’s mother upheld her husband's rebuke.

From what both parents could see, the Spirit began working in the child to an even greater degree. The biblical correction he had received went through his mind as the preacher finished his sermon. Corporate prayer would begin shortly. 

During prayer, the common requests (i.e. health problems, job situations) were heard. Then the angel of the Lord laid hold of that five-year-old boy's soul -- just as he had laid hold of Lot's hand in Genesis 19:16. Weeping, the child turned to his father, and asked if the church could pray for him. "What do you want the church to pray about?" his father asked. The boy replied, "Ask them to pray that God would change my heart!"

Seeing the Spirit’s work in the heart and mind of one of his own children, the father had a tear in his eye as he relayed the request to the Church. The child was lifted up in prayer to the LORD, for He alone is able to change the heart of a little boy. 

I humbly suggest that children present during corporate worship will have many opportunities to demonstrate spiritual maturity; these opportunities are greatly reduced in the typical children’s church or Sunday school environment.

How would this situation have played out if the boy and father were not together before church started? The father would not have witnessed his son’s misbehavior. He couldn’t have administered biblical correction. Though a Sunday School teacher could have corrected the child, the boy could move on quickly, and completely ignore the rebuke given. The child would not have had the opportunity to meditate upon the biblical correction he had received. Yet it was that correction that the Spirit sovereignly used to bring the boy to repentance.

The humble willingness of a child to confess his sin during corporate worship should be a lesson to us all. Many children, young adults, and adults have never laid aside their pride to ask the body for prayer regarding sin in their lives. Yet such humility is healthy for the body; it’s also a blessing to the faithful who pray for the church’s vitality.

I pray that the young boy will continue to be led by the Spirit, the Word, and his parents. I pray that we would all consider the wonderful blessings that God grants when parents faithfully discipline and churches gladly welcome their children.