Sunday School Ministry Purpose By Charles Spurgeon
Sunday School Ministry Purpose:
The original title of this article is”Encouragement to Soul-Winners”. He wrote about Sunday School in the context of soul salvation.
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins ~ James 5:19-20
Importance Of Sunday School
I want to make an application of this whole subject of soul winning to the conversion of children.
Beloved friends, I hope you don’t forget Sunday School, but I’m afraid many Christians don’t even know they exist; they know about them from hearsay, but not from observation. They probably haven’t visited or cared about the school in twenty years. They would be pleased to hear of any success, but even if they have heard nothing, they are happy.
In most churches, a group of enthusiastic young people devotes themselves to Sunday school work, while many others who could significantly benefit the school do not. They could be excused if they had another job to do, but they don’t, so they waste time while the work that is readily available and requires their aid goes unattended. It’s hard for me to believe that we’re completely rid of such sluggards, therefore I’ll beg conscience to do its work with the guilty.
Children May Be Saved While They Are Children
Children need to be saved; children may be saved; children are to be saved by instrumentality. Children may be saved while they are children. He who said, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven,” never intended that His Church should say, “We will look after the children by-and-by when they have grown up to be young men and women.” He intended that it should be a subject of prayer and earnest endeavor that children as children should be converted to God.
Conversion Of A Kid Is A Labor Of Divine Grace
The conversion of a kid is a labor of divine grace with the same joyful outcomes as the conversion of an adult. The child’s soul is saved from death, and a multitude of sins are hidden, but there is also the joy of a great preventive job being done when the young are converted. Conversion prevents children from many sins. How pleasant a boy’s life will be if God’s eternal mercy blesses your teaching to a young prattler! Praise God for our children’s innocence and pray for their hearts to be devoted to the Saviour.
“‘Twill save them from a thousand snares, To mind religion young; Grace will preserve their following years, And make their virtues strong.”
Saving Children To Become Prodigal
Reclaiming the prodigal is good, but saving him from being one is greater. For Christians, Sunday School instruction should rank high on their list of philanthropic endeavors, not only bring back criminals and drunkards but prevent them from becoming criminals or drunkards. A child’s conversion avoids and hides a multitude of sins.
Church Be Furnished Best Of Men And Women
This gives the Church the hope of being furnished with the best of men and women. They were created wise in their youth; David and Josiah were sensitive to heart in their years. Reading the lives of famous ministers reveals that their Christian journey began early. It is not necessarily necessary, but it is tremendously beneficial to the development of a mature Christian character to start with youthful piety. I do not expect to see the Churches of Jesus Christ developed by individuals who have lived in sin, but by raising young men and women who will become pillars in the house of our God. We must turn to people who were Christians in their youth if we want strong Christians. Young trees must be planted in the Lord’s courts if they are to live and flourish.
Teach Them The Gospel And Doctrine Of Grace
And, brethren, I believe that teaching the young is more important than ever because there are some who are sneaking into our homes and deceiving men and women. Let English Sunday school teachers teach the children well. Let them not merely occupy their time with pious phrases, but intelligently teach them the entire gospel and the doctrines of grace, and let them pray over the children, and never be satisfied unless the children are turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and added to the Church, and then I will not fear Popery. If it hadn’t been for the catechizing of the children, popish priests claimed that they could have won England back to Rome. I believe we have abandoned catechisms for far too little reason; yet, if we do not use godly catechisms, we must restore determined, plain, and simple teaching, as well as pleading and praying for the immediate conversion of the children to the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Spirit is ready to help us. He is with us if we are. He is ready to bless the humblest teacher, and even the infant classes shall not be without a benediction. He can speak to us in our own language. He can bless us so that we will know how to speak to the little ear. We will have produced a race of infidels or a generation of superstitious people if teachers are not found, or are found, but are unfaithful. I beseech the Church of God to value Sunday school. I implore all patriots to pray for Sunday schools; I implore all Christians to be sensitive with children and pray that their hearts may be won by Jesus.
What Have Been Done For The Conversion Of Children?
No time to speak, but the theme is close to my heart. But I must leave it. I leave it, but not before asking this questions:—What have you been doing for the conversion of youngsters, each of you? What have you done for your own kids’ conversion? Are you clear on that? Do you ever pray for and with your son? This act will have a big impact on your son, father. Do you ever talk to your daughter about Jesus and His cross? With God’s help, you can be both a spiritual and natural mother to your beloved child. What are you doing, youth guardians and teachers? Do you know their souls? Are you weekday and Sabbath school teachers, doing everything you can to prepare your students to worship the Lord? You decide.
Young Children Welcome You To Heaven
If you find many loving children there to welcome you into eternal habitations when you enter heaven, as I trust you will, you will receive a great reward; it will add another heaven to your own heaven, to meet with heavenly beings who will greet you as their teacher who brought them to Jesus. Would you like to travel to Heaven alone? Would you like a crown in heaven without a star because no soul was saved by my means? The sacred flock of blood-bought sheep is led by the great Shepherd; many of them have twins, while others have their own lamb; would you like to be a barren sheep in the great Shepherd’s flock? The scene changes. Pay attention to a superb host’s ramblings. I can hear their war music, and their triumphant songs flood my ears. To the great Captain’s honor, the warriors are returning home, each carrying his trophy on his shoulder. So they march triumphantly to the celestial Capitol, along the golden streets, each soldier carrying his personal share of the spoils. Will you go? Will you march without a trophy, adding nothing to the triumph? No combat victories, no arrows or swords taken for Jesus, would you bear? Another scene is in front of me. I hear them yell “harvest home” and I see reapers carrying each person’s sheaf. Some of them are stooped down with the heaps of sheaves that weigh down their joyous shoulders: they went forth weeping, but they have returned rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. He had only a small plot and small seed corn handed to him, but it has multiplied well according to the law of proportion; he had only a small plot and small seed corn entrusted to him, but it has multiplied well according to the rule of proportion.
If You Love Him, Feed His Sheep
Will you be there without an ear? Never having plowed, never having planted, and so never having reaped? If so, every reaper’s yell may bring a new sorrow to your heart as you recall you did not sow and hence could not reap. Don’t pretend to adore my Master if you don’t. If His tender wounds bought you, offer yourself to Him; and if you love Him, feed His sheep and lambs. He stands here, unseen by my eyes but recognized by my faith, displaying the scars of His wounds on His hands and feet and saying to you, “Peace be unto you! As My Father has sent Me, even so, send I you. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; and this knows, that he who converts a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” Help us, Good Master! Amen.
This article is an edited version of the article “Encouragement to Soul-Winners” from Charles Spurgeon’s book “The Soul Winner”. Check out our related posts for more information on this topic, or get a copy of the book from Amazon.
