Bring the Child to the King: Forbid Them Not. - The Watch Letter

But Jesus said, Suffer (allow) little children and forbid them not to come unto me. - Matthew 19:14

This scripture is quoted often when discussing how much Jesus loves children. But what Jesus is saying to us here is not just that he cares for them but that children need him. He’s saying don’t restrain them, don’t hinder them—let their coming be continual without interruption.

Children today often deal with issues we didn’t face until adulthood. Recent research shows children are now dealing with adult themes by 12 or younger. They’re being exposed to so much that, as our Pastor Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn says, it's causing their minds and way of thinking to rot, aka corrupt. As adults, we must ask what role we’ve played and what can be done to reverse this.

Jesus knew that children in those times needed salvation, comfort, covering, guidance, hope, and strength. So how much more today?

In 1 Samuel, Hannah brought her son to the temple to dwell there when he was weaned. She committed to keeping him before the Lord. She knew the best place for him was in God’s presence, under the leadership of the man of God.

Hannah knew temple visits and Torah teachings alone were insufficient to ensure her child stayed before the Lord. Not even going to a “Christian school” would be enough. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that just sending or bringing children to church is enough either, especially if what is preached is not backed up in the home with action. They need daily relationship with God, eternal salvation, and true connection/access to the man of God.

Just like we need salvation, they need it. And they need the Holy Ghost, instruction, deliverance, accountability, and a pastor just as we do! They deserve to have the peace of God too.

In Mark 9, Jesus delivered a young man from a foul, dumb, and deaf spirit. He asked his parents when it entered him. Their reply: “of a child.” They explained that the spirit cast him into the fire and the waters and worked to destroy him. The parents could not deliver their son on their own; they knew they needed the Lord.

Imagine how your child may be being thrown into the fire, in troubled waters, and faced with destructive influences and ideas. Wouldn’t you rather they be delivered now?

At the Body of Christ, we know by his fruit that Chief Apostle Gunn is a true prophet, teacher, preacher, and man of God who hears from the Lord. But how many of us have truly brought our children to him for real help, instruction, and counsel? How often do we as parents keep our pastor in the know about the status of our child in the home, their spiritual walk, and more? We will easily let a doctor or psychologist examine and prescribe to our child, but when will we allow the man of God to work with them?

Samuel’s father, Elkanah, was a Levite. He was a man of God too, but he and Hannah were humble enough to acknowledge they were not solely equipped to raise Samuel on their own. They were dealing with their own issues.

Chief Apostle Gunn preached a message years ago titled “Bring Your Child to the King” (based on 1 Kings 3). Here are some critical notes.

We were born into sin and iniquity. We were born lost and in the fallen nature. We needed God from the beginning.
Some children die (in the natural or spirit) because parents don’t have discretion or are still living the same way they did before they got saved (or started church). It's like getting a new car, but it's the same model.
You can smother your child by being messed up in your own life and stifle them in the night of your life.
You can be so spiritually asleep or drunk/lost in life that you roll over on your child and suffocate them or leave them vulnerable where someone or something can steal them away.
You have to remember that not everyone wants your child to make it. Some people plot on your child, and they need to be protected from it.
The only way to rescue a child from your mess, themselves, or the world is to take them to the King (the Lord).
When people are brought to the king or go to a king for help, they leave refreshed and restored.
The key is to go to God before you and your child get to a problem. Then when it comes, it won’t be such a big problem or overcome you. You and they will be able to be a David against a Goliath situation.

What about the child in you who still needs deliverance and guidance? When will you bring yourself to the King and to the pastor to get the help you need? And children, you don’t have to wait for your parents. Remember in Matthew 19:14, Jesus gave you an open invitation. Come to him! Seek the pastor’s help!

Listen to “Class Is In Session” from this week’s radio broadcast with Chief Apostle Gunn here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=3649914614963245&wix-music-comp-id=comp-lrczxokb.