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Showers for the Tender Harvest--"Let my teaching fall like showers on tender plants." - Deuteronomy 32:2
Bible Camp: Honing Sharp Arrows for the Lord
by Jill Nelson (Jill's bio)
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"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127: 4 - 5 (NIV)
Every children's minister or Sunday School teacher should have the opportunity to accompany their kids to summer Bible camp. Between swatting mosquitoes and dodging water balloons, they might have their lives changed forever. I know mine was this year—-as it is every year.
Bible camp and I have a long, loving history. I got saved at Bible camp when I was eleven years old. I've never forgotten the moment. It is absolutely distinct in my mind. There was no altar call. The kind of camp I went to didn't do that. What they did have were counselors who truly loved the Lord and knew Jesus as their Savior. I received Jesus as my Savior just by listening to them talk about Him like He was real, not some fictional icon of goodness or an admirable historical figure. I wanted that and called for Him quietly in my heart. Jesus answered in all His faithfulness and love.
After I went home, I testified to someone about my life-changing experience and basically got a pat on the head and "that's nice." I realize now that the person I told didn't have a clue what I was talking about, since she didn't know Jesus herself. Because I left the heady spiritual atmosphere of Bible camp to return to a powerless church that embraced the "social gospel," I became easy prey for the enemy. He made sure I got huge doses of rejection and massive inoculations with everything the world had to offer. I forgot about Jesus...almost. Frankly, He wouldn't let me go no matter what I did. I was stuck with Him, even when I thought I didn't want to be!
Now that I am grown and back in the fold big-time, I adore taking my children's church kids to Bible camp. The time away from their usual surroundings—-even their loving families—-frees them up in a special way to receive the things of God. Yes, we have loads of silly fun—-swimming, boating, playing games, contests, bonfires—-but we also have breakthrough times in the Lord. Besides their bug bites, the kids carry home a deeper relationship with their heavenly Father. Some meet their Savior for the first time at camp, like I did.
Here's what I saw at camp this year: Kids with eyes closed and faces aglow as they worshipped their Lord. Kids with tears streaming down their faces as they responded to the message of their destiny in God. Kids not afraid to come forward and testify to what God was telling them in their hearts. Kids who prayed with purpose and power for each other and their counselors. Kids with enthusiasm for the things of God that rivaled the devotion of the most avid sports fan for his team. Could we adults take lessons? Amen!
This year, my children were challenged to spend quality time with God on a daily basis, to get to know His voice on the inside of them, and to hear from Him the plan He has for their lives. They were inspired and encouraged to begin to follow that plan right now, when they are children. They don't have to wait to grow up to start doing great things for God. If they wait that long, they will already have missed much that God has for them. They will already have wasted valuable preparation time for their life-long destiny.
I got my marching orders for this next year, too. The most important thing I can do for my kids all year long is to reinforce what they got at Bible camp. That would have made all the difference to me the year I came home from camp as a brand new baby Christian. I cannot bring back those lost years for myself, but I can do my part to ensure the children in my charge keep their focus and remain encouraged in their faith.
I can do that through my own diligence to prayer and Bible study and listening to the voice of the Lord. Then I can translate what I hear to a kidstyle message that will refresh their spiritual palates each and every service. Oh yes, I'm pumped after Bible camp! I'm different than I was last week. I plan to be different next week than I was this week.
God is doing great things in our kids. They are not too young to hear and obey Him. That's all it takes for any of us to be successful in a supernatural way! Next time you want a quick answer to prayer, get a faith-filled child to pray for you. After all, Jesus said they were the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. He told his disciples they needed to become like children, not the other way around.
The church needs to begin to look at its children as warriors and weapons against the enemy. Psalm 127: 5 describes children as arrows in a quiver. Let's get our quivers full in our churches and teach them to zing straight for the bull's eye in God every time. They're eager to be sharpened and honed—-especially when they've just returned from Bible camp.
Copyright 2002, Jill Nelson. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Jill Nelson: Children have been the focus of Jill Nelson's ministry for twenty years. She and her husband have four--two boys, two girls--all teenagers. (Prayers, please.) Jill supervises the children's ministry at her local church and delights in writing her own material. Her heart is to glorify God by guiding children into a powerful personal relationship with Him. E-mail Jill |
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