For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV)
Our pastor shared in his Easter Sunday sermon about an encounter that he had with a five-year-old boy leaving his pre-school class earlier that week. “What have you got in your box there,” the pastor asked the young man. Some boys would just respond, “stuff,” but this boy proceeded to open the container and began to share all the objects that his teacher had used to explain the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus.
When he pulled out a thorn, he described how the soldiers had made a crown of thorns and shoved it down on Jesus’ head and made him bleed before they eventually hung him on the cross. After hearing about several of the objects in the boy’s box our pastor asked him, “Why did Jesus have to die, why did those people crucify him?” The little boy responded, “Because I needed it.” It is thrilling the way God can work in the heart and mind of a five-year-old to bring them to a genuine understanding of the meaning of the gospel and the death of Jesus for our sin. He died because we needed it. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)
We should never underestimate the power of the gospel when believed by a child, even a five-year-old child. I receive with great joy the testimonies that our pastors around the world share of children who have received Jesus Christ and then are used by God with great power to influence others and even lead their entire family to believe the gospel and serve the true and living God.
Pastor Thawng, our Field Director in Myanmar, shared about a little girl attending the pre-school at the church of Pastor James. One day she came home at the same time a Buddhist monk was visiting her family. He asked her what pre-school she was attending. When she expressed that it was the Christian pre-school he began to rant about how “Christians are bad,” and he was furious with the mother for letting her daughter attend the Christian pre-school. But, after a few minutes of this tirade—the little girl spoke clearly and strongly to the monk. “You better not say bad things about the Christian God or He will hurt you.” The monk backed to the door and as he departed he told the mother, “I must go now or she will take all my power.”
The next day, the mother came to Pastor James and asked, “What power does my daughter possess that would make a Buddhist monk fearful like that?” He shared with her the gospel and explained how to believe in Jesus. He expressed that her daughter had confessed faith in Jesus and that belief meant that she now had the power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. That whole family has believed in Jesus Christ, they have been baptized and joined the church.
Here is another testimony of how God used a little girl as told by Pastor Hlaing:
“I praise God that he used a little girl named Soe to tell her parents of him. (Soe attends our Sunday school.) Praise the Lord! Their names are Mr. Tan and Mrs. Ma. Mr. Tan shared how they came to know God: ‘My daughter always prayed to God before meals and before bed. She also prayed whenever she would wake. Several times I forbade her not to believe and follow this other religion, but she always refused me. Many times she told us that there is a living God in heaven and his Son Jesus is the Savior of all men. She would tell us that our god is not living, that we should not worship it because it is just an idol. She said if we continue worshiping it, we will be thrown into the lake of fire. Her words were rooted in my heart and since the first week of February, we have tried to go to Sunday service—my wife and I—and the preaching of the pastor touched our hearts. My wife and I prayed to God and have been studying about the Christian God for several weeks. Eventually we have come to understand clearly that there is a true and living God. Both of us are very happy and have decided to join Pastor Hlaing’s church. Praise the Lord!’ This couple was baptized March 16, 2014.”
I hope that you are encouraged by hearing what God can do, even through small children. He does not need to use mighty and powerful people to expand his kingdom. In fact he often chooses to use the weak and simple to confound the wise.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:18-31 ESV)
The support provided by White Fields allows the indigenous pastors and their families to fulfill their mission. They reach children and their families with the hope and peace available only through Jesus Christ.
