by Brian Yeager
It is a fad in the body of Christ for congregations to have a separate worship service for children. The idea behind this fad is to allow the children to learn on their level how to worship God. This may sound nice and would most certainly make it easier for parents to worship completely without interruption, yet we cannot do things in the worship to God because it is more convenient, or even if it sounds good. Denominations have been doing this for years and some in the Lord's Church have been following.
The goal of this article is to study this topic and to find whether it is of God or men. First we look for some Biblical examples of children being separate in the worship. The first step having been completed and there is no example of such practices. This should be enough for a God fearing Christian that wants to follow only the authority of the Bible. Yet there are many that do not care about Bible authority. They forget that such passages as (Revelation 22:18-19) exist. This passage states that one cannot add or take from God's word. "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." This article could end here, but for the sake of those who need more we will let the study continue.
The point of this section of article is to look for examples of children present in the worship to God. Several passages here come to mind, and we are going to look at them.
(Deuteronomy 31:12-13) "Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it." In this example the request of the presence of children that they may learn, and hear. This is so that the children might learn the law, and fear God. This passage would have stated men and women only had this been what the Lord would want. (Matthew 14:21) "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children." In the feeding of the five thousand there were children present. The children were there and were witnessing Christ and the miracles he used to teach. The same occurred in the next example when there was four thousand fed. (Matthew 15:38) "And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children." Jesus told his disciples to not forbid the children in our next example. (Mark 10:13-14) "And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
The problem with this doctrine is that it is obviously not of God. We know that things men want are not pleasing to God. Paul by inspiration stated that if he were a pleaser of men he could not be a pleaser of God. (Galatians 1:10) "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." It is obvious based on the Bible that this is a doctrine of men and not of God. Again, we must remember the words of Paul we cannot serve man and please God at the same time!
The last problem with this doctrine is that an adult would have to teach the children. The adult then would not be present in the worship to God, nor would he be listening as some have to in a nursery, but would be having a split assembly. This would violate God's law. (Hebrews 10:25) "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Copyright © 2000 by Brian Yeager
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