 Okay. Good morning, everyone. Good to see you all. I think there were more of them in your class, right? I don't remember. I didn't teach your last two semesters. Yes, we were about more than 30. More than 30? Yes, we were more than 30 when you were at the hostel. Oh, am I audible clear? Do I need to make my volume louder? A bit louder would be good. Is this fine? Yes, that's fine. This is better? Okay. Okay, so good to see three and three-six of you. Welcome back to class. Very nice to see each one of you. I can't see your faces though, but at least your, you know, your pics on your profile. Yeah, so did you get to read the introduction and did you get to have a look at the notes? Yes, no? Not really, ma'am. When was I posted? Sorry? I haven't yet. I mean, I didn't know the... You haven't seen? What about the others? I posted it on, I think on Friday or Saturday. Yeah, Friday or Saturday, I think. So I posted the notes for the biblical basis on 8th January and then welcome and course content for Children's Ministry on 7th. Do you all get to see it? Yes, ma'am. Yes, okay. Good. Yes, ma'am. Okay, so before we begin our class, can somebody just start in the word of prayer, please? Anyone can just lead us in prayer? Yeah, thank you, Erin. Father, we give our glory and honor to you for presenting this new year. To learn and to equip a new word, Lord Father. As we go deeper in the word, Lord Father, Lord, the teachers, Lord Father, and Holy Spirit, Lord Father, as we know that Lord Father, you are the best counselor, best teacher, Lord Father. And Lord Father, I pray for all the students and for Pastor Selena, Lord Father, Keith Augustine and all the children of Father, as she teaches you, Lord Father. I pray for each and every one of the students, Lord Father, to be pure heart, open up our heart, our spiritual eye, our spiritual heart to receive your word, Lord Father. So I'm starting from today in words of the children of this semester, Lord Father, be with us, Lord Father, in Jesus, in my prayer. Amen. Thank you. We're going to, you know, you might be expecting in your, I don't know if they have made the changes in the timetable, you know, and you would have seen that it was Youth Ministry today and it was Children's Ministry class yesterday, but we just decided that we will do Children's Ministry the first two months of this year that is Jan and Feb, and then we'll do Youth Ministry in March and April. Okay, so Jan and Feb, I'll be taking your classes on Monday and Tuesday, and if March and April, Pastor Roshan will be taking your classes on Youth Ministry. I hope that's fine. Is that all right? Yes. Okay, so how many of you are involved in Children's Ministry? Not right now. Okay. Okay, at least you've involved in Children's Ministry. Anyone here involved in Children's Ministry at any point of time? Yes, even me, Pastor, two years back I was serving in the ministry. Okay. Okay, Aran was also serving in the ministry. Dave was also, Prince has never been in Children's Ministry. Okay, that doesn't matter. What about Kanan and Thomas and Kiran? Yeah, even I also have been in the Children's Ministry. You've been in Children's Ministry, I couldn't hear you clearly. Sorry, Thomas. I was. You was. Okay, good. Okay, so Kanan says no and Kiran also says no. Okay, that's fine. So then what is your, because most of you haven't been a part of Children's Ministry, then what is your expectation about Children's Ministry? Or what is your expectation of this class? Are you excited to take this class because, you know, you might be thinking I've, I've never thought of doing Children's Ministry and I'm not going to be involved in doing Children's Ministry. And why should I take this course? Right, this thought come to your mind or you're just going with the flow. Okay, this is what they've put. This is what I have to take and this is what I have to do to finish my course. Can I just have some inputs? Yes, actually the Children's Ministry is very special because what we saw in the engage that we bear fruit in this when they grow up. It is very important how to minister among the children, so the seed, the word of God among the children. I was ministered most two, three years with the VBS and Sunday classes, things and all. So they catch the words very easily and remember the teachers as well. So that much the impact will be made on the children. So I'm excited to learn more how to do more effective in the midst of the children. Okay, thank you Thomas. What about the others? I mean, like Kiran says, you know, she's never been involved in Children's Ministry, Prince, Kanan. So what is your expectation of this class? Are you excited about this class? Are you interested in taking this class? So you're just going to do it because you have to finish this course. Yes, ma'am. Exciting the Children's Ministry and one thing from my side, the children is based on my foundation. If we teach and something we just teach and show them, you know, then the foundation, the beat, it is strong. Then already if later on they will become a mature and youth, then they will never be fell down. Okay, so Kiran is saying that and Thomas saying this is a foundation and Thomas was saying that it's so important to teach them God's word and they're so receptive, they just receive it. You know, and Kiran is saying that when we build this strong foundation now, you know, when they grow up to be young people, youth, they will not depart from the godly ways. Yes, what about Kanan and Prince? Jamma, it's exciting. I think in the church, children's also is there. So we need to learn how to build them from little to up. So it's time to learning, but I didn't attend the Sunday school also in the Children's Ministry. So I am so excited. Yeah. Okay, good. So it's just good to hear your perspective. So I have this idea in the back of my mind when I'm preparing when I'm teaching. I don't assume that because I've been in Children's Ministry and I've been in Sunday School all my life. I mean, most of my life, not all my life when I was a kid and, you know, in BBS and they've been doing Children's Ministry. So I shouldn't come from that perspective that all of you know, most of it. So this background just helps me to even prepare my classes and to also know to what extent I need to, you know, go deeper and how I need to explain. Yeah. Like Prince said, it's children are also part of the church. Very well said. It's so important. And so they are integral part of the church. They also need to be ministered to and, you know, because they are part of the church. Yes, that's very important. So it's good that you've come with an open mind to learn. What about Kannan? Yeah, I'm also same as Prince. Okay. Okay, thank you. Yes, go ahead, Kannan. This is very important to do with the children's so they can do better in their youth. Okay, thank you. Okay, so a good, you know, background that I could get from all of you here from what you have to say about, you know, your perspective on Children's Ministry and this course. Okay, so we'll, we'll see the importance of Children's Ministry. And I'm sure that even if you're not going to be involved in Children's Ministry, you know, or you've already set your mind into, you know, doing pastoral ministry or being an evangelist or being a missionary. But also you're going to have children and you can simultaneously even minister to them. So you can know how to minister from, you can learn some of the, you know, tools that you can use to minister to children. Or even if you're pasting a church, you know, you'll have children under, I mean, children are part of the church. So, you know, the Children's Ministry will also be under your purview, your overview. That's something that you need to take care of. So you can just give the teachers a few guidelines from what you're learning. You can share the importance, the biblical mandate, the biblical importance of teaching, training children and how they can go about, you know, how they can go about building the Children's Ministry that is already being established. And you can, you know, you can kind of build it up to what God wants you to do in that church that he has planted you or the place that he has planted you. And also if you are not very sure, you know, which ministry you need to take or God, you know, this, this course can also God can stir up your heart. The Holy Spirit can stir up your heart and burden your heart for children and God can lead you into doing Children's Ministry. You know, when I was, before I joined Children's Ministry, I never actually loved children. I was ministering to children, but I never thought I would be into full-time Children's Ministry. I always wanted to work with, you know, with older people and minister to them, basically into counseling and things like that. But I saw God just moving me and the steering up my heart for children and he's always been leading me every step of the way into Children's Ministry. So we never know what the Lord has for us and how he's, you know, maybe turning the plans that he has for us. And if you're waiting on the Lord for what you need to do after you finish your Bible college, maybe God can stir your heart up even for Children's Ministry. So we can, you know, anyways, attend this sessions or this classes with an open mind just to learn to build ourselves up so that we can build others who are not able to get into any Bible college or learn about Children's Ministry, you know, just help them, give them some tips, tools, and just get them going into being effective ministers, ministering to children. So before we go into this whole course, we will look at, you know, why is ministering to children very, very important or why is Children's Ministry important? I'll just present these. Okay, so can you see the slide presentation? Yes? No? Yes. Okay. So here we see that, you know, more than half of the people who believe in Jesus do so by the age of 12. You know, when we are in church, we are so actively involved in evangelism and, you know, having programs to, you know, speak the salvation message to lead people into accepting Christ as their personal savior. We see we have a whole group of, you know, people, children who, you know, are willing to readily accept Jesus, you know, just before the age of 12. So Children's Ministry is very important because, you know, more than half of the people who believe in Jesus do so by the age of 12. Okay. So by the time a child is nine-year-old, their basic moral foundation has been formed. So we see that it's very important that, you know, we minister to children because it is a very important stage or a phase in a person's life because by the time a child is nine-year-old, they, you know, have a basic moral foundation. What is right? What is wrong? And after that, to change it kind of becomes very, very difficult. So, you know, see, just ministering to children at a very young age, you know, sharing with them the biblical truths, teaching them, you know, the laws, the commandments and what God requires of them. Just builds in them a moral foundation of what is right, what is wrong, what they should do, what they shouldn't be doing. And when they, you know, grow into teenage and, you know, youth, they will have the strong moral foundation and that will become the basis for which they will make their decisions, their choices and live the rest of their life. Another important thing why we need to be, you know, children's ministry is important is because by the age of 13, a child has formed their basic beliefs about the nature of God. The real ability of the Bible and the existence of an afterlife and the everlasting love of Jesus. Okay, so by the age of 13, they've already have a basic, you know, belief system or religious belief system about who God is, what he means to them, how he relates to them, their relationship with God, the Bible, whether it's the truth, whether they should follow it or whether it's just a book of laws of do's and don'ts. And also, you know, what is their existence, what is their purpose, why God has created them, what is going to happen after death, and also their, you know, their relationship with regard to their love for Jesus. So all this is formed before the age of 13. So we see that, you know, these formative years of a child's life is so important and we think that, you know, what will a child understand? What will a child know? You know, there's no point in teaching them all of these things from God's word. Just tell them some basic stories, kind of repeat the same stories of David and Goliath and Zacchus, you know, and because we think they are not able to understand. And we kind of give, just give them like milk and we don't feed them with food and solid meat, but we tend to do that for youth and adults. But we see that, you know, they become more resistant because they've already formed their basic belief systems, their moral values are already built and it's so difficult to break through. But for children, you know, they're very easy to speak to, for us to explain to them. And so we see it's so important to minister to children, not just give them, you know, milk, but give them solid food as well. Because even when they're growing physically, you know, we see that when they're growing physically, that's apparent, you know, continue to give a child milk from day one, they are born right up to, you know, they are about 13 or 14 years old. What do you think? Some other just feeding a child milk from the day the child is one day old to the day a child is 13 year old? Yes, no. No. You know, we see that, you know, from day one the mothers is feeding the child milk, but as the child grows, you know, in a couple of months, the mother kind of gives the child semi-solid food and then, you know, the mother starts feeding the child as the child grows into one year old, two year old, with more rice and chapati and, you know, whatever diet of food the child can eat. So we see that it's not milk throughout. So here also, even when it comes to spiritual nurturing and spiritual feeding of a child, you know, it's important that we just don't give them milk, just give them stories from God's word and, you know, just finish a Sunday school class or a children's church class. But we need to teach them more solid meat from God's word. That means give them more theological training and teaching. And that is what we do at APC Children's Church. If you've noticed, you know, at APC Children's Church, our curriculum that we have for children is all based on the courses that we are teaching in Bible college. Of course, it is written according to their age-specific needs and development. But we see that even children in grade two to grade four, they're learning about biblical covenants. They're learning the doctrine of God. They're learning about the Holy Spirit. Because in school also, they are learning, you know, more detailed things. They're not just learning ABCD for one, two, three or numbers. You know, they're learning each year, as they keep going into each class, they're learning more details about the same subject, but in a more deeper way. So even when it comes to children's ministry, when it comes to teaching children from God's word, you know, just not telling them Bible stories, but teaching them the solid food or meat from God's word. So this is why it is important for us to do children's ministry or to minister to children. Now we look at the biblical basis and the mandate for children's ministry. So what is the biblical basis and the mandate for children's ministry? Okay, we see that in God's plan, you know, he had her plan for children as well. And we see this right from Genesis. Now, the next few slides that I'll be putting up, you know, will have a lot of scripture references and they're on the screen. So I'd like you all to keep your Bibles opened. And, you know, as I request, one of you can keep reading these passages out loud if it's all right with you all. So we see that in the very beginning, you know, God had this whole concept of family in his mind from the very beginning. And we see that God created families in the very beginning. He created Adam and Eve and we see Adam and Eve had children. And how do we know that it was that, you know, the concept of family was in God's mind from the very beginning? We read this in Genesis chapter one was 28. Can somebody read it out loud for us, please? Thank you. So here we see, you know, God bless them. Who did God bless? He blessed Adam and Eve. And what did he say? Be fruitful and increase in number. So here we see that, you know, God had a plan in his mind for family and God's plan for children was from the very, very beginning. Here we also see in Genesis chapter 17, verses six and seven, that God chose and established Abraham's family as the family of promise. So he chose Abraham through whom he would, you know, establish his plan, his purpose, his promise for the generations to come. And we read this in Genesis chapter 17, verses six to seven. Can somebody read that loudly, please? I will keep here many descendants and some of them will be kings. You will have so many descendants that they will become nations. I will put my promises, a promise to you and to your descendants in future generation. As in everlasting covenant, I will be your God and the God of your descendants. Thank you, Erin. So here we see that, you know, God is establishing a covenant, not just with one person. But through this person, Abraham, he's establishing his covenant and his promises for his descendants as well. That is his children's children for the generations to come that he will be their God. And, you know, and he will establish his promise and his covenant through Abraham's descendants. And we can also read Genesis chapter 17, verses nine to 14, please. Can somebody read that? Yes, ma'am. The mark of the covenant, nine. Then God said to Abraham, your responsibility is to obey the term of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep. Each male among you must be circumcised. You must cut off the place of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the 18th day after his birth. This applies not only on members of your family but also to the servants of the born in your household and the foreign born servant whom you have purchased. All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant. Thank you, Kiran. So here we see that God is telling Abraham, you know, giving him a command and telling him that, you know, you have to do this, you know, ritual of circumcision as to keep the covenant that he's making with Abraham for generations to come. And he's saying that you need to, you know, circumcise every male among you who is eight days old. So a child as well. So here we see in this, just there are more scripture references in the Bible, but I'm just choosing a few of them to see that God has a plan for a family. The concept of family was in God's mind from the very beginning. Okay. And in that concept of family, you know, family is not just husband and wife, but also children. And so here we see that God has a plan for children from the very beginning. Okay. And the next thing is we see that God not only has a plan for children in the family, but also God has a plan for children to be trained in his word. Okay. For children to be trained in his word. We have this, you know, very familiar verse that we all know from Second Timothy chapter three verse 16 where it says, all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuke, correcting and training. And we see that, you know, this is a mandate or this is a law. This is something that God has established throughout scripture that his word be taught, his word be reiterated again and again, be spoken out again and again. The laws being taught again and again to people and to the generations that are to come. So we see that all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuke, correcting and training. And this is not only for adults or for youth, but also for children. So we see the importance God placed in teaching children. We look at Genesis chapter 18 verses 17 to 19. Can somebody read that loudly please. And Abraham said to God, hope that Ishmael might leave before you. In God said, no, Sarah, your wife shall be your son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants. Are you reading from Genesis 18 verses 17 to 19? Okay, I'll read that. Yeah, nobody's Thomas. I'll read it. Then the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do. Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation and all nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. Okay, so here we read again, you know, about Abraham and we're saying we're seeing here that, you know, God chose, why did God choose Abraham? Of course, you know, we know that it was because of his faith that he had in God, but here we also read that God is saying for I have chosen him. God is saying I have chosen Abraham so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised. So we see that, you know, God chose Abraham because he knew that he will direct his children and his household and teach them the ways of the Lord and doing what is just and right in the ways of the Lord. You know, even as you know, you'll soon be parents, you know, have your own family. So this is so important if you have to see God's promise as covenant promise being passed on from you to your children, it's important that you teach your children direct them in the ways of the Lord and doing what is right and just and if you want to see God's covenant promise being established. Among his people, you know, it's important that we also teach and pass on the laws and the commandments and what God requires of us teach it to our children, even in church. Okay, the next one is Exodus chapter 12 versus 24 to 27 year. One of you can read it, but before we before you read it, I'll just, you know, give you a background. You know, here we see God giving instructions to Moses and Aaron about the Passover, how to celebrate the Passover. The first Passover that they had in Egypt and Moses and Aaron takes these instructions that God gives them and they and he they go and give it to the elders and the elders goes to their own households and they give the instructions of the Lord. So can somebody read Exodus chapter 12 versus 24 to 27, please? And you shall observe this thing. We can't hear you. For you and your sons forever. It will come to power. Yeah, now we can hear you. No. And you shall observe this thing. I think we just hear a one or, you know, three words and then your. Your voice is cut off. Audience for you and your sons forever. Okay. Don't. Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your distant land must observe forever when you enter the land of the Lord has promised to keep you. You will continue to observe this ceremony. Then your children, your children will ask, what does this ceremony mean? And you will reply, it is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord. For he passed over the house of the Israelis in Egypt. And though he stuck the Egyptians, he spread our families. When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bow down to the ground and worship. Yes. Thank you, Kiran. Thank you, Prince. So here we see that, you know, God is giving them instructions about how to celebrate or keep the Passover feast. And he's saying, he's telling Moses and Aaron, tell the people that even when they enter the promised land, the land that he's going to give them, they have to obey this ceremony. Sorry. And when the children ask them what the ceremony means, you need to tell them. Okay. So it's not saying when, when you ask, but they're saying children. So even when children ask, you know, explain to them, don't just say that they might, don't think that they might not understand. There's no importance in, it's not important for them to know right now when they grow up, they'll understand. But it says when your children ask, you know, tell them what they did, what was the ceremony, how they went about doing it, why they had to do it and what God had done for them. So why is God, you know, specifically saying that when your children ask, because God knows that, you know, at the very young age, children have to be molded in the ways of the. Lord, at a very young age, they can, they can, they have that kind of understanding or that mindset to, to, to know who their God is to understand who their God is to know his love and what he's done for them. And so that they can have a relationship with him from a very, very young age. So here we see the importance of, of, of God telling most and even teach the children, even the ceremony, sometimes, you know, when they're seated in church, if the children ask us about what is holy communion, what is this wine, what is this bread. You know, parents have failed to explain this whole thing to them because we think children will not able to understand. But, you know, it can be, it can have an adverse effect on the children as well because children, you know, they think that, you know, people in church drink wine. So it's, it's okay for us to drink wine. And that is what happened to one of the children, you know, the, when they had a Christmas party, the friends in school said, you know, y'all in church drink wine and all that. So why don't you bring wine, we'll enjoy ourselves. So this child went and bought wine and when the principal caught the child and the friends and the parents were called. The child said this, you know, we drink wine in church. So we thought it's okay to drink wine. And from that time onwards, I started saying when we serve communion in children's church, you don't say, you know, the wine, but we say grape juice. And also, you know, teaching when we, when we give communion, or we had the, when we give out the communion for children in children's church. We, we share or we teach them what this whole thing is about and what is the significance and what is the meaning. And I always tell the younger children who are not partaking in the communion. Say, even if you're not partaking in this broken body and the shed blood of Jesus, it's important for you to listen and to understand. So, you know, they, they know what is communion, they know what we are partaking in. So it's very important for us, even when we go through these various ceremonies, you know, like in your churches, you might be having a harvest festival. Some of the churches we go through this Lenten season. Now we'll start Lenten just before the Good Friday, before Easter. We have this whole Lent season. We also have Monday, Thursday. We also have Good Friday. So teach children, you know, all of these ceremonies that we celebrate in church. What is the significance? What is the meaning? What God has done for us and why we celebrate or why we remember these special days. So children will also have a clear understanding. And this is not just because we have to do it because God has instructed us and it's the importance of teaching them at the very young age. The next one is Deuteronomy chapter 31, verses 12 to 13. Can somebody read that, please? Gather the people together, men and women and little ones and the strangers who is within your gates, that they may hear that they may fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of His. And that the children who have not known it may learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to poses. So here we see that Moses is 120 years old. He knows that it's time for him to go and so God chooses another leader, Joshua, and Moses is instructing the people, the laws. And we see here that he's saying gather the people or assemble the people and he's not leaving out children. He says not even leaving out women. He says gather men, women and children so that they can listen to the law of the Lord. And Thomas, your version says little ones, right? Thomas, your version, do you read little ones? I thought I heard it. Okay. So here we see that little ones where we think of children, we think children may be 9th, 10th standard or 8th, 9th, 10th grade. But here it says, I like this word little ones. Even the smaller ones bring them so that they can hear the words of the Lord and the fear of the Lord will come upon them and they will be able to carefully observe all the commandments and the laws that God has given them. And he says that children who do not know this law must hear it and learn it and fear the Lord your God as long as you live. So he's saying that your children's children who are going to come up, children who are not yet born, children who are going to be born, make sure that you teach them, make sure that they hear these words so that they can fear the Lord and they can live in the land of promise because they are living in obedience to God's word and His commandments. Then we have Psalms chapter 78 verses 1 to 8 here. The psalmist is saying that, you know, asking the people to hear the teachings, to listen to the words of his mouth. And he says, do not hide this from your children. Okay. He says, we will not hide it from their children, but we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done. And the psalmist is here saying that we need to tell the children the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and the power and what he has done, the wonders he has done because he has commanded this to our forefathers. What is he commanded this to our forefathers? He's saying that God has commanded our forefathers to teach their children so that the next generation would know him. Even the children yet to be born and even they in turn would tell their children. So he says, pass it on from generation to generation and pass it on from generation to generation, not when they become adults, but when their children keep passing it on. So that, why is he saying, you know, pass on these laws and commandments to children and to their children? He says, so that they can put their trust in God. They will not forget his deeds. They would keep his commandments and they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation whose heart was not loyal to God and whose spirits were not faithful to him. So he says, teach children because children have a very, you know, malleable heart. You know, they can easily mold them. And the example is given here of, you know, mostly when people are trying to train and teach children, they talk about a young plant. You know, when they say when the plant is very young, you know, we can, if the plant is bending to the left, we can, you know, we can straighten it by keeping a stick or a support or tying a, you know, a rope or something like that. And then we see that the plant will start growing straight and tall. But what happens if it becomes a tree and the, you know, it's no longer a tender stem, but it's a bark, you know, you can't move the tree. Whatever you do, you cannot change the position or the shape or in the direction in which it is growing. So even when it comes to children and adults, children are like that tender plant. They're easy to, you know, train them to teach them and guide them so that they will grow straight in the ways of the Lord. They will walk in the paths of the Lord. And that is why God is saying here and the psalmist is reiterating what God has said, you know, teach the children so that they will not forget and they would keep the commandments of God and they will not be like their forefathers, stubborn and rebellious. Okay. So we see that, you know, the importance God gives for training children in God's word. Jeremiah chapter 32 verses 38 to 41 talks about how, you know, children are an integral part of the covenantal community. And we saw that even when in Abraham's the references that we read in Genesis chapter 17 that, you know, the covenant would be passed on from generations to generations when you tell them and you teach your children and when they follow the circumcision. Right. So we see that children are also an important integral part of the covenantal community. We can't, you know, overlook them. It's not only the older people or the youth were part of the covenantal community or the covenantal promises of God, but also children. And this is what we read in Jeremiah chapter 32 verses 38 to 41. Can somebody read that please? They shall be my people and I will be their God and I will keep them one heart and one way that they may fear me always for their own good and for the good of their children as a them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do their good and I will put the fear of me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from me. For them to do them good and will have that with all my heart and with all my soul. Thank you, Dave. So here we see that the God is saying that I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Okay, says with their children and their children's children. And I'll put the fear of them in their heart, fear of me in their heart so that they do not turn away from me. So here we see that, you know, the covenant that God gave Abraham was not just for him, but also for his children's children. And here we see that, you know, God promising that he will be the God of his people and they shall be his people and that he will give them one heart and one way and that so that they can fear him and he will establish an everlasting covenant with them. So we see that children are an integral part of the covenantal community. The next thing we'll see that children are also part of the corporate worship of the community of Israel. So we saw that, you know, in the biblical mandate that God has for children or the biblical basis or the biblical mandate for children's ministry, we see that God has planned for children, that is, you know, the family, the concept of family that was in God's mind. And we see that God had this whole plan also of training not only adults and youth in God's word, but also children. And we also see in the covenantal community or the community of Israel, we see that children are also part of the corporate worship, okay? Children are also part of the corporate worship. So the biblical pattern for a family is that all young and children all come together in praise, in worship, in prayer, in repentance, in hearing the word as read from the Torah from the law and also that it is God's plan for children also to receive salvation and to be filled by the Holy Spirit. So we see that the biblical pattern for family is for all of them, you know, any age group to come together in worship, in praise, in prayer, repentance, reading, and hearing of the scripture and salvation, okay? So let's look at the Psalms chapter 148 verses 12 to 13. Can somebody read that please, Psalm 148, 12 to 13, yes. Girls and young men, all people and children too. Let them all praise the name of the Lord. His name is greater than any others. His glory is above the earth in heaven. Thank you. So here it says that, you know, let young men and women, old men and children, let them all praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is exalted. So we see that when it comes to praising and worshiping God that even children are a part of the corporate worship in a family or in the community or at church as we look at in the present day, okay? Children are also part of the prayer, you know, aspect in the family setup or in church. So let's look at the second chronicles, chapter 20 verses 12 to 13. Now second chronicles, chapter 20 is talking about how, you know, Jehoshaphat is faced with these three huge armies that are coming to fight against him. And so King Jehoshaphat tells all the people, you know, to fast, including children, including animals. And he asked all of them to come to the temple to seek the Lord. And this is what we read in verses 12 to 13. It says, our God will you not judge them for we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. All the men of Judah with their wives and children and little ones stood there before the Lord. So we see that in, you know, even when they are seeking the Lord this time of, you know, of a disturbing situation or a very concerning situation when they're faced with three huge armies that are coming to fight against them. They don't keep away the children at home, but the children are also part of this aspect of seeking the Lord, waiting upon the Lord, praying and asking the Lord to help them. And also, you know, children are also, I think we're fasting because it was the King who asked everyone to fast. Then we see that children are also part of the repentance aspect that comes when it comes to a community worship or a family worship time or a church. Okay, so repentance here we read in Ezra chapter 10 verse one, while Ezra was praying and confessing and weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God. This is because he was repenting for the sins of the whole people of Israel and what they have done. A large crowd of Israelites, men, women and children gathered around him and they too wept bitterly. Okay, maybe we can say that children may not know what is happening, but they would have asked their parents, their parents would have said, we have sinned against God and so this is how we repent, this is how we ask for forgiveness, okay? So we see that children were also part of the community or the family time or their children can also be part of the repentance time that we as a church do when we repent of our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Often we think that during praise and worship or during prayer time or when we're having fasting prayer, let the children be outside playing or let them just be doing things, give them something to color, but it's also good to have children in the room or children where we're having a time of fasting and praying and get them to also to observe if they're in a position to even fast, they can do so so that they can learn at a very young age what is corporate worship, what is worshiping God, what it means to repent of our sins, what it means to pray, what it means to give thanks to God so they can learn at a very young age and fast. But here we see that children were also part of the fasting part of the repentance time when the people of Israel were repenting of their sins so we can also involve children in our family time of fasting and prayer if you have that or also in your church. The next thing is children were also part of the community of Israel when the scripture was being read. Nehemiah chapter eight verse two, can somebody read that please? Nehemiah chapter eight verse two. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the president brought the law before the assembly which was made up of men and women and all were able to understand it. Thank you. So here we see that when Ezra described the teacher of the law and he brought out the law we need to know that in the Old Testament times not everyone had the book of the law like we have the privilege of the Bible in our hands. We can even have children's Bible, youth Bible, any age have Bible is different versions but in the New Old Testament times they just had one Torah the law that was there and the scribe or the priest would read it out and all the people would stand and listen. And so here we see that when Ezra the priest was reading out the law, the people who were listening to it were not only men, women, but all who were able to understand. That means children who were also able to understand were part of hearing the reading of the scripture. So even in our church today or in children's church we can get children to read the Bible. I'm quite amazed when I, or I'm quite startled I must say that when in children's church when we ask children to read the Bible they find it so difficult to read God's word. And even if they're in grade six or grade seven and I'm wondering why because they have these huge textbooks and they're used to reading their lessons but why are they so finding it so difficult to read the Bible is because it's not familiar with the whole passage. Even if it's a very simple familiar passage that we ask them to read, they can't read because they're not used to reading God's word. But we see that the importance of them not only hearing the scripture, but also reading. So not only read out scripture passages for children but also get them to read their Bible. And then for the book that God has given them and we need to also instill the same thing in our children to read God's word. And this can happen when we do it from a very, very young age. So we see that in the, you know children who are part of the community of Israel they were part of hearing the reading of the scripture. Before we close, we'll just look at the last point on salvation, okay? So salvation is not only for adults but we can also lead children into accepting Jesus in Lord and Savior. And we saw in the beginning this class that more than half of the people who accept Jesus do so before the age of 12. So Acts chapter two verses 38 and 39 says and Peter said to them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are part of everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. So here it's for everyone who God calls who God works in their hearts who those who are opened and receptive to receiving Jesus Christ as their personal savior. So not only salvation but also here we see that the promise of the Holy Spirit the baptism of the Holy Spirit is also for children. So we don't have a senior Holy Spirit and a junior Holy Spirit but we just have one Holy Spirit who works both in an older person in an old man and a old woman and an adult and a youth and the same Holy Spirit can also work in a child's life. So we see that salvation is also for children. They can also accept Jesus as their Lord and savior and they can also receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, okay? So we'll end class here. Anyone has any comments, anything you like to share any questions that you have just take one or two minutes and then we'll end class. Anything you all want to say anything that impressed your heart? Any, so, okay, just couldn't say she's received something new, okay? Anyone else, any questions? No? Okay, then thank you, have a good day and I'll see you next Monday for this class. Okay, bye everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bye.