Evangelism Is Most Effective Among Kids
That is the title of a 2004 Barna group research study which showed that “nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and that two out of three born again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday. One out of eight born again people (13%) made their profession of faith while 18 to 21 years old. Less than one out of every four born again Christians (23%) embraced Christ after their twenty-first birthday. Barna noted that these figures are consistent with similar studies it has conducted during the past twenty years.”[1]
So 77% of people who ever become born again in the U.S. do so before they become 21 years old! That is why it’s so crucial to “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” While it is not good practice to generalize statistics, I believe that one would get similar statistics in different parts of the world. Jesus himself told us that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. We all need that childlike faith in God to believe and trust him.
Targeting children with deception.
If you look keenly at what is going on in our society and around the world now, Satan is targeting children. From removing God from our public school systems, to seeking to remove the statement “one nation under God” from the pledge of allegiance to lawsuits of many kinds from liberal organizations against school children who mention God in school. Yet, school textbooks are teaching children evolution but not about God who created the world. They are teaching little children in some of our school systems that homosexuality is an acceptable and good alternative lifestyle. They first plant the deception that truth is relative before he kids later in life hear the unchanging truth of God’s word. In fact, there is a gender neutral school in Stockholm, Sweden where teachers don’t use the pronouns him or her when talking to pre-school children![2] I personally believe that more than us Christians, the enemy has realized how important it is to win the fight among Children. If he fills their minds with hatred for God before they are 21, he knows that he has won 77% of the fight over their lives. They have just 23% chance of becoming born again after they are 21 years old.
Targeting children with the truth.
Through your support of Shaping Destiny, you are targeting children and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them as you also provide for their physical needs. Most of our children are between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and the overwhelming majority of them have come to trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior just because of your obedience. I believe that because of your continued support, we will reach more young people and save them for Jesus.
[1] http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/196-evangelism-is-most-effective-among-kids
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14038419