If you’re the parent of multiple children, no doubt you’ll see (as we do) huge differences between them.
One of our children has an incredibly vivid imagination – they could quite easily disappear for an hour into their own world, emerging from the other side having scaled volcanoes, travelled through the depths of space and conversed with dinosaurs.
Another of our children is sensitive. There’s nothing they love more than some quality one-on-one time, showing them you care about them, understand them and are there for them. They respond to knowing they are loved as an individual, and start to play up when they’ve not had that personal, direct affection.
Our other child is an extrovert. They get their kicks being around people, they light up when people are around, they are never happier than when getting to interact with a whole range of folk and making them laugh.
We could list a thousand more ways that our children are different to each other.
Their differences matter, and their differences should shape and mould the way we seek to introduce them to Jesus.
There is one gospel. We can’t change the content of the gospel to suit our own ends. Nor would we want to! But whilst there is only one gospel, there are innumerable ways to communicate it, and our communication of it should always be tailored to its audience. In other words – who the child is should shape how we show them Jesus.
We see this so clearly in the Bible, and perhaps no where more clearly than the book of Acts.
In Acts we see one gospel being proclaimed, but we see it proclaimed in hugely different ways, depending on the audience.
Take, for example, Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. We’re told that Peter’s audience is Jewish. And so because of that, Peter speaks to Jews – he shows them how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are the fulfilment of the messianic prophecies that they hold so dear. He leans on authorities that they recognise (the Old Testament scriptures), uses arguments that hold sway with them, and preaches the one gospel in a way that connects with the world they understand.
But if you look at Paul’s gospel proclamation to the Greeks in Athens, it’s a wholly different story. They have no understanding of scripture, so he never refers directly to it. Athens was proud of it’s philosophical heritage, so Paul leans on that authority. Taking his cue from Psalm 19, Paul knows that the book of creation causes them to have a sense that there is a God who they don’t know (as demonstrated in their altar to an unknown God), and he speaks into that and fills their void with the God of the Bible, proclaiming the gospel to them in terms they understand.
Then in Rome, at the end of Acts, Paul takes still another tack. Employing the very careful legal arguments that Rome was notorious for, Paul gains a hearing for the gospel.
C S Lewis understood the importance of proclaiming the one gospel in different ways to different audiences. In Mere Christianity*, he argues for the reasonableness of Christianity. In the Chronicles of Narnia * he appeals to the imagination to convince a different audience of the gospel. And then in the Pilgrims Regress * and Surprised by Joy * , he shows how the gospel provides the fulfilment to human longing. The same gospel, but communicated in vastly different ways to connect with different kinds of people.
All that is to say one thing – as you get to know your child better, and as you get to see how they tick, then be creative and adventurous in seeking to adapt your presentation of the one gospel to connect with the specific child in front of you. Noone (other than God) knows them better.
Let me think about how we might apply this to our children, and see if it helps you think about your own.
Has your child got a vivid imagination? Think of powerful stories that draw them in and captivate them with the wonder of the gospel. Take a parable and run with it, or help them get caught up in the twists and turns of a missionary of the past, or get great Christian books (like Narnia * !) into their hands.
Is your child sensitive, or do they value quality time? Make sure that you take the time to personally, lovingly invest in them, and take some of those precious moments to whisper to them of the God who values them so deeply, who is always there for them, whose door is never shut. Press home to them the wonder of the torn curtain in the temple that means they have direct access to God, or the sweet knowledge that the very hairs on their head are numbered by God – that’s how much he cares for them.
Or maybe your child is an extrovert – they love people, they are energised in a crowd, their passion is spending time with others. Speak to them of the community that God is forming – a heterogynous people who are deeply connected and united by the gospel. Show them how true community, true companionship is God’s idea, and how he’s creating a church that should be the best expression of shared life. Involve them as much as you can in the lives of other Christians. Envision your church to invest in them, so that the people they love are people who will point them to Jesus through their lives and words.
There is one gospel for all people, but there isn’t a one size fits all way to communicate that gospel. So why not take some time now to think about your children, and dream about how you might share the gospel with them in a way that really connects well. Then pray that the Spirit would take that and show them that it’s true.
This post was inspired by a chapter from the book ‘Mere Apologetics’, by Alastair McGrath *