7 Basic Truths for Kids
Repetition is powerful. For example, think of a best friend from middle or high school. If you grew up in the age before cell phones, like me, you can probably remember that friend’s phone number. I don’t know my own father-in-law’s phone number, because it’s programmed in my phone. But I can still recite the Hickman boys’ phone number, because I dialed it several times a week growing up.
Because repetition is powerful, the Kids Ministry at The Austin Stone has centered itself around seven basic truths. Every lesson centers around one of these truths. And every time these truths are shared, the exact same phrase is used. The aim of this strategy is that, by the time a child “graduates” from our kids’ ministry, they will know these phrases by heart. That way, these truths are available for the Holy Spirit to bring to mind whenever the children need them. This repetition allows children to easily understand the gospel, to preach the gospel by themselves, and share the gospel with others.
Here are the seven basic truths that our ministry repeats over and over:
God made everything, including me. God is the creator and sustainer of all life. God made humans in His image and for His glory, and He made each of us to reflect Him uniquely. He loves His creation!
God is King of everything, including me. God created everything, so He is in charge as King. When happy things happen, we can thank and praise God! And when sad things happen, we know God can help and will use it for His glory and our good.
God is good and is the greatest treasure in the world. God and His Word can always be trusted. He is perfect and always does what is right.
I am born a sinner, and I need a rescuer. Every person is a sinner. Sin is going against God’s will or Word in any way. Our sin keeps us from having a relationship with God, and we cannot fix that problem ourselves. We need God’s help.
Jesus is the Rescuer who can bring me to the greatest treasure in the world. Jesus is the only way back to God. He came to pay the price for sin and came back to life, proving His power over sin and death! Anyone who trusts in Jesus is rescued from their sin, and their relationship with God is restored.
God gives us the Holy Spirit who helps us remember and obey what Jesus taught. Jesus has taught us all that we need to know to live a life pleasing to God. But sometimes we forget and we can't obey God in our own strength, so God gives us His Holy Spirit to remind us of what Jesus taught and to help us obey Him.
Tell the world that Jesus is the Rescuer. This basic truth reminds us that God gave us a mission: to show and tell the world about Jesus through the Holy Spirit’s power. We want more people to know, love, and trust Jesus, so we want to tell as many people as possible about Him.
To help kids see these truths from the Scriptures themselves, The Austin Stone has created a Bible study journal just for kids. There are six different Bible passages for each basic truth, along with questions to help kids observe, interpret, and apply the text to their own lives. We are praying that God, through His Spirit, will plant these truths deep in the hearts of the children in our church, and that they will be able to recite these words from memory for years to come.
Learn more about and purchase the Kids REAP Journal: Exploring the Bible & 7 Basic Truths Everyone Should Know at austinstone.org/resources.