INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER – LENNY LAGUARDIA
IHOP–KC CHILDREN’S CONFERENCE: FOR PASTORS, LEADERS, AND PARENTS
Equipping the Smaller Saints (Lk. 18:15-17)
I.
TURNING THE BURDEN INTO A CALLING
Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they
rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do
not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. (Lk. 18:15-17)
II.
A.
Today, more than ever, children and youth are in need of godly parents and passionate leaders
who have the drive to parent, lead, manage, and teach them about the Word of God and the ministry
of the Holy Spirit with holy excellence and dedication. Though children, parents, and leaders face
tremendous challenges that the enemy throws at them, we must not retreat, hold back, or give up.
B.
Few of us would say that children cannot hear God’s voice, pray, or influence others. Yet our
children’s ministries often reflect a default view of kids as “junior Christians” with a “junior Holy
Spirit” who requires very little of them except that they “be good” and enjoy themselves.
C.
Our view of children’s ministry as primarily a babysitting service needs to be challenged. A child
can be every inch a Christian as his or her father, mother, or Sunday school teacher. More than
simply ensuring that children have supervision and entertainment while their parents attend
service, our goal as leaders must be to create an environment in which children learn to preach,
teach, prophesy, lead worship and prayer, and thirst to see the sick healed and the lost saved.
D.
The heat of the battle against the family is intensifying. Our children are bombarded with many
things that distract them from pursuing a relationship with Jesus. It is no surprise that many kids
grow up without a vision for the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Yet, they are very capable of
knowing God in a deep way, and that is God’s desire for them.
E.
In view of the cultural and spiritual barriers to children’s growth in God, as well as His high calling
for them, we need to change our approach to children’s ministry. We must confront the patterns of
decades and search for divine strategies to empower children to live in wholehearted devotion to
Jesus. This is as critical as developing strategies or formulas for any other aspect of church growth.
THE BIRTH OF THE CHILDREN’S EQUIPPING CENTER (ROM. 12:8)
… if it is leadership, let him govern diligently. (Rom. 12:8)
A.
February 5, 2001 – “Abba, is there anything you would like to say next?” The start of the Children’s
Equipping Center – Kansas City, Missouri
IHOP–KC Missions Base
www.IHOP.org
IHOP–KC Children’s Conference: For Pastors, Leaders, and Parents – Lenny LaGuardia
Equipping the Smaller Saints (Lk. 18:15–17)
B.
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Our desire is that our spirits would awaken to hear the cry of God’s heart for change in ministry to
children. As Misty Edwards said in March 2012, the uncreated God has made a sacred space in us for
the Holy Spirit to occupy. The most sacred space ever created is in our heart and life.
1.
A global workforce is being set in place. The Church has not collectively raised up the next
generation of leaders to take on the children, pre-teens, and teenagers.
2.
Breaking old molds. The seeker-sensitive, playing-it-safe mentality has highjacked the
attempt of some to see the advance of the kingdom of God through children and a young
adult army.
a. Building so that the parents stay - entertainment systems.
3.
C.
III.
A crisis in the Western church - Example: Allen Hood’s example of what promotion is.
The spiritual diet given to children today must equip them to recognize the truth of God’s kingdom
and the enemy’s counterfeit. The Children’s Equipping Center at IHOP–KC has set out to convince
children that God is mobilizing them as an army on planet Earth to prepare the way of His coming.
They are part of the plan that will usher in His return. This really is about how the story ends and
then begins again with Jesus as King.
THE UNAVOIDABLE NEED FOR A “LEADER SHIFT” AND A PARADIGM SHIFT
Elisha prayed…“Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the
young man…the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kgs. 6:17)
A.
Elisha and his servant were being pursued by their enemies. The servant could only see the enemy
troops with chariots surrounding the city. Elisha had a different perspective. Through the lens of
faith, he shared his perspective with his servant. The servant then looked and saw that the hills
were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
B.
What are paradigms: Paradeigma is the Greek word from which paradigm derives its meaning. It
simply means patterns. Paradigms do more than just reveal patterns to us; they help shape the way
things look to us.
C.
1.
Note: Everyone who views an accident brings a different perspective to what happened.
2.
Example: Tissue paper patterns used by seamstresses
The word paradigm: It is a slippery term that many have a hard time getting their heads around.
Paradigms exercise power over us. Convictions of right and wrong are often anchored in our
paradigms. They are an integral part of our identity.
1.
“The real culprit in the fight for change is rooted in the often mentioned, but little
understood word paradigm,” says Doug Murren in his book, Leader Shift.
IHOP–KC Missions Base
www.IHOP.org
IHOP–KC Children’s Conference: For Pastors, Leaders, and Parents – Lenny LaGuardia
Equipping the Smaller Saints (Lk. 18:15–17)
2.
IV.
V.
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Paradigms can be subconscious. Most of the time, few of us know we have them.
BREAKING THE GRIP THAT IMPOSES RESTRAINTS ON A GENERATION
A.
The historical ongoing problem: In many of our churches today, children’s ministry and children
themselves have become more of what I call a benefit package rather than a part of the kingdom of
God. Much of this is because of the religious attitudes that have dominated the modern church and
the poor perspective of many leaders who are developing children’s ministry.
B.
An adult focus: In most churches the emphasis is on teaching adults to live godly lives. Since adults
are more developed intellectually, financially, and spiritually, they are viewed as being more
important to the work of the ministry.
C.
A me generation: For over three decades, adults have been focused on self-fulfillment, creating
New “Age” philosophies, which justify a focus on oneself. This has created a generation of church
members with a great need to see their own lives succeed, and has produced a wasteland of
children whose spiritual needs are left unfulfilled.
1.
Note: Humanistic philosophies of ministry adopted by families and the Church are tools of
the enemy that simply produce walls of deception.
2.
In the end they will keep us lamenting our past failures and inadequacies.
D.
This attitude has produced a mindset that believes that saving the lost is a concept rather than a
biblical mandate. Since churches have become more sensitive to the call to reach those who do not
know Christ, a mentality has developed which treats children as lost individuals rather than part of
the spiritual family. Thus, many adults overlook the opportunity to release children into a ministry
capacity.
E.
Its effect on the care of children in the Church:
1.
A burden to the church: The worker says, “It’s your duty to us; after all, we watch your
children every week.”
2.
A childcare department: The parent says, “It’s my duty to help; after all, you watch my kids
every week.”
3.
A professional baby-sitting service. Program vs. people.
JESUS IS OUR MODEL FOR PARENTING AND TEACHING
Then they also brought infants to Him that he might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they
rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not
forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Lk. 18:15-17)
IHOP–KC Missions Base
www.IHOP.org
IHOP–KC Children’s Conference: For Pastors, Leaders, and Parents – Lenny LaGuardia
Equipping the Smaller Saints (Lk. 18:15–17)
VI.
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A.
Look beyond the external to the eternal.
B.
Treat children as full members of God’s family. Impart a blessing.
C.
Jesus had faith that His life would have an effect on them, even though He knew that the children
would not understand intellectually what was taking place.
MOBILIZING A MALACHI 4:6 STRATEGY ALL ACROSS THE EARTH
A.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. (Mal. 4:6-7)
1.
Prayer: The Father’s love
2.
Praise and worship: The bridal paradigm
3.
Power: The kingdom of God
4.
Prophetic: The forerunner message
B.
To continue to build as we have built in the past while the world we are trying to reach is drastically
changing would mean that our religious blindness has put us out of touch with reality. The battle is
intensifying: Changes in economic structures. Changes in social behavior. Changes in technology.
Changes in church government. Enhanced awareness of the end times.
C.
2 Corinthians 9:12 - We need to obtain the tools and strategies that will produce victorious
change. God wants us to be shaped into victorious leaders, not victims. It is time to move forward
and never look back. For most of us this means burying the past. This is the nature of children’s
ministry.
1.
D.
The leader who God is reshaping and retraining today must understand that change must
work for us rather than against us. Though change can cause us discomfort, it does not have
to become a tool for enemy invasion.
In light of the hour we are in and the hour that is coming, we need to seek the answers to the
following questions.
1.
How then shall we lead?
2.
What then shall we teach?
3.
How then shall we parent?
4.
What songs shall we sing?
IHOP–KC Missions Base
www.IHOP.org