It’s pretty simple to engage people in the gospel, if you just copy Jesus. When we screw it up most often is when we forget to follow the model that Jesus gave us. If we look into the Bible we see that Jesus met people where they were. He got on their level. He told parables that children understood. I imagine in the time when he was telling these stories, those parables were told with some of the best story-telling skills of the times. I bet those kids had so much fun learning through those parables that there was nothing else they’d rather do. Why then, do we insist on bringing children to maturity by demanding they learn from us the way we want them to, instead of by the most dynamic and entertaining ways we can afford to produce? Why will we spend a fortune on video games, but only use our old dusty Bibles for the presentation of the gospel to our kids? Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is power in the pages of the Bible as it was written, even for young kids. However, I believe that much like Jesus got on the level of the children of his day, there are some tools that allow us to do the same, and that it’s most likely sinful not to use them.
I work in a ministry that gives inner-city kids a safe place to go after-school. One of the things that leaves me scratching my head is that sometimes they seem to be bored. This is an atrocity. We are telling children that the stories from the Bible are exciting and full of life, yet they are bored? It doesn’t go hand in hand. We aren’t doing it right. We should be ashamed of ourselves if we can’t relay the excitement that the Gospel is full of to the children we are entrusted with to tell the stories of Jesus, guiding them to a life in pursuit of Christ. Well, I have been ashamed. I often feel defeated. I often feel like I am not fulfilling my duty to the kids I love and desperately want to be with me in heaven one day. Sometimes, I feel like I am even pushing them away from the Gospel instead of towards it.
Yesterday, I pulled out a Bible that has taken a beating from all the use it gets in the older boys class. I showed it to a 1st grader, thinking that the words would be too big for him to read, and that he would lose interest really fast. He absolutely lit up! I couldn’t have pried that book from his hands if I had wanted too. It’s called the Action Bible. It’s written by a guy who has worked for major comic books and also has a solid theological background. Let me tell you, this doesn’t seem like a Bible as we think about it, big, long, hard to read. No, in this comic book Bible, the stories come to life! For the two boys who sat with me in excitement through the stories we read, it was like being in another world. I kept thinking, man, this is like the movie, “Neverending Story,” where a boy locks himself away and can’t stop reading this thrilling novel. This is how we should all feel when we read the thrilling story of redemption that God has told us about in the Bible. I have high hopes that our boys will run with excitement towards this Action Bible. I recommend it to anyone who wants to engage young boys with the truths of Bible. Is it the solution to all of our struggles in leading children to Christ? Not a chance, but it is definitely a tool that uses the fascinating art of comics to reach young boys for Christ in a way that words alone, simply cannot do. I’m purchasing the Action Bible Devotion Book, and Also the Action Bible Handbook to go along with the Bible itself. If you want to buy them through this site, it will help me to publish more of my random “lightbulb” moments. The links are below!