Fear

Elders Update – Dealing with Anger and Fear in this time

16 February, 2021/in COVID-19 Elders Updates, Messages

Rodney du Croq talks about how the gospel powerfully dispels anger, fear and uncertainty.

Elders Update – Warfare

7 April, 2020/0 Comments/in COVID-19 Elders Updates, itunes, Messages

We’re in a war fought on many fronts. Here is our weekly encouragement and update from the elders. Craig also tells us how food donations are going. (Audio taken from the video.)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wsnxewtpxc914ig/2020-04-07-Elders-Update-Warfare.mp3?raw=1

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One of the greatest desires and needs we have as people is the need to find trust in others. We long to have people in our lives that we can rely on, call on in times of need, and trust with our lives. Sadly we do let each other down – often. But there is someone who calls on us to trust Him with our life, and that is Jesus. We need to learn to trust in Jesus, for He is trustworthy.

Our Part
We looked at Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid I will trust in you.” We have covered the experience of fear many times with our children. This week we wanted to emphasise that no matter what we are feeling or experiencing, we need to learn to trust in Jesus with our lives. When we learn to have trust in Jesus, we find the ability, the hope and courage to not fear what we experience or what may lie ahead. Our fear is kept afar when we are filled with trust in Jesus. Trusting Jesus means we that we know that he will care for us, protect us and love us throughout what happens.

We looked at how in the Gospels, an official from Capernaum feared that his son would die. He had one last hope and that was to trust in Jesus. When Jesus chose not to follow the official to his house but rather assure him that his son would live, the official again had to trust in Jesus. On his way home he heard the incredible news that his son is well. His trust in Jesus paid off.

Your Part
Speak to your children about what it means to trust someone. Tell them Bible stories where men and women had to trust God over and over again, and how God always proved to be trustworthy. Talk to your children about what they may fear. We heard some interesting points from our older children. Assure them of how trusting Jesus helps to combat fear.

We often encourage our children to love Jesus. A place to start that may be simpler for children is for them to first learn to trust Jesus. When they learn to trust Jesus, then it becomes easy to love him.

– The Children’s Church team

Children’s Church Reflection (11 September, 2016)

13 September, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog

One of the struggles we fight against is fear. Think of the many things that cause us to fear daily: finances, crime, health, our future, job security etc. It is not difficult to feel afraid in life. The exact same happens with our children. They too become fearful, anxious and uncertain about many things. Knowing this applies to all of us, it is so comforting to know that God says He will be our peace. When we are unsettled by whatever circumstance, God assures us that He will be our peace and help us to display such peace for others to see.

Our Part

Our desire this week was to help our children understand how God is our provider of peace. We looked at some of the things in their life that can affect their feelings; things that can cause fear, uncertainty and insecurity. Those things are real. But then we looked at what Jesus told His disciples in John 14:27. He says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus promises that He will not leave us alone but will give us the Holy Spirit, and in Him we find peace.

We looked at the story in the gospels where Jesus calmed the storm. It must have been a massive storm knowing that fishermen were petrified on the boat. Yet Jesus, in one command, stops the storm and brings peace. He longs to speak such commands into our life and bring peace. Our response is that we need to turn to Him and trust Him in all circumstances.

When we live with peace we can also show it. We also encouraged the children to ask God to help them to show peace to others. Jesus says blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5). We must also learn to show peace to others.

Your Part

Once again this term we want to emphasise that the worries we face are real, but our victory in God is real too. Help your children when they are feeling insecure or fearful to remember who gives them peace. Don’t tell them that help comes from money or a good government or a safe country. Those are beneficial, but ultimate peace that weathers any storm comes from Jesus. There is such great security that our children can live in if we point to Jesus during the storms, however life-threatening they may seem.

This week, my son, Nathan went outside on his own in the dark and I heard him saying, “I’m not afraid because I have Jesus in my heart.” For some that seems menial. For him it was a massive victory. He defeated a fear because he knew Jesus was with him. There are more victories to be had for all of our children.

– Greg, Nicole and the Children’s Church team

Children’s church reflection for 14 August 2016

16 August, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog

Earlier this year as a church we felt God encourage us to challenge the effect of fear in our lives and how we should respond to fear by keeping our eyes and faith on God and His promises. The reality is that children are challenged with fear all the time. Have you ever wondered where we actually learn the idea of fear? God doesn’t tell us to fear. So this week our focus was on how God is our courage.

Our Part

On Sunday we addressed some of the fears that our children are facing. Fears are real, they exist and so we need to address them. We showed a clever object lesson that helped the children see how in God we can overcome our fears and handle them.

We then looked at some of the characters in the Bible who clearly faced fear but by keeping their faith in God, they overcame their fears and saw incredible victory (think of David’s many stories, Joshua, Daniel and his friends). We focused on how God is greater than our fears. God promises that He will watch over us and care for us, and so He won’t let our fears have victory over us. With that, the focus of our craft and stories all tried to encourage our children that when they feel afraid, they can remember that God is all-powerful and He will give us courage when we need to gain the victories for God.

Your Part

When your children display fear, address the fear they are experiencing and then point to Jesus. Remind your children constantly how God loves them and longs to protect them and so he will give us courage to overcome fear. Keep encouraging your children with God’s promises that they feel confident and when fear comes again and again, your children can face their fear head-on with their faith in God and His character and promises.

– The Children’s Church team
Please don’t forget that you can download the curriculum to view all of our content for this term.
Children’s Church team