Recently we shared about plans to mobilize children to be “Full Partners” in the Go 2020 Initiative. Here’s our “Simple Strategy” for Kids.
And as you read this, I encourage you to ask God if there are ways you can engage your kids, your grandkids, your neighbors, church or ministry. This could get exciting and you might just change a life – forever!
Go 2020 Kids “Simple Strategy”
- Kids are invited to make a list of 5 others they want to reach through Go 2020
- Kids pray over their list using the Prayer Covenant for Children Prayer Points
- Kids ask God to help them share The Best News Ever with those on their list
- When other kids (or adults) receive Jesus, kids begin a “Prayer Covenant” with them
- Kids invite these new believers to make their own list of 5 they want to reach
- Parents, grandparents, siblings, children’s worker, and others pray and encourage kids
During a mission conference in May in New York, I shared our “Simple Strategy” with Emma, taking her through the Prayer Covenant for Children and The Best News Ever.
Emma is ten and she lives in Asia. When I asked Emma if she thought she could be a Go 2020 Kid, her eyes got big and she said, “Yes, I can do this!” The next day Emma came up to me and shared that she already had three of the five names on her list. She was so excited and kept coming up to talk with me every day.
At that NY conference, I also shared with 77 kids about how they could be missionaries and share the Good News with other kids, taking them through The Best News Ever book.
Afterwards, Luke, age 7, who lives in New York, came up to me and said he wanted to be a Go 2020 Kid. His mother then shared this story. Luke’s grandfather was paralyzed and about to be taken off life support in the hospital. But grandpa had not received God’s gift of love in Jesus. Luke decided he needed to go to the hospital and read his Bible over his paralyzed grandfather. Then he began to “declare” God’s word to his grandfather. That’s when a miracle took place. Luke’s grandfather lifted up his paralyzed arms toward heaven, took his last breath and, we believe, entered heaven. Luke believes God can work through kids – just like him!
My friend Chris heard the stories of Emma and Luke and decided to share about being a Go 2020 Kid with his daughter, Ruth, age 7. They read The Best News Ever together. As she prayed the prayer in the book, Ruth said she felt God speak to her to apologize to her mother and brother for some bad behavior. Jonathan, her brother age 3, then asked Ruth to read him The Best News Ever.
Chris shared how Ruth began not only to read to Jonathan but, because of what she had just experienced with God, when she got to the “hearing God” part of the book, she started teaching him, “Jonathan, you can pray and ACTUALLY hear God’s voice!”
A powerful moment took place when Ruth got to the prayer page to surrender your life to Christ. Jonathan said, “I WANT to pray!” He then shot off the couch and went on his knees. Ruth led him in the prayer to receive Jesus word for word.
Scaling Up To Encourage Children – Everywhere
Last week I was in Colorado with Rick and Becky Olmstead, our new 4 to 14 Window Movement leaders. Becky is the author of The Best News Ever. For three days we worked on plans to make her book available so that 50 million children around the world could become Go 2020 Kids. Imagine 50 million Emmas, Lukes and Ruths!
Rick and Becky were about to go share at a Camp in California with children ages 4 to 11. As we talked about Go 2020 and their book, they decided to revise the end of their camp presentation. Becky would share The Best News Ever book with the children in different age groups. As she did, of the 550 children attending the camp, 197 prayed to receive Christ for the first time! Wow!
But here’s even better news! All of the children were invited to pray and ask God who He wanted them to reach with The Best News Ever. They were told to write one or more names on a cup and bring it forward. Of the 550 children in attendance, 504 wrote one or more names on a cup. That’s over a 91% response. Here’s one. . .
While this was happening in California, I was in Colorado Springs talking with ministry leaders about putting The Best News Ever in different formats (both digital and print) as well as languages. But some friends in the Philippines on the Go 2020 Kids journey couldn’t wait.
They made photocopies (with permission) and included a page inviting the children to share The Best News Ever with other children.
Meet Rachel from the Philippines. She’s one of several who prayed to receive Jesus last week after hearing The Best News Ever. She wrote in her book the date of her “new birth” in Jesus.
Friends
God is opening up amazing doors to mobilize the Go 2020 Kids vision. Several international and domestic trips are planned for the second half of this year. So many churches, ministries, denominations, networks, and movements are engaging. But how about you?
Is there one child – or more, that you could empower to be a Go 2020 Kid? Maybe it’s your own child or grandchild. Maybe it’s someone in your neighborhood or your church. Why don’t you pray about who you can “empower” to be “On Mission – With God!”
You might just change their life – forever! You might just change your own!
One Final Story:
Rachel in the Philippines accepted Jesus on June 21 as The Best News Ever was shared with her. Four days later she said these words over breakfast.
“I’m Jesus’ daughter. How about you, dad and mom?”
They replied, “We are Jesus’ children too.”
Rachel said, “Me too. I had a spiritual birthday. I’m born again.”
Mom said, “Wow! Yes. You were born again.”
Rachel said, “Mom, how about a cake for my spiritual birthday? An angel cake?”
Final Comment:
We’re working on the platform to provide access to both the “Simple Strategy” and the “Tool Box” resources to mobilize Go 2020 Kids. But, if you are like our friends in the Philippines and you just can’t wait to get started, send me a note and we’ll do our best to help you “jump in now!”
Thanks for “dreaming God’s dream” with us through your ongoing prayers and support.
Gratefully His and Yours, Tom Victor