Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Notice that Jesus was very displeased with his disciples for sending the children away. Jesus explains that Children are those who make up the kingdom of God.
Now many churches don’t like to deal with children. They don’t understand that without children coming into the church, the church will lose out. It will lose the blessing of God. It will eventually lose members. The old people will not live forever and without the next generation the church will be forced to close its doors.
Yes, children are messy, noisy, and difficult. That is one reason why God said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Children do not come into the world knowing how to behave. They have to be taught. It is not right to simple push them aside until they are old enough to be helpful. By that time, they will not be there. I have heard it said too often that it is a miracle that any mother is still a Christian. That statement unfortunately is true. As a mother of young children, I was pushed aside. I was told to come back after my children are grown so that I can be useful. When a mother is more or less told that her babies are not welcome because they are inconvenient, she loses the desire to go to church. Without a support system, it is hard to keep going. This must stop. Churches must be welcoming in word and deed to children. This includes difficult children and special needs children. Jesus would have welcome all of the children.
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