A good day to invite Jesus into child’s heart

On most days, before bedtime I pray with Dan, my oldest son. We often read stories from children’s Bible together. At times, Vincent joins, but he is younger and finds it more difficult to concentrate and follow. For some time, Dan has been feeling more comfortable in Sunday school. We attend English-speaking church here in China, and at first his English was not good enough to fully participate. During last year, however, it has been a pleasure to see that changing. I often bless my children by placing hand over their head and saying: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you! The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace!” (Numbers 6; 24-26) The moment of talk, stories and prayer has become something that Dan is looking forward to for ending the day in a peaceful and resolved state. We talk through and apologize to each other if there have been some rough moments during the day. We pray for matters he himself signifies as topical – success at school, good dreams, and also things important to other family members. I hope he learns that we can entrust all matters to God and He will help to carry our burdens.

It was an ordinary evening of last week when as normally, before the sleep I would join Dan on his bed to pray a bit together. This time, however, I felt a bit different urge than just to say the usual prayer about daily matters. Though I felt tired, it was late, and this was quite usual evening, I suddenly asked Dan: “Do you want to invite Jesus into your heart?” We have been reading about Him from children’s Bible most of the evenings for several years, so he is familiar already what Jesus is about. He has been excited the most about the stories of healing and mercy shown to the suffering, such as the story of the good Samaritan. At his age of 7, he has realized the inevitability of old age and death and wondered how long will he live and how would he be able to handle life after we, the parents, are gone. So why not here, why not now, to ask if he wants to invite Jesus in his heart?

He answered: “Ok, we can do that.” I said: “Alright, then repeat after me”, and prayed something like this, having Dan repeat every sentence: “Jesus, forgive my sins. (…) Come into my heart. (…) Fill me by Your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom each moment. (…) Fulfill your purpose in my life." I afterwards explained that when Jesus lives in his heart, He will guide him and give him wisdom what to do even if we, parents, are not next to him. I advised that he can pray: “Help me, Jesus!” - and then listen to a quiet voice inside his heart, and Jesus will advise him what to do and will protect him from evil. We will also meet up in heaven after we die. I suddenly remembered how preacher in my hometown shared that he prayed with his son, who is about the same age, to accept Jesus and his son felt warmth coming into his heart and told this to his father. ”Did you feel warmth coming into your heart?” – I jokingly asked Dan. “Yeah, maybe… perhaps I did,” he answered. 

Probably he will remember this moment later in his life. I have heard people giving testimonies of surrendering their lives to God as kids. Childhood may be a good time to invite Jesus into one’s life if there are such conditions, because the hearts of children are more tender and open and oftentimes closer to God. Or, it might also be that the real turning point comes later. Anyways, I think it was just a good day to invite Jesus into his heart. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10; 14-16)

The day of my baptism

In May of 2002 during my Erasmus exchange, I was baptized at Pentecostal church of Karlstad, Sweden. I would like to share some memories of the day, which was very meaningful to me.

I was baptized before as a child aged one year or so. However, it was more like a tradition of blessing and I did not have a memory of that. As I was fellowshipping with believers in Karlstad, at one point it came up about biblical baptism, which is being baptized after you have received Jesus as your Savior and by fully being immersed under water. They encouraged me to consider that seriously. As I did, I felt in my heart that it would be important to do, and arrangements were made at the church.

On that Sunday morning of my baptism, I was wearing a white long robe. There were some other people being baptized on the same day. Few course mates from university also came for the service that day, upon my invitation. Each of us who were about to be baptized, gave our testimonies. I shared that Jesus is my King and is worthy of my praise and that I want to shut the doors to my old life. I said that in English and my Swedish friend was interpreting into Swedish for local congregation members to understand. I was taken under water by pastor and after emerging up went to back room for change. Then I joined my friends and course mates to sit through the rest of the service. Some people greeted me and I was also given a tape recording of the baptism.

With the help of a friend, a room in the neighborhood had been booked where I and friends gathered for a little celebration afterwards. We had a meal and played some games. There were some people from church youth group, from women’s Bible study, and from my course at the university. After that, we still went to a home of one friend from Bolivia and watched the movie Shrek. J I somehow especially remember and liked the moment when the snake was picked up, blown into, twisted and then became like a balloon toy flying in the air. It felt like a freeing parable of being victorious over something evil and scary.

On the way back, I gathered some blossoming branches (it was late spring) and put them in the vase. Wonderful fragrance filled the room. I went to sleep. That night, I had a dream. I was dressed in white and it was as if my funeral. However, I was alive, and people gathered around me were happy for me. There were mostly my family members. The atmosphere was as in a garden party, with very much light and joy. I interpret a dream as being dead to the old life and my family members accepting me following Jesus.

Passing through the water in the Bible in several places is associated with being saved. Noa built the ark and was saved from the flood; Israel went through the Red Sea and escaped the Egyptians. In Mark 16, 16, it says: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” The mystery of baptism is that it is both about the death of old and about the new life: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6, 3-4) Prior to my baptism, I had been Christian for some years, but in some ways I was struggling. After the baptism it appeared as if some kind of spiritual door to the old was shut and there was much more confidence and finality about my decision and about not turning back.