I am a Gospel Magician. That means I use some amazing (some would call them magical) object lessons.
When I am addressing children, teens and adults, I sometimes use a magic trick or two to illustrate the message. Last year, my wife and I added puppets to our vacation Bible school programs.
Now, when a church contacts us to do VBS or other family programs, we have music (God-honoring hymns and traditional children's songs), puppets, a little "magic," a missionary story, and some great games. But - more importantly, we have prayer and preaching.
There is a movement among churches to have programs for children and families that are nothing more than an excuse to be worldly. UnGodly music, worldly attire, and no preaching, no prayer and most important, no God.
I recently received KidzBlitz.com's promotional DVD. It talked about the "fun" their event is. It showed clips of kids breaking water balloons on an adult's head, of toilet paper being spewed throughout the auditorium, and even of a ministry leader wasting food and splattering a pineapple with a huge mallet. It used secular music with a rock beat and some contemporary Christian music where the music and beat drowns out the shallow verses.
No where on the DVD was the preaching of the Gospel mentioned. Nothing on this DVD would make a viewer think anyone would come to Christ or grow in faith. Yet - Kidz Blitz claims to be a Christian Event for your church that will "communicate God's love and power through Jesus Christ."
Their literature claims that "thousands of children have made first time confessions of faith in Jesus at Kidz Blitz Live." Yet nothing in the DVD reflects any Godly values or of the Word of God being preached.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. -1Corinthians 1:21
In all the world's wisdom, it still didn't know God...so he sent PREACHERS!
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14
I think outreach programs can be fun. The natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit. If puppets and object lessons and silly games can help a lost person to relax and open their minds to the things of God, great. But everything done should be to direct the lost to Jesus Christ. To prepare their hearts to receive the Word. To break up the fallow ground.
However, the Word of God must be preached. Repentance must be preached. God must be lifted high and glorified, not reduced to the world's standards.
We cannot expect the lost to dress modestly, but God's people should dress in a way that shows respect to the Most High. The kids and their families that attend these events should recognize that God's people are different.
You do not win the world by becoming like the world.
I am not judging the hearts or motives of the folks who run Kidz Blitz, but their method is flawed. It fails to present the God of the Bible to its audiences.
And if you wish to bring Kidz Blitz to your church, they ask for $4900. Five grand for one night of worldly entertainment claiming to be Christian. Five grand that your church could send to the mission field to win souls. Five grand that could impact your community for Christ in a God-honoring fashion. Feeding the poor and telling them of Jesus.
Since when do we put a price tag on ministry? Where did God ever instruct his preachers to charge to go to a town and share His Word? God's ministers serve out of love, not profit.
An hireling looketh for the reward of his work: (Job 7:1-3 KJV)
If you call yourself a Gospel magician or a youth minister or even a Christian, do not fall for the devil's ways of corrupting the Word and comforting the lost in their sin. Preach Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected and sitting on the right hand of God. God calls his people to holiness.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14