Pastor Sun East reminds, “Come as a Child”

In Matthew 18:1-4, Jesus told His disciples that if we want to come into His kingdom, we must come as a child. Sometimes this scripture doesn’t make sense to us because children can be willful and selfish, so what does this mean? In John 3:5, Jesus said that we must be born of water and the Spirit. We must be clean and pure and good (like children).

To enter into the kingdom of heaven, we must first be born into His Spirit. We must be born as new, clean, and pure.

Second, we must be humble. As long as we are big in our own eyes, God will humble us. When we see ourselves humbly, then God will raise us up and put us into a high place. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus said that God has revealed the mysteries of heaven to “babes”. Who is this? His humble children. Born again believers.

Third, we must grow to become mature in the Lord. 1 Peter 2:2-3 says that we should desire the pure milk of the Word of God, that we may grow. We must long for the Word of God. Cry out for the things of God (instead of things like money, relationships, possessions, position, or control–these things will destroy you if you seek after them). We must cry out for spiritual things, so that we can grow. How do we grow? By exercising our faith in the things that we have learned in the Word. Apply the Word of God to your life by giving, serving God, working for God, preaching the gospel, saving the souls, and loving others.

There is great treasure in heaven waiting for those who serve God unconditionally on earth. Give without measure, so that God can give back to you without measure. Instead of thinking about our life on this earth (which we spend too much time doing), think about heaven and what is waiting for you there.

If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, the fourth thing we must do is be like children and obey. How do we obey God? One way is by obeying our parents. If you don’t obey your parents in the Lord, you cannot say that you obey God (Ephesians 6:1-3). According to Deuteronomy 30:2, when we obey God, His anointing and blessing will overflow in our lives.

Fifth, we must be like children in matters of sin, like it says in 1 Corinthians 14:20. When you see evil, be like a child. A child does not have the right to commit sin. When a child does wrong, there will be some kind of consequence or punishment. Have this same mindset, that sin is not your right or within your power to commit. Children do not commit sins like those listed in Galatians 5:19-21 because they do not have the power or the right to. Have this same mindset.

Sixth, become children of blessing. In Matthew 19:13-15, the children came to Jesus to be blessed. The disciples tried to keep them from Him, but Jesus took them in His arms and blessed them. He wants to do the same with us. When we come into His presence, Jesus will hold us in His arms and bless us.

Last, to enter into the kingdom of heaven, be children of praise. Come into His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Sing praises to God, like little children.

God bless you!
Pastor Sun Hui East

16 People reacted on this

  1. This is the best description of what it means to “be a little child” (in a Biblical sense) that I have ever heard. well said Pastor Sun Hui East, we appreciate you.

  2. For the first time, I actually understand what that means, thanks to you Pastor Sun Hui East. Wow, I have some clarity now… child-like only in spirit.

  3. I love to hear that we have “great treasure” waiting for us in heaven Pastor Sun Hui East, thank you for the encouragement this week! I course, I know that the treasure is contingent on our actions… that’s what makes it tough. I need to put more time into my morning prayer and be more serious about my relationship with the Lord.

  4. I do understand the basis of this message, but I always struggle with obedience Pastor Sun Hui East. I am pretty sure that the struggle comes from my childhood. I didn’t obey my parents because they were alcoholics and couldn’t even help themselves, let alone guide me. I found that I was better off ignoring their advice and even asserting myself over them to protect myself and my siblings… it’s been quite a journey to learn surrender and obedience to the Lord in my adult years.

  5. I always thought of myself as a fairly straight forward, honest person. I guess I thought that being a child, in the Biblical sense, meant saying what was on my mind & being real. Well, maybe not. So, Pastor Sun East, you are saying that we must be open, clean & pure. (I know that you don’t think kids are “perfect/sweet little things” as I’ve read your books & have seen your teachings about children all being manipulators and deceptive.) thanks for the insight today.

  6. I agree that we need to stay in a mind frame of praise. I know that whatever attitude I carry into my day, reflects into all aspects of how the day plays out. It affects my co-workers and clients as well. If my heart is full of praise and joy as I go through my day, I get better results -that should be motivation enough for me! Thank you Pastor Sun Hui East, for your constant reminders.

  7. Pastor Sun Hui East, I really appreciate your continual messages about spiritual growth/maturity. After our salvation we must NOT become complacent as it is so very easy to do! We must embrace God from the depth of our hearts, take Him and His kingdom seriously, and make a personal discipline of prayer & Bible study. If we fall short of this, myself included, we lose out and are deceiving ourselves about the relationship we profess to have with the Lord.

  8. I like this blog Pastor Sun Hui East, great posts! I teach Sunday School to people in their 30’s each week at a baptist church in the Dallas area. I’ve been using your posts the last couple months as a basis for my weekly lesson & seen a great spiritual response. There’s been more discussion & personal change in the class then I’ve seen in years. Thank you!

  9. I am also a testimony to this teaching. Once I chose to follow God, a few years ago, I got a lot more clarity & wisdom about life. At that point, I began to understand more about things that really mattered. I’ve always made a lot of money, and been good at things in this world…just never had any handle on the truly important things. I’m so grateful to the Lord! Thank you for the intense teachings Pastor Sun Hui East, you have helped me.

  10. I learned the truth of this passage/teaching after I had grandchildren, strangely, not with my own children. I think I have relaxed more as I’ve gotten older. Now I can see the simplicity of childhood and understand what the Lord is talking about. I know, Pastor Sun Hui East, that you now have 3 grandchildren, I’m sure this Message is very poinient to you as well!

  11. My daughters and I were just reading through this teaching in the Bible last week! My oldest daughter is having trouble with her teenagers and needed some strong guidance from the Lord. This teaching was extremely helpful to her personally Pastor Sun
    Hui East. She told me that it gave her what she needed to redirect some of her kid’s thought processes. Thank you for your messages, they are read by way more people than you know!

  12. When I was 5 years old, my dad left us. He left my sisters, me & my mom with out a “goodbye”. I know, at the time, I felt a lot if pain. That pain actually turned to anger right afterwards. I think that stole a lot of my childhood and has always made this scripture passage hard to understand. I liked the way you explained it Pastor Sun Hui East.

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