One week when it was my turn to do Sunday School, the Lord gave me the idea to do The Narrow Way (Matthew 7) with the children.  I hope some of you might find this worth doing with your kids!  My artistic talent is somewhere in the zero minus range, but oddly enough, the Lord always gives me some art or craft stuff to do, and the children really get stuck in.  So here it is, The Narrow Way.

We always start with a short prayer that our Father in Heaven would bless our lesson and help us learn more about His Son and love Jesus more.

Then I almost always start by pointing to the Books of the Bible frieze which is pinned up on the wall.  How many books are in the Bible; who remembers?  The Bible is like a library; what is the first book?  What is the last book?  What are the two parts of the Bible?    What are the four gospels?

Then I point to the book we will be looking at that day, and The Narrow Way is in the gospel of Matthew, part of the Sermon on the Mount.    

I read the passage to them,  chapter 7 verses 13 and 14:

Jesus said:  ‘Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

‘Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.’

I told them that Jesus clearly taught there are two ways, and everyone has to choose which way to go.  The broad way leads to Hell and the narrow way leads to eternal life in Heaven.

I always take a roll of plain wallpaper along with colors and paints.  We sometimes cut out a long piece and make a poster.  Sometimes we cut big poster size pieces for each child to do their own artwork.

I’ve done the narrow way with a few different groups, and it works for all ages!  From six to 13, they love doing the posters and hopefully get very motivated to stay on that narrow way whatever rough patches they encounter!

For one class we did this poster pictured here and as we worked on it we talked about it.  We put a cross at the start of the narrow way, because that is how you get on it – by accepting the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

We’re quite good at drawing stick men, and some of the ones on the broad way to Hell are smiling, because people actually like being on the broad way and doing whatever they please.

But eventually they all come to the end of the road, and it is not good.  We drew some flames and a few stick people in the flames.  A 6-year-old said:  ‘Write on it that one person is saying:  “I went the wrong way!”’    So I put that in.

Then a 7-year-old said:  ‘Write on it:  “It’s true!”’  So I added that.

Someone else wanted me to write:  ‘Hell the fire forever’, so I put that on as well.

We put the Golden City at the end of the narrow way, because that is so beautifully described in the book of Revelation chapter 21, and that is where we are headed if we believe in Jesus.

On this poster you probably can’t see the stick men on the narrow way, but they are there. In one class the children put their own names on the stick people.

We talked about the fact that Jesus said it would be difficult at times, not an easy way, and some said they faced problems at school, where no one else believed in Jesus.

We talked about how He said He would always be with us and never leave us, and how He had rewards to give us if we were faithful.

I told them that I was on the broad way for a long time, but Jesus had mercy on me, and got me off the broad way and on to the narrow way.

Then I told them how to get on that narrow way – by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus to forgive your sins.  Only God can forgive sins, and since Jesus is God, He is the only one who can save us from Hell.

I told them that the Bible teaches that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.  But we do not have to shed our blood, since Jesus became a man and shed His own blood for us!  It is astounding that He would do such a thing, but He did.

Most people do not even want to get on the narrow way, because they do not want to admit that they have ever sinned at all.   

But the Bible teaches that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards.

It also teaches that Jesus will NEVER turn anyone away when they come to Him.

But the sad fact is that most people reject Jesus.  They don’t want anything to do with Him, and they do not want to read the Bible and find out what it says.

If only they would read it, they would realize that every word is true and that faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

For Jesus said:  ‘I am the way (to Heaven), the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’

So there you are, our Narrow Way Sunday School.  One girl put dozens and dozens of stick people on her broad way, and only a few on the narrow way.

Are you on that narrow way, dear reader?  If you’re not sure, go to the cross.  By this I mean, get serious with God.  Tell him you are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive your sins.  Put your faith and trust in Him.

That is how to get on the narrow way.