As A Child – God's Call To Littleness Phil Steer

'"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."'

'Throughout this book I have sought to show the importance of Jesus’ call for us to become like little children; for I truly believe that a childlike approach is key to us living a life of faith within the kingdom of God, and key to us becoming the people and the church that God wants us to be. Given that you have stayed with me thus far, I trust that you have not completely discounted what I’ve had to say. Even if you don’t agree with it all, I hope that it has at least stirred within you a desire to become more childlike. If so, perhaps the question that you’re now asking is, "How? How can I become like a little child now that I am an adult? Surely I cannot simply roll back the years and think and act as if I am young again?.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening


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'And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.'

'The word "bless" literally means "speak wellness", and is a declaration of goodness and prosperity upon someone (or something). The original Greek has within it the word logos, meaning "speech" or "word" – which is also the title given to Jesus by John at the start of his gospel account. Thus, when Jesus blesses, we have the Word of Life speaking words of life. However, whilst blessings are given by word, they are also imparted by touch. This is something that we see in the gospel accounts, and also that we feel instinctively. Indeed, we often speak of seeking "the touch of God" upon our lives.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,


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'"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."'

'The scene for this exchange was, according to Mark’s account, a house in Capernaum. Jesus had been with his disciples in Judea, on the other side of the Jordan river, healing and teaching the large crowds that flocked to see him. It had doubtless been a long and tiring day, and now his disciples just wanted a bit of peace and quiet and rest and relaxation after the day’s exertions. They also wanted to quiz Jesus about the answer that he’d given to some Pharisees who’d come to test him with a question about divorce. All told, they doubtless just wanted to be left alone and have a little time to themselves. Instead of which there’s a seemingly never-ending stream of people coming to the house, bringing their babies and little children to be touched and prayed for by Jesus. Perhaps the disciples didn’t mind too much at first, but after a while they begin to get more and more agitated and irritated, and just want the people and their children to go away and leave them in peace.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,


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'"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise."'

'I belong to a church in which the children are encouraged to come to the front to sing and dance, and wave flags and streamers during the times of praise and worship. Now doubtless it is a good thing that they are able to take part in the services in this way, rather than having to sit quietly bored whilst we adults sing in our serried ranks. It is good that they can feel welcome in church, able to be themselves rather than having to be on their best behaviour. But one has to ask, is what they’re doing really praise? Do the children truly understand what they are singing or appreciate the One to whom their "praise" is directed? Isn’t it just that they enjoy this time for its own sake? Would it make any difference if they were singing and dancing to regular pop songs? Quite frankly, is it really any different to being at a party or disco (if not quite so much fun)?…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,


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'"This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven …'"'

'Here, of course, are the opening words of the most famous prayer in Christendom. The Lord’s Prayer must have been prayed by almost every believer ever since Jesus gave it to us in response to his disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” But despite its familiarity (dare I say, over-familiarity) there is, I think, an important aspect of the prayer that we can easily overlook: that in praying to God as our Father we are necessarily praying to him as his children. Hence, when we come to God in prayer, we are to do so just like a child coming to her father, wanting to talk with him and ask something of him…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,


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'Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?'

'As I write this, England has been shocked by several days of rioting and looting that have broken out across London and elsewhere. In my home town, on the outskirts of London, an 11 year old boy has been charged with taking part in the looting of a department store. In the inevitable debate and discussion that has followed there have been many different opinions about the social and economic causes of the riots, and of the action that needs to be taken to deal with the rioters and to prevent it happening again in the future. One common cry, however, has been the need for parents to provide greater discipline for their children…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asachildbook/message