Relationship not Rules!

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 NKJ

Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost. Proverbs 22:6 MGS

As a Christian parent, my biggest concern was that my two children would grow up to be mature disciples of Jesus Christ. My heart has been broken many times to see children that have been raised in Christian homes and have attended Bible-teaching churches only to forsake the faith and desert the church.

Many have interpreted the above verse as a promise to parents that if they do their job right their children will never abandon the faith. However, this has resulted in many parents feeling as if God has broken His promise to them when their child turns from the faith.

This verse is a proverb and not a promise. Proverbs are sayings about how life normally works. But, there are plenty of exceptions to proverbs, because life is complicated by many factors. Proverbs are principles, not promises.

Bible teacher, Peter Goeman has an interesting insight into this verse. "In addition to the fact that a proverb is a principle, not a promise, Proverbs 22:6 is likely a negative warning rather than a positive promise. If we break down the verse we see some interesting details which support the view this is not a promise...The context in Proverbs speaks very negatively about the way of the youth. Thus, “his way” likely refers to the sinful disposition of the youth. If true, this particular proverb functions as a warning, not a promise. If parents affirm a child in his or her own way, that child will embrace that lifestyle throughout life..."

"By way of application, the main point of the proverb is clear. Whether it is positive or negative, Proverbs 22:6 cannot be viewed as a promise. Rather, it is a principle that highlights the importance of parenting. Further, it also highlights the tendency of the child to hold to the patterns of his youth. However, we should avoid using such a proverb as a promise that has no exceptions.

Parents often think that if they have a set of rules for their child to follow, they won't stray from the faithh. Keeping a set of rules will never lead a child into saving faith in Jesus Christ. But if a parent lives a consistent Christ-like life where they exhibit a rewarding relationship with Christ, their is a good chance they will follow in their steps.

RULES WITHOUT A RELATIONSHIP LEADS TO REBELLION. (Josh McDowell)

Defense of the Faith

 

 "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in... 1 Peter 3:15

From the time of Jesus, Christianity has been under attack. From the Roman Empire to today's Freedom from religion. The great Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis believed that faith in Christ could stand up to great scrutiny.  Many Christ-followers never share their faith because they feel inadequate. They don't have any theological training or don't know many verses from memory.

But trusting Christ isn't religious escapism or wishful thinking. Our faith is grounded in the facts of history and evidence of the creation bearing witness to its Creator.  People may challenge you on the miracles of the Bible or seeming contradictions but there is one fact they cannot dispute: a changed life. People cannot argue with a changed life.

Jim Cymbala, Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, said, "People pay attention when they see that God actually changes persons and sets them free. When a new Christian stands up and tells how God has revolutionized his or her life, no one dozes off. When someone is healed or released from life-controlling bondage, everyone takes notice."

A transformed life is a fact that cannot be disputed. 

Faith or Reality?

 

It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept. Calvin and Hobbes

Sometimes, even when we remember all that God has done for us, it doesn’t change our circumstances. Sometimes we just have to accept that it’s beyond our understanding right now and just keep going. But we must also realize that acceptance is not denial.

When you accept what God is doing, you don’t simply stuff your feelings down and let your heart die. When you accept that God’s up to something that you can’t see or understand right now, you don’t just roll over and play dead and resign yourself to despair. No, you keep praying for a miracle from him unless he tells you otherwise. But you don’t pretend that everything is okay when clearly it’s not.

The prophet Habakkuk learned that God was going to use a pagan nation to discipline Israel. Habakkuk certainly couldn’t pretend and keep his head in the sand, he said, “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled” (Habakkuk 3:16 NIV).

When Habakkuk accepted reality while waiting on God, it wasn’t denial. It was faith. Not faith that God would do what Habakkuk wanted God to do. But faith in God’s character. Habakkuk goes on to say, “The sovereign hand of God is doing something here. God has spoken, so I’ll accept whatever he is doing, as difficult as that may be for me.”

Sometime, something is going to happen that you don’t like. It may be happening right now.

You remember what God has done. You accept what God is doing. You trust what God is going to do.

A Second Christmas ?

 In a few days, we will celebrate Christmas, the coming of Jesus to earth as our Savior. As I reflected on His birth, the thought occurred to me that though the majority of people believed that Messiah would come, only a handful was actively looking for His arrival. He caught people unaware!

Fast forward 2,000 years and we find ourselves in the same situation. Forty-six percent of Christians believe in the second coming of Christ will occur in the next forty years. (Pew Research) but most are not looking for His return today. Luke 12:40 Matthew 25:13

I have a reoccurring thought every year at this time. Since Jesus promised He would return to earth, how awesome it would be for Him to return at the time we celebrate His first coming (His birth). People are so distracted with buying gifts, going to parties, and decorating they hardly give thought to the real reason for Christmas.

Jesus is the One who says that these things are true. Now he says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20

return to earth, how awesome it would be for Him to return at the time we celebrate His first coming (His birth). People are so distracted with buying gifts, going to parties, and decorating they hardly give thought to the real reason for Christmas.

Jesus is the One who says that these things are true. Now he says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20

Delays Are Not Denials

 Many times children have a negative response when parents tell them "Not yet" to their request. But how do we adults respond when God does not answer our prayer when we think He should?

When we pray, usually a gap exists between our request and the answer. We must remember that God’s delays are not necessarily God’s denials. T Timing is very important to God. A request may be in God's timing but not in His timing.

When we pray, usually a gap exists between our request and the answer. We must remember that God’s delays are not necessarily God’s denials. Timing is very important to God. A request may be in God’s will but not in his timing.

God has reasons for not answering our prayers at the moment. Sometimes the best answer we can receive is, “Not yet.”

Prayer: A Lifestyle?

 

I remember as a new Christ-follower, hearing a sermon on prayer. The preacher's text was Matthew 26:40; “What! Could you not watch with Me for one hour? These were the words of Jesus Christ to His disciples because they feel asleep while praying with Him.

I am not sure how the disciples felt but after hearing the preacher scold us for not paying more; I felt pretty guilty! I mean give me a break! I could pray for everything under the sun in 10 minutes and then I couldn't think of anything (or anyone) to pray for.

There is no question that the average Christ-follower struggles for a meaningful, effective prayer life. Then we come to 1 Thessalonians 5:7 "pray without ceasing" and that just adds more guilt to our burden. How can I possibly pray continually?

This week I got fresh insight into how to pray continually. I was sitting in Doctor's Care and I looked at all the people waiting with me and I thought; I will probably never see these people again and I wondered where they would spend eternity. So I bowed my head and silently prayed for their salvation and their healing.

If you have a problem finding things to pray about; I encourage you just to look around.

• Last night on Facebook, I saw where a Florida State Trooper was murdered during a routine traffic stop. I prayed for his family and for the man who committed the crime. Facebook is an excellent source of hurting people who need prayer.
• Watching the news is an invaluable source of prayer.
• Just be observant. Pray for that homeless person pushing their grocery cart. Pray for that harried mother in the store with several children. Pray for your fellow employee who has shared their struggles.

We need a consistent time when we pray but prayer doesn't need to be confined to a certain time of day. Nor does it need to be limited to a magical length of time.

You can live a life of prayer.

Life's Handbook

 

Some time ago, a man asked me about an issue he was having in his life. After discerning the source of his conflict, I told him what the Bible said about his problem. He replied that I always brought the Bible into our conversations! I told him that the Bible was my source for how I should conduct my life. Jesus Himself said, "The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’” Matthew 4:4

I am thankful for the counsel of godly people Proverbs 11:14 but man's wisdom and insight are limited. They are finite and only God is infinite. Only God knows the end from the beginning.

Many people think God gave us His Word to restrain us from enjoying life but the opposite is true. Psalm 119:162 God knows that man left to himself cannot find fulfillment and purpose in life.

I recently purchased a new washing machine and with it came an owner's manual. To achieve the best results, I need to read AND follow the instructions. The instructions tell me how to use the machine for every kind of clothes and fabric.

God didn't leave us in the dark. God's Word speaks to every area of life: Marriage, parenting, finance, social responsibility, sex, etc. Too many times we ignore a product's owner's manual until we have problems and then we go back to the manual and see what we did wrong.

I believe that most of life's problems occur because we (intentionally or unknowingly) violate a principle in God's Word. So it behooves us to read and follow God's Word and thereby avoid any difficulty.

BAR SUES CHURCH

 

 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. Acts 4:31 

A bar called Drummond's, in Mt Vernon, Texas began construction on an expansion of their building, hoping to "grow" their business. In response, the local Southern Baptist Church started a campaign to block the bar from expanding - petitions, prayers, etc.

About a week before the bar's grand reopening, a bolt of lightning struck the bar and burned it to the ground! Afterward, the church folks were rather smug - bragging about "the power of prayer". The angry bar owner eventually sued the church on grounds that the church ... "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, through direct actions or indirect means." Of course, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.

The judge read carefully through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply. He then opened the hearing by saying: "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that what we have here is a bar owner who now believes in the power of prayer and the entire church congregation that does not."

Be careful for what you pray for!!!

Proverbs or Promise? (Part Two)

 

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 NKJ

Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost. Proverbs 22:6 MGS

I found that the Hebrew word for 'train" means to learn from experience. Psalm 34:8 For example, when a mother is weaning her baby, she would take some solid food on her finger and place it on the roof of the infant's mouth. As the baby would suck on her finger, he would learn, from experience, to eat solid food. If you want your children to grow up to be a devoted Christ-follower, you must allow them to experience the walk of faith.

When I was in Bible college, I had to experience sharing my faith with non believers. Since I was one of the older students, I was assigned to drive the college bus and take 15-20 students to Belle Glade, Florida. Belle Glade is mostly a slum and has a 75% crime rate and is one of the poorest cities in Florida. Much of the population consists of migrant workers who work in the sugar fields.

My wife and my two young children would often accompany me. During the afternoon, we would share Bible stories with the children on the streets. This ghetto would be littered with hypodermic needles and whiskey bottles. Since we had no building to meet in, we had to sit on the curb on the street. My two kids would be the only white kids in the group.

In the evening, we would go to the migrant worker's camp to hold evangelistic meetings. This gave the ministerial students experience preaching. Again, my children attended with us and the workers enjoyed having our kids with them. It was a little unsettling to see our kids surrounded by these rough men. Many would sharpen their machetes for the next day's work in the field during the service.

Allow me to share this disclaimer. I was not a perfect father. I made more than my share of mistakes. I wish I could say I was a model father. But even with all my shortcomings, both of my children have grown up to be mature followers of Christ. I believe one of the reasons our children have not strayed from the faith is all that they have experienced.

I have been a church pastor for over 30 years and have been through some difficult situations. We were very open with our children when going through those circumstances. When we were treated unfairly, we sat down with our kids and told them we held to ill will against those people. As a family, we prayed for them. Matthew 5:43-44

Parents, the best teaching tool is for you to live the Christian life before your kids. Your kids would rather see a sermon than hear one!

The Walking Dead

 

I am not sure why some people are fascinated with "zombies" (walking dead). You are probably not aware that the "walking dead" are all around us. You work with many of them. That fellow student may be among them. You even go to church with them. Now, I am not speaking of the horrible, fleshing-eating creature of the silver screen. 

The walking dead has been with us for thousands of years. The Apostle wrote of them in Ephesians 2:1,4 As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world...vs 4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses."

Paul was writing about people's past before they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Physically, they were walking around, breathing, and conversing with other 'walking dead.' But spiritually, they were totally unaware they were dead in their sins. 

The 'walking dead' of the big screen are totally unable to do anything to change their condition but those who realize they are spiritually dead, can turn to Jesus, repent of their sin and receive forgiveness AND a new life. The promise is Jesus "made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses..."

Are You Lost?

 

The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost. Luke 19:10

People often joke about how men refuse to admit they are lost. Men just say they are "directionally challenged." And just as men refuse to admit they are lost on the physical level, many refuse to admit they are lost on a spiritual level. They will say they are a good person or they attend church or they have been baptized. They claim they live by the "golden rule."

But the Bible clearly states that "ALL have sinned"(emphasis added) We all were born as sinners. Even as you look at a newborn baby, it's hard to admit they are sinners in need of a Savior. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we ARE sinners. We inherited sin from our first parents Adam and Eve. Romans 5:12 Verse 19a " For just as through disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were made sinners...."

All have sinned is the bad news but God provides good news. Romans 5:12b "...through the obedience of the one man [Jesus Christ] many will be made righteous." Probably is the most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Believing in Jesus is more than acknowledging Him to be the Son of God. Even demons 'believe' that Jesus is the Son of God but that doesn't save them. James 2:19

Believing in Jesus Christ means that you must first confess you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Secondly, you ask for forgiveness for the acts of sins you have committed and totally trust Christ to save you. There is no other way to heaven. Eternal life is made possible only through Christ. Jesus prayed, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is not a way, He is the way, as in the one and only. There is no need for anyone to be lost, for Jesus has died for all.

Fear or Faith?

 

Faith is often a puzzling thing. Many people struggle with faith when facing strong challenges in life. But faith is base on the character and promises of God. While fear focuses on the visible and natural. Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for. Hebrews 11:1

Fear is based on the visible and the natural. It needs to see results. Fear is based on human understanding and the opinion of experts and specialists. But many times when doctors announce there is little (or no) hope, God steps in and shows Himself faithful.

Faith is based on the character of God. He makes a way where there is no way. He has conjured death. He is the One who specializes in making the impossible possible. There are times when faith causes you to take action, while at other times you are called to wait. Fear causes you to act in haste but faith is based on a quiet trust in God.

The greatest test of faith in times when it seems God has pressed the pause button. It is difficult to sit beside the bed of a critically ill loved one. But remember Him who is faithful. Cling to Him while you are in the waiting room of life.

Not Guilty

 "Man is innocent until proven guilty." We have all heard that statement. It is based on the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution, which assures citizens that 'no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.' No one is guilty just because someone accuses them.

You may remember the court dramas like Perry Mason or Matlock when the accused stays before the judge and declares they are not guilty. They are declaring their innocence. There is an old saying that prison is full of innocent people.

Unfortunately, though people are innocent before the law of man, none of us can claim to be innocent before God. "None is righteous, no, not one;...Psalm 3:10,... They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. vs 12 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

There is only one way to deal with our "guilty sentence." Sin, which is breaking the law of God I John 3:4 , had to dealt with. The person who sins is the one who will die. Ezekiel 18:20 There was no way to escape our punishment, that is until God provided a way. He sent His Only Begotten Son to take our death sentence. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin and declares us innocent.

Now we can stand before God and truthfully declare our innocence. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,... Romans 8:1