Passion and Gentleness in the Church

            One of the most frustrating things about being a church member involves passion. Passion is a good thing – when revolving around worthwhile ideals or convictions and when acted upon appropriately. When we really feel passionate about God’s Word, reaching the lost, and/or discipling the believers, God can do some amazing things through us. Of course, we must couple our passion with humility in the fear of the Lord, knowing that anything accomplished from our own efforts will be futile and worldly… trusting in the Lord for Him to minister through us yields much productivity for the kingdom of God.

            But what happens when others don’t share our passion? What happens when our dear brothers and sisters in Christ around us are not growing in the Word like we are, or are not conforming their character to that of Christ as we seek so diligently to pursue? What happens when they look at our passion and are a little take aback by it? The easy thing to do is to get frustrated with them.

            When we get frustrated with other believers because they do not share our passions, what ends up coming from such a convergence of attitudes (passion vs. apathy, or passion vs. indifference, or passion vs. immaturity) is quite honestly, a form of self-righteousness. Frustration over a lack of passion in others easily leads to a mindset of spiritual superiority… Spiritual superiority breeds unhealthy rebuking and correcting, because the inward storm of narcissistic spiritual frustration rarely comes mouthward lovingly or gently.

            Yes, the Bible tells us to rebuke each other, and to correct each other. But two things are always present in such cases: (1) sin, and (2) patience.

Matthew 18:15-20.

            Jesus tells us here to rebuke the sinful brother: the one living in unconfessed, unrepentant sin before God and man. He tells us to do this privately, and if repentance does not follow, only then to involve others. But please notice that this rebuking is not for apathy or a lack of passion. Here, Jesus encourages rebuke over outright sin against someone.

2 Timothy 3:16.

            Paul says that it is the Word of God which is profitable for rebuking and correcting, not earthly wisdom or our own superior passions or convictions. Any rebuke or correction that is done from the feelings, opinions, or passions of man is misplaced. The Word itself is what is profitable for this purpose. Not the words of man.

            Paul tells Timothy in other portions of 2 Timothy that he is to “guard” the gospel message (1:14), “endure” all things so that the elect may be saved (2:10), “correctly teach” the Word of truth (2:15), and to “proclaim” and “persist in” the message (3:2). And what is the girdle with which to wrap this persistent proclamation of the Word? …

2 Tim. 2:24 – “The Lord’s slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness.”

2 Tim. 4:2 – “Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.”

            Gentleness. Patience. Encouragement. Teaching. If we allow our passion for the Lord to displace one of these characteristics, we have fallen from being led by the Spirit of God, into being led by our own passions. And being led by our own passions is a precarious way to live the Christian life:

2 Tim. 3:7 – “[‘Avoid these people...’] For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

            Women are generally more relational and passionate than men (and smarter and more organized too, but that’s not relevant here). Those who are “led along by a variety of passions” are easily susceptible to deviant theological teaching because those individuals evaluate things emotionally instead of scripturally (keep in mind, we’re not epitomizing all women this way, but rather, all those women and men who are led by passion and not by truth). That’s where being led by your own passions will take you: personal feeling over scriptural truth. Paul further characterized these weak-spirited individuals in verse 7 by saying they are always learning something, but never able to come to an understanding of the truth.

            What happens when we allow our passions to usurp our gentility and patience is that we actually begin to impose our own passions and convictions on those around us. Many times, if we’re not satisfied or confident with our own spiritual life (because we fail to live up to our own passionate standards of spirituality), we impose those passions and convictions on others. It’s kindof a coping mechanism for us. “If I can’t live up to my own impossible standards, set by my passion, then everyone else around me should also feel as helpless and useless as I do.” We could be nice here and just say, “They don’t share my passion.” But the truth is much deeper than that.

Romans 15:5-7 – “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

            That was so easy to type. It’s much harder to live. Why would Paul pray to God for peace and acceptance among brothers and sisters in the church? Why not rebuke them for this and correct them passionately? Because if agreement, peace, and acceptance is going to be realized among a group of human beings, it will be of supernatural origin. It takes patience, encouragement, and perseverance. Why perseverance? Because it took you your whole life to get where you are spiritually. Why would you think it should take anyone else less time?

            It is not our own wisdom or passion that corrects brothers and sisters and leads them into faithful obedience before God. That will be the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, through the revealed Word of God. In the meantime, we are not called to raise controversy and openly rebuke the lesser motivated believer(s) from our own passion. We are called to teach in gentleness and patience the Word of God. And to allow the Holy Spirit to do the convicting and the changing.

Grace and Peace,

Tony

5 People You Don’t Want to Be in the Church

1. The One Who Knows Everything. Such a heavy burden to bear. Really. If this person is a pastor or staff member, he or she will spend more time tending to menial tasks, answering detail-questions, and “running” the “ministries” of the church than in the studying, preparing, and proclaiming of God’s Word, or in performing the main function to which he or she is assigned.

            If this person is a church member, then look out. You don’t want to get too close to him. Because this person is almost always synonymous with the “Church Gossiper.” As soon as he perceives that you’ve not included him on something – anything – you’re the bad guy. And the only way to preserve this status (the one who knows all) is for him to invent half-truths or manipulate the facts in such a way that he can still maintain the illusion of omniscience. I hope this person is not you. It’s just too much to keep up with. It will wear you down. You will find yourself in the middle of every single controversy, or sometimes, at the head of controversy – leading the charge before you really even have a good understanding of the facts. Two phrases will be helpful for you to learn: “I don’t know.” And “You should go ask him/her about that personally.”

 “Insight is a fountain of life for its possessor, but folly is the instruction of fools,” – Pr. 16:22.

2. The One Who Is Continually Praised. Church is not about that one person who is part of every committee, singing on the praise team, and teaching 5 Bible Studies per week. It’s about the One person who died for the sins of mankind 2000 years ago. When an individual in the church (any church) is praised more frequently than the One who reconciles man to God, the church has a problem. All praise in the church, even when offered toward an individual, should be directed, or redirected toward God.

            There are many people in the church who are very talented. But we have all seen what happens to those individuals who are set up for perfection based on their incredible giftedness… They fall. Just like the rest of us. But when you’re the person who is praised above all else in the church… when you’re the individual around whom the church’s world revolves… when you’re the man or woman who is most highly acclaimed in the fellowship of believers… when you fall, it’s a long way down. And you hurt a lot of people on the descent.

            If you’re talented and your church uses you in many functions, remember those gifts belong to the Lord. And when anyone praises you for your work, verbally/audibly deflect that praise to the One who is truly worthy.

“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord – you serve the Lord Christ,” – Eph. 3:23.

 3. The Leech. They’re in every church. Lurking around under the pews. Staying late after every single service. They’re the first person to catch you after a Bible study or prayer meeting, and they always have something extremely urgent to say. It’s much more important than your family or the other hundreds of sheep in the flock. They need immediate attention. Every. Single. Day. Four phone calls on Monday, an email and five texts on Tuesday, and office visits twice a day for the rest of the week.

            They will suck the life right out of you. If you’re wondering if you might be a leech, answer these questions: When you talk to a church member, is the conversation mostly about you or them? Do you have a major problem twice a week, to which only “so-and-so” can attend? Can you describe the personal struggles of your closest friends? In your prayer time, what percentage of breath do you expend on your own problems in comparison to those of your fellow believers? In comparison to the lost?

            You know, the ironic thing about these blood-sucking slime-balls (the segmented worms of course, not church-going humans) is that they are never satisfied. If you’re a metaphoric leach, my dear church-going human friend, I hope you know that leech-ism is insatiable. You can’t ever get enough. Some leeches have been known to explode because they suck too much blood (again – worms, not humans, to my knowledge anyway). Leeching off of your fellow church members will not satisfy. Don’t be the church leech.

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Gal. 6:2.

4. The Complainer. Get over it. No, I don’t know what it is. No, I’m not sure when the fighting started or who started it. Yes, I’m aware that the item(s) being tampered with were dedicated in memory of a precious saint 62 ½ years ago. No, I’m not saying you’re “wrong.” But… Get over it. Unless it is a violation of doctrine or a theological discrepancy, it’s not worth the fight. Mention your concern to whomever it is that is in charge of this area, and allow him or her to make the judgment call.

            My personal favorite is the collective complainer. The chosen one. Self-appointed from amongst the hypothetical complaint-base of the church netherworld… “Many people have come to me and said…” … “A good number of church members are really concerned about this…” … “I’m just looking out for your best interest, because a few people have brought this to my attention…” … Know what my response is? Without deviation… “Who are they? Let’s call them so we can talk about it.” A few times, I’ve gotten the names of other concerned church members. And those times, complaints have been honorably addressed and matters are resolved quickly in love. But usually, they don’t exist. Usually, it’s him and his wife. Or just him! I’m not sure how Matthew 18:15-20 is unclear. Or maybe we have a better idea of how to handle these situations than Jesus did. Maybe we’ve improved and amended His outdated approach in this area of church life.

            Voicing a concern and being “The Complainer” are two different things. Voice your concern where appropriate. But again, if it’s not a violation of doctrine or if there’s no theological discrepancy, after you voice your concern, get over it. The individual you are addressing may not handle it the way you wanted, but that’s not the point. The point is to voice your concern. I hope we will always voice our concerns, one to another. But complaining is different. When ¾ of the words from your mouth are part of a complaint in the church body, or when you find yourself repeatedly being the spokesperson for a group of dissenters, or when your mole-hill concern becomes a personal mountain on which you are prepared to die, put on the nametag – because you’ve earned it: “The Official Church Complainer.”

“Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,” – Phil. 2:14-15.

5. The Sound Man. Okay, okay I know this doesn’t’ exactly follow the theme. But the sound man always gets a hard time. People aren’t really lining up to be the sound man in church. One little squeal and the collective death-stare of antipathy is aimed and immediately fired in your direction. It’s such a high-impact, stressful job… you wouldn’t believe it. If you get your feelings hurt easily, or if you give up when you feel over loaded, or if you have a problem saying the phrase, “No, we can’t do that,” then DON’T sign up to be the sound man. You can’t handle it.

            Love on your sound man. He is an indispensible part of your church, and he rarely is recognized. Except, of course, when something goes wrong. If you didn’t notice anything about the sound in service this week, then he did a great job. Tell him.

No scripture for this one. It came straight from the book of 2 Opinions. New International Wolfe Version.

DISCLAIMER: I hope we can take all of this in good fun. If we can’t laugh about our personal flaws, we’re in bad shape. Everyone in the church has character flaws. EVERYONE. And many of us find ourselves performing these not-so glorious roles in the body from time to time. We need to work hard, against our fleshly nature, to be a people of love who promote peace and unity within the church body. I’ll keep working on me. You keep working on you. And together, even through our weaknesses, He will be made strong.

FUN WITH THE OBVIOUS: On the rare occasion, some extremely blessed churches have the great privilege of only one person who fills all of these 5 roles well. In these instances, you have… A penetratingly inquisitive, indispensable, blood-sucking nitpicker who takes out his frustrations by making the Music Minister sound like a mouse, the piano reverb as if in a barrel, and the preacher cut his sermon 25 minutes short because of “technical difficulties” with the microphones. What a blessing.

 

Grace and Peace,

Tony

Focusing on God’s ‘Doing’

"Moses Breaking the Tablets" by Rembrandt, 1659.

After Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, and after Pharaoh’s men were swallowed up in its waters, Moses and the Israelites sang a song to God. Exodus 15:1-8 is that song. Right in the middle of this song, and again at its end, there is something that weighs on my heart today…

“LORD, who is like You among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. You will lead the people You have redeemed with Your faithful love; You will guide them to Your holy dwelling with Your strength . . . You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your possession; LORD, You have prepared the place for Your dwelling; LORD, Your hands have established the sanctuary. The LORD will reign forever and ever!” – Ex. 15:11-13, 17-18 (HCSB, emphasis added).

God had done the un-doable. He had performed the un-performable. Beat the unbeatable. Accomplished the un-accomplishable. At the moment of victory, the whole Israelite nation, only babes in their national independence, broke out in a song of praise to God. As the song ended, then they just couldn’t contain the victory and joy, so it breaks out again! Miriam leads the women in dancing and singing…

“Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.” – Ex. 15:21 (HCSB, emphasis added).

What is the theme of their song? The LORD has, and the LORD will.

God has done great things in my life. And sometimes I just can’t contain the victory and the excitement. Sometimes it comes out all jumbled, and sometimes I’m able to articulate fairly well what God has done for me and “my people.” Sometimes it’s a song, and sometimes it’s a little movement (not “dancing,” because I’m Baptist and we “don’t do that.”) Sometimes I fall on my face in prayer before Him, thankful, and sometimes I shout for joy, awkwardly.

The Israelites were doing this. It came out this time as an expression of insatiable joy and jubilance. Other times in their history, they would look on these same events and it would bring them to tears in humility. But it wasn’t just about what God had done. It was also about what He was going to do.

This is an important part of our life-song. It’s tempting, in the middle or toward the end of our lifesong to merely contemplate what God has done… and just to kindof camp out there. But God’s not finished yet. If you’re still breathing, there is more to come. Yes, God has delivered us countless times. Yes, God has done the un-doable and beat the unbeatable. But there are more Red Sea’s out there. There are Pharaohs and armies to come. God not only has. But He also will.

Notice the emphases added in the songs above quoted… God is mentioned either by name (“LORD” is how HCSB translates “Yahweh”) or by personal pronoun 11 times in vs. 11-13, 8 times in vs. 17-18, and 3 times in v. 21. The Israelites were singing this song. But it’s not about what they did. It was about what God did. Nor was their future about what they would come to do. But about what God would continue to do for them and through them.

It’s easy, with all of this horizontal, to focus on what we have done or will do. Especially when we get to the middle and later part of our lives. But we need to keep our focus on what God has done and will continue to do. It’s His story, not mine. His song, not mine. 

Grace and Peace,

Tony

Preferences and The Church

On Wednesday evenings at Antioch, we’ve been working through some prayers of Paul’s. I’m using Arthur Pink’s book Gleanings From Paul kindof as a guide for this. Tonight we’ll be starting Paul’s two-fold Romans 15 prayer, from vs. 5-6 and then in v. 13:

“Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.” … “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (HCSB)

The Roman Church was a mess. Christian Jews holding on to their old traditions (dietary laws, Sabbaths, etc.), seeking to honor and worship God in a manner that they really felt was right and good. But while doing so, they imposed those traditions and preferences on the newer, Gentile Christians. Fundamental traditional legalists.

But that was only one side of the coin.

On the other side were the new Gentile converts flaunting their freedom in Christ, shoving the traditional worship of the pious Jews back in their faces, and provoking the imposing Christian Jews to anger. Licenscious, free-spirited charismatics tilling the soils of disunity by shoveling the traditions of the Jews sideward to promote their own preferences.

Both groups were born again believers. Both sides were seeking to worship and honor God in a way they felt was both worthy of Him and relevant to themselves. But in pursuing personal preference and imposing those preferences on others, what they harvested was not productivity or effectiveness. Instead, they were reaping disunity and hypocrisy.

There was nothing doctrinal or theological at stake here. It was all about preference.

Arthur Pink wrote in his aforementioned work,

“Those who do not see eye to eye with each other on things where no doctrine or principle is involved are to dwell together in unity, bearing and forbearing in a spirit of meekness and love.” … “Where there is credible evidence of a genuine belief of saving truth, where the grand fundamentals of the faith are held, then such differences of opinion on minor matters should not in the slightest degree diminish brotherly love or mar spiritual and social fellowship. A spirit of bigotry, censoriousness, and intolerance is utterly foreign to Christianity.” – Pgs 22-23, (emphasis added)

Utterly foreign to Christianity. I wish I could say that today. Sadly, church in our age has become more about matters of preference than about the souls of mankind. And we wonder why non-Christians want nothing to do with the church… If all they see is conflict over preferences and disunity… why would they? There’s plenty of that outside the church.

Paul gives us the solution right before offering the first of the two prayers mentioned:

“Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good in order to build him up. [And then Paul lays it on thick by playing the WWJD card…] For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.” – Romans 15:1-3, HCSB.

What???!!! Surely Paul was mistaken. Is he saying that Christianity isn’t really about pleasing myself and satisfying my desires and promoting my preferences? Is he saying that I should give up my preferences in church to make some other person happy? Surely not… … …

What would happen if the younger Christians would stand up in a church and say, “Hey, stop singing the modern songs!!! The older saints like the hymns… we don’t, but we know they do and we want to please them! SING MORE HYMNS!!!”

And then the older saints would rise and say, “No!!! Play the modern stuff we don’t know! That’s what the younger guys like! That’s how they worship God best! We can keep our own faith before God (Rom 14:22)… Let’s honor THEIR preferences!”

Well, that would be almost biblical!!! Romans 12:10… “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor,” (NASB).

I would imagine that if the members of our churches began to sacrifice their personal preferences for those of their brothers’ and sisters’ the church of God might just start looking like it’s supposed to! The world might actually know that we are believers in Christ because of the love and preference we show for each other (John 13:35)! We might start to model the self-sacrificing spirit of our Lord Jesus who obviously would have preferred not to die an excruciating death on the cross of Calvary (Luke 22:42), but did so anyway because of His preference toward us!

And then, we’d better watch out! Because the world might begin to see that there’s something different about Christians. That we model a lifestyle and a cooperative spirit which is foreign among secular organizations – that is, being united for the common good of the souls of humanity and all… How might our world change if they could honestly look at our churches and say without a doubt, “A spirit of bigotry, censoriousness, and intolerance is utterly foreign to Christianity.” ???

What preferences are you holding on to? What do you need to let go of so that you can pick up the baggage (“weaknesses,” Rom 15:1) of other believers and carry it for them? “Not pleasing ourselves,” … what a concept. Or maybe we should just “make our attitude that of Christ Jesus…

Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage. Instead, He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8, HCSB.

Humility. Pleasing others instead of ourselves. Relinquishment of personal preferences for the sake of others around us… What a concept.

Grace and Peace,

Tony

iChurch

Starting this Sunday (April 10) in our morning worship services we’ll be working through the Book of Acts. One of the biggest struggles Christianity faces today is that younger generations do not see a need for the church. Whereas historically, churches have been seen as the center of community activity, now churches are usually considered as relatively peripheral. Our culture is a spiritual one, but for some reason we have begun to separate spirituality from the church. Why is that?

— Could it be because our churches have become more about tradition and preference than about the gospel? If church is only or even mostly about tradition and contemporary trends, then what happens to the church who does not change traditions and trends as the generations progress? It becomes irrelevant and unproductive. Better and easier for a “spiritual” individual to practice trendiness and personal preferences separate from others who may have differences in opinion and/or preference… much less resistance that way. But is our biggest struggle really cultural trendiness?

— Could it be because the enemy is working overtime to dwarf the importance of cooperative worship and like-minded fellowship among believers? Can’t I be a “Christian” and “worship God” wherever, however, and with/without whomever I want? There’s so much diversity in churches. I can be effectively spiritual on the lake, in my home watching TV, as part of an internet cyber-church, or even in a bar putting back shots of Tequila. Can’t I??? … I wonder, if Satan can paint the picture of Jesus’ church as being a bunch of out-of-date, racist, classist, hypocritical pigs… I wonder if he can convince a culture immersed in sin that the vehicle for worldwide gospel saturation (the New Testament Church) is really just a big joke. Seems like he’s certainly trying.

The biblical New Testament Church is clearly seen as the ongoing work of Jesus Christ after ascension – through the work of the Apostles and under the guidance and direction of God the Holy Spirit. Can you really love Jesus, and not the church? Can we be biblical and serve God but push His church to the sidelines?

Our culture is a personal one. Have you noticed the increased personalization of inanimate objects? Apple Computers was really groundbreaking with this… iTunes, iMac, iPod, iPhone. Apple has found a way to personalize things that seem so impersonal. In turn, it has increased the usage and perceived “need” for these objects of cultural obsession. “iChurch.” Can we again start to see the church as personal, significant, and an extension of who we are?

And are we willing, as the early church was, to give up our preferences, time, energy, and resources for the sake of the lost world around us? I, for one, would like to see the church of Jesus be both biblical and effective. I believe in the church.

iChurch. Do you?

Grace and Peace,

Tony

Spiritual Abortion and Choosing Life

Last night in our Sunday Evening Service at ABC, we were studying 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. It is important for us believers sometimes, to go back and clarify the basics of the gospel message. The three non-negotiables: that Jesus died for our sins according to scripture, that He was buried, and that He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures. Fundamental. Foundational. Non-Negotiable. Deny one of the three, and the other two fall apart. We all need to be reminded from time to time of what is “most important,” as the HCSB translates in verse 3.

But when we got to verse 8 last night, something happened. The Holy Spirit really filled our hearts and challenged us as we looked at this verse in depth. Paul wrote that after the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, He appeared to three basic categories of people: church officials (Peter, James, Apostles), large groups (the Twelve, the 500), and himself.

“Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me.” 1 Cor. 15:8, HCSB.

Other translations read “born out of due time” or “unwanted,” and other things. The Greek word Paul chose here is ektrōma. It is the word for “abortion.” He elaborates by recalling his sadistic past, having persecuted the church of God and encouraged and participated in the execution of Christians. When Christians thought of Saul of Tarsus, the word that came to mind was “enemy.” I can even imagine some confused believers praying for Saul’s death – so that the message of Christianity could be spread unhindered. That seems justifiable to many of us at times. Nobody wanted Saul. He must have been considered completely unworthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unreachable. Unchangeable. Altogether unwanted.

But the Lord Jesus reached down in the Christian culture’s womb of disdain and fear of uncertainty, and loved Saul. The risen Lord Jesus desired Saul when no one else did. He intervened and adopted this discarded child of Adam. Changed his name, and gave him new life. Life with purpose. Life with significance. Even when everyone else looked on him with noses turned upward in disgust. Jesus loved him. And Jesus saved him.

What happens when someone with a disastrous reputation walks in the doors of our churches? What happens when a tattoo-ridden, mohawked, baggy-pants, sin-scarred individual who obviously is “not from around here” graces the doors of our fellowship? Do we turn our noses up in disgust? Do we write them off as unreachable? Is our first thought, “wow, he is beyond help!” ???

Who have we spiritually aborted in our communities? Who have we decided is not worth the effort it would take to nurture and disciple … the time required to invest in life? Who do we see as a nuisance instead of an opportunity? A drain on Christian society? Who would we rather spiritually abort than reach down into the nasty grime of sinful desolation and extend a heart and a hand of love?

God forbid we ever look upon someone and believe they are unworthy of the gospel of Christ. He is a God of spiritual life. Not spiritual abortion.

Christians, we need to take some of our own advise: Choose Life.

Grace and Peace,

Tony

There Are No Children Here

My two boys just started school in Lovelady two days ago. One is in third grade and the other in Kindergarten. They really are great kids. I know, I know… I’m biased. But still. They are such great kids. Love ‘em. I am already very impressed with the standards, procedures, and policies of our new school. Our old one was really great too, but you just never know what you’re stepping into. Vanessa and I read over Lovelady’s student handbook and policy manual and were very encouraged by what we saw.

Recently, the Obama administration along with our national Department of Education put together a team of well-decorated individuals with lots and lots of letters after their names, who decided for us that we should be discussing a national standard for sex education in public schools. As the father of two young boys, nothing scares me more than the national government telling my children what to believe about sex and sexuality.  You can download a PDF of the proposed national standards for sex education in public schools by following this link. Among the standards listed are these:

By the end of the 2nd grade, students should be able to: Use proper names for body parts, including male and female anatomy. (AP.2.CC.1)

By the end of the 5th grade, students should be able to: Define sexual orientation as the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender. (ID.5.CC.1)

By the end of the 5th grade, students should be able to: Describe the process of human reproduction. (PR.5.CC.1)

Now these standards are, as of now, only proposed by our national government. They are not yet mandatory. However, there is a clear message as to where the US Department of Education and the liberal machine want to lead our children in learning about sexuality.

When I first read of these proposed standards, it immediately brought to mind a book by Alex Kotlowitz, published in the early 90′s: There Are No Children Here. Aside from some minor offensive language, the book is a powerful non-fiction account of two young boys growing up in the ghettos of Chicago. (If you wish, click here and purchase the book from Amazon.com). Lafayette and Pharaoh, the two boys, see their friends die at the gun barrel of gang violence. They hear of friends getting girls pregnant at very young ages. Their brother is a drug-dealer, their father, absent, and their mother LaJoe depends on them for her own emotional well-being – a heavy burden no child should ever be forced to bear. Mr. Kotlowitz (the author) actually spent many years with the family documenting and interviewing. At one point he asks LaJoe about the “children,” and she says, “There are no children here.”

Wow… There are no children here. Are we creating a generation of un-children? 1st and 2nd graders identifying the sexual reproductive organs of each gender, and 5th graders being forced to accept homosexuality as a morally acceptable lifestyle? 4th and 5th graders learning how sex works? I thought children in elementary school would be learning how to do math, science, and grammar. I thought grade-school children would be exercising penmanship and memorizing significant historical events. I thought 5-11 year old children would be mapping out the states in our great nation, learning capitals, and discussing topography and climatological conditions/tendencies of various world regions. I thought our young children would be playing on the playground at recess and learning social do’s and don’t's by process of interaction – failures and successes together. But apparently, according to the US Government, there are no children here.

Jesus says, in Matthew 18:

“Whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me-it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the depths of the sea! Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.” (Mt. 18:6-7, HCSB)

Discretionary Side Note: Jesus did not say to take those individuals to a bridge, tie a rock around their necks, and drown them. He said that between the two options ( [A] causing a young one to fall/trip spiritually or [B] drowning), having drowned would be the better option – because it would only have been the drowner who suffers, not having lead the children astray as well. 

 

The Greek word Jesus used for “offenses” is skandalone. It is the word from which we get the English words “scandal” and “scandalous.” A skandalone is a trap, or a snare… purposefully set in someone’s way with the intent of tripping them up. Spiritually, it is like an impediment placed in someone’s spiritual pathway that will cause them to sin or to fall. Need I go on?

Are we tripping up our children by placing these kinds of stumbling blocks in the way of their spiritual and moral development? Are we impeding their progression toward a healthy biblical worldview? Are we robbing our children of being children?

Or maybe… maybe there are no children here.

Grace and Peace,

Tony