One of the few absolutes that I want to accomplish is for my children to know Christ and see the Gospel transform them before I take my last breath (Ephesians 5:15-6:4). While, by God’s grace, my oldest is on her way, the two younger ones are in that stage where they are like sponge. They absorb and replay everything they see and hear from mom and dad. (Sometimes not a good thing.) As the Christmas season has approached, our 4-yr old has been asking questions about many of the secular things of Christmas that she sees and hears.

While she will be the first to tell you that Christmas is about Jesus and His birth, I began to realize that it was more of “what she should do because mom and dad said so.” As I was listening to one of my newfound favorite pastors, the Lord placed something on my heart that would drive home the meaning of this season.

As Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, many Christians will allow their love of culture to supersede the Savior they claim to worship. I can hear it now, “We’d go to church, but we have our traditions…” Perhaps Burk Parsons said it best in a Tweet earlier this week when he said:

If we skip congregational worship on Christmas day, we understand neither what worship is about nor what Christmas is about. – Burk Parsons

Think about that statement for a moment. I remember the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday and we blew off service without batting an eye to open our gifts. I look back in disgust and disbelief in that ignorance. It’s not the act of going to church, it’s the purpose. This time of year is to remember that our Savior came into our world fully God, fully man (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-14).

So here we are. Another year that Christmas falls on a Sunday and another opportunity to make the right decision. This year, not only will our family be in service, but God has shown me a way to drive home the message of Christ’s importance in our lives. As we wake, our 4-yr old will no doubted be ecstatic to tear into her gifts under the tree. However, she will have to wait until we return from service, worshiping the King of Kings before she can open them.

Will this overshadow the “magic” of Christmas morning as culture teaches?
I hope so.

Will this quell the excitement as she tears down the stairs that morning?
Absolutely.

Will it get her attention?
You bet. And it will divert to the cause of the disruption, Christ. Just as our conversion disrupts our sinful lives at conversion, so too will this disrupt what the world tells us is important at this time of year.

Why would I be such a cruel parent to do such a thing? Because as a Christian father and the responsible party for my family, I must take every opportunity to direct focus to Christ at every turn. This one was easy. It was like God throwing me a lob ball and me swinging with an oversized, fat bat. Christmas won’t fall on Sunday again until 2016 and we’re not guaranteed our next breath and only here for a short time (James 4:14), so why hesitate?

JS

Recently I’ve seen my Facebook page littered with posts similar to the following…

A little boy goes to school with his dog. As he approaches the doors he has to tie his dog up to a tree.  The dog begins sitting all sad-faced.  Then God appears and tells the dog, “Don’t be upset, I’m not allowed in there either.” Repost this if you are not ashamed of God…blah blah blah

At first glance, many Christians get all fired up and copy and paste away.  However, if we pause for a moment a take a step back, we can see how ridiculous this is the way it diminishes the mighty God we serve and how the blame may fall squarely on the shoulders of Christian parents.

An Impotent God?

“I’m not allowed in there…”  Really Christian?  Does the God of the Bible have to have permission to go somewhere?  Does He need finite man’s permission? Is the Creator of the Universe bound to man’s depraved Board of Education policies?

“Let me be clear, God did not stutter in the Bible. His word is adequate and needs no new revelations outside the canon to make teaching relevant to our children today.”

Point blank, God is omnipotent.  He has infinite or unlimited power.  He will do what He wants, where He wants, when He wants. He is all powerful and nothing, absolutely nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17,27).  In fact, nothing is impossible for Him (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37).  Furthermore, if it be His will to reach the lost, which it is (2 Peter 3:9), He will bring His will to fruition (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 14:24,27) regardless of our excuses to tell the lost the Gospel of Christ.  And that is really what statements like the aforementioned are.  Nothing more than excuses to lash out at the world rather than bring forth the Gospel.  It’s easier to do what comes naturally, than to bring forth a scandalous message impossible for the world to believe!

Look In The Mirror

If you know me or have read any of this blog, you’ll know that I’m no fan of 99% of what today’s evangelical church in America calls “youth ministry”.  It is for various reasons such as this issue of God in schools that it only multiplies. (Let alone the fact that there is no Biblical mandate for youth ministry as it exists today! Unless we convey the message that Jesus died for our salvation by eating peanut butter out of each other’s armpits.)

What? How? Simple. The majority of youth ministries today create a culture within the church that allows parents to abdicate their God-given, God-commanded responsibilities to some young hipster.  Furthermore this ends up usurping parental authority and amplifies the weak leadership in that church as rarely do pastors/elders hold parents responsible for the evangelism and discipleship of their children.  There are ways to minister to young ones, however it is a far cry from the majority of what happens every Sunday in America.

Let me be clear, God did not stutter in the Bible.  His word is adequate and needs no new revelations outside the canon to make teaching relevant to our children today.  He was crystal clear in Deuteronomy 6:1-10 and then in Ephesians 5:15-6:4 that it is the parents’ job to evangelize and disciple their children! A Biblical-church will come alongside Mom and Dad and help them to do their job (Ephesians 4:12).

Ballistic Missiles

Children are a blessing, the fruit of the womb, a reward (Psalm 127:3), yet often Christian parents don’t see them that way.  If they did, many daily routines of Christians shackled to the world and its schedule would be drastically rearranged.

How do you see your children?  As the psalmist continues in Psalm 127:4, children are likened to arrows in a quiver.  If we take this approach, we see this whole “poor ‘ol God’s not allowed in school” start to fall apart.  When we take God’s written word to heart and evangelize and disciple our children, that obedience opens our eyes further to God’s perfect, saving will.

The action? We take God as His word. We raise our children with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). We evangelize and disciple our children. We worship and pray with our children at home.  The result? We send not arrows, but ballistic missiles into the world, in this case public schools.  Instead of looking at public schools as the enemy of our children, and there’s plenty reasons to do so, we look at them as mission fields.  Instead of sending our kids armed with fear of speech, we equip them with the word of God and the Gospel of Christ, which the most ungodly school system in the world cannot stop!

JS

Below is a link to a movie that you can watch online in its entirety until September.  As a father and former youth pastor, it addresses something very dear to me.  Children are our future of the church. If we are going to see the Christian faith carry on, we need to check our efforts against scripture.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions, let’s not gamble our children’s future on one.

As the holidays rapidly approach, so does another episode of Harry Potter.  Families will pour out their wallets to go watch another ‘good vs. evil’ epic battle.  Yet, it as far from that description as the East is from the West.  More accurately it could be described as ‘evil vs. evil’.

I believe as Christians there are some considerations we should think about before flocking to the local theater.  I will say that I have seen the first three movies in the series and was not until some prayer and studying of God’s word that light exposed some unavoidable truths.  Those truths are what we must deal with as Christians if we are going to thoughtfully pursue such movies.

Myth #1: It’s ‘Good vs. Evil’

First, we should note that Harry Potter is just as evil in the eyes of God as a sorcerer as the villain he is combating.  A glance at Deuteronomy 18:9-14 clearly shows how God feels about such practices:

⁹"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. ¹⁰There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer ¹¹or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, ¹² for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. ¹³You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, ¹⁴for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.

The Lord condemn such practices (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).  There is no such thing as a good witch (aka wizard, sorcerer, etc.).  That alone should set off a concern of how these movies show the occult in a favorable, seemingly innocent way.  Among young believers, and new Christians alike, this would be one of my biggest concerns.  Rather than believing our minds to be wiser than God, we would do well to take heed of this particular passage.

Myth #2: God Hates The Sin, Not The Sinner

This one is a classic that believers and unbelievers alike love to hang their hats on.  However, this is the complete opposite of Deuteronomy 18:12!

for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God…

John Piper of Desiring God ministries explains it like this:

Not merely the activity but also the persons become abominable in God’s eyes. It is an unbiblical sentiment which says, "God only hates the sin, never the sinner." When a person gives himself over to will, to delight in, and to follow abominable practices, he makes himself abominable in the eyes of God. Of course, this does not put a person beyond the reach of God’s love. The glory of divine love is that it reaches out to justify and to sanctify precisely those whom God abominates because of their sin. (emphasis added)

The best part of this is that although we can be hated by God, we are not beyond hope and love.  A love that is so powerful that it can cause a holy, righteous, perfect and just God to go from hating to loving us in a moment of repentance!  It makes the gift of salvation by grace that much more exciting.  It’s mercy at it’s core.

Myth #3: Harry Potter Would Be Rewarded For His Heroics

We have seen how God feels about these practices.  We have learned how we can become abominable in the sight of the Lord for delighting in our sin with no remorse.  What more could there be?  How about infanticide?  Yes, God places such practices of sorcery, necromancy, divination, etc. alongside of killing babies (Deuteronomy 18:10). If Harry Potter were a real person, how could he be rewarded?  We are known by our fruits (Matthew 7:16) and when viewed through the prism of Deuteronomy 18:9-14, his fruits are rotten to the core.

Myth #4: Our Kids Can’t Learn To Minister To The World Without Experiencing It

I shouldn’t even have to explain this one, but I will because the backfire will come from this angle with the whole ‘salt and light’ argument.  Based on that logic, can you imagine how our we would teach our kids to minister to a pedophile? Or how about a stripper?  At one point I would argue that it is putting God to the test as in Deuteronomy 6:16; cf. Matthew 4:7.  The idea that God allowed some in the Bible to be enslaved to such pagan cultures and minister to them, doesn’t mean we do it on purpose to our own kids!  (See Voddie Baucham’s post for more.)

Bottom line is that there are better ways to go about teaching our kids God’s word and how it ministers to the world.  To immerse them in an environment that makes light of what God has clearly damned is a risk we should consider prayerfully.

JS

Friday nights are something families look forward to every school year. The crisp, evening fall air descends upon high school football fields all across the state. Families of students fill the bleachers for with anticipation of a great evening of football and bands.

It’s competition. It’s tradition. And as of recent times, it’s tragic.

It’s no secret that culture and society at large paint a starkly perverted portrait of modesty than what most Christians are accustomed to (1 Timothy 2:9).  Sadly, the bigger tragedy is the “parents” who allow young ladies to delve into worldly culture with caution to the wind.  It’s one thing for young women to demean themselves with this behavior without guidance.  However, we are seeing more and more, parents endorsing such “dance” styles –even to go so far as to applaud it!

A few weeks ago I was at a high school game.  The evening seemed to play out as a typical high school football night.

Then, halftime rolled around.  Perhaps my favorite part of the game.  Young men and women take the field exhibiting God-given talent as the crowds look on.  Old and young, feet tap to the familiar and not-so-familiar tunes as the bands play on.

[insert annoying old vinyl record scratching sound here]

As the bands rolled on with their halftime shows, something else caught many viewers’ eyes – the dance line.

To be fair, most dance line outfits of area bands are to be commended as they are modest and trendy at the same time.  However, the dancing was something else completely, as it seems is widespread to many area high school programs.  I understand that times change and everyone feels that they have to be cooler or more hip than the next group.  However, there are plenty of dance styles that are entertaining to the audience and challenging to the performers that take more skill than what was displayed.

I know that is strong language, and it’s intended to be so.  Something has to wake you, the “leaders” and “overseers” in education, the Harrison County Board of Education, from this trance that you are in by approving and even applauding this rubbish as spectators. 

Here are a few questions I have for the “adults” involved:

• Where are the fathers with anger of their daughters being exploited in such a manner?
• Where are the mothers saddened by the provocative hip gyrations that make their daughters look like something on MTV at 2am?
• Where is the band director who is ultimately responsible for the band?
• Where is the principal to maintain some integrity within a school?
• Where is the outrage over these beautiful, young ladies being lead to manipulate themselves in such a manner?
• More directly… Why does the Board of Education continue to ignore some of its own reputable members and implement a decency policy of some sort?

They are no where to be found.  As a father myself, I stood there with another dad and his reaction was the same.  Other mothers that were in attendance likewise had the same reaction.  Others blushed.  To quote one photographer, “I was going to shoot some photos, but felt kinda weird shooting them while they were doing that…”

And while I’m at it, I might as well make the cheerleading folks angry as well.  They are victim of the same thing.  I say “victim” because they lack the same sort of guidance and get the some sort of encouragement.  I would like Mrs. Collins of the Board of Education to answer this question, “How can you uphold the 4101.8.10 Inappropriate Dress and Grooming policy, yet approve some of the cheering outfits in use county-wide?”  I would almost guarantee that if a girl walked into school in street clothes to the same specs as cheering uniforms, they’d be sent home.

I know this is not a popular subject to talk about.  Yet it is one that needs addressed.

Something that can’t be missed here is that none of this would be made possible unless the parents allowed it and the Harrison County BOE stood silent, which seems to be the norm.  I pray these young ladies will see this for what it is and excuse themselves.  It is also my hope that the Harrison County Board of Education would take a hard look at this and incite some decency rules to provide guidance for our children that is obviously absent from their parents.

JS

The 2009-2010 school year was the most brutal I can recall for my area.  Just 3 days in to the school year, a young man lost his life in a car accident.  Students rallied around his memories as you could find his jersey number on a t-shirt at just about every school function.  As time began to dull the pain of loss, just 3 days before the end of the school year, another young man lost his life in an accident while swimming.  His memories likewise will be seen all around the school this year.  Both events were tragic and sobering at the same time.

Among all the college preparatory classes taught at Bridgeport High School, perhaps the best lesson was taught outside the classroom on a windy, rain-stricken road where a car lie wrecked.  Or maybe the lesson was realized as the sun set on a local lake as rescuers searched frantically for hours.  Life is short.  Life is fragile.  Life cannot be taken for granted.  We are but a vapor (James 4:14).

As God tells us in the book of Romans, “…know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). If one could get anything from these tragedies, maybe it would be an urgency to displace what culture tells us are necessities and focus on what matters, eternity.  Gentlemen, a large screen LCD or endless knowledge of you favorite spectator sport will offer you no comfort when you hear the news of a loved one passing.  Ladies, all the late afternoon lattes with friends or hours at the boutique will do nothing to enhance your appearance as you pay your last respects to a loved one.  None of the senseless things in the world matter.

Yet there is one thing you one can find comfort in during such dark times, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Both the knowledge of and a proclamation to the lost.  Which scenario would you rather find yourself in?…. 1) “I knew him/her well.  We partied, hung out, it was the stuff.  I’m going to miss him/her.”  or 2) “My heart is burdened for him/her, yet there is a solace and comfort in my soul because I know he/she heard the Good News from my lips and has a chance at eternal life.”  I’ll take scenario #2.

Life is too short to get consumed in what this world will distract you with.  All the precious time spent texting, shopping, playing video games – NONE OF IT MATTERS!  What are you doing?  Are you living for eternity?

Live for Eternity – Paul Washer from I’ll Be Honest on Vimeo.

It’s my hope and prayer that parents and students alike take a valuable lesson away from last school year’s tragedies.  The lesson that life is short and we are not guaranteed our next breath.  Go, preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your kids and classmates.  For it would be better to trust their fate into the hands of the Creator than what this wretched world has to offer.

RIP Michael and Talon.

JS

One thing that strikes me as awkward is the continued showing of professing Christians that dress as if they are of the world. Go to a local shopping mall or swimming pool and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Yes, it’s more prevalent in youth, but adults are just as guilty.

We see the Apostle Paul referencing dress in 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Granted the reference is talking about women dressing modestly, but the intention is evident. All Christians should dress in a manner that is both modest and appropriate. Those whose hearts are incline toward self, rather than God, will dress to draw attention to themselves with no regard for consequences for themselves or others.

I believe Paul Washer’s wife said it best:

“If your clothing is a frame for your face, from which the glory of Christ springs forth, it is of God. But if your clothing is a frame for your body, it is sensual and God hates it” – Charo Washer

JS

I’ve blogged before about the glaring problems with youth ministry today (here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) and thought I’d seen the worst of it.  I have brothers in Christ that are youth leaders in several local churches.  I love each and every one of them and their heart to serve God.  But, ask any that know me, and they’ll tell you I’m a youth ministry abolitionist.  However, because it is a cottage industry that rakes in millions of dollars a year, it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

One would wonder how far something would have to deteriorate before cries are heard from the masses.  Let’s see what the world if youth ministry in some churches is up to today….

• Licking peanut butter from a youth leader’s armpit (read more…)
• Because the armpit is gross, let’s use the toes instead (read more…)

In case that’s not enough, how about some first-hand footage of such wonderful examples of how we are bringing up the next generation of Christians.  Can anyone really explain what is being taught as they lick peanut butter from each other’s armpits?

(Facebook readers view video here)

“Oh there’s no way that is very common or even sure that it’s at a church function…” you say?  Hmmm.  Let’s try this one front and center on the pulpit.

(Facebook readers view video here)

Now to make matters worse, this nonsense is not only a staple in youth entertainment, ah-hem-sorry, youth ministry, but also out in the world.  Our churches are being represented with such destructive behavior when they take this foolishness out into the local community. See video below…

(Facebook readers view video here)

(Now I will tell you that, although not to this degree, I was part of such stupidity my years in youth ministry.  By God’s providence, through prayer, fasting, research and studies, I have repented of such actions and asked that brothers in Christ that lead such groups would do the same.  I will say that of the youth groups that I know in this area, most are responsible and don’t allow their ministries to deteriorate to such levels as mentioned above.)

You see this is what happens when we get away from clear Biblical instruction for our youth (Ephesians 6:1-4, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Psalm 78:1-8) and enter into the world of pragmatism.  I believe it is also the roots to what we see in churches all over the U.S. today.  That is, an appeal to man’s carnality as not to offend folks to get them in the door.  Churches all over see this as a growth issue.  People are going out the backdoor as fast as they are coming in the front door.  Why? Simple.

If you use carnal things to get people into church, you will have to continue to do those carnal things to keep them there.  The first time you give the beautiful, scandalous Gospel of Jesus Christ, they flee because Christ is not in them.

JS

I have never been on the Sarah Palin bandwagon.  I cringe every time I hear some one spew the whole “We need Sarah Palin because she is a woman with good Christian values…” line.  Now I do not personally know Mrs. Palin, nor her heart.  However, I can assure you she’s not likely to be working on the responsibilities of a mother as outlined in the Bible.  For evidence, one needs to look no further than the Mc-Cain/Palin campaign.  Did you notice how see allowed that to take precedence over her child with special needs or her teenage daughter that was pregnant?  The latter really troubled me.  Can you imagine how badly Bristol needed her mother only to see her mom gallivanting around the country for an interview here or speech there?

And the fallout continues.  Bristol is now appearing in PSA ads that every pro-lifer has jumped on touting its greatness.  Just one problem, the ad is an epic fail.  The message that comes across? “If you’re poor and not part of a rich family like I am, don’t sleep around.” Ugh.  Somebody pull the plug.

(Facebook users see video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS20rsEoqk4)

JS

An older John Piper book "God Is The Gospel" (free download here) proved a valuable resource since our church service at Grace Bible Church was cancelled due to the snow.  What do you do when church is cancelled?  Simple. Gather your family and enjoy prayer and reading of the Bible together in your home. Yes, you can have church anywhere.

We focused on the following question that all of us may want to reflect on:

If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you have on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, and all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there? ("God Is The Gospel", John Piper)

When you think about it this way, you start to understand that the most glorious part of the Gospel is God and not ourselves.  Yes, by the Christ dying, a way was made. But what often gets lost in translation is that the glory of the Gospel is the greatness of God, not us.  God is all satisfying.  Consider the following passage:

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3-6, ESV)

Paul refers to Satan in verse 4 (“the god of this world”) as indication of those who he blinds into disbelief of Christ. As we are inundated in this world with money, power, and pleasure, they are obstacles that coerce people to turn a blind eye to Christ.  When those become the cornerstone of our lives, we have made Satan our god and in doing so, perish as mentioned in verse 3.

Continuing, Paul make’s it obvious that the preaching of the Gospel was about God and not about him (2 Corinthians 4:5).  When we read or speak the Gospel, it’s not about us, what we’ve accomplished, our abilities, etc.  Rather, people need introduced to Christ not us.  It’s great to see the miracles that Christ may have done in our lives, from breaking addictions to healing.  However, we limit the Gospel, hence not preaching the real Gospel, when we present it and we are the focus or partial focus.

Finally, Paul shows that the splendor of the Gospel is “…the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).  We should take from this a lesson in humbleness, and a reality check.  That when we speak the Gospel, we have to focus on God as the Gospel and not ourselves.

JS