He had this testimony, that he pleased God

The above title is taken from Hebrews 11:5 in reference to a well-known Old Testament hero, Enoch. Most remember Enoch as the man who never died; but more important to understand is the cause behind this miracle. According to the verse, it was because he pleased God. So how did he please God? In Genesis 5:22-24, it was that he walked with God, apparently not a common practice in those days; to be honest, not a common practice in our day either. In spite of all of our knowledge and ability and programs and everything else "Christian", we spend more time convincing ourselves of our spirituality, than spending it with God. It is he that changes people, it is He that heals the hurt, yet we tend to keep trying more and more of the world's methods to accomplish God's work.
The results from polling our youth showed a trend that seems to unfortunately be growing among independent Baptists - treating Christianity as a ritual to be performed instead of a relationship to be pursued. If we polled the adults from these same churches, would we find much difference in result? We have come a long way from our predecessors. Today's Baptists are known for three things - eating at every gathering, always being late, and never wanting to change. In other words we're bordering on gluttony, tardiness, and stubbornness. In truth, it should be just the opposite - we should be known for the prayers we see answered as a result of fasting, always in a hurry to be on time, and always looking for areas in our life that need change. Enoch is a great example of this. Reading Genesis 5:22 it says that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methusaleh. Why would it word it that way? Most commentaries believe that the meaning of Methusaleh's name had something to do with the flood. This apparently shook Enoch up enough that he turned his life around. Was he a wicked man before this? The Bible doesn't say, but just being a good person doesn't mean you walk with God. In fact, the closer you get to God, the more wicked that you see yourself. Do our young people see change in us? Or are we to proud to admit that the way we were was not pleasing to God, so we just trudge on forward never stopping to realize that the proud hard heart we turn towards God is going to develop in our children as well, no matter how many Christian things we involve them in? The Bible is clear to warn us not to grieve or quench the Spirit of God who dwells in us. Having a walk with God is not something we can fake, nor is it something that happens by accident. It is, however, something that will evident enough in the life of the believer that we won't need to convince anyone of it's reality.
Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God. Each one of us also has a testimony - what's yours?

You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

I'm having difficulty teaching my 1 year old dog any tricks, much less an old one. The point of this overly used cliche is that once a certain way in ingrained in someone, it is difficult to change that person. Our responsibility as parents is to start training a child immediately! If a parent is waiting until that child can talk or walk to begin training, that parent is way too late. We need to begin training our children the Word of God. It seems so easy for us as parents to communicate with our children vain things such as sports, games, hobbies, and even household chores. We have no problem, even find such joy, in teaching our son how to properly throw a football, or shoot a free throw, or to lay down a perfect bunt. Yet, we struggle to talk to our sons about what they prayed for this week, or what they learned from the Bible in their studies yesterday.
Parents, we need to forget what the world is telling us, and get busy instructing our children in the things of God. Why? Because the fact is that if our children don't have a walk with the Lord, don't know how to read their Bible, don't know how to pray to God...and do these things consistently by the time they are teens-they probably never will. Train them while they are young!
I grow weary of hearing parents say, "They can't understand." I have encouraged parents in our church to no longer send their children to Jr. Church on Sundays, but to bring them in the church service with them. Some say, "They need to be in a place where the preaching is on their level," or "they will get more out of Jr. Church than the auditorium." Yet, they buy them the same video game strategy guide book that adults use, they can't figure out why they won't grow up and act right (spending all their time around peers their age), and why they can't sit still on Sunday nights in church. The Bible again never mandates our children surround themselves with peers their age (matter of a fact, it warns against it), rather, it teaches them to learn from the aged (Titus 2).
Proverbs 4 reads,

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Here, the father, is taking responsibility to see that the son is instructed in the things of God, understands the importance of God's Word, and realizes the rewards for living in accordance to It. I need to be a father like that! I need to be a father who can say "I have taught thee in the way of wisdom." We have enough Christian fathers who can say, "I have taught thee to build a tree house," "I have taught thee to throw a spiral," "I have taught thee to block out and rebound." We need fathers who will teach their children to love, desire, and rest in the Word of God. Instead, our young people answer the following:

How often do you read the Bible and pray in a day?
A: Pretty Much Never 40%
B: 5 minutes a day 23%
C: 10 or more minutes a day 37%

Praise the Lord for those who seemingly have that walk with God, but unless things improve vastly, our churches and the moving power of God through their lives in the days ahead is in much danger.
I believe the number one reason why we struggle to communicate with our children spiritual things and we do not rear teens that have a consistent walk with the Lord is because we as parents do not. We must first allow the Lord to minister to us before we can minister to our children. It is not the Christian School's responsibility to rear our children, nor the youth pastor, or Sunday school teacher's; it is ours the parents.
We must realize that their is a difference between spiritual instruction and exposure. Most parents believe that since they send their kids to the Baptist School, take them to church, see that memorize their Bible verse for that week-that everything will be o.k. All we are doing is exposing our young people to the Word of God. The Book of Proverbs uses the word "instruction" 25 times, including verse 1 above. We must not expose our children to spiritual things, but instruct them in it.
This instruction must begin as a child. Teach your pre-schoolers the stories of the Bible. Have your elementary students read and discuss with them the Word of God. See that they establish a prayer life before age 13. Determine that your walk with God and fellowship with Him be an example for your child. See to it that your child realizes the importance of God's Word and create in them a desire for the things of God. It sure is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks; may we endeavor that our children learn the right path from the very start:

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
Ecc. 12:1

For I Know Him

This simple, yet powerful phrase, was spoken by God in regards to one of his choicest servants, Abraham. It was said in context regarding the character of Abraham and why God chose him. So what did God know about Abraham? Was it his great wealth that caused God to choose him? Was it his physical dominance and power? Or was it his great knowledge and wisdom that he displayed? According to Jeremiah 9:23 these are the qualities that impress man; however, none of these areas were mentioned in this passage. Genesis 18:19 -

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

So how important is fatherhood? We can achieve all sorts of accomplishments in this life, but if we really want to impress God, He's watching to see how we raise our children. There are many great causes to which we can devote ourselves, but how are we raising our children? We may sacrifice much for the sake of the ministry, but that does not negate the responsibility to properly raise our children. We can adopt a myriad of philosophies about why children turn out wrong, but we are held accountable for how we raise our children.
Are we hurting today in our society where there seems to be an increase in the number of fatherless homes? Certainly there are a number of statistics to quote, as well as many well-known, big-name professionals, but let's view the perspective of a secular source. Washington Times columnist Rebecca Hagelin laments the popular mentality that "Dad seems to be the only person in modern society whom it is acceptable to belittle." As scientific studies consistently reveal, fatherless homes increase the likeliness of depression, poverty, school dropouts and pregnancies among adolescents. Hagelin argues that we should address these adverse effects by working to "equip fathers to lead in spite of a culture that tells them not to." This was taken from the Heritage Foundation, an organization promoting conservative values. The irony of this quote is that in this age of feminism a female is reaching out to her society with the need for male leadership. Why is it so important to have men at the helm? There is one very good reason - because God said so. He instituted the roles of authority and it is His way which works best. But He will not force His way on us; He will simply allow us to suffer the effects of our choices. It is not a matter of superior or inferior; it is simply matter of submitting to the authority that God has placed over us. As a child, I knew it was best to obey my parents. As I grew older, I saw that, while my parents weren't perfect, it was still in my best interests to submit to their authority. Now that I am a parent myself and can look back with some understanding of God's blessing on my life, I am very grateful that I learned that very important principle.
What did God know about Abraham? I believe he was a wealthy man; I believe he was a wise man; I believe he was a strong man. These qualities were exhibited in his life; yet the testimony that God shared with us concerning him is this - that he would lead his family in the right path. There are many things for which we can be known; but I choose this one above all others - as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Pray, Daddy, Pray!

There have been a few surprises in the results of our teen questionnaire, but I believe this week's question surprised me the most. Taking into consideration that we polled Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) Church's young people, I found the following quite surprising:

How many times have you heard your father pray at home?
A. Never 30%
B. Every day 52%
C. Occasionally 18%

I figured the "every day" to be a little higher, the "occasionally" to be much higher, and the "never" to be almost 'o'. To my surprise, 30% of our IFB teens have NEVER heard their daddy pray at home.
Now for certain, there will be some teens whose fathers are not saved and this would be understandable, but in light of other answers and the types of homes that were surveyed, this is an unbelievable statistic!
I believe this is a result of the demasculizing of men and the loss of understanding what true Biblical manhood is.
I heard a preacher this week define modern manhood as being defined by our culture as the 'three B's': Ballfield, Bedroom, and Billfold. Today's man is defined by those three in the world, and sadly in most Christian homes. How a man performs and how wealthy he is seem to be the epitome of what a man is today. In the Bible this is NOT SO!
A Biblical man is one who does the following:
1. Teaches His children the Word and Principles of God (Deut 6:1-8)
2. Loves His Wife (Eph. 5:33)
3. Works Hard (Luke 13:14)
4. Is a Godly testimony (Titus 2:2)
5. Does not provoke his children to wrath(Eph. 6:4)
6. Admonishes or encourages his children (Eph. 6:4)
7. Nurtures his family (Eph. 6:4) The word 'nurture' found in this verse means proper discipline and training of mind, moral, and soul. These are what a Biblical Father does! A man cannot accomplish any of these without a consistent prayer life!
It is no wonder that so many of our young people see their mothers as the leaders in the home (32%) when men are not taking their responsibility seriously! It is the father that should lead in family devotions, the father that should lead in prayer in times of great need, the father that prays around the supper table, and the father that is seen consistently on his knees in personal prayer. We need praying fathers!
Now, please don't misunderstand me; I believe a mother should be seen and heard praying as well; but it ought to be understood that daddy is the "prayer leader" of the home.
We are losing a generation of young people to the world, and a sure fire weapon to battle this trend is a father who intercedes and prays with and for his family.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Job 1:1-5

Are we having fun yet?

This is seemingly a pretty simple, cut-and-dry topic. As a parent, your child should sit with you, end of story. However, knowing the society in which we live, where the child often dictates to the parent instead of vice versa, it is no surprise that the young person often sits anywhere they please. So what's the big deal, you may ask. At least they're in church; that's the important thing, right? Well, let's look at it from the opposite perspective. Why would they not want to sit with their parents? They can get away with more; they can pass notes or "text"; they can slouch through the service; they can skip the singing; they can stare at the ground during the preaching and not pay attention. You're right - there is absolutely no reason why we should not let our children sit where they please. But, you may argue, my child wouldn't do that. Perhaps, but how do you know if you're not there to watch them? Here's the real bottom line - in churches today, generally the focus is on feeling good, and having fun. With this mindset, we want our young people to "enjoy the service", and so we let them do what they want. Problem is, where is that philosophy found in Scripture? It's not. Church is not about having fun. I know that sounds great, but it's true. Can you enjoy going to church? Yes, if you go with a desire to learn, and hear from the Lord, church will be a blessing. Unfortunately, many go with a welfare mentality, looking only to get what they can. The more I study the Bible, the more I see God blesses when we put out an effort, when we purpose to seek Him, when we begin to hunger and thirst after righteousness. We've been so conditioned in our society to expect something for nothing, that we have taken that attitude to God. God, however, lives beyond our culture, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. It's time we stop trying to bring God down to us, and lowering His standards to fit our comfort zone. In closing, working with young people, I have found a very important truth - those who are in submission to authority and are right with them, have a good time no matter what they do; those who are not, always seem to struggle to keep a smile on their face and are always searching for something new and exciting to satisfy their desires and passions. While it is no sin to sit with a friend, it tells a lot about the condition of the heart, and as it says in Proverbs 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Best Available Seats

Have you ever noticed that when we fly on an airplane, we want our family to sit together? When we purchase tickets for a baseball game, we want four seats together as close as we can get? We do these things? Because we want to share in the excitement, thrills, and fellowship. Then, why at church do families sit apart from each other and as far back as they can get. Should not the church house be THE PLACE of excitement, thrills, and fellowship?
Our next question on our teen questionnaire reads:

If I could sit anywhere in church, and it would be fine, it would be:
A. On the back row 10%
B. On the front row 20%
C. With my friends 47%
D. With my family 23%

A few months ago, my sister was having her first child. Baby Caleb Sallee was born on February 1, 2009 on a Sunday morning. We went to the hospital on Saturday evening, and after a long evening of waiting, Caleb decided to cooperate. I had pre-arranged for one of our missionaries to preach that Sunday morning. By the time I left the hospital, I arrived at church that Sunday just before the preaching. I came in the back and sat in the back pew. I don't know how anyone, with a spiritual bone in their body, can sit week after week on the back pew....
Nine people left for the restroom. Three were sleeping in front of me. There were many mothers with babies sitting around me (which in my opinion is the only ones that should sit in a back pew at church), and the noise was quite distracting. You could not hear the preacher when he spoke softer. All movements and distractions were overwhelming. I enjoyed the message-the parts that I truly heard. I wasn't so much disturbed by the distractions, as for the most part they could be expected and normal. (Those that left for restroom were either visitors or those that rode our bus; the three sleeping were elderly who I consider a blessing that they have the strength to get to church; the mothers with babies is a reward from the Lord and babies make noises; the other sounds come with 120 people being people). I just don't understand why someone who loved the Lord and wanted to mature in the Lord would choose to sit in the back and miss a part or majority of a message from the Lord.
At Great American Ballpark, home of our Cincinnati Reds, the front 8 rows behind homeplate are $200 a seat! I've never sat there, but would love to have the opportunity once in my life. We cherish front row seats at concerts, sporting events, races, and more...while our front rows at church sit empty. Why?
Our young people, according to our survey, are less concerned with the geographic location of their seats, and more concerned with the associations they sit with. Only 23% desire to sit with their families in church. 47% would rather sit with their friends.
We could discuss all the reasons and disect the problems and give suggestions as to answers...but I believe a best suited principle would be...

Why do we go to church?

If we are there to worship God, shouldn't we desire to hear every word?
If we are there to learn and mature in the things of God, shouldn't we want to be in a location where we can be fed the most?
If we truly want our families strengthened and desire for our children to learn the things of God, shouldn't we sit together as a family and 'inspect' our young people listening as they should?
In my experience, the majority of young people that go on to serve God faithfully are not the ones sitting on the back pew each service, they are the ones sitting with their families towards the front of the service. It's the ones in the back that are texting in church (21st century note writing), laughing, doodlling and grossly blaspheming the Lord and His church.
Parents, let us each evaluate why we bring our families and sit in the best available seats.

Inspect What You Expect

Jeremiah 29:10-14a -
"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:

While in Bible college, there was a pastor who drilled into my mind the phrase "Inspect what you expect." To my shame it took a while for that to sink in as to exactly what it meant. Basically the idea behind it is you may expect someone to do something, but you had better check up to make sure it's been done. That philosophy has come in handy in my life, and I occasionally find myself quoting it. The application here is simple - parents, we instill in our children certain expectations. The reason why just over half of our young people expect a pure spouse at the altar is that is all the expectation we have given them. In the quoted passage at the beginning of this post, the Lord made known His expectation. He had a plan for them, which probably at the time didn't seem very likely nor did they feel really confident in its success. But through reassurance and repetition, His expectation became theirs. What do we expect from and for our youth? Sadly, too often, we expect no more than the world. We are often guilty of basing our views on the culture instead of Christ. Some would argue that we expect too much - Have you read the words of Jesus Christ lately? He went much deeper than we do. We generally stop with the exterior, but He always goes to the heart, because that is where everything originates.(Prov. 4:23)(Matt. 15:18-19) All sin originates from the heart; any act committed on the outside started from the inside. We have a responsibility to know what is going on in the life of our child. Proverbs 27:23 gives a principle regarding our material possessions that can also be applied to any area that we are responsible to oversee. Are we fulfilling that responsibility? Are we training our young people to keep their heart under wraps that they not allow anything or anyone to steal it away? God commands us to love him with all our heart, etc.(Matt. 22:37) That is really hard for anyone, much less a young person, to do when they are feeding and building desires of lust in their heart because they have not been instructed to be pure.
What do our young people expect? Simply what we have instilled in them. Our responsibility is to be continually inspecting their expectations, being confident that our expectations are in line with our heavenly Father's expectations, that we might receive "thoughts of peace and not of evil" to receive an expected end.