Quote 3312
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Somehow we have come to believe that children are a burden instead of a blessing. If our churches are going to stem the tide of cultural and moral decay, we must change our disposition toward children. We decry the work of abortionists but seldom say a word to the intentionally childless couples who slay even the possibility of life in the womb.Family Driven Faith
More importantly, we cannot continue to use Caesar's methods in our Christian schools and expect a different outcome. Education is inseparable from discipleship (Luke 6:40).Family Driven Faith
I am convinced that holding men accountable for the evangelism and discipleship of their families does more to motivate and engage them than any weekly Bible study ever could.Family Driven Faith
Unfortunately, the idea of segregation is so ingrained in the minds of Christians in our culture that they cannot conceive of a church without age-graded Sunday school classes, children's church, and youth service on Wednesday night (and now on Sunday mornings in some places).Family Driven Faith
Walk into a family-integrated church, and the first thing you will notice is the presence of babies. We don't realize it, but we have been desensitized to the absence of babies. We're used to corporate worship being a largely adult affair. In fact, I preached in a church not long ago that had a sign up that read, "Please silence all cell phones, pagers, and children under four." In other words, "No babies, please!" Once you get over the inordinate number of babies, your attention will probably be drawn to the absence of a teen section in the sanctuary. What's more, you will notice that the teenagers are actually sitting with their families, and rather large families at that. It won't take long to realize that you're not in Kansas anymore. This is not your normal church gathering.Family Driven Faith
I believe the church's emphasis ought to be on equipping parents to disciple their children instead of doing it on their behalf. Family Driven Faith
It is not the job of the youth pastor to evangelize my child—that's my job. It is not the youth pastor's job to equip (disciple) my child—it's mine. And it is not the youth pastor's job to send my child out to engage the world; you guessed it—that's my job too.Family Driven Faith
Do everything in your power to place your child in an educational environment that supplements and facilitates their discipleship. Do everything in your power to avoid the influence of government schools that are incapable of bringing our children up in "the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4)Family Driven Faith
The Fifth Commandment was the foundation upon which the concept of multigenerational faithfulness is built. God designed the family to disciple children and insure the faithfulness and perpetuation of the community of faith throughout the ages.Family Driven Faith
it is important to teach our children that every instruction is to be obeyed right away. As they get older, they may be allowed to enter into discussion about our instructions, but that discussion should follow an act of obedience, not determine whether or not they are convinced of our position.Family Driven Faith
If giving our children a biblical worldview is the why of family driven faith, giving them biblical instruction is the what. Our worldview shapes the way we think, but learning and memorizing the Scriptures determine what we think.Family Driven Faith
I believe that marriage is far more important than college. Moreover, I think we lead our children to compromise when we ask them to endure two-year engagements while remaining true to their Christian convictions. If they weren't ready to be married, we shouldn't have allowed the relationship to blossom.Family Driven Faith
The size of our families has become a matter of income and convenience. Our attitude toward children is, "A boy for me and a girl for you, then praise the Lord, we're finally through!" I am amazed at the number of people I meet who live in two-thousand-square-foot homes with two cars parked outside and argue that they can only "afford" to have one or two children. Amazing! Our forebears successfully raised houses full of children in homes that we would now consider meager at best, but we can't afford it.Family Driven Faith
I am amazed at the number of intelligent, Jesus-loving, Bible-toting, ministry-minded young men who absolutely refuse to grow up and take a wife! It is as though there was a new book of the Bible discovered (I call it 2 Hesitations) that reads, "Thou shalt not marry prior to graduate school, or at least until you have a middle-class income and a 401(k)." The only thing worse is looking into the eyes of the scores of young women who ask me what they have to do to get these guys to man up and marry them.Family Driven Faith
Modern American dating is no more than glorified divorce practice. Young people are learning how to give themselves away in exclusive, romantic, highly committed (at times sexual) relationships, only to break up and do it all over again. God never intended for His kids to live like this. And instead of stepping in and doing something, many Christian parents simply view these types of relationships as a normal and necessary part of growing up. Unless your child is wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and more godly than David (all of whom sinned sexually), they are susceptible to sexual sin, and these premature relationships serve as open invitations.Family Driven Faith
If I teach my son to keep his eye on the ball but fail to teach him to keep his eyes on Christ, I have failed as a father.Family Driven Faith
our children's education is not our primary goal. Our primary goal for our children is that they walk with the Lord.Family Driven Faith
Unfortunately, this is a foreign concept to most Christians in our culture. Most pastoral search committees never even bother to meet a man's wife and children, let alone observe him at home or question those close enough to know how he teaches the Word to his family, leads them in family worship, disciplines, instructs, and encourages his children, or loves his wife. This may seem like a separate issue, but I assure you it is right on point. The fact that we no longer require exemplary family life from those who lead us is indicative of the fact that we have dropped the ball on this issue from the top down. In fact the term preacher's kid has become a euphemism for the poorly behaved, rebellious, oft-neglected sons and daughters of our leaders. If our leaders are failing as husbands and fathers, what hope is there for the rest of our families?Family Driven Faith
my family is the primary place where my walk with Christ takes on flesh. It is one thing for me to have a personal relationship with Jesus. However, if I spend hours reading the Bible and praying and invest the lion's share of my time ministering to others while neglecting my role as husband and father, my relationship with Christ is out of balance or, worse, inauthentic.Family Driven Faith
The problem is not that these children are leaving Christianity. The problem is that most of them, by their own admission, are not Christian!Family Driven Faith
Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish.Family Driven Faith
If we refuse to forgive, we have stepped into dangerous waters. First, refusing to forgive is to put ourselves in the place of God, as though vengeance were our prerogative, not his. Second, unforgiveness says God's wrath is insufficient. For the unbeliever, we are saying that an eternity in hell is not enough; they need our slap in the face or cold shoulder to "even the scales" of justice. For the believer, we are saying that Christ's humiliation and death are not enough. In other words, we shake our fists at God and say, "Your standards may have been satisfied, but my standard is higher!" Finally, refusing to forgive is the highest form of arrogance. Here we stand forgiven. And as we bask in the forgiveness of a perfectly holy and righteous God, we turn to our brother and say, "My sins are forgivable, but yours are not." In other words, we act as though the sins of others are too significant to forgive while simultaneously believing that ours are not significant enough to matter.
It has been said that as goes the family, so goes the world. It can also be said that as goes the father, so goes the family.
Folks, if we could lose our salvation, we would.
The key is to understand that our children don't belong to us—they belong to God. Our goal as parents must not be limited by our own vision. I am a finite, sinful, selfish man. Why would I want to plan out my children's future when I can entrust them to the infinite, omnipotent, immutable, sovereign Lord of the universe? I don't want to tell God what to do with my children—I want Him to tell me!Family Driven Faith
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