Reading the Word in Context

Too many parents believe they can "train" their children to be Christians and when they are old they will not depart from it. This is a passage from the Bible in part but in the total Biblical understanding it does not hold up.

God gives us many general principles that are the best way to do things, without a guarantee that our children will become what we want them to by our training.

No one can train another person to be a Christian. All we can do is present the message of the gospel, and have righteous rules for the family and at the end of the day, the children must make their own choice.

1 Corinthians 3:6-8

"6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that plants any thing, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.

8 Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."

Yes, we are responsible to train them and they are responsible to accept that training. When they reject it, that is on them.

Arrogant and self-righteous young people raising children have a tendency to blame parents for how children turn out. This is not only a lack of Biblical knowledge it is prideful to think that we can do everything perfectly to cause our children to obey Christ. That would be nothing more than manipulation.

Ezekiel 18:20-21 "20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him. 21 But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.…"

I have known adults who were raised in a Christian environment with all the truth given to them necessary for repenting and becoming born-again and yet the child or children chose the way of the world rejecting Christ in their heart when they left their parent's home.

While it is true that "more is caught than taught", our example in living out the way we talk has more power than our words, there will be pompous and independently-minded children who will go the easy road to fit into the world. After all, the devil is very clever in making parents look bad and the world look wildly fun.

In other words, the real heart of the child is revealed when they leave home and begin making their own choices, no longer under their parent's rule, they often choose the world.

I see too often too that the parents of these rebellious children give up and give in to keep the child in their lives. These parents know they might lose their child if they do not endorse the sinful lifestyle. They also know they may be cut off from their grandchildren.

While I have prayed often for my children and grandchildren, I cannot make them first in my life, it is Christ Who is first. If I lose everything to follow Christ then so be it.

We are responsible to do our best as we raise our children, however, the responsibility to trust in Christ for themselves is on the child.

It is foolish to judge a parent based on the lifestyle of the adult children. Those who wish to appear superior will judge others while their own household is lacking in faith, we know this because those who judge others have a heart problem that will infect their entire family. Pride, self-righteousness and resistance to correction in the Word is present in households that have a tendency to base their judging on how good they think they are doing. Pride is a family destroyer.

I have known adult children who came from evil family backgrounds but they trusted Christ somewhere along the way. I have known adult children who have been raised in church and on Bible reading all their young lives who rejected Christ once they had left home.

Just remember, we are only the messengers, we must remain strong, speak truth often and walk the way we talk, this is our only responsibility. We are not responsible for the results of obedience to Christ, He will do His work we must trust Him for His work.

We have many spiritual brothers and sisters who have been through family rejection for their staunchness in remaining faithful to the gospel.

Luke 12:51-53

"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Micah 7:6

"For the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house."

Our reward in heaven if far more amazing than anything we go through on this earth. Look up, seek Christ and stay strong and all the rejection will pale in comparison to our walk with the Lord and our coming inheritance.

Psalm 5:11

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad,

Let them ever sing for joy;

And may You shelter them,

That those who love Your name may exult in You."

Psalm 32:11

"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart."

The Disturbing Phenomenon of our Day

There is an interesting and disturbing phenomenon going on in our country, perhaps the world, but I live here so I speak about here, where I live.

Many people say things like "I am not religious but I pray anyway when things get tough." I have only heard one person say this exactly this way, but most people say the same thing in a different way.

Our culture thinks that their words have power. This has been fostered by the "name it and claim it" pentecostal crowd. Even the secular community now thinks all they have to do is declare something and that it is their truth and makes things happen. Even though often they don't get what they want they keep hanging onto this foolish idea.

The culture as a whole operates as though they believe this way in different degrees even church attendees.

They say things like; "I believe in God but I do believe in praying."

I have had people over the years ask me to pray for them because they don't pray and don't believe in God, but they still ask me to do it for them.

Does this not suggest that someone who does not believe in God really does but wants to deny Him? I think so, otherwise why ask a Christian to pray for them, who would they be praying to and why choose a Christian.

I believe there is no such thing as an atheist, there are only God deniers who know He is real. They seem to think denying His existence exonerates them from responsibility to Him. If they were to admit there is a God but they just choose to reject Him, it makes them accountable to Him in their own minds.

Atheists have asked me to pray for them when they were in difficulty. I always say I will, and then I pray for their salvation. They don't know that my prayer may bring them rougher stuff than they have now in order for them to see their need for Christ.

I never pray for healing or blessing for the atheist other than the blessing of salvation, that they would confess their sinfulness and trust in Christ. The difficulties they are going through may be the means by which they will see their need for Christ.

My goal as a born-again believer is not to make others feel comforted but it is to make them feel loved. I love them with prayers for their salvation. I may or may not tell them this in this way, but I will show concern about their eternal state.

Christ loved the people He met so much that He told the unvarnished truth. Their feelings were irrelevant, it was the condition of their heart and where they would end up when they died that mattered. Making them feel good about rejecting Christ only delays a decision to trust in Him. Perhaps even enabling them to continue the unsaved sinful lifestyle.

Proverbs 27:5-7 "…5 Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed. 6 The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7 The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.…"

We must ask ourselves these questions; "do I love this person more than I worry about being rejected by them?." And, "do I love God more than I love being accepted and appreciated by man?"

Galatians 1:9-11 "…9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse! 10 Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.…"

If we love God more than anything or anyone it will cause us to be bolder about our faith and Christ's provision for salvation. I promise you, nothing is more important than a person's destination after they leave this life.

What Gets Us Into Trouble?

"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain Comments?

When the roll is called up yonder

Hallelujah!!! Soon!!!

Who is Born-Again?

God will not change anyone who does not want to be changed by Christ.

If you came to Christ to get a better life but have no desire to please Him or follow His Word, then you will not be saved. If you came to Christ to feel better about yourself or for any selfish reason you cannot be saved.

Those who are pretenders in the church rarely change in their nature because they can only pretend for so long and then the real them emerges eventually from a lack of interest in impressing others.

Repentance, confession of sinfulness and believing on Christ is the only way to become born again.

Far too many believers in the church do not address problems to cause confession so that people can grow in holiness.

Romans 15:14

"I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another."

Hebrews 3:13

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Romans 12:10

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Colossians 1:28

"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

The fear of being accepted by people has led many people to care more about themselves than the well-being of others. They fear being rejected so they never correct in order to help others grow in holiness.

Holiness: Set apart from the world.

When we let the world into the church and pander to the feelings of unsaved people they do not become like us, we become like them.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"

Did you know it is sin to ignore the sin of another brother or sister? Did you know it is pride in us that prevents us from telling the truth to help another believer.?

We ought to speak the truth boldly with the Love of Christ to help them, if they leave offended then let them go. The church gathering is for the purpose of worship and training, not an evangelistic service.

We do not love someone if we do not correct sin in their lives. It is hate to ignore the sin because we would not care what happens to them, we only care about what makes us feel better about ourselves for the moment.

Perhaps many do not want to correct bad behavior because they know how angry they would be if someone corrected them and they don't want the other person to be angry with them.

If an unbeliever wanders into the gathering of believers they ought to be enticed to know more about Christ or they will reject the principles of His Word and walk out.

A non-believer ought never to attend a gathering week after week feeling perfectly comfortable without conviction. And yet, this has been happening for a long time leaving the church gatherings full of unbelievers who think they are going to heaven for having attended a church group.

It is harder to reach for Christ a person who is a pretender when they have been coddled all their life in church without challenges about their unsaved state.

In our modern churches, the ones who are chastised are those who have offended someone by telling them the truth.

This reminds me of the story of the two psychiatrists walking along a road and meeting up with a man in the ditch who was broken and bleeding. The two psychiatrists shook their head in disbelief and said; "the one who beat this man needs our help."

Yes, it is true, many in the church have twisted the gospel to mean mere manipulation by flattery to entice the unbeliever into remaining. They stay because they are in love with the attention they get and because they think salvation means being a good person in the pew every week. They don't realize that they have no good in them to be able to be saved. And, what they think is good is not good according to God's standards. They don't know that confessing our sinfulness is the only way to come to Christ and that trusting in Him to change them is the only way to become born again.

If you don't believe me just ask someone in your gathering if they are born-again, they probably won't know what you mean and they will answer with; "I go to church every week", as though they think that makes them saved or safe or good.

John 14:5-7

5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

John 14:15 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "

Those who love Christ will not fight against His commandments, they will love them and desire to become more like Him, even broken at times when they have discovered they have sinnned.

Just because someone attends church and hobnobs with Christians does not mean they are saved. Even if they have good morals and avoid sin will not save them. It is trusting in Christ Who paid for sins, something we could never do that causes Christ to come and live in a believer and begin the process of cleansing for the entire rest of their lives.

Judas was with Christ and the apostles, he was a pretender, wanting to associate with them but not trusting in Christ. Jesus Christ called Judas a devil, even though he had been with Him and the apostles.

John 6:69-71 "…69 We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.…"

Someone who believes they have been good enough to deserve heaven will not make it. Those who think they are better than others will not make it. Being with the people of God, attending church every week does not make anyone born-again.

John chapter 3

Romans 3:10-11 "10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."

1 John 1:8

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Romans 3:23

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Transformed or Pretender?

The evidence of authentic transformation by Christ is:

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

When bitterness, anger, and rage are still dwelling inside of someone who says they are a Christian, then we know there has not been a born-again experience.

Claiming to be a Christian, even deciding to be one because it seems like a better life is not transformation its only play-acting to feel safe and to be accepted by others.

This false Christianity is not sustainable. As soon as a person like this is hit with difficulties or are confronted with their sin, the rage and anger emerge without one thought to seeking God to discover their flaws for cleansing. When rage and anger are the first response of anyone over a challenge we know this person harbors it just under the surface waiting for an excuse to present itself.

Those who have been transformed by Christ want to be changed, they want to be confronted about their sin and will go to prayer if the accusation is true. If they find themselves to have failed or sinned they want to correct themselves and begin again obeying Christ.

Remember that God does not "reform" the sinner, He transforms them.

2 Corinthians 3:18

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The word "reform" seems to imply there was once righteousness, it went away and is returned.

The word "transform" means to be made completely different, changed permanently never to return to the old ways or thinking again.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"

Joel 2:13

"Rend your heart

and not your garments.

Return to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love,

and he relents from sending calamity."

Ask yourself; "Have I been transformed by Christ" or "am I a pretender."

The Last Hour – Dr. Ed Hindson