TEACH THE CHILDREN

TEACH THE CHILDREN

There is a Crosby, Stills and Nash song by the same name:

You, who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so, become yourself
Because the past is just a goodbye

Teach your children well
Their father’s hell did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by

Don’t you ever ask them, “Why?”
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

And you (Can you hear?) of tender years (And do you care?)
Can’t know the fears (And can you see?)
That your elders grew by (We must be free)
And so, please help (To teach your children)
Them with your youth (What you believe in)
They seek the truth (Make a world)
Before they can die (That we can live in)

And teach your parents well
Their children’s hell will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by

Don’t you ever ask them, “Why?
If they told you, you will cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

The LEFTIST in America have successfully integrated their Marxist, Globalist and perverse woke, LGGTQ+ social ideologies into the American educational systems over the last fifty years. This ‘brainwashing’ and indoctrination of young minds cannot be undone. Even the disastrous outcomes are being justified as acceptable by those now-warped minds, the victims (our now-grownup children) who are now the leaders in industry, business, education and government and even in our religious institutions.

The LEFT has been so successful, that by all accounts approximately 45% of all Americans hold and votes a leftist agenda. About 15% of our population could be considered ‘centrist’ and about 40% hold a more traditional conservative world view. The greatest effect has been felt in our Churches. While about four-in-ten Christians (39%) say the Bible’s text is the word of God and should be taken literally, 36% say it should not be interpreted literally or express another or no opinion. A separate 18% of Christians view the Bible as a book written by men, not God.

Never in modern history, has the Church been more divided and farther from the establishing principles of Christianity.

The Church once a staple of central influence in the family, had the opportunity to teach our children. Now-a-days they have our kids for only about an hour or two each week – that is IF your child even attends church. Compare that to the five to seven hours a day, five days a week the public school system has to teach and indoctrinate your children. Then you have TV time, video games and the media influencing our children non-stop.

So, I ask, if you had just two hours to ‘teach your children well’, how would you do it? Would you leave it up to someone else? And, what would you teach them to counter their immersion in woke ideologies, reverse racism (a.k.a., critical race theory indoctrination), and the non-stop association with an unbelieving and pagan world? A world that values sensuality, materialism and narcissistic self enhancement over Godly principals of self-sacrifice, humility, grace and peace?

Sadly, not every child who starts out in church stays in church according GotQuestions.Org,.  In fact, many young people are falling away from the faith and walking away from the church as they grow older. A recent survey conducted by the Barna Group, a leading research organization whose focus is on the relationship of faith and culture, found that less than 1 percent of the young adult population in the United States has a biblical worldview. Even more startling, according GotQuestions.Org, data shows that less than one half of one percent of Christians between the ages of 18 and 23 has a biblical worldview. So, It seems that teaching ‘bible stories’ or having ‘fun activities’ to attract and hold a child’s attention at young ages doesn’t do the job later in adolescence or after the teen years.

There is some good news, however. a Pew Research study shows that parents who regularly attend church and practice their faith, have a profound effect on their children and their children’s choice to remain in the faith and to attend church after high school and college. (Pew Research).

I would like to suggest that rather than ‘teaching-down’ to the child or an adult, (academically telling them ABOUT the Bible, Jesus and God) in story book fashion, try immersing them in a “true-to-life proposition”.

Let me explain what I mean by “true-to-life proposition”:

I taught a Sunday school class to a group of sixth-graders (ages 10 through 11). On one occasion we studied the event of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel chapter 17.

I divided the class into two groups: the Israelites and the Philistines. I assigned certain boys to the major roles of Saul, David, David’s brothers, the army of the Israelites, the army of the Philistines and Goliath.

We reenacted this event with purpose and passion.  These boys actively play-clashed and wrestled, yelled and jeered and cheered. They were an excited, sweaty mess when it was all over.

 

We discussed how it felt to defeat a deadly enemy of God.

 

Then we discussed the symbolism of David (God’s chosen), Goliath (the threatening giants that enter and can threaten our lives), the sling (the delivery method of the Gospel), and the five smooth stones (the words we use in spreading the Gospel) and where the ‘stone’ hit Goliath (right between the eyes with the Gospel message).

We closed by reading Ephesians 6:10–17, and comparing the main characters and items from “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; an addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

This can be done with any scripture and in so many ways. The idea is to LIVE OUT the word of God by engaging the mind, the will and emotions. By reaching into one’s soul and heart and working it out with physical and visible actions. All in preparation for the ‘real thing’.

The same can be said for adults of all ages. It is never enough to just know ABOUT scriptures, doctrines and Biblical principles. They must be acted upon – acted out.

Again, rather than ‘teaching’ and adult, have them interact with scriptural teaching by asking situational questions – and let them compare them to what the scriptures say. Or ask the ‘student’ be the ‘teacher’ and the teacher be the facilitator. Then, give a life assignment to be acted upon. Then start the next class with discussion on their real-life experiences. (Just be aware that only true disciples will respond at first.)

Finally, a personal testimony: I was once challenged by a representative of a large insurance company to prove that I had not violated a contractual provision that I had signed. The insurance compliance office had assured me that a verbal consent to run an advertisement using the company’s name would suffice this one time, although the contract required written consent.  After the ad had run, the company reneged on the verbal consent and decided to terminate my contract and claim my state assigned territory as their own.

On the way to a resolution meeting, I read Matthew 5:25-26, which says, “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

So, at a meeting with the company representative, I said, “Although I had a verbal agreement from the compliance office, I realize that the contract requires a written consent. The compliance office has reversed its decision on this matter without notifying me, but I failed to follow the written agreement. My faith and the Bible instruct me to concede this and I will comply with whatever you decide.”

The company representative sighed, closed his portfolio, got up from his chair, muttered something about not liking my type, and left – never to be heard from again. The matter was dropped – and so was my jaw!

 

 

 

So, yes. “You, who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so, become yourself
Because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well.”

Even better, let’s immerse ourselves and our children in the words and ways of God. It does not have to be a heavy burden. It can be and should be a great adventure.

For example, read and live out books like Hebrews chapter 11, “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,  who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead by resurrection.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“Now this is the command; the statutes and the judgments (precepts) which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you might do (follow, obey) them in the land which you are crossing over [the Jordan] to possess, so that you and your son and your grandson may fear and worship the LORD your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], to keep [and actively do] all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, so that your days may be prolonged. Therefore listen, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly [in numbers], as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one [the only God]! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind.

You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:1-7).