Protect Your Children!

Christians have been certain that the Lord is returning “in the next two years” since I got saved back in 1970. Because of this they have neglected long-term plans for anything since “we’ll soon be gone.” I still believe the Lord’s return is imminent, but I’m not letting that stop me from scheduling meetings 8 years from now.

You may be more convinced than ever that the Lord will be back shortly, using that as an excuse to begin nothing new or long term for Him. But there is one thing all parents care about, their children!

Having crossed this country preaching in hundreds of churches I have noticed trends and dangers in “the good churches” not the liberal ones. Here are a few that have negatively effected our families, and therefore, our churches. Maybe some young parent will read this and, at least, spare their children if not help their church down the road.

One of the foremost short-sighted hazards that have hurt families & churches is in the area of education, both spiritual and academic.

Spiritual: One of the greatest errors both parents and pastors have made is in the teaching of basic Bible doctrines to their children. Usually we blame such an error on either compromise or apostasy. But the biggest cause I see is not so nefarious. It is simply the problem of overlooking the need. Here is a great truth few parents and pastors visualize. We automatically believe our children will grow up believing the same things we do. I call this: “Doctrine through Osmosis.” We think that because our children were raised in a Bible-believing home and attend a Bible-believing church they will somehow “absorb” good doctrine just by being in close proximity to it. The only thing that goes into a mind is what is intentionally put there. Haven’t the Communists and queers figured that one out!

1 Timothy 4:13 says, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. “Reading? The Bible! “Exhortation?” Preaching! “Doctrine?” DOCTRINE! Doctrine is the foundation on which everything we believe is built. Parents ignore teaching their children doctrine because they’re too lazy to study it and take the time to teach it. So, they simply think, “I’ll put my child in Sunday School and that will make up for it.” Churches have not gone apostate or modernistic. Unfortunately, many Sunday School classes have become defacto baby sitting classes where children are simply entertained with childish things so they won’t be a problem.

After 18 years of this we have raised children who see no reason to believe what they were commanded to believe and run off to some shallow, effeminate ministry that offers them…more entertainment. They then call themselves “recovering Fundamentalists” and with all the Christian grace of a rattlesnake deride and condemn everything they experienced in their youth as wrong. Breaking the hearts of the their parents and the spirits of their pastors.

In the time remaining we need to indoctrinate our children. (You know, like Disney is.) Indoctrinate them with good doctrine, sound doctrine. Don’t tell them what to believe! Show them, with verse-after-verse, why we believe what we do and let them see it for themselves. Or kiss them goodbye when they turn 18 and blame your failure on someone else!

Academic: Does any parent in America, lost or saved, who lives with their head above a hole in the ground need to be convinced that our public education system, while it started out well, deteriorated from “High Academics/High Morals” to “High Academics/Low Morals” to “Low Academics/Low Morals” to “NO Academics/Immoral Indoctrination.” (Did you see that word?)

Face the facts. You can do nothing about your child’s intelligence. They may be dull, average, or above average. But you can do something about their education. I have often said, “Our Christian-schooled children stand to be the best educated, maybe not the smartest, kids in the country.”

Christians say, “How could anyone with any sense vote Democrat?” then surrender the minds of their children to “Democrat” teachers! Could it not also be said, “How could any parent with good sense think their children are going to go to a public school and come out Christian, moral or patriotic?”

The #1 argument Christian parents have for surrendering their children to pubic school corruptors is, “I can’t afford to put my child in a Christian school.” Can you spiritually and morally afford to put them under the teaching of communists and sexual perverts?

Unfortunately the problem usually isn’t a lack of money to pay for a Christian education. It is the allocation of money to fulfilling their carnal “Bucket List.” Christian parents have been convinced they need to “enjoy life” so they are loath to take “Party Money” and make it “Education Money.” I know of households where they say, “My wife has to work so we can make it.” which usually means “My wife has to work so we can enjoy all the toys we can.” Funny, I’ve yet to hear a Christian parent say, “My wife has to work so we can protect our children from public school perversion and get a sound & safe education.” It’s called “priorities!”

Go ahead, save all your money for your entertainment and turn your children over to communists and sexual perverts. (I know! Not all public school teachers fit that description. But the goal of the system they work for does!) But don’t be surprised and don’t blame God or your church when they come out politically and morally perverted. You did that to them while you were “enjoying life.” Your “fun” was worth more to you than your children’s morals. Then, once you’ve lost them, don’t own up to it. Just blame your “legalistic” church for “driving” your helpless child into the waiting arms of the World. Whatever happened to them you know it wasn’t your fault!

Is there time to save our country? I doubt it. Is there time to salvage some churches with no one between the ages of 18 and 40? Maybe, Maybe not. But there’s time to save your children from the depths of depravity! Teach them doctrine! Give them a good, safe education! Then, since you blew all your party money on their future just go on a family picnic instead of the $5,000 vacation.

Will they thank you here? I don’t know. But they will definitely thank you in Heaven!

OK, you can throw this essay away now and go buy another expensive toy so you can take your family out for some “Quality Time.” Quit focusing on being their “friend” and try being their protector.