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As long as things are simple and easy and satisfying it doesn't matter.  We have slowly let things creap in and now it's just about too late.  We (Christians) are suppose to be standing against things that are unholy and ungodly, but too many of us don't.  And personally, I think that is how we have gotten ourselves into the position we are in now.  What you put into your heart is what's going to come out.  Just take notice to the way people talk and conduct themselves.  Look at the movies and the music that are on the top of the lists now.  And people just eat all of it up like candy.  In many places in our country, you can barely tell that there have ever been Christians present.  I am blessed in this area.  Where we live there are churches everywhere,  but the problem is that there aren't any of them full!  Basically, there are a lot of people who claim to be Christians when they are behind closed doors, but outside the four walls of the church, we are a minority.  This is a sad situation.  People say that some of the things that have happened recently have just been punishment, like the war for example.  The thing is, if it is punishment, no one seems to be able to figure out what it is that we're being punished for.  I think that if you look at the state of our country and the people in it, there are plenty of things to be punished for.  We have gone from "In God We Trust" to "God is almighty.  He doesn't need us, so we can just go and do our own thing."

Another problem is over indulgence.  No matter what it is everyone wants more.  Whether it be food, money, clothes, a bigger house, better vehicle, or anything else.  I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with dressing nice, or being wealthy, or driving a 2010 vehicle in 2007.   But the problem is that people tend to put these types of things ahead of God.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:24

We need to settle down and be satisfied with what we have.  God will give us what we ask for, until it comes to the point that we are asking for idols.  Then there is a problem.   God will provide what we need, and that should be good enough for us all.


If I'm wrong about anything that I ever say, I would like for someone to let me know.  It may just be a misunderstanding but I would appreciate the criticism. 

No criticism here.  We have such an abundance and freedom to hear God's Word and are so blessed in our country, that it seems like some either don't want God or have become lax in realizing our many blessings.  I am not rich by a long shot, but still feel so blessed by God for even the simple things I have.

Amen! Yes many do put worldly things ahead of our Lord and Saviour. Seeking the things of this world instead of the riches that count. The most important riches are those of eternal life.

Some people just amaze me.  There are a couple of people I went to church with for a while.  Then I got to know them at work, outside of the church and they were totally different people.  Their speech and actions and lifestyles just amazed me.  I don't think that ANYBODY that we go to church with has any idea how these people really are.  I don't understand how people could live that way and live with themselves.  I know that I would be completely miserable. 

I'm sorry to hear about those people.  Just curious, were they younger people or older adults?  Yes, I agree, when you know the Lord and don't walk with Him, it's a miserable life.  When a person has known the peace of a life lived with God, I don't know how they could settle for less.  Maybe some people drift off and don't know the way back is so simple....1 John 1:9....simply confess and accept God's cleansing.

The two people I was talking about are both about 25-30 years old.  What's bad is that they both have children.  One of the had a little boy and a little girl.  What a bad way to bring children up.  The world is bad enough, but I think that the way kids are raised has a lot to do with how they will face life in the world.

This is a fact. It is important that children should be raised in the ways of the Lord and it is never too early to start teaching them.

Amen to that.  There is no doubt that the children are our future.

There is but one thing we are to leave behind when we die.  That is our name.  The Bible teaches us that we are to leave a good name behind.  One that when our grandchildren and their grandchildren hear our name they remember that we were good Godly people. 

This basically teaches us that we are to live by example.  If we walk in accordance to the will of God then our lives will reflect that.  Our children will be raised that way...and their children after them....and so on and so on.  We are not only responsible for our fates but how we deal with this greatly determines the fates our of ancestors to come.

I pray for a lost friend of mine not only for his soul's sake, but also his daughte who is a giftedly intelligent girl for her age...and she is already rejecting Christ because she was raised in that environment.

Heb 13:5-6  Let your character be free from the love of money ,being content with what you have ;for He Himself has said "I will never leave you nor will I  forsake you so that we confidently say  The Lord is my helper,I will not be afraid. What shall a man do to me?

1Tim6 :6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain ,when accompanied by contentment.
I've seen a lot of Sunday Christians   alot that talk the talk but the walk is reveling to there true goals.
I suppose I would like to have more than I do .I have a 1977 Suzuki motorcycle  it runs ,a 98 Explore .My own business and I use a 78 dodge for work.
I'm content with what God has provided for me to be able to do what makes me happy.

we as Christians need to learn to be content on what God gives us,instead of trying to top the Johnsons.Focus on doing Gods word and not just hearing.
Rev 3;16 God will spit out the lukewarm. I DONOT DESIRE TO BE LUKEWARM

What makes this extra sad and bad is that these children might reject Christ because of the hypocrisy of their parents.....seeing their parents attending church weekly, but seeing the opposite type of behavior elsewhere.

I don't think we need to stuff the Bible down children's throats....but do send them to Sunday School and church, and most importantly, be an example of a godly parent.

I'm not sure what you would consider stuffing the Bible down our children's throats. There are some that would consider any training at all to be doing so. Personally I think that in addition to Sunday School and church there should be family devotional time. It not only builds the child in the word but it also helps to strengthen the family bond. I also believe that a child should have daily education in the Bible just as they would have math and reading. This is best way to do as the Bible tells us ... to raise the child in the ways of the Lord.

That's good that you have family devotions....of course, I'm not talking about that.  I just mean that I think a godly example of a parent means so much more to children.  I'm sure you must know of people that have pushed too much on children but those same people have not lived a true, loving Christian life.  I think this can be detrimental to the children, and can possibly cause rebellion in the future.

I see what you mean. Yes, in addition to appropriate training we must apply that same thing to our own lives as an example to our children. If we do not live the life that we tell our children to do then it will cause confusion in them and a tendency to go against that training.

Brothers and Sisters,

If children liked everything we were doing as parents, we wouldn't be doing our jobs as Godly parents. Maybe "respect" would be a better word that would work in both directions. Godly parents are the first adult role models of children, and it's critical to have parents that are worthy of respect. This puts a burden on the parents to pray often and ask GOD to help us be worthy role models.

In terms of teaching the things of the LORD, that isn't a question in my family. That WILL be done in my family in many different ways. If there is resistance, different methods will be tried, but nobody will be giving up. This would be a million times more important than teaching a child to leave electric sockets alone. There are many ways to teach the things of the LORD in a way that children enjoy it and look forward to it. So, it's simply a matter of Christian parents learning what works.  Our children WILL be taught the ABC's and many other things that aren't nearly as important as the things of the LORD. There are some children who don't like being taught the ABC's, so that also becomes a matter of a teacher using other methods. Regardless, the ABC's WILL be taught, and so will the things of the LORD in Christian homes.

Parents have many responsibilities that aren't subject to the whims of their children, and that's all part of being a parent. If we love our children, there are many things we will teach and require, regardless of what the child wants or doesn't want. When they get old enough, they can raise their own children in whatever manner they see fit. Letting children be the authority figures in a home is a BAD mistake, one that will cost dearly for many years. Christian parents can be Godly authority figures and earn real respect at the same time, especially if they pray often for GOD'S Help.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Galatians 2:20 NASB  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I am not saying anything wrong about teaching children the Word of God and about our faith.  I was talking about people who push the Bible, etc, on their children....and do not truly walk with the Lord themselves.  This can include being self-righteous, but not exhibiting the love of God out of one's life.   This is what can possibly be detrimental to children.

I see what you're saying here.  Why would your children want to live by the Bible if they see their parents doing the exact opposite of the Bible.  It comes down to being a Godly parent or a hipocritical parent.
It's like telling your children to do what you say to do, not what they see you do.  Then comes the question, If mommy and daddy can do it, why can't I?  It's kind of like a monkey-see monkey-do kind of thing. 

But no matter what it is extremely important to teach children about the Bible.  The way things are going today, whether it be your children or not, we have got to do everything we can to plant seeds, even if it's not necessarily what they want to hear. 

Yes, you are right....this is a really difficult world for the children today.   Hopefully, as well as teaching them, when they see mommy and daddy (or even some other godly person) practice their faith and when they see the difference it makes in a life.....this will truly impact them for Christ.  I find this works for adults as well....

Hello Debp,

It doesn't appear that we are singing from the same sheet of music. I was talking about basics and Christian parents raising children. If dad is a dope dealer and mom is a prostitute, the basics I talked about obviously wouldn't apply.

There aren't any perfect Christian parents, and we all need GOD'S help in raising our children. We all fit into this category, and we all need to regularly pray for GOD'S help and guidance.

If we wanted to categorize different kinds of parents, there would be many categories - not just two or three. As a quick example, some self-professing Christian parents aren't Christians at all. Others might be baby Christians, weak Christians, lukewarm Christians, carnal Christians, and probably dozens of other possible descriptions. Another category of interest is real Christians who never spend a minute teaching their children anything about JESUS CHRIST. Maybe they think that's the job of the church, or who knows what they think.

I just stated what I think is basics for a real Christian home. If you look at the components, especially the regular prayer for guidance, it is the basics for a real Christian home. As a person approaching 60 years old, I can look around and bluntly say that there are record numbers of so-called Christian homes that are utter failures. I'm not trying to make any self-righteous statements or claim any raving success in my own home. Instead, I'll say that GOD richly blessed my family and home and leave it at that. On the other side of the coin, one would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to miss the massive number of failures in Christian homes these days.

Common sense would cause someone to wonder why such huge numbers of Christian homes are failing. We've talked some about raising children in this thread, but we haven't talked about Christian marriage in this thread. It doesn't take much of a genius to figure out that Christian basics from the Bible are not being practiced in many so-called Christian homes. One can make any number of excuses, but the excuses don't change the facts.

What is the reason for the massive increase in the number of broken homes, failed homes, and children who didn't receive basic Christian training from self-proclaiming Christian parents. If it isn't failure to follow the basics of the Holy Bible, what is it? Failure rates don't double and triple within one or two generations without a good reason of some kind. These double and triple rates include Christians, so there is a monster problem of some sort.

If the cause is hidden, it's hidden in plain view in my opinion. I think it's neglect of Bible basics in the home, and that would also mean neglect of Bible basics in the marriage. Here, we are talking about Christian homes. If someone doesn't think that neglect of Bible basics is the cause, please share with all of us what you think the cause is. If it isn't neglect of Bible basics, I wouldn't have a clue what else could cause such massive changes and failures over such a short period of time.

Please don't think that I'm pointing any fingers. I don't have a clue about the personal circumstances of the people involved in this discussion. BUT, I do know what's happening in our society. I didn't talk about diligent and dedicated Christian training of children in my post. I talked about basic Christian training of children - in other words, close to the minimum. We could easily apply like language to Christian marriage.

Pastor Roger sent out an excellent Christians Unite Newsletter recently, and the topic was the issue we are talking about right now. The title on the newsletter was "Clothing Our Children", and we have several threads on the forum that were follow-up discussions of the same topic and same title. In reality, this thread is another follow-up of the same issues again. Most of the moderators here are close to the same age and way of thinking. Maybe some of you younger folks have a different perspective and different ideas. If so, I would love to hear them.

Brothers and Sisters, it's a fact that massive increases of Christian homes are breaking and experiencing horrible problems. WHAT AND WHO IS TO BLAME? If you think the Christians in my generation are to blame, please say so and explain why.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Hebrews 11:6 NASB  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hi Tom,

I'm very sorry there has been a misunderstanding about my posts.  What I wrote was a response to Missisippi_Jesus_Chic's post #3.  She spoke of knowing a couple at her church that she also worked with.....and they were totally the opposite in behavior at the workplace.  From the way she describes it, their behavior is very bad.  So this is what my responses are talking about.

Thanks for thinking I'm younger!  I know I look young (I attribute it to my walk with the Lord)....but I am also approaching 60 years old.  (In a few months I will be 57).

Again, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.  I believe in keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Christian love....as I know you also do.  In Christ, Deb

Hello Debp,

The misunderstanding was probably on my part, so please accept my apology. I do think this is a great topic to discuss, something that all Christians do need to think about. Things could be and would be much better if we all went back to Christian basics.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Peter 1:3 NASB  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Well, I can't say that I'm approaching sixty.  Really I'm only about a quarter of 60, but I can say that I am attempting to learn from other people's examples (or mistakes) when it comes to raising children.  I see so many people around me who's child raising is basically a complete failure, and then I'm looking at reasons why.  I personally, believe that a lot of the problem is that parents don't take control and make the kids behave.  Really it appears to be the other way around.  It seems that the parents are taking orders from kids and the kids aren't made to mind.  More importantly than that, corporal punishment is not being exercised as frequently as it should be.  These are two things that really speak to me.  And the Bible speaks on both of them. 

I'm sure that someone thinks that I'm just a know-it-all teenager, but please don't think that.  I am just trying to learn and get some thoughts on my own personal thoughts and ideas.

Ten or so years from now, when I have children I most definitely want them to grow up in a Christian home.  I want them to grow up being taught how to act.  I don't want my children to be the one's who end up in and out of jail through their teenage years, and I don't want them to be among the ones who get killed over drugs and other such things.  The older I get the worse it gets.  I'm starting to realize now that its going to be a lot harder to raise a Christian family.

You are doing fine.....enjoy your posts.  Glad to hear you are sincere and dedicated to Christ.

Hi mjc,

Being young does not mean not knowing things. There are many much older than I that are without the necessary knowledge to walk in the ways of the Lord. Continue studying God's word, praying and committing yourself to God, letting Him guide you and you will continue in the right path. Knowledge and wisdom comes from Him and not of ourselves. It is these things that will guide us and help us to guide our children.

AMEN

Thank you all for not looking down on me.  And thanks for your advice.  I ask that you all would pray for me though.  Its not the easiest thing in the world to resist some of the temptations that some teenagers are faced with.  Its not easy to "openly" be a strong Christian person.  Thanks

Praying for you.  Although you do want to be an ambassador for Christ, make sure you also make some strong Christian friends....people that are walking with the Lord and in His love.  Having the wrong kind of friends can take a Christian down the wrong path so easily.

Thanks for the prayers.  This is truly one of the many ways I have been blessed.  I have found several good Christian friends that back me up 100%.  I have people that I can talk to and ask for help that feel the same way that I do.  I have a lot of people that I can trust and count on.  I have been very blessed.

That's very good to hear!!

Brothers and Sisters,

I think that discussions like this between Christians of all age groups is great. The battles will be for all of us, and I know that the young Christians of today have things much harder than what I had. When I was young in my part of the country, being a Christian was the mainstream and norm. Sadly, things have changed drastically.

Now, it appears that the media tries to sell Christians as dimwitted and odd. We know this isn't true, but it is a sign of our times. The devil is working overtime, and we might be watching final battles for the souls of the lost. Many people will read something like this, laugh, and say that I'm some sort of religious nut. Well, there isn't anything funny about this. The time might be getting short and the stakes are ETERNAL!

If there was ever a time for Christians to join together, pray for each other, and encourage each other - THIS IS IT! We should all know that our Christian young people are going to have a rough time. We should treat them like our little brothers and sisters and pray for them at least daily. We are all of the same family - THE BODY OF CHRIST. I know that we have some differences during this short life on earth, but there won't be any differences for ETERNITY WITH JESUS.

People are still accepting JESUS CHRIST as Lord and Saviour, so there is still much work left to do. I love to hear about and from our young people. Please - know that you are most welcome and jump into the discussions. We really have the same concerns whether we are 8 or 80 - JESUS CHRIST as Lord over our lives and sharing the GOOD NEWS with the lost.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 1:17 NASB  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

I couldn't agree more.  I can just look around at school every day and see all of these people, people who are my age, that are just throwing their lives away.  Some of these people are just so talented and blessed but they are giving it all away to sin and destruction.  Whether it be because of drugs or alcohol or sex or whatever it may be.  The worst part about it is that a lot of these people "believe in God"  but don't live like it.  The one thing that drives me crazy is hearing someone talk about falling asleep in church on Sunday morning because they were out partying all night the night before.  How is that being a witness for Christ?  Every person who is a Christian should be chasing after that one sheep that is gone astray, not chasing after the things of the world.  With all this temptation surrounding you, its very hard to stay pure.

The sadest thing of all is going to church on Wednesday night and seeing more kids and teenagers than adults.  Our pastor goes and picks up a few kids every Wednesday night for church.  And as a teacher, its very hard to explain some of the questions that kids have about things they see happening every day.  They are at the point where they are old enough to know right from wrong when they see it, but they don't understand it.  I don't know how to answer these questions!  One girl was talking about how she was at a skating rink and saw girls going in the boys bathroom.  What am I suppose to say when they start asking questions about this kind of stuff.  The girl that said that was only about 10!  I just told her that when she sees bad stuff like that happening that she should just pray for those people.

The point is, these smaller kids are growing up in a time in which they see everything in the book happening all their lives.  When you see or hear something all of your life, it starts to seem okay.  What are things going to be like in 10-15 years when I start having children.  I feel bad for these kids because it seems that they are fighting a losing battle, and I'm right in there with them. 

Hi MJC..... those kids that party all night and go to church the next day and fall asleep probably were never really born again to begin with.  (Maybe their parents just sent them to church?)  I think people that are born of the Spirit would feel miserable doing such things, because the Holy Spirit would be convicting them in their hearts.

Try not to let them drive you crazy.....keep your own walk with the Lord going day by day with His help.  The Lord will deal with these above mentioned kids.  Sometimes it takes alot of pain and suffering before some people truly call out to the Lord for His help.  And, of course, then He will answer them.

About the younger kids you teach and are concerned about.....just do the best you can with God's help and live a godly life before them.  You might explain that sometimes some people do bad things, but in the end, they will not be happy....but a life lived for God brings peace of heart and mind.  God bless you as you teach them.