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Parenting

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” —Ephesians 6:4  


We are so blessed at both Redeemer churches to be overrun with children. Kids everywhere! What a blessing from the Lord, but also a tremendous responsibility. I felt led this week to remind you of some Christian parenting fundamentals. Parenting is a daunting task, for which none of us are adequate. Every Christian parent sees their own sinfulness while trying to raise kids to love and follow Jesus. Parenting is an act of faith, believing that God will honor your very imperfect efforts in the life of your child. However, God is able to take a crooked stick and strike a straight blow. God will honor the truth of His word and give you wisdom to raise children that love Jesus in the midst of this dark world. Below are 10 basic fundamentals:
 
1. Authentic Godly Love: Every Christian parent must begin with the master virtue of love. You must ask God to help you love your children in the same unconditional, selfless, and life-giving way that God loves us. Parenting without love only leads to temporary change in behavior, not permanent change of the heart. Our children must know that regardless of their behavior or performance, we love them. This is the ground upon which effective discipline is applied. Love in the Christian parent is an ordered love. Our love must first be toward Christ our Savior, which will flow into a healthy love for one’s husband or wife. When two parents love the Lord and each other, only then are they prepared to rightly love their children. If love has dried up toward God and one’s spouse, the children will know and be seriously affected by this family dysfunction. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). When you love your child for Jesus’s sake, you will see the best in them, hope in them, and more readily forgive their sins.

2. Discipline and Authority: It is absolutely imperative that a Christian parent strive to bring their child under their God-given parental authority as early as possible in the child’s life. A child is not a blank slate of wonderful self-expression waiting to be enjoyed by those in the family. Children are born in sin and grow into rebellious adults if they do not learn to come under authority. Long before a child can learn about the grace of God in Jesus, a child must learn about the authority of their father and mother. A Christian household must be a parent-directed household, not a child-directed household. The parent is directing, guiding, educating, and disciplining the child to shape their mind, body, character, and soul. The Christian parent does not allow the child to do whatever they want. There are many forms of effective Christian discipline, but I firmly believe appropriate spanking should be the baseline for small children in normal Christian homes. Proverbs is a book of divinely inspired wisdom – Scripture that we should not ignore. Proverbs speaks of the wisdom of a measured amount of pain in “the rod” effectively shaping the character of a small child when correctly applied in love and self-control (Prov 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14, 29:15). I understand the need to depart from this baseline when disciplining abused and traumatized children, but don’t make the mistake of turning the exception into the rule. Lastly, strive to discern with wisdom the difference between childishness and rebellion. A child should only be disciplined for intentional willful rebellion.

3. Evangelism: From the earliest days of our children’s lives we should be seeking the salvation of their soul. It must be the abiding number one goal for the life of your child. You must pray and drive toward the salvation of the soul of your child before all things. This is an act of prayer and faith. You cannot make your child believe, but you can train them up in the ways of the Lord and actively seek for them to confess their sins and believe in Jesus. Most parents have other primary goals for their children, but the Christian parent must understand that if their child gains the whole world but loses their own soul, all has been lost. Evangelizing the souls of our children must come first.

4. Spiritual Training and Discipleship: Children will come to salvation by “means of grace.” This means they will come to understand who Jesus is, His love for them, how their sins can be forgiven, and what heaven is by the means of learning from the Bible and worshiping the Lord with other Christians in church. Children love stories. Read them good Bible story books; there is no better age for your children to become familiar with Bible characters. Make church a priority. Have them in “big church” church worship services every week and in children’s teaching where it may be available. Pray as a family, read the Bible together as a family, have everyday conversations about the character and moral commands of God. Lastly, genuinely model by living what you preach in front of your kids.

5. Time: Both parents must spend time with their children. However, the time a mother spends with her young children is designed by God. The primary (not only, but primary) role of a wife and mother is the nurturing of children and the making of a home. If God has given you children, then He has given you the duty to care for that child. If it is financially impossible for mom to be the primary caregiver to the children and to oversee a safe, nurturing, and loving home, then this should become a goal both parents strive toward. No paid worker can love, discipline, and nurture your child like mom can. No extra money or career goal is worth giving up the precious early years of shaping the hearts and minds of your small kids. We live in a crazy busy world, a world where we must make time to be with our kids. We must say no to other less important things, so we can say yes to investing directly in their lives. This involves the investment of time and money. Yes, we invest in our kids, and it will pay a wonderful dividend. One important thing to not overlook is investing in good memories together as a family.

6. Words of Blessing and Affirmation: We must constantly speak words of blessing to our children. Each child must know you are their biggest fan, not their biggest critic. For every word of correction, let there be ten words of affirmation and praise. It takes intentionality to speak this way. It means you are actively looking each day for how to fill up your child’s heart with words and actions of love. Part of these words are words of prayer. You should pray for and with your child. This should not just be cute formulaic prayers of repetition, but your children hearing you speak to God in prayer. By hearing you, they will also learn how to pray.

7. Food and Nutrition: Food is fuel for the body. Diets made up of high sugar, starch, fat, and processed food are not healthy for anyone. It’s not fair to fill a child with sugar and caffeine and expect good behavior. Please set your child up for success by feeding them healthy low sugar and low/no caffeine diets. It’s common knowledge that homemade meals are cheaper and better for you than standard restaurant fare. Healthy home-cooked meals take a significant investment of time but produce powerful results of physical health in children. Home-cooked meals also play a role in creating healthy rhythms of daily family conversation and prayer around the dinner table. Consider investing more heavily in this area.

8. Drugs: In our day, drugs are often given to small and elementary aged kids as a substitute for discipline and parenting. Many modern non-Christian worldviews don’t have a place for discipline but also will not allow unruly behavior. This often results in children being drugged. Drugs can never shape the character or soul of a young child, they only dull the senses and keep them “calm.” However, the high-energy, stubbornness, endless pretending, and flighty creativity of young children is the foundation of greatness in later adults. These God-given qualities, which may not show well in crowded standardized classes, must be molded, channeled, nurtured, and shaped through appropriate discipline – not stamped out and dulled.

9. Asking for forgiveness and receiving forgiveness: It is vital that as a parent when you wrong your child that you ask for their forgiveness. You and your children know you are a sinner. If you model asking for and receiving forgiveness you will be modeling the Gospel for them. If you wrong them, but never ask forgiveness, you will model pride to them.

10. Perseverance: Never, ever, ever give up on your children. When things get rough, go back to these fundamentals and keep applying them. Aim first at the heart, love them deeply, pray for them and over them, tell them the truth, and hold them accountable for their sins. The older they get, spend more time asking questions and engaging them in meaningful conversation. Give them to God in faith.  

May the Lord save all our children. May not one be lost to this world!
Pastor Vic

Prayer

“This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  Matthew 6: 9-13

At Redeemer Bible Church, we believe in the power of prayer and a God who deeply desires to fellowship and commune with his people through prayer.  For many, however, prayer can be an intimidating mystery … when and where should I pray and how should I pray?  Fortunately, we do not have to manufacture answers to these questions ourselves because God provides us with encouragement and guidance through his inerrant Word.  In response to the when and where question, the apostle Paul encourages us to “pray in the Sprit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” Ephesians 6:18.  Elsewhere, the scriptures remind us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Although there is not one universally accepted right or wrong way to pray, for those who still wrestle at times regarding how to pray, we can again take our cues from the scriptures and the words from our Savior found in Matthew 6: 9-13:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, …” Our prayers should acknowledge the awesome, holy and righteous God to whom we are praying while simultaneously exhibiting a robust reverence towards our heavenly Father.  Acknowledging God as our Father can help us remember that he is our creator and the source of all life and truth.

“[Y]our kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. …” We should be praying for the coming of the New Jerusalem and the return of our savior, and ‘oh what a happy day’ that will be!  Until that day comes however, our prayers should focus on the will of God and the accomplishment of his will here on earth.  The lives we then lead here on earth should be in accordance with the will of God as it is outlined for us throughout the scriptures.

“Give us today our daily bread. …” As we daily look to God to meet our physical needs, we can also be confident that he will meet us regularly in prayer to supply our relational, emotional, and spiritual needs because he is Jehovah-Jireh (“the Lord will provide”).

“And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. …” As we confess our own sin and debts, our God is faithful to forgive us from our transgressions. Just as God promises forgiveness to us, we are also called to forgive those who have sinned against us. Beyond just simply confessing our own sin and forgiving others, it is God’s desire that we be reconciled and restored to him and to one another as we acknowledge our brokenness and need for a Savior.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Since God is our shield and protector we ought to call out to him regularly to protect us from any and all attacks directed at us from the evil one who continues to roam the earth like a roaring lion looking to devour and destroy God’s people.

For those of you that may not already be aware, or are new to Redeemer Bible Church, we have a prayer team that faithfully and regularly prays for the needs and various ministries of our church, our local community, and the world around us.  We also meet corporately once a month to pray for these things as well as simultaneously seeking the blessing and favor of God.  If you would like to partner with us in the ministry of prayer here at Redeemer Bible Church, we are always interested in welcoming new people to the prayer team.  Please feel free to contact me (my email) with prayer requests any time or to be added to the prayer team.

As you pursue an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father and daily seek to draw near to God, may Christ reveal himself to you in new and fresh ways through the power of prayer!

Joyfully in Christ,
Michael

Daniel Chapter 8

“When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face.”–Daniel 8:15-17a


Daniel chapter eight is a third vision of the coming kingdoms of the world that will rise and fall before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the inauguration of the kingdom of God in the world. I will review this chapter here in the newsletter instead of from the pulpit.

This vision of the future is revealed to Daniel in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar. Belshazzar ruled as co-regent of Babylon with his father Nabonidus. Daniel 5:18 refers to Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar’s “father,” but this should be understood in an ancestral sense and not a biological sense. Nebuchadnezzar (II) ruled Babylon from 605 to 562 BC. The co-regency of Belshazzar ran from 550 to 539 BC. I remind you that the purpose of the record of Daniel is not to be an all-encompassing history, but an accurate record of the work of God in the life of Daniel and his friends during their time of exile and captivity.

The vision recorded in chapter eight occurred in approximately 547 BC. If Daniel was fifteen years old when he was taken into captivity, that means he was approximately 67 years old when he received this vision from God. It is important that we understand Daniel as a faithful, older man at this point. He had lived nearly his entire life in exile and captivity, but at the same time seeking the kingdom of God and the restoration of Israel. Lastly, at this time, he continued to serve in the court of the Babylonian king, going about doing “the king’s business” (v. 27).

The vision is given to Daniel, not in his home, but by a canal in the city of Susa. As he looks across this canal, the Lord reveals to him a more specific version of what will happen in the future. Each vision – the statue, the four beasts, and now the ram and goat – gets more specific concerning God’s actions in the future. The interpretation of this vision specifically names the nations that will overtake Babylon and devour each other on the way to the eternal kingdom of God. The interpretation of this vision introduces us to the angel Gabriel, the same angel that will later announce the birth of Jesus to Mary. This is the first time in Scripture that an angel is named.

After reviving Daniel from his overwhelming shock of seeing heavenly glory and majesty, Gabriel interprets the vision to Daniel. It’s important that I note Daniel did not understand what he was seeing (v.15). Daniel did not come to understand these things because he was clever, but because they were explained to him by Gabriel. Many people in every age of church history have claimed with certainty to draw all kinds of meanings from the visions of Daniel that he himself did not draw from them, and were not made known through the interpretation of God. This is similar to many of the farfetched interpretations that many impose on the parables of Jesus. The purpose of this vision remains the same as the previous dream and vision – that the kingdoms of men will rise and fall by the purposes of God, not by a human hand (v. 25b).

In this vision Daniel records what he saw of a warring ram and goat. The ram whose horns are broken and is overwhelmed, is declared to be the Mede and Persian Empire (v. 20). The goat that rises in strength, but who’s one horn is replaced by four, is named as Greece (v. 21). The one great horn, understood to be Alexander the Great, is broken and replaced by four, understood to be the four Greek generals – Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy – who assumed power over different portions of the Greek empire following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC (v. 22).

This particular chapter is one of the great stumbling points for people that deny the actual authorship of Daniel. They claim it is impossible that Daniel could know the correct names of actual historical empires yet to come. This struggle revolves around unbelievers coming face to face with God knowing and causing the future in starkly real terms. This chapter begins with symbolic characters but ends with real historic facts. The Medo Persian Empire DID follow the Babylonian Empire, and the Greek Empire DID follow the Medo Persian Empire – and that Greek empire was led by one spectacular world conqueror. The assertion of the unbelieving is that this book must have been written closer to the time of Jesus. The assertion of the believing is that it proves the sovereignty of God unlike any other book in the Bible.

Verses 23-25 speak of transgression rising and reaching its limit, then being judged. This judgment involves a king who will bring a fearful destruction, be deceitful, destroy many, then himself be destroyed. Since this ruler comes after the “four kings” as a “little horn,” he is understood to be Antiochus IV Epiphanes who came to power in 175 BC. Antiochus IV persecuted the Jews and desecrated the temple. Mitchell Chase writes, “He ordered a slaughter of Jews, resulting in approximately forty thousand dying by violence and around the same number being sold into slavery (2 Maccabees 5:12-14). Antiochus attacked the temple and, in 167 BC, ordered the cessation of regular offerings. On December 16, 167, he set up an idol of Zeus on the altar of the temple, thus desecrating the sanctuary. He also, at the same time, defiled the altar by offering pagan sacrifices, including pigs. He cast down the “truth” by forbidding practices commanded in the Law and forcing Jews to adopt Greek customs and religious practices.”

The “2,300 evenings and mornings” (v.14) are approximately six years and three months, which corresponds to the period between the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV and its restoration by Judas Maccabeus. Judas Maccabeus recaptured Jerusalem, reconsecrated the temple, and offered its first sacrifice upon a new altar on December 14, 164 BC. This rededication of the temple is memorialized by the Jewish people in their celebration of Hanukkah.

These things are a faith-building fascination to us today but were shocking and over-whelming to Daniel. Seeing the violence and struggle of the future caused Daniel to be “overcome and lay sick for some days” (v. 27). It is a rare thing for any person to have the future revealed to them by God. It’s too much for us. The normal path of the Christian is to believe God and walk by faith, waiting on the Lord to bring His purposes to pass. However, may Daniel chapter eight encourage you, that God knows the future and chose to reveal it to Daniel.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Vic

Words

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”–Ephesians 4:29-30


The words that come out of our mouths everyday are very important. The words you use are expressions of what is in your heart. That’s why in the fourth chapter of his letter to the Ephesian church, while instructing about putting off the old self and putting on the new self (vv.22-24), Paul admonishes the church to speak no “corrupting” word. Other translations use “unwholesome” word. The speech of a Christian should not be corrupting, tearing down, or bring evil with it. The words of a follower of Jesus Christ should not be unwholesome, profane, and cause the Holy Spirit to grieve. Our words should not be filled with cursing, anger, profanity, and hate.

The words chosen by a Christian should set them apart from the world. Our speech should be holy. To be holy means to be set apart for a sacred purpose. Following the command of Paul in this area of speech will immediately set you apart from the world. Do you want to put off your old ways and take up the new ways of Jesus – start with how you talk. By simply choosing not to use any profanity in your speech, you will immediately stand apart from this lost world. Those of us out in the working world everyday or in the public-school setting understand what it means to be surrounded by profanity all day every day. Living in the world and speaking without profanity requires the fruit of the Holy Spirit of self-control. James 3 is very clear that taming the tongue is a work of the Lord. When a person’s speech begins to change, it signifies a greater change in the heart.

This area of speech is also a significant area of Christian public witness. Christians serve as the public conscience, helping unbelievers know right from wrong by how we live. As we associate ourselves with Jesus and speak without profanity, but instead go about telling the truth, praising good, and speaking with thankfulness – the world becomes convicted of its speech. By standing apart in the way we speak, we help awaken the conscience of others around us. A Christian that does not give into the draw of profanity and lives with the same group of people for months will see a change in the verbal environment.

Instead of cursing, we are told to speak in a way that builds people up! Instead of insulting, gossiping, cutting down in anger, and slandering others we are to speak in a way that builds them up and blesses them. We are looking for good things to say about others, words of encouragement. Our words are to fit the occasion. This has to do with timing, and timing first comes from observation. We are to be aware of the people around us and speak to them in a way appropriate for blessing them.

I hope you realize how powerful your words are. Your words to others will help them or hurt them. Your words will point them toward Jesus or away from Jesus. Your words to those close to you have the power of life and death. If you are married, you are the most important person in the life of your spouse. If you use your words to tear them down and tell them how stupid and worthless they are – they will begin to believe these lies over time. But if you, instead, speak words of love, encouragement, and blessing to your spouse – they will begin to believe they can embody all the beautiful fruits of God’s Spirit. Be careful to speak in a way that builds up your spouse!

We wield this same great power with our children. Your words to them are lifechanging and of immense importance. Do you speak words of blessing, truth, encouragement, and love over your children? Or are your words more frequently angry, condescending, proud, and belittling? Your children will believe the words you tell them. Let no corrupting word come out of your mouth. May we, as parents, not be the one’s corrupting our own children. Instead, pray for God’s help to speak timely, grace filled, truthful words that build up.

Finally, let us not grieve the Holy Spirit in how we talk. I believe the most significant way we grieve the Holy Spirit in our words is through breaking the third commandment (Exodus 20:7). When we use the blessed and sacred name of Jesus – the name given by the angel Gabriel for the Son of God come down from heaven to save us from our sins – as a common curse explicative we grieve the Holy Spirit. When you believe in Jesus as Savior and come to worship Jesus for the new life He gives, you can’t bear to take His name in vain.

It’s not a coincidence that thousands of years after the death of Jesus the unbelieving world still chooses to use the name of Jesus as a curse. They don’t do this with the name of Mohamed, Joseph Smith, or Buddha. The corrupted human heart chooses the name of Jesus because we know there is something truly terrible about misusing this sacred name. Christians must take this seriously and stop grieving the Holy Spirit through blasphemous speech.

Let your light shine before all people by the way you speak! Today use your words to bless and not curse. Build up those around you with grace and truth.

May the Lord put a guard over our mouths,
Pastor Vic

Eternal Life–Part 13

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” –1 Corinthians 15:19-20

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, The Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

              The statement of faith made by the Apostles’ Creed ends with the powerful declaration of hope that every believing Christian longs for. It is the longing for eternal life through truly entering into the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Every Christian, past and present, has had to struggle through this fallen world the same as we do today. Life filled with struggle, striving, weariness, weakness, disease, physical brokenness, relational brokenness, financial hardship, and countless other real effects of sin and death in the world.

              1 Corinthians 15 is one of the most encouraging chapters in all the Bible. In this chapter Paul focuses on teaching the church about the reality and eternal implications of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. He is absolutely clear that our hope in Jesus is NOT just for this life. Our hope in Jesus is NOT just to get a better job, have a happy marriage, raise loving children, and form healthy friendships, but to overcome the final enemy of death with the eternal life of Jesus Christ. This is possible because Jesus has actually and truly been raised up from death to eternal life. It must be the confident expectation of every Christian that by grace through faith we also will experience victory over death.

              We must understand our salvation to be multifaceted. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will finally be saved. When a person first confesses their sins and believes in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation, that person is justified before God. To be justified means to be declared “not guilty” before God. When we are justified, we are seen by God the Father as clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We have been saved. But sin remains present in this life. We move forward in discipleship becoming more like Christ through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. We are being saved. At the day of God’s choosing every Christian will die (unless they are still alive at the second coming of Christ) and by faith enter into the glory of heaven and everlasting life. The presence of sin will be removed, and the glorious presence of Jesus will be present instead. In heaven we will be glorified, and our salvation will be complete.

              Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrection of Jesus is evidence and an example of the type of resurrection life we will share in. When the trumpet sounds at the second coming of Jesus the dead in Christ shall rise. Saints long departed will be united again with their bodies. We will forever be in person, not as disembodied spirits. Mohler writes, “What was weak will give way to power. What was dishonorable will give way to honor. What was natural will be transformed to spiritual. What was perishable will give way to an imperishable body that will never taste death. These bodies will live in immortality with Christ for all eternity.”

              On this “day of the Lord” there will be a great separation. Jesus will come again not as Savior but as a judge. He will separate those who are His own from those who would attempt to enter the kingdom of God by some other way. Those who have believed in the merciful salvation of Jesus will enter life everlasting. Those who have continued without faith, living in rebellion and relishing the sinfulness of this world will be separated unto damnation. Instead of resurrection glory, there will be weeping, the gnashing of teeth, outer darkness, and a lake of fire.

              Every true Christian should long for heaven. Heaven will not be like the foolish portrayals of clouds, harps, and bored people. Heaven is presented as so much more than this life – not less. Shadows become light, and where before we could only see dimly, we will see perfectly. All will be made right. All will be purified and glorified. All that is broken will be created anew. All that is sick will be healed. All that is at war will be brought to peace and the lion will lie down with the lamb. Here God will disclose Himself and be together with His people in a way that cannot be comprehended. We are told by scripture that these things are beyond imagination.

              I believe that even though we die, yet shall we live. I believe that what is sown in weakness and death will rise glorious and imperishable through the power of Jesus our Lord. Leave behind your anxiety and fear. Put off the cares of this world and set your mind on things that are above (Colossians 3:1-4).

I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

Amen,

Pastor Vic        

< This is part thirteen in a series of articles on the Apostles’ Creed. To learn more about the Apostles’ Creed read: “The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits” by Albert Mohler. >