(The following is an article written by J. C. Choate and published in The Voice of Truth International, vol. 40.)
The story is the same in home after home, congregation after congregation. We as the Lord's people are losing our children -- 70% by the time they are independent adults! Our most precious possessions grow up and leave home and leave the Lord. Why? How can this be? Don't we love them? Aren't we providing the best for them? Aren't we giving them spiritual guidance? Don't we care for their souls? Don't we want to see them go to heaven?
Surely we think we are doing all of these things, but still, we are letting them slip away from us to be lost in this life and in the world to come. What a heartbreaking tragedy! They could have been such a blessing to us, to their own families, and to the world, and to the Lord's cause if they had only stayed true to their commitment to God. Through their faithfulness, their families and many others under their influence could have been added to the Lord. Instead, their faithlessness will affect many souls for many generations to come. How heartbreaking this is!
Our children are our treasure. They bring joy and happiness to our lives -- but what happens in so many cases? It seems that they are "here today and gone tomorrow." With our jobs and with our busy lives, we let the years slip away. We had great plans for our children. We wanted to give them the best -- and maybe we thought we were, but maybe there was too much emphasis on material things and not enough permeation of the spiritual in our daily lives.
Of course we loved our children, but maybe we didn't take the time to show that love. We gave them material things, but did we give them our time? Did we supervise them as we should have? Did we let them see TV programs that were not good for them? Did we allow them, year after year, to be taught evolution and other atheistic beliefs in school, without providing them a strong enough foundation of faith and true scientific knowledge to enable them to withstand the onslaught of error?
Did we allow them to be involved in social activities that were not good for their spiritual welfare? Did we allow them to have the kind of friends that were a bad influence?
We took them to worship but did we teach them how to worship? Did we teach them the deep reverence and love for God that they need in this world of evil?
Did we set the kind of faithful example before them that they needed? If we were erratic in attending the assemblies of the church, or were hypocritical or lukewarm in the living of Christianity, our children have spotted the sham. If we were spiritually weak ourselves, we would have been unable to give them the discipline they needed. Is it any wonder, then, that in many cases as soon as our children go out on their own, they leave the Lord behind and begin to live the wordly life that their new freedom allows them?
Of course the foregoing description is of the typical nuclear family with both father and mother in the home -- what we would call a stable environment. But there are many children today who grow up in a one-parent household. This happens in some cases in spite of every effor tfor it to be otherwise. But with single fathers and mothers, with the necessity to earn a living to provide for the needs of the family, and with the resulting lack of time for the children, the probability of giving them the needed spiritual and ethical foundation is greatly reduced.
There are other children who are mistreated or abandoned by their parents, and they may become wards in foster homes; or if they are old enough, they may become "homeless," without supervision, provision for their physical needs, or any spiritual guidance. Typically, many of them end up on drugs, with a promiscuous life-style, victims of sexually-transmitted diseases, participants in gangs and crime so that prison or death is their lot.
This is a bleak picture, isn't it? Yes, it is. But how can we turn it around? Can it be turned around? Can we save our children? Is it too late?
For some it is already too late; for others there is still time, but it will not be easy. We are faced with a wicked, materialistic world, a world of drugs, sex, lack of discipline, and lack of respect for God and his Will. Where is it going to end? We as parents are going to have to wake up to what our children are facing, the kind of temptations and challenges they are dealing with every day of their lives. We are going to have to love them passionately, and give them the kind of foundation, training, and discipline they need. We are going to have to take the time to read and study the Bible with them, to instill in them a deep love for God and His word, to pray with them, to train them in spiritual work, and to give them secular work and responsibilities that will make them strong men and women.
But that's not all. We are going to have to help them make the type of friendships that will bring out the best in all involved. We must monitor their school work, what they are being taught, and how they respond to it. We have to get them involved in a spiritual perspective to life, all day, every day -- not just to be seat-warmers in the various assemblies. We must teach them by example and logical explanations to dress modestly and neatly. And children must be taught to respect their elders and those in authority.
The church also has a very important role in this crucial education. The elders, deacons, preachers, teachers, and all the members must be aware of the children and young people, committed to working with them and helping them to grow in spiritual and moral knowledge and application. Our children deserve sound Bible teachers and classes that will lead them to spiritual maturity. They don't need entertainment programs that will constantly be focused on trips and fun and games and food. Children who are trained in involvement in spiritual service projects, Bible bowls, youth meetings, Bible camps, gospel meetings, and campaigns for Christ will mature to be hard-working Christian adults. In contrast, too often when entertainment is the focus in activities, they lose interest when the entertainment ends.
Children must be brought up in an atmosphere where they enjoy being with the Lord's people and engaged in His work. Both parents and the church need to show paramount concern for our young people, realizing that we have a very short period of time to ground them in the truths so vital to their souls. Oh, there are so many things that need to be done, and can be done -- someway, somehow, we must save our children!
The story is the same in home after home, congregation after congregation. We as the Lord's people are losing our children -- 70% by the time they are independent adults! Our most precious possessions grow up and leave home and leave the Lord. Why? How can this be? Don't we love them? Aren't we providing the best for them? Aren't we giving them spiritual guidance? Don't we care for their souls? Don't we want to see them go to heaven?
Surely we think we are doing all of these things, but still, we are letting them slip away from us to be lost in this life and in the world to come. What a heartbreaking tragedy! They could have been such a blessing to us, to their own families, and to the world, and to the Lord's cause if they had only stayed true to their commitment to God. Through their faithfulness, their families and many others under their influence could have been added to the Lord. Instead, their faithlessness will affect many souls for many generations to come. How heartbreaking this is!
Our children are our treasure. They bring joy and happiness to our lives -- but what happens in so many cases? It seems that they are "here today and gone tomorrow." With our jobs and with our busy lives, we let the years slip away. We had great plans for our children. We wanted to give them the best -- and maybe we thought we were, but maybe there was too much emphasis on material things and not enough permeation of the spiritual in our daily lives.
Of course we loved our children, but maybe we didn't take the time to show that love. We gave them material things, but did we give them our time? Did we supervise them as we should have? Did we let them see TV programs that were not good for them? Did we allow them, year after year, to be taught evolution and other atheistic beliefs in school, without providing them a strong enough foundation of faith and true scientific knowledge to enable them to withstand the onslaught of error?
Did we allow them to be involved in social activities that were not good for their spiritual welfare? Did we allow them to have the kind of friends that were a bad influence?
We took them to worship but did we teach them how to worship? Did we teach them the deep reverence and love for God that they need in this world of evil?
Did we set the kind of faithful example before them that they needed? If we were erratic in attending the assemblies of the church, or were hypocritical or lukewarm in the living of Christianity, our children have spotted the sham. If we were spiritually weak ourselves, we would have been unable to give them the discipline they needed. Is it any wonder, then, that in many cases as soon as our children go out on their own, they leave the Lord behind and begin to live the wordly life that their new freedom allows them?
Of course the foregoing description is of the typical nuclear family with both father and mother in the home -- what we would call a stable environment. But there are many children today who grow up in a one-parent household. This happens in some cases in spite of every effor tfor it to be otherwise. But with single fathers and mothers, with the necessity to earn a living to provide for the needs of the family, and with the resulting lack of time for the children, the probability of giving them the needed spiritual and ethical foundation is greatly reduced.
There are other children who are mistreated or abandoned by their parents, and they may become wards in foster homes; or if they are old enough, they may become "homeless," without supervision, provision for their physical needs, or any spiritual guidance. Typically, many of them end up on drugs, with a promiscuous life-style, victims of sexually-transmitted diseases, participants in gangs and crime so that prison or death is their lot.
This is a bleak picture, isn't it? Yes, it is. But how can we turn it around? Can it be turned around? Can we save our children? Is it too late?
For some it is already too late; for others there is still time, but it will not be easy. We are faced with a wicked, materialistic world, a world of drugs, sex, lack of discipline, and lack of respect for God and his Will. Where is it going to end? We as parents are going to have to wake up to what our children are facing, the kind of temptations and challenges they are dealing with every day of their lives. We are going to have to love them passionately, and give them the kind of foundation, training, and discipline they need. We are going to have to take the time to read and study the Bible with them, to instill in them a deep love for God and His word, to pray with them, to train them in spiritual work, and to give them secular work and responsibilities that will make them strong men and women.
But that's not all. We are going to have to help them make the type of friendships that will bring out the best in all involved. We must monitor their school work, what they are being taught, and how they respond to it. We have to get them involved in a spiritual perspective to life, all day, every day -- not just to be seat-warmers in the various assemblies. We must teach them by example and logical explanations to dress modestly and neatly. And children must be taught to respect their elders and those in authority.
The church also has a very important role in this crucial education. The elders, deacons, preachers, teachers, and all the members must be aware of the children and young people, committed to working with them and helping them to grow in spiritual and moral knowledge and application. Our children deserve sound Bible teachers and classes that will lead them to spiritual maturity. They don't need entertainment programs that will constantly be focused on trips and fun and games and food. Children who are trained in involvement in spiritual service projects, Bible bowls, youth meetings, Bible camps, gospel meetings, and campaigns for Christ will mature to be hard-working Christian adults. In contrast, too often when entertainment is the focus in activities, they lose interest when the entertainment ends.
Children must be brought up in an atmosphere where they enjoy being with the Lord's people and engaged in His work. Both parents and the church need to show paramount concern for our young people, realizing that we have a very short period of time to ground them in the truths so vital to their souls. Oh, there are so many things that need to be done, and can be done -- someway, somehow, we must save our children!
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