They're People Too

Parents can make a child do what they want them to do. That's the easy part. The more difficult part for the parent is getting the child to think the way the parent wants them to think.

Most parents are satisfied when they have made the child do what they want them to do, such as doing their homework. attending church services and possibley Bible classes and forget that they, the parents, are the example for the child to think the way the parent wants them to think and that goes far beyond "telling" and "attending".

When a child rebels when they are 15 or 16 or so and the parents are shocked, the parents say, "I don't know what has gotten into him or her. They've never acted like that before." The truth is the parents never had the child they just thought they did. And, they had lost the battle a long time before the teen years. When you look at teens who are rebeling, while they may(?) love their parents they do not respect them or their advice. That loss of respect occurred years ago.

Parents should remember their children are little people. Sometimes parents get lost in parenthood. Parents, at the very least, should treat their children as friends. Sometimes when a child forgets to do something parents act as if it is the end of the world but if a friend had forgotten the same thing they would say "no problem" or give a friendly reminder. One of the hurdles to be conquered with "youth" is they are no more interested in activities such as school, church etc than their parents are interested.

Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice?

Do you suppose, in the argument over abortion, killing people who cannot fend for themselves, the point being missed is why do we believe abortion to be wrong? Why do we believe murder, incest, polygamous marriage, slavery, (I could go on) are all wrong? Why do we think anything is wrong and why do we think anything is right?

• Do you suppose the Bible has anything to do with it?
• Could it be faith in God and Jesus His son?
• Could it be the Bible?
• Could it be the affect God has on our lives by our obedience to Him?

Could prayer have anything to do with our experiences and beliefs and faith?

We want people:

• to think the way we think;
• to have the same convictions we have;
• to come to the same conclusions to which we have come.

without the same benefit we had in developing our thoughts and convictions and conclusions. Maybe we, the church, should try doing what the Bible says and bring them to Jesus and the apostles and prophets through studying the Bible with them and letting them come to the same conclusions as we have.

Lets let people think and develop faith by directing them to the One who can change their lives.

Abortion etc..

Maybe the point being missed is why do we believe abortion to be wrong? Why do we believe murder, incest, polygamous marriage, slavery, (I could go on) are all wrong? Why do we think anything is wrong and why do we think anything is right? Do you suppose the Bible has anything to do with it? Could it be our faith in God and Jesus His son? Could it be our experience of studying the Bible? Could it be the affect God has on our lives by our obedience to Him? Could prayer have anything to do with our experiences and beliefs and faith?

We want people to think the way we think, to have the same convictions we have, to come to the same conclusions to which we have come without the same benefit we had in developing our thoughts and convictions and conclusions. Maybe we, the church, should try doing what the Bible says and bring them to Jesus and the apostles and prophets through studying the Bible with them and letting them come to the same conclusions as we have.

Lets let people think and develop faith by directing them to the One who can change their lives.

In 1844 Karl Marx wrote.. “Religion is the opiate of the people!”

“Religion is the opiate of the people!” wrote Karl Marx in 1844. This famous declaration defined an emerging materialism in opposition to established religion. Marx, along with Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud, defined a new way of looking at the world. Truth would no longer come from the church. It would now come from the free thinkers of the university. Other scholarly materialists had their own version of Marx’s statement: “Religion is a crutch for those who are too weak to face life alone.”

For nearly 150 years, Christian thinkers have responded to the materialists’ challenge, saying, “Christianity is no opiate – it is God’s healing truth!” “Christianity brings freedom, not oppression!” “There is more to life than bouncing atoms!”

However, the clearest indictment of Marx’s view came not from carefully crafted arguments, but from the collapse of the Soviet empire. The social order designed around the teachings of Karl Marx suddenly disintegrated, revealing a nation with unprecedented moral and spiritual bankruptcy. A society built on pure materialism proved to be an empty shell. All that has been left behind from that monstrous experiment is a deep hunger for meaning and truth.But it was well before the fall of the Berlin wall that Marx’s declaration lost its power. Somewhere along the way, religion again became fashionable. It seems that every time a football player scores a touchdown, he will find some way of giving credit to God. The vindication of faith and religion seems to be complete. Marx has been defeated. But before we celebrate, perhaps we should ask the question, “What kind of religion has the Western world embraced?”

• It is a religion that declares that there is meaning in “the circle of life”, but never bothers to define what that meaning is.
• It is a religion that allows me to feel good about who I am but never calls me to account for the corruption of my soul.
• It is a religion that can be called on as an ally whenever it is required but yet can be dropped when it is expedient.
• It is a warm drink on a cool night, a gentle, sentimental story with endless happy endings.
• It is a self-serving religion that is entirely invented by our own passion for self-fulfillment, with no more objective basis than the dreams of a child at Christmas time.

Why did Karl Marx call religion the opiate of the people? It was because he felt that through myths and empty promises, religion dulled people’s senses to their true condition. Once so dulled, the people could never take hold of the truth.

Life without God is meaningless, tragic and, in the end, desperately lonely. But who will ever seek the peace and joy offered by the Creator of the Universe as long as the senses are dulled by the opiate of our own imaginations?

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life!” (John 14:6). Jesus is not an opiate. He does not offer comfortable meaningless answers. He offers us the truth about our condition and the future. He offers life, joy, peace, love – but only to those who will commit themselves to follow him.

Karl Marx was a German...
but his ideas changed Russian history. Marx was dismayed by the treatment of workers in Europe. Conditions in European factories were very harsh and unsafe. Marx argued that workers, rather than landlords, should control factories and farms. He urged the "workers of the world to unite" in a worldwide revolution.

Marx's ideas were known as Communism, a word formed for common. Workers would share wealth in a communist society. Marx wrote that wealth should be distributed "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."

He was born a Jew, but his father converted the family to Christianity in order to get a job. Marx did not believe in God and thought workers were controlled by religion. He said, "religion is the opiate of the people." Opium is a drug.
Marx died in 1883, but his ideas formed the basis of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Mongolia became the second communist nation in 1921 and by the end of World War II, many governments were overthrown by communists.

The ideas of Marx were not used in the communist countries. Marx believed that workers would control government, but communist governments were strict and dictatorial. Workers were often forced to work on huge collective farms and factory workers often had to fulfill quotas. In most Communist nations, the press was censored. They were not allowed to print news stories that criticized the government. People who spoke out against the Soviet government were treated harshly.

Karl Marx is dead. His ideas about religion are probably different, now.

Is Your Organization's View of Reality Valid?

Strategic Misintent: Are you in danger of focusing on one principle or model to the neglect of all others? (The Magic Answer) Is it possible that you’re pursuing a strategy that isn’t attainable? (The Holy Grail) Could you be using an inappropriate barometer for success? (The Wrong Scoreboard) Negative Transfer Are you assuming that what’s worked in the past is what you still need today? (Yesterday’s Answer) Has your company moved into an area that requires a different approach that the one it used successfully elsewhere? (A Different Game) Is it possible that you have an inaccurate idea of your own competencies, relative to the competition? (A False Self-Image) Are you in danger of incorrectly attributing your past success or the success of your competitors? (The Film Producer Error) One-Track Mind (-Sets) Are your ideas of what your customer needs based on limited models or experience? (It’s a Small World) Are you trying to operate in a culture where you might not understand all the unspoken conventions? (Home Field Rules) Have you slipped into pursuing rapid expansion at the expense of real profitability? (Expansion Fever) Does Your Organization Have an Adequate Picture of What Could Change in the Future? Have you taken into account the possibility that several unlikely events could occur at once? (The Perfect-Storm Fallacy) Have you distinguished between projected innovations that require routine engineering and those that require new discoveries? (The Star Wars Error) Have you paid enough attention to the small-scale level at which large-scale changes must be implemented? (The Big-Picture Illusion) Are you focusing on the right competitors, especially newcomers? (The Wrong Competitors) Have you given enough consideration to the ways in which your entire industry could suddenly be transformed or become irrelevant? (A Static Business Model)

Nine Reasons the Church has struggled in the Midst of an Environment of Unprecedented Opportunity

1) Few Christians have a clear, measurable definition of “Spiritual Success”

The old adage warns us, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” It has been assumed that if a church provides consistent events, biblical information, and appealing programs for people and the people consume those offerings, and then the users will grow. Rarely do we stop to figure out in practical terms what God expects from us, to assess how we measure up to those expectations, or to determine what we must do to improve our performance with respect to those desired outcomes.

We often settle for something less than the biblical standard and certainly less than what we are capable of becoming. If success is negotiable, why not include “comfortable and easily achievable growth” among the factors that make us successful.

What “spiritual success” is not specified and we do not feel compelled to work out a definition of such an end point or destination. As a result most believers have embraced a cheap facsimile of spiritual success and in many cases, without the realization that they have “dumbed down” Christianity.

2) We have defined “discipleship” as head knowledge rather than complete transformation

When we think of discipleship strategies we usually think about teaching events and programs such as Sunday school, small groups, Christian education classes, study groups, reading groups, and Vacation Bible School. While these are needed, it is not enough to fill people’s heads with Bible verses and principles. Read the Gospels and look for Jesus’ words to the Pharisees and Sadducees. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time had memorized more Scripture and religious content than most of us can imagine. As Jesus’ models of how not to live, they were all head and no heart.” They knew the data but ignored its application.

Faith that is not wholly integrated and consistently lived out is a charade. Bible knowledge and a righteous lifestyle must support each other.

We need biblical knowledge and we need to apply that knowledge in practical ways. Both the head and the heart need opportunity to grow and to make a difference in our lives and in the world.

3) We have chosen to teach people in random rather than systematic ways.

We provide people with biblical substance but not in a purposeful, systematic manner and as a result, believers are exposed to good information without context and lose that information because they have no way of making sense of it within the bigger picture of faith and life. Believers become well versed in knowing characters, stories, ideas, and verses from the Bible, but they remain clueless as to their importance.

Few churches intentionally guide people through a strategic learning and developmental process that have been customized for the student. We expect everyone to “get it” at the same time and in the same way as they simultaneously develop into mature believers.

4) There is virtually no accountability for what we say, think, do, or believe.

True growth demands accountability. We operate on the basis of feelings, assumptions, and hopes rather than tangible, measurable realities.

We tend to be most focused upon evaluating people’s knowledge; with only limited attempts to hold people accountable to grow beyond information acquisition and retention.

5) When it comes to discipleship, we promote programs rather than people.

Even though churches claim that they are devoted to developing people, the most effective developmental procedures are generally ignored because they are people-intensive processes.

Growing true disciples is not about maintaining tight control. It is about letting go to see what God, through His Holy Spirit, can do in the life of believers who truly want to mature in Christ. Jesus accomplished the maturing of His followers thorough a personal relationship focused on creating a particular kind of person.

6) The primary method on which churches rely for spiritual development – Small Groups – typically fails to provide comprehensive spiritual nurture.

Having small groups of people committed to helping one another grow can be effective but life transformation is not seen through small groups. The substance that is shared in the group settings is often plagued by superficiality, misrepresentation, or the absence of application. We recruit people for groups and fail to prepare people for developing within those groups.

7) Church leaders are not zealous about the spiritual development of people.

While most church leaders give verbal support to the idea of spiritual growth, they often are not personally devoted to strenuously advocating spiritual transformation. This is witnessed in several ways.

First, few congregants describe their church leaders as role models or as zealots for Christ. Most believers have no clue what the spiritual life of their church leaders is like and therefore have little cause to emulate them.
Second, few church leaders make discipleship a top priority. Prioritizing the church’s ministries is a tough juggling act. To some extent the church lacks real disciples because the spiritual leaders have inadequately prioritized that outcome.
Third, when church leaders describe “success” attendance, revenue, programs, and square footage frequently constitute the practical dimensions of success. Few church leaders indicate that success relates to the spiritual quality of the lives of their congregants. Often the quantity of people participating in a group event or activity is sited.

When church leaders downplay discipleship, the message comes though loud and clear: “It’s helpful, but optional.”

8) We invest our resources in adults rather than in children.

People tend to do what is most comfortable and natural for them. If we objectively assess where we will get the greatest return on the church’s money, we would pour our resources into ministries to children. Studies show that once children reach the age of twelve or so, the chances of changing adults are very slim.

This is not to insinuate that God cannot completely reform an adult, nor does it imply thatthe Bible is wrong when it says that believers become regenerated beings after they encounter Christ, it is simple recognition of human reality. People can change no matter how young or old they are, but positive change is much easier when people are young. When we focus our energy on resuscitating adults rather than nurturing children, we have more ground to cover because we have to undo much more that we would in working with children.

9) We divert our best leaders to ministries other than discipleship.

When you have an individual with good skills but little, if any, leadership ability, discipleship fails to get the motivational push it needs.

Without a true leader at the helm of the discipleship function, believers cannot be faulted for missing the point.

Good leaders motivate, mobilize, and direct people to fulfill a vision. Options are presented for personal growth and assumptions are made that the people will quickly embrace the possibilities and benefits. When they don’t, heads are shaken and the people’s lack of commitment is bemoaned – without realizing the people are committed -- to those things that fit within their vision of a meaningful life. Failure to place competent leaders in the disciple-making process enables the believers to completely misunderstand the opportunity presented to them.


Summary of advice from leaders in effective disciple making churches


Recognize that disciple making is a process, not a program.

• The process will not occur without leadership from church leaders.
• The church’s ministry focus must be streamlined to prioritize and support discipleship.
• The process is not likely to succeed unless there is a simple but intelligent plan for growth.
• The process will not generate true disciples unless it has a designated supervisor to facilitate progress, foster creative problem solving, and development, and strive for reasonable outcomes.
• In creating a process that works, adapt lessons learned by other effective disciple-making churches to your own unique ministry context.
• Be prepared for burnout and complacency to set in after two or three years of involvement in an intensive process.
• Carefully balance the competing interests of flexibility and structure.
  
  
  --From--
  Growing True Disciples
  George Barna
  WaterBrook Press
  

A Modern Parable -- Batsell Barrett Baxter

There was a farmer who owns a large field of grain. It is harvest time, and the wheat is already golden brown and needs to be cut. It must not be left in the field very long because the wind or the rain may destroy the crop. Early in the morning he goes into the small town and calls for helpers to come and harvest his crop. The immediate response is favorable and many respond to the invitation.

When they arrive at the field they see the golden harvest and are deeply impressed. They talk about what a wonderful privilege it is to get to harvest so big and bountiful a crop. But someone points out that the fence around this field is not very attractive. It is an old rock fence and in many places the stones have tumbled down. So the people set to building a new fence. They spend all morning getting stones from a nearby stream which they use to build a beautiful wall around the field.

When the fence is finished, someone suggests, “Let’s get to work.” Someone else responds, “Wait, if the sun gets any hotter, or if it should rain, we will need shelter.” They all agree, so over in one corner of the field they build a shelter for themselves. It is so beautifully done that they decide to put a plaque on it, with names inscribe, so that everybody who passes by in generations to come will know just who was thoughtful enough to build such a wonderful shelter.

Then someone says, “Now let’s get to the harvest.” But others say, “It is noon and we ought first to eat.” So they work diligently until quite a feast is prepared. It is in keeping with the beautiful wall and the fine shelter and is a wonderful feast indeed. After the dinner is finished, there is a period of rest, of course, and then someone says, “Now for the harvest.” But someone else replies, “ With such a great responsibility and with such a great challenge before us, do we not need to be better dressed than we are?” Immediately, each provides for himself better garments with which to do the harvesting. Then again they turn their thought to the golden grain and begin to sharpen the scythes with which to cut the grain. After a while they are razor sharp. But as they look at the grubby old handles they are not satisfied. They are unworthy instruments for so great a work. So they begin to carve those ugly handles into beautiful pieces, and some even add intricate filigree work of gold and silver. One man is even able to adorn his scythe with mother of pearl. It is truly a beautiful thing.

Now they are ready to go to the harvest. But suddenly someone says, “It is night, the sun is gone down.” It is then that they realize that only a few have cut any grain. So these wonderful people (like us) turn back sorrowing with guilty feelings to meet the man who owns the field. He comes to meet them, expecting shoulders laden with heavy bags of grain, but instead he finds only beautiful tools and a story of wonderful fences and fine clothes and a good dinner and a shelter to take care of those who work. He asks sadly, “But where is the harvest?” the people are speechless and ashamed.

Teens' rising spirituality features a worrisome side

Contrary to the negative images often portrayed in national media, local religious leaders say area teens seem to be on the brink of a spiritual reawakening. That local impression is shared by many of their colleagues across the nation who report similar anecdotal evidence of increased teen involvement and interest in the search for spiritual fulfillment.

"Some of the things I see that have changed are the levels of spiritual maturity. Today's teens take church as a whole more seriously," says Kyle Mott, youth minister of Northeast Church of Christ.

Across the state line, Associate Pastor Jeff DeBoard at First Baptist Church of Gate City, Va., gives a similarly upbeat assessment.

"I feel that young people today are searching for absolute truth that can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ," he says. "I believe God is raising up a very conservative generation of youth who have a sincere desire to worship God and search his word for direction and understanding."

Reports by the Barna Research Group, the gold standard in data about the nation's religious life, do, indeed, show that young adults are searching for spiritual meaning in their lives. But beneath the general spike in spirituality Barna documents, there also lurks some rather disturbing findings.

While a majority of teens continue to profess faith, George Barna's research shows it is definitely not the faith of their fathers. Indeed, the majority of Christian teens hold many beliefs that stand in stark contrast to mainline Christian orthodoxy.

While approximately 60 percent of teens agree with the statement, "The Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings," and 56 percent say their religious faith is "very important" to them, slightly more than half of all teens also report believing that Jesus committed sins while he was on Earth. A clear majority - approximately 60 percent - also agree with the statement that "good works will get me to heaven." Such a belief, of course, is antithetical to the central theme of justification by grace through faith that is the central connecting theological thread of all Protestant belief since the Reformation.

Fire and brimstone isn't popular with teens either. Approximately two-thirds of teens say that Satan is "symbolic, not real."

On an even more alarming practical level, Barna finds that only 6 percent of all teens believe there are moral absolutes. Even among self-identified, "born-again" t eens, only nine percent believe moral truth is absolute.

"When you ask even Christian kids, ‘How can you say A is true as well as B, which is the antithesis of A?' their typical response is, ‘I'm not sure how it works, but it works for me,' " says Barna, president of the Ventura, Calif.-based research company that bears his name. "It's personal, pragmatic and fairly superficial."

If adults wonder how so many Christian teens could possess these increasingly relativistic, even schizophrenic, spiritual values, they may want to look in the mirror.

George Barna also reports that the percentage of born-again Christians who have been divorced (27 percent) actually beats the national average by two percentage points. "While it may be alarming to discover that born-again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time."

The changing attitudes and conduct of the Christian community concerning divorce is but one example of the ripples of moral consequence affecting church membership and wider society. The acceptance or opposition to homosexual unions is another example of the moral dilemma facing more and more denominations.

It's encouraging to hear religious leaders praise teen interest in church activities. In a world where even fundamental values seem fleeting, a life dedicated to a purpose greater than ourselves can be an anchor against a rising tide of moral relativism. And, as Barna's research shows, the human temptation to drift with that tide, whether young or old, is enormous.

Copyright 2004 Kingsport Times-News.
All rights reserved. This material must be credited to the Times-News when redistributed or broadcast.