How the American Church Paved the Way for ObamaCare

 Posted by Scott T. Brown of NCFIC on June 29, 2012

 The United States Government has done it again! With the recent Supreme Court validation of ObamaCare, it has usurped the role of individual citizens to care for themselves and will punish them through taxation if they try. The “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” has taken another giant leap towards the “land of the oppressed and home of the coward.” However, hope for America does not depend on Republican control of the White House and Congress, but instead in the rising awakening of churches and families who desire to be governed by scripture. I am connected with many of these and have much hope, regardless of the big government threat.

First, let’s examine what just happened. The Supreme Court’s validation of the Affordable Care Act can seem confusing, but it boils down to a simple fact. Under the Constitution, Congress cannot compel you to buy something, but it can tax you for not complying. Passing this law means that the Court creatively justified something that is wrong in principle. They used the Constitution to abuse the Constitution. It was legislative licentiousness.

But all of this is nothing new!


The government has always used taxes to control behavior and now it wants to control your healthcare. Government healthcare is logically consistent with our headlong sprint toward socialism in America. We are systematically surrendering every personal responsibility we have been given by God to be pampered and coddled by a doting Government. We have surrendered the role of parents to educate their children to the public school system. We have surrendered the role of families and churches to care for orphans and widows to Government assistance programs and welfare. The menagerie of further Government control and oversight being proposed should not surprise us. From the bizarre suggested ban on buying a 44 oz coke in New York, to the outright attack on biblical family life with the Delaware legislative attempt to penalize disciplining children – all of these moves are consistent.

 Is this what the founders of America envisioned? Doesn’t the Constitution of the United States forbid giant government from taking over every area of life in America? Yes, it does! Then how did we get here? We got here by increasingly considering the Constitution as outdated, by abandoning the Word of God as a standard, and by “reimagining” government with enlightened, postmodern minds freed from the shackles of the old and dusty “rules.”

But before we simply point fingers at the Government we need to stop and take a hard look in the mirror. The church is supposed to “hold to the pattern” (2 Tim 1:13) and be a “beacon on a hill” (Matt 5:14) setting an example of obedience to God’s word and faithfulness to “His ways.” But in my own lifetime, I have seen the church “re-imagine” itself every few years and furiously work to leave behind the old dusty “rules” in favor of enlightened, approaches that appeal to the impulses of our modern self exalting affections.

The Government is simply doing what pastors and churches do all the time. The church in America has come to do what it wants based on pragmatism by saying, “Anything goes, I am under grace not law.” Churches often grow themeslves by ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture in order to achieve pragmatic objectives and then justifying the “advances.” The church has freely set aside the biblical language of church government, church offices, and church practices. It has disregarded simple and clear statements about sexuality, manhood, and womanhood and rejected the clear teaching of Scripture on the matter of educating children. Like the Government, the church has become comfortable throwing off all restraint if it can find an excuse. We do not want to be restrained, but the truth is that Scripture restrains. The truth is, the Constitution restrains. They were designed to restrain evil, abuses of power, and inappropriate creativity.

What does a lawless church have to do with a lawless court? Everything! As the family goes, so goes the church. As the church goes, so goes the nation. In this case, home life and church life gave birth to Supreme Court life. Church leaders and their people don’t want the Bible to constrain them any more than they want the Constitution to constrain them. This is how the church paved the way for ObamaCare.

Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus Christ is “ruler over the kings of the earth.” But we are in no position to demand that our Government honors Christ as King or that it constrain its actions to honor the Constitution, until first we honor Christ as the ruler of our families, churches, and personal lives by constraining our actions according to His revealed Word!

So in the wake of this devastating Supreme Court decision, my heart is actually full of hope. Contrary to the antinomian culture at large and unlike lawless churches and homes that have thrown off “the old paths” (Jer 6:16) and paved the way for today’s ObamaCare, I see a rising remnant of families and churches returning to God and His Word. They are raising up a new generation of sons and daughters who desire to be governed by the Word of God alone and as a result, honor the Constitution of the United States. And in time, I believe this will produce a new generation of leaders, even Supreme Court justices and congressmen, who have grown up in families and churches that have loved submission to God’s Word, and who have seen their fathers and mothers constrain their lives by the “Law of liberty”! This gives me great hope for the future of America.

Do you think the church paved the way for ObamaCare?

Do you think that a reformation of church and family life and the true conversion of its members is the answer for America?

 

“The seven characteristics of highly evangelistic Christians”

by Scott T. Brown at ScottBrownonline

1. They are people of prayer. They realize that only God can convict and convert, and they are totally dependent upon Him in prayer. Most of the highly evangelistic Christians spend at least an hour in prayer each day.

2. They have a theology that compels them to evangelize. They believe in the urgency of the gospel message. They believe that Christ is the only way of salvation. They believe that anyone without Christ is doomed for a literal hell.

3. They are people who spend time in the Word. The more time they spend in the Bible, the more likely they are to see the lostness of humanity and the love of God in Christ to save those who are lost.

4. They are compassionate people. Their hearts break for those who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They have learned to love the world by becoming more like Christ who has the greatest love for the world.

5. They love the communities where God has placed them. They are immersed in the culture because they desire for the light of Christ to shine through them in their communities.

6. They are intentional about evangelism. They pray for opportunities to share the gospel. They look for those opportunities. And they see many so-called casual encounters as appointments set by God.

7. They are accountable to someone for their evangelistic activities. They know that many good activities can replace Great Commission activities if they are not careful. Good can replace the best. So they make certain that someone holds them accountable each week, either formally or informally, for their evangelistic efforts.

The “Secret” of Evangelistic Churches 

The secret is really no secret at all. Ultimately, evangelistic churches see more persons become Christians through the passionate efforts of highly evangelistic Christians. More than any programs. More than any church events. More than anything else, we are the instruments God has chosen to use.

Sometimes we ask the question “What is my church doing to become more evangelistic?” But the better question is “What am I doing to become more evangelistic?”

Charles H. Spurgeon was right. We need more soul winners.

We need more highly evangelistic Christians.
 

"If we segregate youth what do we lose?"

Scott Brown with NCFIC

The Gospel Coalition seems to continue to make our arguments for us (while still seeking to legitimize, nurse, and resuscitate a failed system). Here is a quote from this article:

" But the thing is, we have to be sure that we don't segregate the youth for our sake and theirs. They are part of the body of Christ too, and no part of the body can remain healthy if one of its members is cut off and put to the side. If we segregate the youth, not only do we lose all they have to teach us, but we also inadvertently teach them that the church is really only for adults---those who are married and have families of their own. And then we wonder why they don't get involved in church as college students or young singles, when in reality, we've been telling them all along that the church isn't yet for them."

To read the entire article go to Gospel Coalition.

(When are these leaders going to get it.  Separating  families does not help anyone, except provide these leaders with jobs.  We need to continue to pray that God will open the eyes of the deceived parents and leaders, so they can see the best way to teach our children and young people is God's way...together as families.) 

Education Happens in the Family-Everyday All Day Long

 by: Scott T. Brown at NCFIC

(here is once again a GREAT quote posted by Rev. Brown.)

 "Everything educates in the family, the handshake of the father, the voice of the mother, the older brother, the younger sister, the baby in the cradle, the sick loved one, the grandparents and the grandchildren, the uncles and the aunts, the guests and friends, prosperity and adversity, the feast day and the day of mourning, Sundays and workdays, the prayer and the thanksgiving at the table and the reading of God's Word, the morning and evening prayer. Everything is engaged to educate one another, from day to day, from hour to hour, unintentionally, without previously devised plan, method or system. From everything proceeds an educative influence though it can neither be analyzed nor calculated. A thousand insignificant things, a thousand trifles, a thousand details, all have their effect. It is life itself that here educates, life in its greatness, the rich, inexhaustible, universal life. The family is the school of life, because there is its spring and its hearth." – In A.B.W.M. Kok, Herman Bavinck,  Amsterdam, 1945, pp.  1819.
 

Children Crying Out in the Temple

Posted by Scott T. Brown of NCFIC

Here is an example of normal life among the people of God – children are included. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" (Matt.21:13-16, NKJV)

(Thank you, Rev. Brown, for once again pointing out the importance of having families united in worship.  How the church misses out when they segregate the children and fracture the families during worship services. )
 

Are Family Integrated Churches Just Part of a Passing Fad?

by Scott Brown of NCFIC

It is possible that we are entering into a period where it is "hip" to be age integrated. Even Christianity Today has reported this phenomena: “Is the Era of Age Segmentation Over? A researcher argues that the future of youth ministry will require bringing the generations together." There is a significant groundswell of church leaders who are implementing initiatives and programs that hearken to the principle of age-integrated discipleship. Now, perhaps, age-integration is going to be the new "latest thing."
This is both good news and bad news. On the one hand we clap. On the other hand we are nonplussed. We clap, because age integration is biblical. We are nonplussed because the motivation is often for pragmatic reasons. The church needs to stop thinking, “How can we be hip?” or “How can we discover the next new thing?” or “How do we find the best way to reach the world?” This is the kind of thinking that has gotten the church into so much trouble today. Instead we ought to be asking, “How can we be more biblical – regardless of the culture and the consequences?”
The family-integrated church movement is not a reaction to a cultural problem. It is an action based on Scripture. It is not the next new thing. It is the best old thing. It is both best and old because it came from God not man.

Christ Needs No New Inventions

Scott T. Brown of NCFIC February 29, 2012

Today's church is a house of inventions, where church leaders feel free to reinvent Christianity in their generation. Not only do they feel free to do this, but they also believe it is their obligation to the people in order to be relevant. In this age of inventions, Charles Spurgeon speaks clearly about the inappropriateness of man's inventions in the church.

First of all, Christ needs no new inventions to glorify Him. "We have invented a new line of things," says one. Have you? "We have discovered something very wonderful." I daresay you have, but Christ, "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb. 13:8 NKJV), needs none of your inventions, discoveries, or additions to His truth. A plain Christ is forever the loveliest Christ. Dress Him up, and you have defamed Him. Bring Him out just as He is, the Christ of God, nothing else but Christ, unless you bring in His Cross, for "we preach Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23); indeed, you cannot have Christ without the Cross; but preach Christ crucified, and you have given him all the glory that He desires. The Holy Spirit does not reveal in these last times any fresh laws or any novel doctrines or any new evolutions. He simply brings to mind the things that Christ Himself spoke. He brings Christ's own things to us, and in that way glorifies Him.

– C. H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit, p. 60-61

A Preacher's Responsibility

Posted by Scott T. Brown on January 10, 2012, at NCFIC

A preacher has a number of responsibilities and hopes for the congregation. Here are a few of them:

1. Represent the words of God to them accurately, so that they can compare everything in their lives with the truth of Scripture
2. Give them a vision of the majesty of God
3. Help them find their greatest delight and happiness in God
4. Instruct them in the flow of history and their place in history
5. Show them the world as it really is
6. Equip them for the work of the ministry
7. Explain and dissect their problems in the light of Scripture so they can see who they really are
8. Bring the whole congregation to live no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit
9. Question the ungodly traditions of the congregation
10. Oppose the sins that have taken root
11. Confront their prejudices
12. Contradict their philosophy
13. Expose the nature of paganism and how it is affecting them
14. Stop them from drinking from the poison well
15. Terrify them with the law and the consequences of breaking it
16. Kill their self love
17. Destroy their comforts in their good works and moralistically high view of themselves
18. Expose their self-congratulatory spirit
19. Incite them to repent
20. Show them their inner pharisee
21. Confront their lack of love
22. Counsel them to grow in love through mercy and forgiveness
23. Stand in the way of their current desires
24. Lower their opinions of themselves
25. Raise their opinions of Christ
26. Cast them hopeless on the gospel of Christ
27. Convert the lost
28. Console them with the gospel
29. Comfort the broken hearted
30. Give hope to those who have lost it
31. Bind up the weak, through Him who is strong
Only God by the power of His Holy Spirit can fall on a congregation for these things.

A Single Mom Writes Letter About Youth Ministry

"I am a single mother, home educating three children. We cannot base what we do as a church, or as an individual believer upon our own subjective experiences or circumstances. If the Lord has commanded a way to live, He will provide the means."

Read the entire letter at NCFIC.  You will get a great perspective of how the church SHOULD be working, but isn't most of the time.

Five Things a Youth Ministry Can Be Transformed Into

(found at NCFIC)

If you have not read Scott Brown's article, The Greatest Untapped Evangelistic Opportunity Before the Modern Church, I would highly recommend visiting it after reading these points:

1. Begin a mentorship program for men. If there will be a spark of reformation in the church and family, it will start with the reformation of the lives of it’s men. A godly man will be influential in the lives of his wife and children, and will lead them before the altar of God on a daily basis.

2. Teach young married couples how to raise a family. Let’s face it, the 60’s and 70’s has produced a generation that trusts Dr. Spock more than the inerrant Word of God when it comes to child rearing. A church would do well to help couples set their homes in order right from the start. Unlearning all of the cultural bad habits will take some time, but it will reap a harvest for generations.

3. Divert the money that was to be spend on youth ministry. All the funds raised for trips and parties, could be used to support orphans and widows in their time of distress. This includes Christian, repentant single mothers, who want to stay under the covering of the church and raise their children, but have no way of financially doing so. If the church would place this as a priority, it could produce vast changes in the landscape of modern youth.

4. Hit the streets with full family outreach. Take whole families to distribute food at a homeless shelter, visit nursing homes, pass out gospel tracts in the city. Don’t let the children just hear the stories from the pulpits; let them see their fathers doing it in front of them.

5. Take in interns. There are going to be plenty of young men who want to see how a family integrated church is properly run and how family worship is conducted. Take them into your homes and walk closely beside them. Make quality discipleship, according to the Scriptures, a priority.

Fred Wolfe trained for Ministry at Johnson University and preached as an Emergent Church pastor for ten years before submitting to reformed theology and a true gospel. Fred is also a former youth minister, published poet, writer, and blogger. He is the father of five children and has been married for 15 years.

Where Are The Titus 2 Women?

Posted by Scott T. Brown on July 14, 2011

There are very few older women teaching the younger women the way Titus 2 commands. There are so few of them for at least two reasons. First, the church has departed from trust in Scripture and, as a result, women have not been taught that this should be their role. Second, we have gutted the generational culture of the church and segregated it by age. The result is that the older are functionally separated from the younger. My heart breaks for younger women who do not have older women to help them love their husbands and their children. Elizabeth Eliot speaks profoundly on this matter: 

It would help younger women to know there are a few listening ears when they don't know what to do with an uncommunicative husband, a 25-pound turkey, or a two-year-old's tantrum. It is doubtful that the Apostle Paul had in mind Bible classes or seminars or books when he spoke of teaching younger woman. He meant the simple things, the every day example, the willingness to take time from one's own concerns to pray with the anxious mother, walk with her the way of the cross--with it's tremendous demands of patience, selflessness, lovingkindness--and to show her, in the ordinariness of Monday through Saturday, how to keep a quiet heart.

These lessons will come perhaps most convincingly through rocking a baby, doing some mending, cooking a supper, or cleaning a refrigerator. Through such an example, one young woman - single or married, Christian or not - may glimpse the mystery of charity and the glory of womanhood.

Elizabeth Elliot quoted Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother,(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003), 22.

A Call to Anguish

Thank you, Rev. Scott Brown for sharing this moving message by the late David Wilkerson.

Are Your Children Walking With the Wise?

by Rev. Scott Brown of NCFIC

In Proverbs 13:20, God commends those who seek out wisdom by walking with those who are wise. However, someone who spends his time with fools will be destroyed. In Proverbs 22:15, God says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.” Why then do people lump their children with other children, as a dominant source of companionship, such as during youth group? Is it for relationship? Is it so they can have fun? Is it because parents do not want to spend the time to train them? Is it because they want to worship without distraction?

Do you want your children to be wise? Put them in the company of biblically wise people. Do you want your children to be wise? Train them as it says in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Do you want your children to be wise? Obey the Word of God and command them to seek wisdom with all of their heart. Model this for them, and seek that wisdom with your children.

Twelve indispensible pursuits that prepare the next generation for marriage

By Scott Brown, NCFIC

  1. The Sweetest harmony in marriage, Eph. 5:22-33
  2. The Gladdest embrace of God, Psalm 100
  3. The Thirstiest passion for the word of God, Ps. 119
  4. The Keenest inclination for repentance, Psalm 51
  5. The Hottest desire for holiness,1 Pet. 1:16
  6. The Quickest pursuit of reconciliation, Eph. 4:26
  7. The Highest investment in the church, Eph. 1:23, 5:32
  8. The Biggest vision for life, 1 Cor. 10:31
  9. The Liveliest zippiest daily life, Deut. 6:1-9
10. The Sharpest conception of marriage, Eph. 5:22-33
11. The Tightest embrace of biblical manhood and womanhood, Titus 2
12. The Strongest sense of the sovereignty of God, Dan. 4

An Example of Devotion to the Local Church

by: Scott Brown February 7, 2011

Convenience often is the determining factor for church attendance and regularity is often governed by schedule, weather, whim and busyness. In sharp contrast, John G. Paton speaks of his father's devotion to the local church. He walked four miles and missed only three times in 40 years.

"Our place of worship was the Reformed Presbyterian Church at Dumfries, a full four miles from our home. The tradition was that during forty years my father was only prevented three times from attending the worship of God. Once by snow so deep that he was baffled and had to return; once by ice on the road, so dangerous that he was forced to crawl back on his hands and knees; and once by a terrible outbreak of cholera. All travel between the town and the surrounding villages was publicly prohibited. The farmers and villagers, suspecting that no cholera would make my father stay at home on the Sabbath, sent a deputation to my mother on the Saturday evening, and urged her to restrain his devotions for once! Each of us, from very early days, considered it no penalty, but a great joy, to go with our father to the church; the four miles were a treat to our young spirits, and occasionally some of the wonders of city life rewarded our eager eyes. We had special Bible readings on the Lord's Day evening, and the Shorter Catechism was gone through regularly."

Children In The Meeting Of The Ephesian Church

By: Scott Brown of NCFIC

Ephesians 6:1-4 is the flagship New Testament passage on child rearing and fatherhood. It is an extremely simple and steadying message in light of the dizzying array of advice the world gives to parents. We find four major ideas arising from the text. First, the setting: the meeting of the Church. Second, there are two simple commands for children: obey and honor (Eph. 6:1-2). Third, there are two understandable results for children: good life and long life (Eph. 6:3). Fourth, there are two dangerous pitfalls for fathers: provoking and neglecting (Eph. 6:4).

This article is focused on the first point — the setting of the meeting of the Church.

In the first two verses, Paul is clearly speaking to children. These are the children who are in the meeting of the Ephesian church and are hearing the letter read. Paul uses a Greek grammatical form called the vocative case, called the “vocative of direct address.” He is directly addressing the children in the meeting of the church. This makes it an obvious fact that children were present in the meetings of the early churches.

In his commentary on Ephesians, William Hendricksen explains it this way:
The apostle assumes that among those who will be listening when this letter is read to the various congregations the children will not be lacking. They are included in God’s Covenant..., and Jesus loves them.... Were Paul to be present with us today he would be shocked at the spectacle of children attending the Sunday School and then going home just before the regular worship service. He has a word addressed directly and specifically to the children. (William Hendricksen, Galatians and Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979) pg. 258)

The meetings included young boys like Eutychus (probably between 7 and 14 years old) who left the meeting after midnight by falling out a window. He was overcome with sleepiness during a long Pauline preaching session, nodded out and rolled off the window’s ledge (Acts 20:7-12).

We need to understand that the meetings in the early church included babies who were cutting teeth, eight-year-old boys who were wired for movement, and budding teenagers being tempted by the worldliness of the world. The children were not in age-graded Sunday schools, but were in the midst of the meeting, and were taught side by side with everyone else. The meetings of the early church were conducted with a full complement of relationships.

There is no indication from Scripture that children were ever removed from the meetings designed for preaching, Scripture reading, prayer, and worship. But, in our culture, it is automatic and comprehensive. Contrast the normal meetings of our churches with the normal practices of the meetings recorded in the Bible:

The Time of Moses: Deuteronomy 31:12-13;

The Time of Nehemiah: Nehemiah 8:1-3, Ezra 10:1;

The Time of Jesus: Matthew 18:1-5, 19:13-15; and

The Time of Paul: Ephesians 6:1-4, Col 3:20.

Jeremy Walker sums it up:
The constant presumption of Scripture is that children were present in the worship of the people of God. In Nehemiah’s time, men and women and all those who could hear with understanding gathered to hear Ezra the scribe read the Law (Neh 8.1-3; Ezr 10.1). Moses certainly anticipated the literal “children” of Israel to be present when the Law was read (Dt 31.12-13). Paul’s letters, intended to be read to the churches, assume the intelligent presence of children (Eph 6.1-4; Col 3.20), and children were present when the Lord Jesus taught (Mt 18.1-5; 19.13-15). (Quoted in Banner of Truth magazine, November 7, 2002, “Attendance of Children in Public Worship”)

For further study, see the following passages where it is mentioned that children were present in meetings of God’s people.

In Joshua 8:35, Joshua built an altar to the Lord in Mount Ebal of whole stones over which no man had ever laid an iron tool. He read “all the words of the law.”

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. (Joshua 8:35)

Joel 2:15-16 describes a time of repentance of the people where all were to gather—even the bride and bridegroom on their wedding day.

Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. (Joel 2:15-16)

I would like to pose four questions to help us to reflect more deeply on this subject and, hopefully, help us understand how important it is that we experience the worship of God and the fellowship of the saints alongside our children.

I. Which way is more Biblical?
Should children be in the meeting of the church, alongside their parents? If you only had the Bible, what would you conclude about what to do about childcare? Is there any evidence of childcare services to support the worship and instruction of God’s people? Do the apostles ever allude to a nursery or Sunday school? Are there any commands relating to the subject? Are there any examples to follow in Scripture for this area?

II. What effect does worship singing have on a child?
This question gets to the point of the power of music on all human beings. We may say, “Our children don’t get anything out of the services,” but we can’t really believe it. We get goose bumps when we sing to children while they are in the womb. We believe that the sounds and even the attitudes surrounding them are affecting their development process. Some people play classical music to their children in the womb, while others contend that just hearing it makes their kids smarter outside the womb.

Let me suggest that it is truly wonderful to immerse children in the rich songs of the faith from the time they are babies in arms. So what is the optimal time for bringing your children into the meeting of the church? I counsel families to bring their babies on the first Sunday after their birth, and continue weekly throughout their lives.

Children get something out of everything they experience
First of all, it must be said that children get something out of everything they experience. So we should abandon the idea that “my child gets nothing out of ‘big’ church.” This is subterfuge and misinformation. Plus, nobody gets everything out of anything, particularly a sermon. We take them to the library and they do not get everything out of what is there. They listen to all of our conversation, but don’t think for a minute that everything goes over their heads.

There is great value for a very young child experiencing the deep and authentic worship of the church. Something is being transferred as they watch their fathers give of the family resources during the offering. As they grow up, their understanding will increase. Something is being transferred as they watch the adults “worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).

They don’t get everything, but they can get something from observing the fervency and genuineness of the church’s expression of love for God, dependence upon Him, and joy in Him. This is the value of having children in church.

Children progressively understand what a parent and the wider church members love and appreciate. Year after year, their understanding builds. Year after year, the well is filling up. The cumulative effect of deep and significant thinking and activities is what we are looking for.

III. What effect does the teaching of the Word have on a child?
By joining in the main services, children will be experiencing the teaching of God’s Word and beginning to understand the importance of preaching. This is a perfect opportunity for a father to share with his children how the preaching of the Word is affecting him and how he plans to bring his family in line with it.

Only God knows what a child gets from hearing father pray.
Only God knows what a child gets out of hearing God’s people worship.
Only God knows what a child gets out of seeing men standing up and speaking of the things of God.
Only God knows what a child gets out of experiencing Christian community.

It is really much simpler than you might think. The attitude should be: the church is family time. Our family, and the family of God.

We enjoy eating out together as a family. We enjoy going to the beach together as a family. Then, why do we not enjoy worship and instruction and fellowship as a family with our spiritual family of brothers and sisters?

IV. Which way is more wonderful?
This question helps us to think clearly about what is truly superior. All options are not created equal. Recently, after our worship service, I passed by a mother who was carrying her baby girl. She took a deep breath through her nostrils as if to take in the aroma of her baby. She said:

I can always tell who held my daughter during worship because of the perfume. For instance, I can tell that your wife Deborah was holding my daughter during worship.

Where would you rather have your child? In the arms of one of our mothers or fathers or teenagers, or in a soundproof room, playing with saliva-encrusted toys? Is it better for a child to be held by his mother while she sings the words of precious hymns, or to be in the back room with a childcare worker and who knows how many children?

Would it be more wonderful if we rose up and involved our children in the meetings of the church? And if we used these meetings as opportunities to serve as their personal coaches to grow their love for the Body of Christ; to increase their appreciation (and appetite) for prayer; and to cultivate their affection for the preaching of the Bible? In doing so, we would be resisting the child-neglecting, child-rejecting, and child-depreciating practices that are at work in our churches. It is more wonderful!

Why have children in the meetings of the church?
The question would be a strange one for people in the year 1800 since they always had their children with them during worship. It was normal. The question would not have come up because people were used to keeping their children with them.

The question would also have been an unusual one for people in the early church. The early church met in homes with all present and Jesus made it clear to His disciples that children were always welcome.

The question would be a strange one for people in Israel. We have many Old Testament references that record children present during major events where God’s Word was being communicated to groups of people. The Old Testament writers make mention of this without interpretation.

It is obvious that the normative practice for Israel and the early church was to integrate children into the normal practices of the gatherings of the people. Nowhere do we find a trace of teaching or example of our modern age-graded approach to the church.

Let’s bring our children back into the meetings of the church. I sincerely believe that if the Lord Jesus Christ were here in the twenty-first century, He would be the first to invite them back.

Prayer and Ministry of the Word

by Scott Brown of NCFIC
"God's plan for His people has always included the raising up of men who would dedicate themselves to do two simple, but powerful things - "prayer and the ministry of the Word." This was clearly stated by the elders in Acts 6:4, who said, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." This is part of a consistent pattern in scripture where godly culture includes men dedicated to these things. In fact, it is sinful for some men to neglect it. The prophet Samuel stated it this way, "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way." 1 Samuel 12:23"

What idols are in your home that you need to get rid of?

By Scott Brown of NCFIC

"This morning in our family devotions we saw in Genesis 34:2-4, a father (Jacob) appealing to his children to abandon their idols, change their garments, and make a new start. We talked about how God has given us a new day, to identify our idols and sins and begin afresh.

"And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone." So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

What a great way to start your day. What idols do you and your children need to rid your lives and home of today?

The Fourth Commandment

by Scott T. Brown of National Center for Family-Integrated Churches

"Fear will overrun it
Greed will overturn it
Obsession will overwhelm it
Ungodliness will overthrow it
Antinomianism will nullify it
It has to be kept safe from the barbarians in the heart, the culture and even in the church which will trample on it until there is no one left on earth whose schedule is governed by God. What are we talking about? The Fourth Commandment requires that we, “keep” it, meaning that we guard and protect and build a fence around it so that it is not trampled on.
This is hard because there is a public war against the keeping  the Sabbath day.
As with all the commandments the devil is always waging war with the fourth commandment. He places many stumbling stones in our way and attempts to disfigure it and eliminate it or keep us from it. This is why we must "observe" or guard the Sabbath day.
The French revolutionaires abolished the Sabbath.
In Egypt the children of Israel had lost their computation of it and Pharoah did not allow the children of Israel to observe it.
The pagan enlightenment' philosopher of the eighteenth century, Voltaire, wrote, "if you wish to destroy the Christian religion you must first destroy the Christian Sabbath."

The Family As The Nursery For The Church

Also entitled: The Complementary Roles of Family and Church
by Rev. Scott Brown

(my daughters and I listened to a message today by Rev. Scott Brown. Here are some of the notes I took)

15 Ways The Church and Home are Connected

1. The Home is the place where children first hear the gospel and become familiar with the Bible.
2. The Home is the place where wives are washed with the water of the Word of God.
-a wife is nourished and cherished in such a way that she becomes a blessing and resource to the other wives and young ladies in the church
3. The Home is the place where children are discipled in the training and the admonition of the Lord.
-God has made it so that children will be taught primarily in the home (they are not to be outsourced)
4. The Home is the place of child evangelism, where children thrill at the news of the grace of Jesus Christ
Acts 10
5. The Home is the place where kings are trained
Proverbs 31:1-31
6. The Home is the place where godly seed is planted and grown Malachai 4
7. The Home is the place where the curse of God is held off
Malachai 4
8. The Home is the place where husband and wife stand together as heirs of the grace of life--Where God's love is demonstrated.
9. The Home is the place where iniquity is held back for generations and blessings are continued for generations
Exodus 20
10. The Home is the place of marital unity, where children learn of the nature of God and that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The children learn the doctrine of the Trinity.
11. The Home is the place of marital love, that is an earthly explanation of the love of Christ for the Church. The husband's love for his wife is a mirror of Christ's love for the Church.
12. The Home is the place of personal growth Luke 2:41-52
13. The Home gives the Church households of rare and beautiful treasures, it is a resource for the Church
Proverbs 24
14. The Home is the place where sound doctrine is established Deuteronomy 6, Psalm 78, Ephesians 6:1-4
15. The Home is the place where elders are qualified
1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9

The Home is the place of basic training.

The Church must be training fathers to be the Shepherd's of their homes so the Church can have Shepherd's for the Church.

You can find this message on BlueBehmoth.com