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A powerful message
(Watch the video and then scroll down to message dated 11/04/08)
The sermon was so shocking (and biblical) to the conference audience of 5000 American young people that he was never asked back.
The young preacher responded to an e-mail about the message he gave:
“I am literally astounded that so many people have written regarding that one sermon. We do live in an age when the Gospel is seldom preached. Church growth strategies and entertainment are the rule of the day. America is not Gospel hardened, but Gospel ignorant, and the ignorance of the masses is the result of the ignorance of preachers. There is a great need to return to Scripture and rediscover the Gospel.”
This message was delivered to young people; but it is also for the most elderly of saints and every age in between. It was delivered to Christians who listened in their seats, but it is as much for those who speak from pulpit(s). It was spoken to Americans, but it is a message for the whole world.
Paul David Washer tells it like it is.
If you only manage to listen to one on-line sermon in the next 12 months; listen to this one.
(Click on one of the pointers; and then give the video about 30 secs to get started.)
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Christians Together, 14/04/2008 |
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| | Jeanette Rodger (Guest) | 08/07/2007, 14:10 | | Wonderful to sit and listen to the word of God being expounded by this dedicated young man... .The Lord has Blessed him abundantly with this gift of ministry..
| | | Dave Gillan (Guest) | 08/07/2007, 14:40 | | Very good sermon, and its not just aerica that needs to hear this but the church in general. Too many kid on conversions around today in our churchs andnot enough fruit.
Although he did seem to go on a bit about southern baptism, as if its the be all and end all of everything. Southern baptism preaching wont save you, only Jesus will.
Dave
| | | The Editor | 11/04/2008, 09:48 | | CHURCH YOUTH CRISIS - Have You Seen This?
-RevivalSchool Forum
KEN C writes: This Saturday morning I met with a group of men for prayer, for the nation and to hear what the Lord is saying to his church.
One man started in hurt and anger about his daughter. He said "I raised her to walk with the Lord, to the best of my ability. She just turned 18 years old and has taken off with a young man and is living with him."
Another said, "My son turned 18 and told me to take my Bible and stick it where the sun does not shine."
Another said, "My daughter turned against her Christian values."
Everywhere I go I hear the same report. I believe it is a national epidemic; the Church is losing our young people, even though they have been raised in church.
IF YOU HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPEIRIENCE IN YOUR FAMILY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS. I feel strong in my spirit the Lord is teaching us something about this issue.
MARK B replies:
We are now out of conventional church, but in our many attempts to find a church family before we opted out, what you have written about was prevalent; we were appalled at the spiritual condition of the youth, or the absence of them from the age of maybe 16 and up. The details that we learned over time were consistently sickening where the youth were concerned - dabbling or worse in the occult, sexual sin, secular and "of this world" in most all of their lives, other than the few hours that they were forced to attend.
The battle is intense spiritually where our children are concerned; Hitler knew this - if you can win a generation of them to either side, you have all but won that society. Because they are so impressionable when young, they soak up whatever thay are exposed to like sponges.
I want to word this carefully, because both in families on this forum, and people that we know personally, this has already happened with one or more of their children, and my heart breaks for them. If this has already happened with your children, all is not lost, but the battle to win them back will be fierce. On a similar thread, Maizie advised prayer and fasting for children in this situation, and I totally agree - we need to learn the power in combined prayer and fasting, and with grown children walking away from God, I don't think that anything less will break the spirit that they are under, and win them back.
In NO way do I intend this to bring condemnation on any parent with one or more children in this situation, but it needs to be said for parents with children young enough to yet "be trained up". A while back, having a talk with a Christian brother about our young children
(we have two under the age of five), I said that while the world, and many in the church will say that "you can't shelter them from the realities of life", I have every intention of sheltering ours, to the point that they are not even aware of what might be on the other side of the fence, until they have been "trained up".
Watching the world as we go even just to the grocery store, or hearing the horror stories of what is taking place in public schools, I don't know how a young child could ever stand against what is out there today, while still in their formative years, so what we have done is a total separation from the world for them, that will continue until they are young adults.
They are never out of our sight, and have never been babysat, other than one night for the oldest, when the younger was being born, at the home of the "safest" Christian friends we could find. We have kept them separate from the children of most all of the professing believers that we know, because their children are immersed in a world of television, public school, videos and video games, lots of time at the mall, community childrens' programs, etc., all of which are manifesting early in ways that should be causing alarm bells in the parents, but don't.
We watch no television, other than BBC news for 20 minutes with no commercials every great once in a while, we are very careful about the toys they have - mostly older things from garage sales and thrift stores that have no "agenda" behind them. We will homeschool, we discipline along biblical lines, and as uncomfortable as it has been at times, we "just say no" when neighbor parents suggest that our children get together and play. We have lots of music in the house, but no radio, other than a show on Saturday morning for a couple of hours. We don't go to the mall, and I can't remember the last time that we went out to eat.
This will, and has kept us poor - we will always be a one income family because this requires one of us to physically be with our children at all times, but also eliminates the need for daycare, which is a topic all its own. Even at the young age that they are, the difference in our children from the children their ages around them is more than noticeable - they know what we as a family believe, and expect, because they have never been exposed to anyone or anything that competes with these values. They are separate, we have to answer to God for them.
My heart also breaks for single parents, separated parents sharing the custody of their children, grandparents raising children, and people who have lost their children altogether, at least for a time, parents who have to work, and have no access to a good private school, etc. The challenges that these situations present are huge, and very real, but the Lord is always able to provide a way of escape, when we seek Him for it.
I really didn't want to post all of this, but felt that I was supposed to, for maybe just a few, and I have really tried not to sound insensitive, which I am not; this is a really complicated issue in today's society.
TY E replies: I want to say THANK YOU for posting this... we thought we were one of the few. We are homeschoolers also - a one income family sounding very similiar to yours except for a few things.... we are still in church but am amazed at the things he learns there..... I am not being judgmental but no one in our "church" seems to have the same standards as us for what we allow... I feel the same as you about sheltering our kids... even people in our "church" think we are out there.... we have long since stop worrying about it and make the best choices for our family that God is directing us. I guess I just don't understand what the "other parents" will allow such as movies, games, music etc.... among the leaderships kids... we are searching as to whether we need to leave this system as well. The stories we heard about camps in our denomination is just bad.. I am just simply talking about common courtesies that are not held up... practical jokes that could be harmful to the kids and the leaders letting it happen and even participating.... and this is the 12 and under age.... the "church" environment is getting just as scary as the public schools... Do we become hermits with our kids? the balance is hard to find...
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Ed footnote:
The above comes from Andrew Strom's www.revivalschool.com
You may not necessarily agree with all of the above; and it is certainly not the whole picture, but what is absolutely certain is -
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The battle is intense spiritually where ou
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