A LOST GENERATION

I have really wrestled with this article because I do not want to believe it is possible. This article is somewhat different than most that I write and in ways is a call to action to parents who do not want to see their kids and an entire generation end up in hell. Lately, God has really opened up my eyes to the lost millennial generation. Now I know there is always hope as long as there is air in our lungs and I do not want to sound defeated, but I fear the youth, the millennial generation, of the day does not have the wherewith all to be saved. Please let me back up. I am not talking about all millennials there are some raised by Christian parents and there are some who are not so plugged into the world and have a heart for God, but the majority statistically speaking eight out of ten millennials know not God and the disturbing part is they have no desire to know God. Again I know they can be saved, but for this to happen they (like us all) first must recognize their need for salvation, confess their sins, and then repent (about face or go the opposite direction), but I do not believe they have the social and mental ability to achieve these requirements for salvation. How can they? They have been so mesmerized (since their youth) with fantasy by the school system, TV, movies, games, entertainment, social media, parents, and even their peers that they do not have the spiritual discernment nor the ability to understand the basic concept of salvation. They have had their minds stuffed with fairies, pixies, vampires, wizards, witches, (since their youth, thank you Disney) to the point they really do not know reality when they hear it or see it. Bewitched, Star Wars, and Star Trek in the 70s and 80s, Harry Potter and the like now, and all of the trash on TV has stolen their spiritual discernment and understanding. Almost everything in their lives has been design to pull down the truth of the Gospel in their lives and blurred the lines between good and evil. Their lives are filled with distractions (things that give instant gratification, but have no real lasting meaning) and meaningless, unfulfilled relationships communicated through a hand held device. At best their character is selfish, self-seeking, and at worse is narcisstic and delusional. They have been given everything they have asked and more while not really having to work. Sadly indulgent parents have ruined this generation trying to be a friend (drinking and shopping buddies) with their children (not parents) and now they are lost. This all has a chilling and damming affect on our society. Take for example the swing in acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in America, something God called an abomination, the millennial generation (Christian millennials too) have wholeheartedly embraced and why, because of the lack of Godly parenting and the garbage the millennials have been fed all of their lives. You can look at any social issue in America have it be abortion, environmental issues, social justice all the millennials have embraced them against what God’s word says and against what God would have happen in all the earth. Let us face it most parents have raised a generation of children that are lost and do not have the ability in God to know they are lost. You would think the church would be a place for them to find safety and a sound footing, but not so. Many churches today where millennials go are nothing more than an extension of discos, theaters, and lounges. In manner of preaching and worship (a watered down Gospel and a hip Jesus) in most churches where millennials attend have shifted to be like the world so that they can be cool and net them like fish, well what you use to win someone to Christ you have won them to that. We do not need to change the message nor do we need to change the delivery all we need to do is give them the truth of the cross with the power of God and God will take it from there. The so called, “Christian music” that most churches have where millennials go is nothing more than rock and roll heavy metal music. Just turn off the sound and you cannot tell the difference between the Christian band and the heavy metal bands from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Remember the duck. If it walks like a duck and looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it is probably not a chicken. In Romans Paul give us a description of a person God would call a “reprobate.” “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:28-32) Now please notice their ungodly character resulted in their inability to make clear and concise judgments about life and situations in their lives, thus it affected their character and not knowing nor having the ability to correct their character they just drifted farther and farther away from God and He just let them go. This is proven out in the word “reprobate” (Strong’s #96; void of judgment, not standing the test, not approved, that which does not prove itself such as it ought, unfit, spurious). It was not the people were all of those evil things in verses 29-31, but because they were “void of judgment” and “not able to stand the test” “God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” And why? Because God was angry with them? No because “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” They were not concerned about God, they were more concerned with the things of this world: what they will wear and eat, who they will have relationships with, what they will do to make a living. You know it is sad not to know the truth, but it twice as sad not to know you do not know the truth. This is the case with the millennials today, they care less about God and His word, they live for what they want and can get without much effort in their entitlement world. We must take back the mind of the millennial generation through prayer and by telling them the truth and the great danger they face if there will be any hope of their salvation. Many parents will face alienation from their kids, but we can rest in God knowing we did our part in telling our kids the truth. We must stand in defiance to the social progressive liberal way of life and stress the traditional principles of self-governance, hard work, family, and God. No more sugar coated sermons to get people to come to fill seats and offering plates. No more talking about a hip Jesus. No more programs ad nauseaium to keep the people too busy to spend time with the LORD. We MUST demand the churches we attend stop selling out for mammon (money), for numbers, and cease all of the entertainment based worship. Who cares how much money, how big, and how much power your church has in the community! Churches must get back to basics and stop offering all of the amenities of the world to lure people in, if the power of the Gospel does not do it at your church then maybe your church needs to go away. We MUST tell the millennials what they have been told by the world and even by some leaders and teachers in school (elementary, middle, high, and college) that they have been lied too all of their lives. We must tell them they are being conformed into the image of this world through social media and entertainment. Parents MUST stand up and not be a part of the “beautiful people, the kool crowd” and tell their kids no matter their reaction how much you love them and how much you want them to turn away from the world and all of its delusions and distractions. Yes the Bible does teach in the last days there will be a great falling away, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), but that is conditional based on people hearing the truth then making the choice to reject the truth being void of judgment. We as parents can choose to tell our kids the truth and then allow them to make up their own minds ever keeping the truth before them in word and lifestyle. In Proverbs we read, “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27) We must allow our kids to ponder their ways, but it is our responsibility as a part of our reasonable service to God to teach them, “turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Even though our kids are grown and some have their own kids there hangs a plague (Daniel bought for us in Germany) over our (Karen and I) front door that reads, “as for me and my house we will serve the LORD” taken from Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) No matter how old our kids get and no matter how many kids they have our kids are still a part (not physically, but emotionally and spiritually) of our (Karen and I) home and we (Karen and I) have an obligation and duty (while alive and on earth) to train and teach our kids (as they do their own) the right way to walk on the highway of holiness. Oh we may not have been perfect in this and I promise you if you stand your God given ground you will face challenges from almost everyone who disagrees, even your kids, but that matters not. The spiritual order in God’s home is: God, father, mother, children and the accountability to God in order never changes. Today we as parents in America can either accept the possible truth that our kids are a part of the great falling away generation (and that may be the case but, I hope not) or they can stand up to the foolishness the world spins in their mind and heart and counter it with the truth of the word of God in love. And yes speaking the truth in love will hurt feelings (usually all concerned) and ruffle feathers, but that too should matter not. What matters is character over consideration for feelings. What matters is, we as Godly parents have done that which is right in the eyes of God to help ensure our kids and their friends are not a part of the lost millennial generation of today. Written by David Stahl

TRUE WORSHIP

As we enter what many Christians call the “Easter” season I am reminded of the greatest display of worship man has even seen and that was when Jesus (willfully) laid down His life for us on a cross and arose from the dead on the third day as He said he would. This last point is critical to our belief in our salvation for if Jesus never rose from the dead then all of our good intentioned church activities are in vain. In Matthew we read, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” (Matthew 16:21-22) Am I ever glad Peter never had his way with Jesus. Can you imagine if Peter would have won out and Jesus would never have died? Where would we all be? Lost and undone, but Jesus’ words were true and up from the grave He arose with a mighty power against His foes, He arose praise God, Christ arose. Now we have a hope and future. Without the death of Christ we would not have a hope and a future. Paul taught the Church at Corinth, “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) My friend if Christ not be risen from the dead then we have no hope for ourselves to be risen from the dead and notice verse 19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” My friend if our hope is only in this life then at best we are miserable (Strong’s #1652 pitied). What a hope we have in Jesus! But notice our hope and future is based first on the death of Christ then the resurrection. Paul in Romans tells us, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:4-5) The only way to walk in the Father’s newness of life is to die (some physically) and be raised from the dead. Many denominations use these verses when they do a water baptism, but Paul was not talking about a water baptism he was talking about dying spiritually. Jesus with His death on the cross was teaching us about true worship. There is a divine spiritual principle in play here, to have true worship something or someone must die. True worship is a willful act of the heart and sprit and not of our intellect and emotions. Even when we do not want to worship God, “in spirit and truth” we must willfully die to our selfish desires and self-seeking ways. We go to church and say let us begin our worship and start singing songs, playing music, and in some churches wave flags and call that worship, well that is NOT worship that is singing songs, playing music, and waving flags. True worship is a thing of our heart NOT our emotions trying to get our spirit charged up or our fix for the week. Biblical worship is to bow our head to the ground. In Exodus 34 we read, “And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.” (Exodus 34:8-9) Moses knew where his strength came from. When Moses was confronted by Korah and the 250 elders again we see Moses in a spirit of worship instead of defending himself or vilifying his enemy, “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? 4And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:” (Numbers 16:3-4) Again Moses worshiped and again Moses knew where his strength comes from. Moses died to his pride and arrogance, he put his leadership mantle (how refreshing to see this) on the altar and allowed God to choose between him and Korah. In Genesis 22 we read where Abraham and Isaac worshiped the LORD. “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” (Genesis 22:4-10) What faith? Did you get that? “I and lad will go yonder (I wonder where “yonder” is) and worship and come again to you.” I wonder if Abraham knew something about worship? At that time Abraham had every intention to sacrifice his promised son (of his old age) to God in worship. Again something or someone must die to have true worship, but God provided the sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac which is always the result of true worship. God provides for us when we lower our heart and head to the ground, like with Moses and Abraham. Maybe that is why not many people receive from God not much death in us we want to live well, God wants us to die so that He may live through us. My friend worship is not singing or dancing, but dying. Who wants to die? Not many, but Jesus did so that we may have everlasting life. Take heed when we make melody in church and call it worship. In John Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:24-25) Who wants to die, oh no our flesh screams, “I want to live!” Well to live we will lose our life. True Worship is not conducted by instruments, it is born of the Spirit. It is not mechanical, but uplifting and ascending to God, to a holy God – holy, holy, holy – something fresh we offer from our heart. No flesh can stand in His presence, “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:29) These days this needs to be brought out and emphasized because we try to bring God down to our level. Our highest vocation is not ministry, but it is to know and worship God. The more we come to know God the more we will want to worship Him. Many churches spend hours trying to work the people and the Spirit up (and they call that worshipping) to worship God, but if they really knew God there would be no need to work anybody up. We do not worship because we do not know God. Our attitude in God often counts. Worship is a tremendous self-giving to God, something that comes from within, and is going right up to God and right back to us to worship Him the more. We cannot worship in ourselves. Worship is born of the Spirit then He can worship through us for the world to see. Many Christians say we will have all eternity in heaven worshipping God well we better get it right down here on earth (and learn of the quietness of His heart) to be able to function correctly in heaven. How far we are from this in so much we see and hear. Oddly enough when we get really get into true worship we find He is just about 1,000 miles away from so much stuff we are doing, but that holds us it fascinates us and it keeps us going. A.W. Tozer said, “The feeling that we are to make converts at any cost has greatly wounded the church of today.” We cannot make converts we can only share the message and the LORD does the converting. If someone does not come forward to accept Christ we feel we have failed, the message of the Gospel has not went forth, but not true. We are to present the truth and then let the Holy Spirit do the converting. He (the Holy Spirit) needs no showbiz parlor tricks, music, light shows, or smoke and mirrors to do this. This soft and fluffy idea that in order to keep people coming and giving we do not need to offend them is not the message of the Jesus of the New Testament. The preaching of the Gospel must offend us if we are going to be changed. The crowds-at-any-price mania has taken a firm grip on American Christianity and is the motivating power not the power of the Gospel. My friend true worship must precede evangelism. For it is evangelism that God desires to use to draw those out of the world and from that group God will find His elect to sit with Him for all eternity. But, today we are working contrary to what God wants. We are bringing the world into the church. If we can but get some big shot (sports figure, Hollywood movie star, some celebrity) to say nice things about us or our church we rush to the media and airwaves to repeat the wonderful things they have said about us, but who cares what the world says about us? We need to be concerned about what Jesus says about us. The truth is Christ saves us to make us worshipers and workers and the more we know Him the better worshipers and workers we will be, but sadly we are ignoring the first principle the worshippers and only making workers. Christ calls men to carry a cross, we call them to have fun (be blessed and highly anointed) in His name. Christ calls them to forsake the world, but we assure them if they but accept Jesus the world will be their oyster. Christ calls them to suffer even endure persecution, we call to them to enjoy all of the comforts modern civilization can afford, in the name of Jesus. Christ calls us to self-abnegation and to death we call them to find their destiny and fulfillment in God. Yes my friend we have gotten off track. There must be a turning from this humanistic, amusement-based, pseudo-religion that the church of today around the world is. Way too much activity (too busy) and you know noise is not worship. It is far past time for the church to get back to worshipping God, “in Spirit and truth.” Let us learn to know God and worship Him rightly He deserves it. Let us learn to die so that He may be resurrected in us. Written by David Stahl