PARENTS ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD FOR THEIR STEWARDSHIP

Miley Cyrus from the Disney days, with her father

Nothing could be more obvious in today's corrupt celebrity culture than this fact. We see more and more unspeakable crimes committed by young people everywhere. The corruption spread a long time ago to what was once the wholesome Disney television network. You can't even let your children watch Nickelodeon anymore. TV Land used to show the old TV classics like the Andy Griffith show and Leave it to Beaver. The ABC Family channel has nothing worthwhile or family friendly except for the 700 Club from the Christian Broadcasting Network.  The most recent outrage, in the long line of outrages by former child actors and actresses, was committed by Miley Cyrus. She is the daughter of achy-breaky singer Billy Ray, who is still to correct his daughter's misbehavior, and thus, allow her to become more outrageous in the future.

But is this what God has in mind for us parents? The biggest job any parent can have is to minister, raise up and disciple our children in the Ways of the Lord, the Scriptures and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are not supposed to be their enabler by giving them no boundaries. Modern parents, who were led astray by Dr Spock and modern liberalism, have fallen flat on their face and are in real danger of Judgment of Holy God, if they do not wake up and get right themselves.

God gave clear instructions for parents on how to raise our children. I explore these in today's message here on the PLUMBLINE TV show, as it is timely for what American parents are facing. Our pre-teens and even toddlers are bombarded by unsaved network TV executives whose only morality is the fat bank account! Please read the following passage and then watch the exposition of it, in the video teaching below:

Deuteronomy 6

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 O Israel, you should listen and [a]be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you,in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as[b]frontals [c]on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

HONOR, RESPECT PARENTS, THEREFORE - GOD!

Well, we honor them, even if we only have one active or living parent because God said so!  He gave us this commandment as an example of HOW we should honor Him! How we treat our parents is a reflection of our respect for our TRUE Father in Heaven - Abba!

In this recent program, I examine Commandment # 5 during my indepth series on the Decalogue - the Ten Commandments! While we Christians are not under the law, but the dispensation of Grace, we are accountable to the Ten Commandments! Jesus - the Great I am - the Alpha and Omega, never did away with these remaining 10 of the 613 Laws of the Old Testament!

As I said in the first couple programs of this series, which can be viewed as PLUMBLINE programs #31-#40  on the WLCF TV channel on YouTube, these laws/commands/statues or commandments were given to us for our own good! Yes they were!  They are to keep us safe, alive, healthy, joyful and in fellowship with God and each other! They are not just a bunch of do's and don'ts! They are a stop sign to keep us from running headlong into disaster! So without further ado, here is today's message - and the transition from the first four commands to our relationship with each other, while we are here on this great earth which God has created! Amen!

WHY NOT FAMILY DAY IN AMERICA?!

February is not only the shortest and fastest moving month of each year (with Valentine's Day and all) but a time to remember a lot of historical events. Nothing is becoming history faster than the traditional North American Family! The typical nuclear family of mom, dad and two or three kids with the suburban home and a privacy fence is slipping fast into the minority. 

This is by no means, a criticism of single moms and their kids or those wonderful grandparents who are now raising their own grandchildren! In fact, I know of a great-grandmother in her energetic 80's who is now raising a great-grandchild! These folks are saints! What this tells me is the men who caused these children to happen failed them by either leaving or not being there, for whatever reason. If anything, this is a HUGE criticism of men - from a fellow man! I know of what I speaking, being a men's ministry leader since 1997....(by the way, in all of Christianity, men's ministry is the most difficult to execute for Jesus! I can explain some other time)! 

What we are seeing though is family re-defined, by mandate, from politicians and judges, who are infringing on our Faith beliefs. These people tell us we have to accept two members of the same sex as they redefine them as a family. What God and His creation tells me is two men or two women in an unnatural relationship are not the same as a mom and dad! Whether these authorities or those in same-sex relationships know it or not, they are under the Law of God against adultery, false gods and if they are granted adoption rights - are in violation of the Commandment of parenting! For instance, how can a child honor "thy father and mother", when society tells that child that he has two dads or two moms?! This alone brings a separate judgment from Christ, Who said that if anyone causes the least of these (young ones) to stumble, it would be better if they had an appointment with a millstone necklace!!! (Read Matthew 18:6) 

It is hard enough being a regular parent balancing work, bills, obligations, routine home and auto maintenance while raising toddlers and/or teenagers, without outside forces telling us how we should live, eat, drive, pray etc etc... The question is, "Who do these people think they are anyway?!!!"  The other question is "What business is it of some busy body on the local or national news, or some corrupt politician or media person, anyway?" Just recently, we had the United States government telling churches and their supporting organizations they must provide contraception and RU486 abortive pills free of charge to employees! Now, even our churches are not safe from this sort of thing!  

Yes, we deserve a break today! We have Mother's Day coming up....then Father's Day.... Independence, Labor, Veterans, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day....How about American Family Day? We don't need a paid vacation day off for that. We just need to set one aside. Some may say we have family day already and it is the big meal on Thanksgiving or the kids coming home for December 25. That's nice...but those are days of excessive eating and shopping for gifts.

Let's set aside one Sunday per year to fellowship as a family; read together; pray and sing together. If we do that, that one Sunday then becomes two...and three...and pretty soon, we find out we are hooked and woohoo...we're rolling like the Von Trapps in Sound of Music or the Duggers!!

OUR FAMILY MINISTERING YEARS AGO
 IN PETERSBURG, ILLINOIS

My family is very blessed as we do that several times per month for many years, from when the kids were little and involved with musical instruments. Now, in the past two years, their grand parents have joined us as we added several new senior homes and visit each, monthly, to minister;sing; pray and I share a message from God with the folks there. We kick it off with an after-church Sunday lunch at our home with between 7-10 folks each time, depending on who is going with us! It is really heart warming to watch our teenage sons share their musical gifts with seniors in wheelchairs or 95 year old ladies with walkers and most Sundays especially, these folks have their families visiting. Most of these families never go to church or hear the Gospel, so I get to tell them about Jesus or watch my mother in law share a wonderful testimony, with her sweet home Alabama accent...while my wife sings a Southern Gospel classic to them!

The family that shares and loves and praises Jesus together, stays together. One of the silver linings of these dark and rough economic times is that all across America, young adults moving back home and/or sticking closer to their folks.

Friends, let us all try and leverage these opportunities, not to make scrapbook picture memories alone, but to begin building a legacy - a living legacy. Friends, THIS is what we are called to do. You may not hear this kind of thing in church, but you should...and you are hearing it here now!

Here is what our Father in Heaven told His people...and make no mistake WE TOO are His people, and if we do not do these things, we will be held accountable. Being a parent is the biggest/greatest and most fulfilling occupation we will ever have. 

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)

So come on, America, WHY NOT FAMILY DAY? IF NOT EVERY DAY, HOW ABOUT NEXT SUNDAY?! COME ON, LET'S ROLL, BABY!!!!
TOMORROW:  BUILDING A LEGACY THROUGH MY SONS
THURSDAY:    BUILDING A LEGACY THROUGH MY DAUGHTER
FRIDAY:         RETURN OF FAMILY WORSHIP
SATURDAY:    WHAT IF I HAVE NO TIME?

CHILDREN OF DARKNESS

If you look at all the glittering lights, glamor and gaudiness of modern lifestyles or culture, the untrained eye could be led to think "we sure have come a long way". The world measures progress by all of this and more: that is, who has has the best toys. Another yardstick is - who is more technologically savvy or proficient. 


We have become so advanced in an electronic age that we see companies pushing the envelope to compete with each other. They spend billions of dollars on Super Bowl commercial ads which range from race car driver Danica Patrick, shedding her clothes year and yea, to promote an internet hosting site called Godaddy.com to a large dog seemingly burying a cat and paying off a witness with Doritos chips to say "You didn't see nutthin", supposedly written by the dog. 


This is where the culture is in 2012. We have a so-called sophisticated society simmering in a soup of what Scripture says is "Darkness"! How can it be darkness, when we are so "enlightened" today?! Well, consider this verse "...And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil".... (John 3:19 ESV)


The basic truth of the matter is that the "light" of the world is completely different and opposite to the Light Who came into the world over 2000 years ago! The thirst for knowledge and reason has led many to an age of Enlightenment for centuries now, but the end result of all of that is deception by the angel of light - Satan! The god of this world has so blinded so many it is now critical that we do all we can to rescue this and the next generation from the oblivion they face. This oblivion is an eternity separated from God because our kids and their kids have followed a system of education and "leadership" which turned their hearts from the One True God and Light - Jesus Christ.


Just last May, in a case which stunned America, San Antonio, Texas judge Fred Biery handed down a ruling which banned student-led benediction or invocation from graduation exercises. This is unconstitutional in itself, as the Supreme Court has allowed this freedom, as long as students lead it and not teachers.


Just last week, Cranston High School in Westerly, Rhode Island, one of the few religious towns in Rhode Island, was forced to take down a prayer banner because an atheist named Jessisca Ahlquist and the ACLU forced the matter in liberal courts there. Not just that. now Ahlquist and the ACLU want the school district to pay over $173,000 in court costs due to assuage the "pain" they suffered from having to see that banner!!! If there is any justice in America, a judge will award her no more than $1 in damages!

Men and women love the darkness. They meet in secret to have illicit affairs and trysts. They have their slimy secret societies and groups and exchange secret handshakes with an pagan oaths. Their music is disgusting as we see with Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga and every genre from heavy metal to gangsta rap.


Their TV shows are despicable and would have led to producers getting arrest as recently as 30 years ago. From MTV's Teen Mom and Jersey Shore to the low-life who populate primetime TV on ABCNBCCBSFOX....from some of the cable channels like the MA Rated shows on FX to the not-so-subtle anymore corruption of children on the DISNEY CHANNEL (more on that in the future)....there is nothing safe for families and children anymore in the culture.


Men and women in power love the darkness. They persecute Christians - for now with their words and deeds - while saying we must be tolerant of any weird lifestyle or cult. Yet they trample all over the Gospel of Christ while calling themselves 'good people' who have their own faith.


Men and women in power love the darkness because they have successfully lulled modern parents into submission  to this evil, by raising up the last two generations as mentally and culturally dependent on the state for everything from education, to character-training and even school lunch.....WHEN ALL THREE OF THESE THINGS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS.


But "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

We can list every wrong here...but let's just give it today to the Lord in prayer:

Father in the Name of Jesus we thank You that You are the God of all Truth and You give good things to Your people as James says "All good things come from You, the Father of Lights". Lord I thank You this day for Your Provision, Protection and Permission to approach the Throne of Grace in prayer, praise and supplication.

Lord, we worship Your in the Light of the Beauty of Holiness, Your Holiness because You live surrounded by the Shekinah Glory of God, which the dying world will never see until they stand briefly before You to be judged for their evil deeds.

Lord nothing You have done since creation was done in secret or in the dark, but out in the open where all can see and rejoice since the beginning of Time. Yet men and women today, under the power of satan, have taken that which is pure and good and are now accelerating the slide into oblivion for not just themselves but are taking our children and the future of society down with them.

They have ensnared and corrupted everything from the media to government to school districts to the culture of books, movies, music and entertainment....they have so followed the serpent of old, that everything those people touch has the stench of death and hell in it. 

Lord we lift up our families to you right now, in light of all this madness and mayhem, and ask that You send Your holy angels to come around us and protect our people from this. We pray that those who are saved will not be further caught up in these things, if they are mistakenly following elements of it, thinking Your Grace will cover all their sins. We pray that those of us who are saved will fortify our own families first in the Truth of the Word of God and that Your Spirit will lead us to lead others away from the darkness and into the Marvelous Light Which is only found in Christ Jesus, the King!

Father, enlighten and illumine our paths to those who need to know You so they will not follow the path of darkness and destruction which their parents and forefathers followed. Give us guidance, strength, courage and boldness to share that Truth and Joy and Peace with them, in the only true love which can be found in Your Great Son - the Lord Jesus and it is in His Name I pray, amen and amen!

(image by google images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - THURSDAY

AM I WORTH ANYTHING? (Part 2)

                             

                    TODAY'S WORD: VALUE

Yesterday, as we began to consider and emphasized that every human is worth so much much more than he/she thinks or believes, a theme developed which we should look at. That is theme or underlying quality is VALUE.

Both self-worth and value are intertwined.  Consider this: a 15 year old girl Stacy, grows up in youth group and has been taught to love Christ all her life and that she is supposed to be the image of Him. She has been around her peers of, say, 10 other kids she has known since age 7 in the same church.

But increasingly at school, the clique around the cheerleaders, start picking on her because she will not come to their sleep-overs, or read Twilight or listen to Lady Gaga. To make it worse, she is part of that 'holy roller' crowd that 'sees you at the pole' to pray every September!

At first, it does not bother Stacy, as she knows the reputation (wrong or not) of those cheerleaders. But then, they start making fun of her weight, which though average, is not   the same as these future McDonald's employees. This bullying continues with psychological warfare in the school cafeteria, giggling behind her back and stupid post-it notes on her locker.

This leads to all kinds of self-esteem problems, up and down dieting, endless tears at home and soon, her single mom starts noticing withdrawals combined with the usual teenage acne covered up with heavier make-up than usual! Sound familiar?

What can we, as adults, do to help a poor child like this whose value in her worthiness has sunk to such a level, even though she hears from the pulpit how much God loves her?

First, we explain what the word Value really means. While WORTH means true self-esteem; excellence of character and more, VALUE is the consideration of your Stacy or Sam with respect to that worth, excellence, usefulness or importance.

At first notice, the parent or parents, have to jump on this case right away and not let it slide, because their child's very life depends on it. Stacy has to be reinforced from home and church support and family groups that she has merit.

Also increasingly, more and more boys are being left by the wayside by a culture focused on surface, sleazy feminine "beauty" that is designed to exhibit an increasingly sexualized society. We have grown adults - in age only - producing shows on MTV on Teenage Moms and Jersey Shoregirls and Wives of....you name the city....with young boys seeing this garbage, not knowing what in the world to make of this, because there is no male leadership pointing them in the right direction!

Even if the young boy is a churchgoer or youth group participant, most church programs are geared towards women.

So now, we have two issues, where both a teenage girl AND boy, will begin looking elsewhere to find value in their lives - absent of true Christian parental leadership. 

Most modern parents were not brought up on True Biblical Character Training. 

Most do not know the Holiness and Righteousness of God. 

Most are not aware that the Word of God has the answers to ALL of life's great questions. Most do not know that Jesus really cares for a loves them. 

Most do not know God VALUES them and us so much, He sent down His own Son, Who created everything in this universe, to die at the hands of His wicked creation. 

Most seek confirm or validate their value elsewhere.

Oh how it must hurt the very Heart of God. Let's begin the healing and loving and bringing in our children by teaching them the way they should go. 

Find a fellowship where there is a program of Recovery in the church.

Find a fellow believer in the office. If this believer is the opposite sex, ask her/him to pray for you, but don't be personally involved in going to lunch etc as a couple...that will lead to disaster. But do ask for prayer and any on-site guidance for books, seminars, cds or people you can talk to in town, about the situation.

Most of all, cry out to God, because He knows exactly what's happening. He values girls like Stacy; teenage boys like Tom, or Sam or Mike and most of all He values and find merit in and loves you...how do I know that, because He loves and saved a wretch like me. Oh, what amazing grace!

Amen

(image by google images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY

PARENTS, BE ON THE ALERT: NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO TEACH 10 YEAR OLDS ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY AND BESTIALITY!

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea..."Mark 9:42 (NASB)


This is more of a warning than a devotional. Can you imagine the very Heart of God over His little ones when He sees the perversion being committed on little children in New York City.


Here is part of the news story from New York City's NBC TV News says on October 24, 2011: "Middle school students will be assigned "risk cards" that rate the safety of different activities, the paper says, from French kissing to oral sex. The workbooks for older students direct them to a website run by Columbia University, which explores topics such as sexual positions, porn stars, and bestiality. The lessons explain risky sexual behavior and suggest students go to stores to jot (down) condom brands and prices".


These "workbooks" were obtained by the New York Post newspaper. Even more outrageous are  "risk cards" handed out to 10 and 11 year olds in these middle schools! These “risk cards” graphically names a variety of solitary and mutual sex acts and children are encouraged to disregard what Parents told them about sex, and to rely instead on teachers and health clinic staff members...in these evil New York city public school liberal systems, according to NBC New York!


There is nothing good about any of this. The opposite of good is evil, period. The fact that New York city politicians and their liberal education establishment knowingly perpetrate this on innocent children is vile and disgusting. They are marked for eternal judgment as Christ promised in the verse above. Just as horrible here is what the New York City Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs (who commended the return of mandatory sex ed)  says "We want to help kids to delay the onset of sexual activity, and if they choose to engage in sexual activity, to do it in a healthy way!" ....A HEALTHY WAY!


This is mandatory! People's 10 -14 year old kids have to learn about porn stars, bestiality and more...and parents have no choice. Woe to those people who have done this evil!

Even worse, woe to the parents of New York City, who are complicit in their silence over this outrage. They tolerate filth in their parks from demonstrators and remain silent while their own children are corrupted by their own liberal counterparts. They are just as guilty as the teaching establishment and politicians who pervert their children. A recent NYC poll found that 81% of their own voters approve of sex education for their children! These people are knowingly allowing their children to be corrupted. But this is not surprising for a city where only 1% of the population call themselves practicing Christians!

This should not surprise anyone. While this just revealed example from New York is the latest outrage, this is spreading across America and will overrun your local schools if real parents and decent citizens do not become the last line of defense.  Each public school is run by a local district and you can have influence on that board. This is also a good reason why schools should remain under local control and NOT Federal or state!

But the bigger is SIN. These human beings (and I used those words loosely) who wrote and developed these "workbooks", "risk cards" and curricula and then have them endorsed by Mayors and school superintendents are living examples of Romans Chapter 1 (See below for the relevant portions of Romans 1 and the Judgment against these kinds of people. God said it, I believe it).


While Sin is hardly talked about in churches anymore, you would be hard-pressed to find any mention of the Total Depravity of man. This kind of message does not preach very well, because some wealthy tither might take his money from your church and go to the next Laodecia Christian Church down the street! Man is vile, sick and evil. But man is also in need of a Savior. As sickening as this story about the New York City Sex Ed Mandatory Classes are, if these school officials were to repent and ask God forgiveness and then try to make all of this right by speaking out against it, THEY TOO WILL BE SAVED! THIS IS THE GRACE OF GOD!


In the absence of this Life Changing Repentance and Turning from Sin, Mark 9:42 stands ready to be enforced  against ANYONE, from priest to professor, who has said or done anything, which has led one of God's children astray.


In the Name of Jesus, amen.


ROMANS 1: 28-32
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
 
¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

(Image courtesy Google Images)