Preaching of Another Sort
“How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14)
God has ordained that people come to faith in Christ through hearing the Word of God proclaimed. Either through a preacher, a teacher, or self-study with the Bible telling them about Jesus and his salvation. People ask, “What about all those people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, what happens to them?” A good question, and one we must trust in the hands of God. All we know from scripture is that salvation comes through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the only way (John 14:6). Our job is to make as many people as possible aware of this good news (gospel), so they can make a choice. If those who have never heard have some special opportunity before judgment day, great, but we don’t know that, and we must simply preach and teach of Jesus.
But there’s a flip side to this equation. Followers of Christ must preach and teach the good news of Jesus, but that’s not the only preaching and teaching going on. In our current American culture, there are many loud voices preaching a different message.
In our schools, the teachers of our kids are proclaiming many things that are contrary to what the Bible teaches, what Jesus and his apostles teach. I have been substitute teaching some this year, and as I have time I wander around the room where I’m subbing. I look at the books on the shelf and see evidence of evolution theory being taught. I look at the posters the teacher has on the wall and see evidence of supporting women’s rights to choose (abortion), of supporting the variant lifestyles that impact our sexuality. I see pictures or quotes from some of the more liberal, anti-Christian leaders and thinkers of the world. The teacher may be a nice person, respected by the school leaders, certified for what he or she does, but they are prevented from teaching biblical concepts outright (if they even have a desire to do so), and many have no such desire. A subtle pushback from Christian thought is happening in our schools, and such messages are being preached to our kids. Are we talking to our kids about what they are being taught? Do we realize that what they are being taught for a very limited time at church is being countered by what they hear and experience Monday-Friday at school?
What our kids learn at school creates a foundation, but we all know it goes way beyond that. The music they listen to, the video games they play, the social media things they are exposed to, the movies they watch, the TV shows they see in this age of so many bad entertainment choices, the slant of the news each day, it all preaches a message that will be reinforced by friends who go with the flow.
Is there no hope? There certainly is, but our hope is in Jesus and his Word. We need to do our best to limit the impact of what I’ve described above, and make sure our kids hear more than a superficial teaching about “belief” in Jesus and a thin faith that has little substance. What they gain from church and especially from home must lay the foundation they built on. Make this more than a side bar of your life and theirs. “Belief” is more than mental ascent, it is all encompassing as we learn, grow and follow.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). “Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Heb. 6:1). “Therefore, go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19).
Cross Point: There’s a lot of preaching going on. Make sure you and your family hear the message of God.
God has ordained that people come to faith in Christ through hearing the Word of God proclaimed. Either through a preacher, a teacher, or self-study with the Bible telling them about Jesus and his salvation. People ask, “What about all those people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, what happens to them?” A good question, and one we must trust in the hands of God. All we know from scripture is that salvation comes through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the only way (John 14:6). Our job is to make as many people as possible aware of this good news (gospel), so they can make a choice. If those who have never heard have some special opportunity before judgment day, great, but we don’t know that, and we must simply preach and teach of Jesus.
But there’s a flip side to this equation. Followers of Christ must preach and teach the good news of Jesus, but that’s not the only preaching and teaching going on. In our current American culture, there are many loud voices preaching a different message.
In our schools, the teachers of our kids are proclaiming many things that are contrary to what the Bible teaches, what Jesus and his apostles teach. I have been substitute teaching some this year, and as I have time I wander around the room where I’m subbing. I look at the books on the shelf and see evidence of evolution theory being taught. I look at the posters the teacher has on the wall and see evidence of supporting women’s rights to choose (abortion), of supporting the variant lifestyles that impact our sexuality. I see pictures or quotes from some of the more liberal, anti-Christian leaders and thinkers of the world. The teacher may be a nice person, respected by the school leaders, certified for what he or she does, but they are prevented from teaching biblical concepts outright (if they even have a desire to do so), and many have no such desire. A subtle pushback from Christian thought is happening in our schools, and such messages are being preached to our kids. Are we talking to our kids about what they are being taught? Do we realize that what they are being taught for a very limited time at church is being countered by what they hear and experience Monday-Friday at school?
What our kids learn at school creates a foundation, but we all know it goes way beyond that. The music they listen to, the video games they play, the social media things they are exposed to, the movies they watch, the TV shows they see in this age of so many bad entertainment choices, the slant of the news each day, it all preaches a message that will be reinforced by friends who go with the flow.
Is there no hope? There certainly is, but our hope is in Jesus and his Word. We need to do our best to limit the impact of what I’ve described above, and make sure our kids hear more than a superficial teaching about “belief” in Jesus and a thin faith that has little substance. What they gain from church and especially from home must lay the foundation they built on. Make this more than a side bar of your life and theirs. “Belief” is more than mental ascent, it is all encompassing as we learn, grow and follow.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). “Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Heb. 6:1). “Therefore, go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19).
Cross Point: There’s a lot of preaching going on. Make sure you and your family hear the message of God.
Posted in Cross Points