Spurgeon on the Salvation of Children

“It is very grievous to see how some professedly Christian parents are satisfied so long as their children display cleverness in learning, or sharpness in business, although they show no signs of a renewed nature. If they pass their examinations with credit and promise to be well fitted for the worlds battle, their parents forget that there is a superior conflict, involving a higher crown, for which the child will need to be fitted by divine grace and armed with the whole armor of God. Alas, if our children lose the crown of life, it will be but a small consolation that they have won the laurels of literature or art.

Many who ought to know better think themselves superlatively blessed in their children if they become rich, if they marry well, if they strike up into profitable enterprises in trade, or if they attain eminence in the profession which they have espoused. Their parents will go to their beds rejoicing and awake perfectly satisfied, thought their boys are hastening down to hell, if they are also making money by the bushel. They have no greater joy than their children are having their portion in this life and laying up treasure where rust corrupts it. Though neither their sons nor daughters show any signs of the new birth, give no evidence of being rich toward God, manifest no traces of electing love, or redeeming grace or the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, yet there are parents who are content with their condition.

Now, I can say of such professing parents that they have need to question whether they be Christians at all and if they will not question it themselves, they must give some of us leave to hold it in serious debate.

From a sermon, “The Parent’s and Pastors Joy”

Interview With Dr. Paul Negrut

Dr. Paul Negrut

At the conclusion of the Uniting Church and Family Pastors Confernce in Romania, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Paul Negrut in his office at Emmanuel University.

He made many profound and memorable remarks. Here is one:

“Here in Romania we do believe in the sufficiency of scripture, but what we do not always realize is that we have head knowledge about the doctrine and do not understand the implications of that doctrine in every area of life. And that there is a huge gap…. It covers our entire lives.

The conference helped us to see that , although we believe in the sufficiency of scripture, we are blind to see how our children have been swallowed up by a secular humanistic government education program. And we saw how easily we have let ourselves go with the flow of a secular culture, not realizing we are transgressing the Word of God.”

For streaming audio of the interview click below:

http://www.hopebaptistchurch.info/equip/sermons.php

For more information regarding Uniting Church and Family see www.visionforum.org and click on "National Center for Family Integrated Churches, or go to www.hopebaptistchurch.info

Romania Conference Moments

A Father and Beloved Son - Voddie and Trey after Voddie's message at Emmanuel Baptist Church



Paul Negrut and his first grandson, Paul - Look Out World !



Jakob Dumitru, father of eight children, and his family traveled over 10 hours from Bucharest, the capitol of Romania. He is a teacher at a theological high school and Executive Secretary of the Romania Evangelical Alliance.

During a testimony and prayer time Jakob made a powerful correlation between our teaching on the sufficiency of scripture regarding education methods in the church and government schools to the story of Daniel and his refusal to eat the kings delacacies. He said of the three Hebrew children, "they refused to rely on the kings delicacies, but to believe God. They served God whatever the consequences might be – no matter if God will deliver them or not to serve God is much more important than assurace of protection."



John Popoviciu and his very handsome and active son Paul and Sorin Sarb



Paul Negrut, the best friend of every boy, joking around with Trey Baucham...



Marius Cruceru, Professor of Greek and Church History translating for me... (also a martial arts blackbelt and professional guitar player, and founder of a minisry to men called, "Men's Factory")



The Next Generation Being Readied to Rumble



Petru Pascalao, Pastor from Huiedin Romania Petru. became a pastor four months ago and we encouraged him to focus his energies on expository preaching and discipling the men of the church and then we had a time of prayer together.



Sebastian Vaduva, Dean of the School of Management at Emmanuel University



Voddie and Sebastian Enjoying the Moment

Romania Pastors Questions on Homeschooling

Radio Voice of the Gospel Studios, Oradea Romania

Today we continued with the conference and during the afternoon break, were whisked to Radio Voice of the Gospel where Director, Daniel Burtic had scheduled us to complete two interviews which broadcast over all of Europe. We did one interview on Uniting Church and Family and another on homeschooling. David and Trey both answered some questions from the interviewer on home schooling.

At the end of the conference day yesterday, there was huge interest in homeschooling during our question and answer session. We were able to give lengthy arguments for homeschooling. The questions they asked were the generic ones that we all asked 25 years ago at the dawn of the US home school movement. Here is a sampling of the actual questions we fielded from the floor:

The socialization question
“Don’t you think that the young men taught at home have a hard time integrating into the society. Would this be impossible.”

The financial question
“If the father and mother work at the same time who takes care of the children at home. That means one of the parents has to stay home. How can this happen.”

The Curriculum question
"What does it mean practically, home schooling from a practical perspective of a relationship with the state – curriculums, evaluation..."

The Work question
How does the work of the father – his workplace - get along with home schooling. Will the mother educate the daughter and the father educate the son. How can the father educate when he is away at work all day.

It was an unusually vigorous and lively discussion. The questions kept coming and we finally had to shut it down.



Paul Negrut invited David Brown and Trey Baucham to explain how homeschooling works

Paul was very supportive and spoke glowingly in favor of what we were teaching. He told me tonight that he firmly believes that whatever losses or trials that might be incurred from taking this position cannot compare with obedience to the Word of God. He is currently the President of the Romanian Baptist Union, President of Emmanuel University and President of the Evangelical Alliance (made up of Baptists, Pentecostals and Brethren. During the Question and answer time he regularly rose up from his seat to take the microphone to lend his support to everything we were saying about home schooling and uniting church and family. He was extremely passionate and forthright on the issues. We would say something and he would affirm it with a story or more instruction.



Steve Breagy and translator Paul Negrut. Steve's is delivering his message on "The Sufficiency of Scripture" which is the launching point for all of our work here. We pray that childlike appreciation, love and obedience to scripture will be the long term legacy of our visit.

Paul wants to schedule us right away as soon as we can return and take us for a countrywide tour explaining the same things we have been explaining this week... and bring families this time.

Uniting Church and Family Goes to Romania

Emmanuel University - the only evangelical University in all of Europe - for over 350 million people.

The conference is being held at Emmanuel University with Scott Brown, Steve Breagy and Voddie Baucham bringing the teaching.



Paul Negrut, the President of the Evangelical Alliance of Romania invited us to come to put on a "Uniting Church and Family" conference. The Conference runs Tuesday to Friday and will be broadcast via radio all over Europe.



"Evangelical Alliance of Romania", the official sponsor of the Uniting Church and Family Conference, is composed of believers from Baptist, Pentecostal and Brethren denominations. What unifies them is their view of scripture.



Opening address... Paul Negrut translating for me

"Scripture treaches that there is a divinely strategic purpose for the family - to prepare and present worshippers before the throne of God at the end of the age. In this sense all of family life is evangelistic. The purpose of this conference is to encourage fathers to be vigorously involved in the spiritual rescue of millions of children." Scott Brown



"Both the old and New Testaments teach that the church does not play a central role in multigenerational evangelism. It does play a role, but not the central role. Scripture places the central responsibility for the evangelism and discipleship of children in the hands of fathers in the home." Voddie Baucham



Voddie Getting ready for lift off



First stage burners activated



T Minus seven



"Lift Off'

"Many people say that it was necessary for the church to pick up the responsibility of teaching children because fathers in the home were not doing it. If we take this logic and apply it elsewhere, then we should tithe for families who do not tithe. It is a completely unacceptable form of reasoning. So, it should be unacceptable to use this argument to prove the importance of our family segregation policies and ministries in our churches." Voddie Baucham



Voddie and Trey at the end of the conference day having fun video conferencing with the family back home using "iChat" on the operating system of the dark side (Apple).

Wedneday's Teaching Schedule - Romania is seven hours ahead of Eastern Time

9:00am The Sufficiency of Scripture, Steve Breagy
11:00am The Biblical Basis for Family Integraged Worship and Discipleship, Scott Brown
4:00pm What is a Family Integrated Church, Voddie Baucham
6:00pm Q & A Time with Voddie Baucham, Steve Breagy and Scott Brown

Grateful for The Mission of Vision Forum Ministries

I am Grateful for Our Mission at Vision Forum Ministries as explained below:

1. Preserving Our Covenant with God through Biblical Patriarchy and Multi-Generational Faithfulness
2. The Hearts of Fathers to Their Families
3. Proclaiming the Nobility and Glory of Motherhood
4. Reviving the Doctrine of “Women and Children First”
5. Embracing the Blessing of Children and the Sanctity of Human Life
6. Building a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood and Girlhood
7. Reinforcing Godly Masculinity and Femininity
8. Understanding Family Culture as Religion Externalized
9. Teaching History as the Providence of God
10. Developing Biblical Worldview Through Presuppositional Thinking
11. Training Character by Hebrew Discipleship and Home Education
12. Communicating the Applicability of the Law of God
13. Addressing the Ethical Issues of the 21st Century
14. Preparing Men to Stand in the Gates
15. Encouraging Unity Between Church and Home

Uniting Church and Family Conference, Oct 5-7

Each generation has it's own battlegrounds where the forces of darkness are concentrating. For this reason, the church in each generation is in need of reformation and renewal on several fronts.

I believe that the most critical battle of our day is being waged for the authority of the Word of God regarding family life, church practices, biblical manhood and womanhood and sexuality. We live in a day and age where the average evangelical church member cannot communicate the true gospel, maintains a worldview almost identical to the unbeliever, shatters marriages through divorce at a rate equal to or higher than the general unbelieving populace, practices syncretistic child raising practices which are a mirror of the world, imbibes the same worldly entertainments and as a result has ceased to represent (or even understand) distinctively christian thinking on most issues. See various statistical reports on these issues at: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Home

On the one hand, I might say "Well, as the old saying goes, if you like what you are getting, keep doing what you are doing." On the contrary, I think that the current state of the church makes it more appropriate to have more passion and urgency and say, "If this data is accurate, we should be considering the possibility that large numbers of churches in twentyfirst century America have either lost their way, or have been led astray or are even apostate - and don't even know it."

Alan Wolfe, a sociologist from Boston College, observes that “in every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture – and American culture has triumphed." There are few areas that this triumph is so obvious as in family life.

We at Vision Forum believe that the family is a kind of fountainhead of the Church in many different ways, and that beautifying her will have a reforming effect on the body of Christ. In dynamic cooperation with the church she trains "saints" and qualifies her leaders. She nurtures missionaries and upholds the truth. She is a vehicle for community evangelization, and is granted by God hundreds of thousands of hours of spiritual training time for the children of the next generation.

The Reformation of Church and Family through fidelity to scripture is what this conference is all about. For details, on how this conference attempts to deal with some of these issues, click below

http://www.visionforumministries.org/events/ucf/008/speakers.aspx

Richard Baxter on "Redeeming The Time"

"Doubtless this is the best way to redeem time, to see that we lose not an hour, when we spend it only on necessary things. This is the way to be most profitable to others, though not always to be most pleasing and applauded; because, through men’s frailty, it is true what Seneca says, that ‘We are attracted to novelties rather than to great things.’

Richard Baxter

One Father's Practice: Matthew Henry on Prayer in the Family

Matthew Henry - A Good Mentor for Fathers Living in the Twentyfirst Century

On April 16, 1704 Matthew Henry preached an abundantly practical sermon to the families gathered in his congregation. One part of the sermon was for equipping them for prayer in their households. From the sermon entitled: A Church in the House, A Sermon concerning Family-Religion, by Matthew Henry

Here are some quotes from the sermon I especially liked:

He says, "Five things especially you should have upon your heart in your family prayer, and should endeavor to bring something of each into every prayer with your families."

1. You ought to make family-Acknowledgements on your Dependence upon God and his Providences as you are a family.

Our great business in all acts of religious worship is to give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his Name; and this we must do in our Family-Worship. Give honor to God as the Founder of Families by his Ordinance, because it was not good for man to be alone; as the founder of your Families by his Providence, for he it is that buildeth the House, and setteth the Solitary in Families. Give Honor to him as the owner and Ruler of families…



2. You ought to make Family-Confessions of your Sins against God; those Sins you have contracted the Guilt of your Family-Capacity…

How sad is the Condition of those Families that sin together, and never pray together, that by concurring in Frauds, Quarrels and Excesses, by Strengthening one another’s Hands in Impiety and Profaneness, fill the measure of Family-Guilt, and never agree together to do any thing to empty it.’

And even Religious Families, that are not polluted with gross and scandalous Sins, yet have need to join every Day in the Solemn Acts and Expressions of Repentance before God for their Sins of daily infirmity. Their vain words, and unprofitable conversation among themselves; their manifold defects in relative duties, provoking one another’s lusts or Passions, instead of provoking one another to Love, and to good Works.

3. You ought to offer up Family Thanksgivings for the blessings which you, with our Families, receive from God.

Many are the mercies which you enjoy the Sweetness and Benefit of in common; which if wanting to one, all the Family would be sensible of it. Hath not God made a Hedge of Protection about you and your houses and all that you have…

4. You ought to present your Family-Petitions for the Mercy and Grace which your Families stand in need of.

Daily Bread is received by Families together, and we are taught not only to pray for it every day, but to pray together for it, saying ‘Our Father, give it us’. There are Affairs and Employments which the Family is jointly concerned in the Success of, and therefore should jointly ask of God Wisdom for the Management of them, and Prosperity therein. There are family cares to be cast upon God, by Prayer, Family Comforts to be fought for, and Family-Crosses which they should together beg for the Sanctification and Removal of.

5. You ought to make Family-Intercessions for others also.

There are Families you stand related to, or which by Neighborhood, Friendship or Acquaintance, you become interested in and acquaintance, you become interested in, and concern’s for… The Benefit of Prayer will reach far, because he that hears Prayer can extend His hand of Power and Mercy to the utmost Corners of the Earth, and to them that are afar off upon the Sea.”

Buried Alive... Are we Euthanizing Conscious Patients?

So now we know... that presumption has been the mother of murder in the case of Terri Schiavo and many others.

On Sept 1, Wall Street Journal writer Sharon Begley reported, "There May be More to a Vegetative State than Science Thought. She was quoting from a new study from the journal "Science."

Here are a couple of excerpts from a Slate.com article By William Saletan, Friday, Sept. 8, 2006

Brain scans suggest a woman diagnosed as "vegetative" is actually conscious. Evidence: "When asked to imagine playing tennis or moving around her home, the patient activated predicted cortical areas in a manner indistinguishable from that of healthy volunteers."

Pro-life spin: Terri Schiavo was murdered!...

We'd better rethink our practice of judging people by their ability to communicate.

Modern Youth Ministry's Legacy Must Be Acknowledged

Barna Report: Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years

Over the last few years, data has been produced from many different denominational and philisophical perspectives reporting alarming statistics regarding an almost complete loss of the next generation in our churches. The numbers range from 70 to 90 percent. When numbers are this high, who cares what the real number is! Parents who read this material must ask, 'which of MY children will be lost this way if I keep doing what everyone else is doing."... because, if you continue to practice what you have been practicing, most of your children WILL be lost this way. Perhaps sincere parents have been kidding themselves into complacency.

The Solution: a reformation - a Great Awakening of biblical evangelism and discipleship - in the church and in the home and the abandonment of unbiblical and soundly proven destructive practices. For the last fifty years the church had trusted in something (youth ministry) that is nowhere found in scripture. Let's get back to biblical practices for church and home and say what we should have said a long time ago, "the emperor has no clothes, let's turn to scripture for help."

For solutions:

http://www.visionforumministries.org/issues/uniting_church_and_family/

www.hopebaptistchurch.info

http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/Leaders.html

Barna Writes:

Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years
Adults in their twenties make decisions about everything from education to marriage, from career to kids. Their faith practices and spiritual priorities are also established during the formative years spanning ages 20 to 29. A new study by The Barna Group shows that despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twentysomethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years – and often beyond that.

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrowPreview&BarnaUpdateID=245

A Father's Practice: Baptismal Covenant Repeated Weekly

Here is a copy of the Baptismal covenant hand written and signed by the great Bible expositor, Matthew Henry and his daughters. They would recite it each Lord's Day in the evening. It is a beautiful Trinitarian devotional and a warm hearted covenant. This Baptismal Covenant was signed Oct 20, 1686. His biographer (J.B Williams in "The Lives of Phillip and Matthew Henry) says that he took pains that they understood it through explanation and regular recitation. Here is how it reads:

"I take God the Father to be my chiefest good and Highest end. I take God the Son to be my Prince and Savior. I take God the Holy Ghost to be my sanctifier, teacher, guide and comforter. I take the word of God to be my rule in all my actions. And the people of God to be my people in all conditions. And this I do deliberately, sincerely and freely and forever."

Matthew Henry was an exemplary father who understood biblical order in the church and the home. More on this in forthcoming posts