Part 3 of a 3 part series
My People are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge.
What makes this even worst is for the most part the responsibility of the teaching the children about God was left to a core of Christian babysitters and activities specialist that were for the most part inept at teaching basic christian doctrine. Just like today's modern education systems many parents either didn't care if there children were learning in school (or Sunday School), or had abdicated the responsibility of teaching to their local school system (or Church). In the worst case scenerio many parents are simply not versed enough in basic knowledge to teach their child anything, or in the case of the church, there were not versed enough in the knowledge of God to teach their child anything about God. There is no wonder that today's schools are failing our children. Likewise today's churches or Sunday schools are also failing our children. Yet this problem is twofold,
Lack of Knowledge of God
who would of thought that the lack of knowledge of God is the biggest problem in the church? Church has to stop being a place of pure inspiration. Sometimes the Holy Spirit moves us to tears, sometimes, its our own conscience, but God did not call us to tears He called us to a battle, and battle is what we must do.
When I was in elementary school there were two brother that used to kick my but up and down the street everyday just because there was nothing else for them to do. One day my daddy came home and saw them in front or our own home, that place were we should find safety, kicking my butt. And the anger and righteous indignation welled up in him to a point I thought he was going to burst. He wanted to jump off those steps and beat those boys, but knew as a man he could not beat them up for me. Then in a fit of anger that rang so clearly in my ears that 45 years later I can still hear it as if it happens just moments ago, he yelled "Troy you can fight with tears in your eyes"
I am not saying that we have to stop listening to the Holy Spirit, I am saying without the word of God, fighting the battles of this present day, as we have been for so many years, through feeling alone, is foolish. We can't defeat the devil with tears in our eyes, feeling will not give us victory over sin. This is not a physical battle were we can ball up our fist, close our eyes and just start swinging. The Bible says "our struggle is not against flesh and blood.... but against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) and the only way we can win this battle is to know how to weld a spiritual sword which is the word of God.
We need the word of God to win any spiritual battle, because the word of God will keep us from being fooled, or led astray by the wrong spirit. The Bible teaches that even the Apostle Peter was unknowingly of the wrong spirit and had to be corrected by the word of our Savior, (Matthews 16:21-23) and the only place we have the word of the savior today is holy Scripture.
So than unless today's churches become a place where scripture, and doctrine is taught than the congregation will remain in ignorance of the very God they claim to worship. Unless today's churches become a place where prayer and reading the Bible is admonished they, the parents will never be able to train up their children in the way they should go. Unless someone intervenes on the behalf of the uneducated child, he/she will eventually end up in prison, likewise, a child uneducated about Christ will end up a slave to Satan (Hosea 4:6)
Why I don't like children Church or Sunday School.
Children church or Sunday school as described above is vertically useless. It neither educates our children in who God is, nor does it prepare them for the wiles of the Satan which will fall upon them. Even though adult church is not much better I think children should be in Church beside their parents learning with pencil and pen what is being taught by the Pastor of the church. I know some of you are saying "My child will not understand what the preacher is teaching" But many of the same people are Ok with their 10 year old child watching PG13, or R, or MA rated movies on TV. Amazingly the world has said your child is not mature enough for that and you allow it anyway, but word of God which is written for his salvation, you hold from him.
So than because our children are unprepared to deal with the enemy, even though they have never missed a Sunday school. When they are attacked by doubt, or when questioned about their faith by peers in school, or challenged by professors in college, or even accosted by strangers on the street. filled with nothing more than Bible stories and feel good verses that are unable to defend the logical argument for believing in God. they are as I said earlier, "Taking a knife to a gun fight"
Why do we teach our children apologetic?
We must develop a curriculum of apologetic from the time our children are able to read and write, so that they become confident in defending their faith against their peers, and strangers and eventually even college professors. The Bible says they (we) must always be ready to give and answer (2 Peter 3:15)
Lastly one who is grounded in intellectual knowledge will never be dissuaded by difficult questions, by school mates, atheists, college professors, or Hollywood. They will always be ready to give an answer to anyone that ask about the hope that is within them.
My thoughts for the growth and survival of the Christian Faith lies not in gimmicks but in intelligent understanding of the Christian doctrine, sound preaching and teaching prayer and sanctification. I know this sound like and old recipe for success but that's just how God designed it to be.
Your brother in Christ.