Boiling the Frog?…Aug. 10th

My wife loves to collect cookbooks. She would spend hours on end just reading the recipes, looking for something interesting and new. And though she has cookbooks lining the shelves in our kitchen, I have yet to find a recipe for ‘boiled frog.’ Some have told me fried frog legs are delicious, and I understand they are a delicacy in the south. But how about boiling a frog?

If you know anything about our minister, Robert Oglesby, and the Waterview church of Christ, you know our Sunday morning sermon won’t be outlining a frog recipe. Instead, we’ll consider the similarities of being conformed to the world of sin (Romans 12:1, 2), much like a frog’s body is conformed to the temperature of the water. And yet slowly turning up the heat will boil that frog. As Christians we should ask ourselves if we’re feeling the heat or if we are just conforming to our surroundings. Perhaps the best way to ‘boil the frog’ is the same way the devil would boil a Christian.

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, Aug 10, 2014

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“We Shall Assemble” – 718

Time and again God’s people are called to assemble before Him. We come together each Sunday morning to fellowship with one another, study from His word and worship Him alone. The visualization of assembling on the mountain is the idea of coming up to God rather than having Him descend to us.

“I Love My Savior, Too” – 610

The final words of our previous song are, “…we’ll sing the song of the redeemed.” Then we’ll pick up with what I see as the ‘song of the redeemed,’ “Jesus, my heavenly King, loves me…” But the redeemed sing, “I love my Savior…” To keep from getting ‘boiled,’ and stay out of ‘hot water’ we need to constantly remind each other, and sing, of our Savior’s love.

“In Christ Alone” – no book

In this song of admonition we sing as we prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper. A memorial of His death, burial and resurrection. Verse one consist of recognizing our Cornerstone, solid ground and Comforter (‘In Christ alone’), verse two takes us from His birth (‘fullness of God in a helpless Babe’) to His crucifixion (’til on that cross as Jesus died’). Those who know this song cherish the third verse. We begin softly of His burial (‘There in the ground His body lay’), until our voices ‘burst forth’ as we sing of His resurrection (‘up from the grave He rose again.’) The final verse gives us assurance in Christ as we sing, ‘No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand…’

“Purer, Yet and Purer” – 682

How can one be ‘purer?’ Since pure can be defined as absolute or innocent, how can I be ‘more absolute?’ Wouldn’t it stand to reason that I’m either innocent or guilty, but not more innocent than guilty? To call for our lives to be purer we need to consider another meaning for the word. To be pure can also mean to be clean. Certainly we can be ‘stained’ by the world, and therefore should desire to be cleaner than before we were in the world. Like a frog in lukewarm water, we might grow accustomed to our surroundings and fail to realize how much warmer (how impure) we’ve become.

“How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts” – 432

What shall we do to keep our young people from ‘boiling in the world’ (faithful to God)? A question that has been asked from generation to generation. And this spiritual song (hymn) asked this same question almost 300 years ago. In verse one Isaac Watts penned, “How shall the young secure their hearts and guard their lives from sin?” And then in the final verse he provides the answer; “Thy Word is everlasting truth; how pure is every page! That holy book shall guide our youth and well support our age.”

“Out of My Bondage” – 918

An invitation song that will hopefully emphasize the message from today’s sermon. If we are in the world, and the world is ‘heating up,’ how will we respond? Are we prepared to jump out of the situations that slowly consume our walk with Christ? To get out of our bondage, sorrow and night, we have to recognize the darkness. Notice our words in the final verse, “Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus I come, Jesus I come; into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of the depths of ruin untold, into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee.” Will you come to Him, or are you content to stay in the ~~pot~~ world pretending to be a ~~frog~~ Christian?

“Restore My Soul” – no book

Getting our lives focused on Christ and out of the world, we sing of restoration…renew my spirit, revive the fire and renew my courage. When we determine restoration is important, we’ll jump out of the pot. It’s time we wake up and smell what’s cookin’.

1, June 27, 20121, June 29, 2012

Securing the Hearts of Our Youth…Part 3

As we conclude this series on ‘Securing the Hearts of Our Youth’, let’s example the third component of mentoring and preparing faithful families. Let’s turn again to examine the three previously mentioned, elements of securing their hearts. I truly believe that each of these will help us in drawing our youth closer to God.

Part 1, focused on the importance of a faithful example. Remember your consistency and faithfulness as you talk with your children, walk through your life and choice your path. Your example, in some cases, will impact people more than you words. Our second component (Part 2) addressed the idea of providing opportunities for involvement in the work of the church. We can include our young people when we give them a chance to work. Remember, if they’re ‘thirsty’ they’ll ‘drink.’

We have talked about the value of a good example and the importance of training and teaching our young people. And though these two methods of preparation are vital and needed to direct our youth, we must never forgot the ‘WHY’ behind it all. For the past 10 years I have taught the college class at our congregation. There has been Sunday mornings when only three (3) students came to class. And then again, there have been Wednesday nights when more than thirty (30) young men and women filled the room. During each class I ask them; “Why? Why are you here? No one is making you come; you are here because you chose to be. Why?” When we can come to understand the reason we attend a Bible study with God’s people is more than just habit, then they will grow closer to seeing the importance of doing more than just going through the motions. As a congregation and as individual families we strive to set the proper example. We focus on training and teaching our young people to serve (men to lead) in the Lord’s church, but our children must come to know why we do what we do.

During the early 1700’s, Isaac Watts at the age of 45, wrote a poem entitled “How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts?” The poem, a song many have sung for years, asks the question we set as the pinnacle in exploring our objective; Mentoring Faithful Adults into a Life of Service. How can we safe guard the hearts of our young people for Godly service? Isaac Watt’s doesn’t miss a beat. His answer comes from the second part of Psalm 119:9 “…by keeping it (a young man’s ways) according to Your word.” The song states; “Thy Word the choicest rules imparts to keep the conscience clean.” How else can we, should we, mentor faithful adults if not through the Word of God. The Psalmist continues as he writes in the 119^th Psalm, “With all my heart I have sought You…Your word I have treasured in my heart…with my lips I have told of all the ordinances of your mouth…I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statues; I shall not forget Your word.” Notice the example of seeking God and treasuring His word in our hearts; of mediating on His instruction and delighting (making a priority) of his statutes (the Law of Christ). As we mentor our young people and train them, we’ll teach them how to tell others about the ordinances (the word) of God.

We have a massive obligation to mentor our young people. We need to begin early and continue mentoring often. Our responsibility should never be take lightly. If you still have children at home, focus your attention on bringing them to God…literally. Don’t let culture dictate where they will go and what they will do. Be certain, if you don’t show them that God is first in your life, the world will show they what it holds to be important. And remember mentoring our young adults must start with you, the parent. If you have grown children who are no longer faithful and no longer under your guidance; be sure you have your priorities right and pray for an opportunity to correct any errors from your past. You may still be able to sway them if they a change in your life. If you have no children but want to impact and influence ‘the next generation’, search your heart and be sure you’re focused on Godliness. Seek ways to teach, train and encourage the young adults in your congregation. It’s never too late to secure their hearts and guard their lives from sin. Use God’s word as the light that will guide them through the dangers of the night. Rest assured, God’s Word is everlasting truth and every page of His word is pure! Using the Bible as our foundation in life will guide our young people and, as Isaac Watts wrote, will well support our age.

1, June 26, 20121, June 23, 2012

Securing the Hearts of Our Youth…Part 2

As we consider the importance of ‘securing the hearts of our young people’ for a life of faithful service, let’s continue to investigate the components of this pressing topic. Digging deeper into the question at hand, we turn again to examine the previously mentioned, three basic elements of securing their hearts. Together, I believe that each of these will help us in mentoring our youth.

To review ‘Part 1’, let’s reiterate the importance of a faithful example in mentoring our youth. Consistency and faithfulness on an individual basis is important. But next let’s consider the wisdom in the old saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.’ So if the time of establishing expectations is passed and the individual choice is in place, we have to ask the burning question; “If I can’t make a horse drink the water, what will make a horse drink?” Here in lies the second method of training up and teaching our young people faithfulness. A horse lead to water will drink…when he’s thirsty. An understandable conclusion, but what indeed makes a horse WANT to drink? A thirsty horse is one that has been working. We must provide opportunities and for our young people to get involved in the work of the church. There are vast areas where we expect work to be done around the church building and within the church family. So who will do the work? Often it’s easier to hire out the work to be done (missionaries, janitors, etc.) rather than putting the onus of responsibility on the family.

We live in a modest home in north Dallas with a good size yard on a corner lot. One look around the house and you’ll find we have lots of grass to mow in both the front and back yards. But who will do it? For several years I hired out the work to a local lawn service. They made it look easy and quick (actually they were much quicker than me) and the cost was minimal. But then my oldest boy turned 12. My wife and I quickly realized that the monthly cost for mowing could be put toward a new lawn mower and some yard accessories and then he could work with me mowing the yard. But it wasn’t easy at first. My son had to be trained. There were times I was frustrated and could have simply told him to step aside and let me do it. (Actually, that was said on more than one occasion.) However, if he was to learn to serve the family and ultimately be able to do work in the yard by himself, he had to be taught, trained and provided the opportunity to ‘get involved.’ Let the young, baptized men of your congregation go to work serving. Train them to read scripture and serve on the Lord’s Table. Teach them, as Christ did, how to pray. Show them how they can lead (yes…even the song service). Let the young ladies get involved too. Teach them how to teach in the toddler’s classes. Introduce them to building bulletin boards or even baking unleavened bread. Give them opportunities to be involved and start getting thirty. But you know…training will take time and energy. So ask yourself the question; “Do I really want the help secure the heart of our youth?” If we want our young people to grow into a life of faithful service, we must we willing to do what it takes to mentor them into serving.

How shall the young secure their hearts and guard their lives from sin? Next time we’ll look at the third and most vital of all elements when it comes to preparing our youth. You’ll remember…“Thy word the choicest rules in part…” See you next time!

1, June 25, 20121, June 23, 2012

Securing the Hearts of Our Youth…Part 1

“How shall the young secure their hearts, and guard their lives from sin?” Though penned almost three hundred years ago, this question continues to echo through the ages. Finding its roots in Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his ways pure?” this passage and song express the concern of God-fearing parents and congregations of Lord’s church across the world. We who are genuinely concerned about the spiritual well-being of our children seek to know what can be done to take on the wiles of the devil. Many congregations actively study and prepare their teens for baptism; an admirable and Biblical objective but one that falls short if we fail to teach our youth the character of discipleship. As we prepare our young people for a life of faithful service, we must example the elements necessary to answer the question, “How shall the young secure their hearts?”

As we investigate the answer to this question, let’s look at three basic methods that will help us draw closer to understanding how we can mentor our youth toward a life of faithful service in Christ. If we take the approach that we must begin preparing our young adults (the college student or the recent high school graduate) for a life in Christ, we are (quite frankly) about 20 years late. The ‘mentoring’ of our youth must begin during the formative years of childhood; a principle that is fundamental in history as well as Biblical text. But where does it begin? Who bears the burden of responsibility for their foundation of faith? Can I wait until my son reaches grade school to begin to impart ‘words of wisdom’? As our young people begin life on their own, whether as a college student or a young professional, they take with them the building blocks from an early childhood. Fathers and mothers alike must model an example of Biblical consistency and Spiritual faithfulness. In a word, make God your priority and be certain your children know it.

That includes making worship on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights (or your mid-week Bible study) more important than the baseball tournament on Sunday morning. When your congregation hosts a Gospel Meeting on the same Monday night your son is playing in a soccer tournament; you’ll need to ask yourself, “To which of these events will I take my child?” If your child’s coach calls for practice on Wednesday night, parents, you will model an example of Biblical consistency and Spiritual faithfulness when you inform your child’s coach that, “We won’t be there. Our family has already made plans to meet for Bible study tonight.” But you must understand this one basic principle: you can never make that statement if you as the parent fail to put God and Godly living first. What will your children see when they learn that your boss has given you tickets to the NBA playoffs, on Sunday night. Depending on where you go will be teaching your children about priorities. But this is all about making right choices when my family is young. What do I do if they are older, perhaps on their own and making their own decisions? How can I mentor young adults into a life of faithful service?

Let’s continue next time as we consider the importance of securing the hearts and lives of our young people. Remember the first step is to model an example of Biblical consistency and Spiritual faithfulness.