WAKE UP! CHRISTIAN PARENTS
By Cougan Collins
lgchurchofchrist@cableone.net
We have a major spiritual crisis in our nation. The latest polls show that 7 out of every 10 children raised in the church are leaving the church by their second year of college. The two main reasons for this is worldly influences and lazy parents.
Many parents have forgotten that it is their Christian duty
to raise their children up in the way of the Lord (Deut. 6:6; Prov. 22:6;
Eph. 6:4). If you are not teaching your
children about God by your example or teaching them the importance of God’s
Word, then you may lose your children to the world. If the current trend continues,
the church will die out in
We can defy the current
polls by taking action and making time to teach our children about God in our
homes. We should not expect our children to get all their education about God
at church because it is not enough. Your children are being influenced by world
in many ways. For example, when you send your children to public school, not
only are they taught the fundamentals of education, they are taught that evolution
is a fact instead of theory. They are being taught to think that we should not
oppose worldly views. Instead, we should accept them and just call them
alternative lifestyles. They are also being taught there is no absolute truth
and many other things that are contrary to God’s Word. Many of these teachings
are coming from their textbooks.
The world understands
that if they can train our children with information like this, that they can
change our nation. Adolf Hitler understood this, which is why he said: “Let
me control the textbooks and I will control the state...” During
a speech he delivered on November 6, 1939 Hitler said: “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I
calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already…. What are you? You will pass on.
Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will
know nothing else but this new community.’”
Not only do we have to
combat worldly views our children are learning from their textbooks, they are
being influenced by their worldly friends. Peer pressure is very powerful
because most do not want to stand out from what is popular. On top of this,
they are being influenced by
If we want to combat all
these worldly influences, it is imperative we get involved in our children’s
life. Stop relying on others to teach them about God because God has given you
that responsibility. Before you can teach them, you must be committed to
serving God yourself. You cannot tell children how they should not do certain
things if you are doing them. Your children will follow you actions, not your
empty words. In other words, practice what you preach. When your children see
your dedication to God and how you strive to be a good example, it will make a
deeper impact on them.
One generation can either
cripple the church or strengthen it. The next generation is in your hands, so I
hope you will wake up and take on the responsibility God has given you.
Otherwise, we might hear the following words: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have
rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because
you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
(Hosea 4:6). We invite you to worship with us at the Lone Grove
Church of Christ – lgchurchofchrist.com.