THANKSGIVING 2009 – IN WHOM WILL YOU TRUST?

Hello beloved,

Just this past Sunday, I found out some news that drastically changed the lives of many people.  One of the owners of the company I work for had a heart attack on Saturday and passed away.  My first thoughts were about the state of this man’s soul.  Today, he knows the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord.  I pray that, in his last moments, he repented and trusted in Christ, for  Jesus clearly said that those who don’t repent and believe in the Son will be condemned to eternal punishment.

All of these thoughts and emotions went through my mind extremely quickly.  I hope this doesn’t sound insensitive, but my next thoughts were about the company I work for.  This man had poured his life into his work, and now his responsibilities would have to be swallowed by someone else.  The major problem with this is that he never really shared his workload.  The procedure for much of what he did was only known by him.

My first reaction to all of these thoughts was asking myself, “How are we going to do it?”  I then called a co-worker.  He answered the phone by saying, “What are we going to do?”  An unexpected peace came over me.  I just told him, “Dude, it’s not in our hands.”  Of course, I can also look at all of the talented people that work with us, including the other owner.  I know that we have all the pieces in place to do what many in our industry are saying we can’t do.  But I realized after speaking with this co-worker that it’s really not in our hands.  It’s this simple, if we trust in our own strength and intellect, we will fail.  Despite our situation, our only hope will come from putting our trust in Jesus Christ.  That’s right, if we commit ourselves to bringing glory to God in all that we do, he will see us through.  I truly believe that.  It has not been our strength that got us here, and it won’t be our strength that keeps us going.  We need not forget that. (Read Deuteronomy chapter eight.)

In Deuteronomy chapter eight, we find the admonition that we had better praise God for blessing us and also that we had better not forget Him.  Of course, there are many examples of this throughout Scripture, but what better place to look, during this time of year, than the history of Thanksgiving.  Let’s take a quick look at providential hand of God that led our Pilgrim forefathers to this great land of ours, seeing them through every hardship they would experience.  And they were no strangers to hardship.

The Pilgrims, also called Separatists, were a group that had separated themselves from the Church of England because they believed that the Church could only be under the headship of Jesus Christ, not the Queen.  It’s not that they chose to separate themselves, but they were so persecuted for the stance they took, that they were eventually forced to meet privately in their homes.  The key leaders of this movement were Richard Clyfton, John Robinson, William Brewster and William Bradford.

In 1606, several of them joined together to start a church in the town of Scrooby.  After about a year, even more severe persecutions fell on them.  Bradford says that they “could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of those which now came upon them.  For some were taken and clapt up in prison, others had their houses beset and watcht night and day and hardly escaped their hands; and the most were faine to flee and leave their houses and habitations and the means of their livelihood.  Yet these and many other sharper things which afterward befel them were no other than they looked for and therefore were the better prepared to bear them, by the assistance of God’s grace and spirit.“

You might be wondering what this has to do with the situation my company is in.  Well, it has everything to do with it.  How’s that?  Because, as we stand at this fork in the road, we have a choice to make.  God has blessed us, and even, as he later did with the Pilgrims, whittled us down to a much smaller number.  We can look at the example that the Pilgrims set for us, and trust in God with all our might.  Or, we can do as the settlers of Jamestown did, and trust in our own strength and riches to see us through.  And we all know that that didn’t work out too well for them.

Back to the Pilgrims.  Due to the severe persecution, the Scrooby Church, under the Pastoral guidance of Richard Clyfton, made the decision to flee to Holland.  They first fled to Amsterdam, stayed there about a year and finally made it to Leyden.  Before they even got to Leyden, they lost their beloved Pastor as he was too old to make the trek.  So, much like the situation I find myself in today, they could either put their trust in the strength and intellect of their new Pastor, John Robinson.  Or, they could humble themselves and seek the face of God for guidance.  Of course, John Robinson was a great man, and they looked to him as their shepherd.  But you can rest assured that these Pilgrims knew good and well that their deliverance would not come from any man.  Pastor Robinson knew this as well.

After eleven years in Leyden, they once again were faced with the decision to flee.  This time, it was not due to persecution, but to their living conditions.  In Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” he lists four reasons for their deciding to leave, but one stuck out more than the others.  They were losing their children to the culture.  So, once again they sought the face of the Lord and were led to leave.

They initially set out on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower.  God had other plans.  Apparently, he wanted to whittle them down some more so that he could get the saltiest of the salty to found this nation of ours.  And don’t fool yourself.  He was not looking for the strongest or the smartest.  He was looking for those who he knew would trust him.  He was looking for the few that he knew would make this nation of ours into, as John Winthrop said, “A city set upon a hill.”  That’s right, he wanted a nation that would spread the light of Christ all across this dark world.

It appeared that God had finally found himself a people that he could trust.  So, September 6, 1620,  Pilgrims set out from Southampton on the Mayflower.  Now, if you think the hardships were over, you’ve got another thing coming.  A total of 102 Pilgrims were all crammed into the tween-decks, no bigger than a volleyball court.  They went through seven weeks in a “rolling, pitching, stinking inferno.”  Those on board were unable to see the sunshine the whole way, due to the violent storms.  No doubt, many forgot what fresh air smelled like amidst all those that were constantly throwing up.

But, through all this, they still trusted in God and even sang praises to His name.  One of the deck-hands mocked them the whole way.  He even said that he couldn’t wait until he could seal up their body bag and toss those “psalm-singing pukestockings” overboard to the sharks.  Ironically, it was he that had to be tossed overboard. All of the sudden, he came down with a mysterious illness and died within a couple of days.  This, and the death of one other who refused to take lemon juice to fight the scurvy, were the only two to die on the entire trip.

Finally, on the ninth of November of 1620, they reached Cape Cod.  By the Providential hand of God, they had missed their landing by almost a hundred miles to the north.  After much prayer though, they decided not to go south, but to stay put.  On November 11, they set anchor in the natural harbor on the inside of the Cape.

Yet again, they were faced with a dilemma.  Being that they had blown north, they were no longer under the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company.  And since the had no patent from the New England Company, they would be under…no one.  Thankfully, the few that God had assembled knew better than to go into a land with no authority.  So, right then and there, they sought the face of God and drew up the cornerstones of American Democracy.  They put their trust in the Word of God and drafted up The Mayflower Compact.  This marked the first time in history that free and equal men had voluntarily covenanted together to create their own new civil government based on biblical principles.

They finally made it.  Time to relax, right?  If you know much about this story, you know that’s not the case.  In fact, their hardships only got worse.  But all through it, the Pilgrims set an example for us that we should never forget.  No matter how horrible things looked, they always put their trust in God.  During the first winter, forty-seven out of a hundred Pilgrims lost their lives to sickness.  To put it in perspective, thirteen out of eighteen wives died.  They had hardly anything to eat, they were constantly cold, and constantly sick, yet they never lost their faith.  We can’t even imagine the horrors they experienced.  Just imagine how miserable we get when having to be in the cold for an extended period of time.  Well, they were always that cold.  And they had no place to warm themselves.  Yet…they never lost their faith in God.  What an example.

Now, I get to the part of the story which is familiar to most of us.  In March of 1621, an Algonquin Chief named Samoset arrived.  His first word was, “Welcome.”  It was he that introduced them to Massosoit, the Chief of the Wampanoags, who turned out to be a great friend to the Pilgrims.  Through Massosoit, they met Squanto; who Bradford describes as “a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation.”  Then, of course, we have all been taught how Squanto taught them how to survive in this new environment.  Unfortunately, most of us have not been taught that Squanto truly was “a special instrument of God.”

God used Squanto to see them through.  And the Pilgrims were definitely not ignorant of this.  From 1606 to 1621, they had seen one hardship after another.  But through all of them, they never failed to keep the faith.  They fought the good fight and God saw them through with one miracle after another.  Therefore, in the fall of 1621, Governor William Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving to be held in October.

Oh, sure, they were thankful to the Native Americans, as we are taught in public school.  But, more than anything, these godly Pilgrims were thankful to Almighty God.  For they knew that they would have never made it, had it not been for His mighty hand.  Though this great day was a day of feasting and games, they put God first by beginning the festivities with a prayer by William Brewster.  They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs, even when their faith had not been up to believing that He would do so; for the lives of those who passed away and for taking the home to be with Him; for their friendship with the natives–so extraordinary when settlers to the south of them experienced the opposite; for all His remarkable providences in bringing them to this place and sustaining them.

Just look at all the wonderful things we can glean from our Pilgrim forefathers.  It’s sad that we are public schools never mention the providential hand of God throughout American History.  It is stories like these that will, as you look back on them, teach you to fear the Lord.  The situation my company is in is a perfect example of that.  We are at a crossroads where we can either band together and look to our own strength for salvation.  Or, we can do as the Pilgrims did and humbles ourselves, putting our trust in God.

So, this Thanksgiving, though my company is facing a situation we must ultimately look to the God of our forefathers; the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must remember that things might get much worse from this point on, but regardless of that, we must continue to trust in him.  Though all of our reasoning will tell us that we are strong enough to make it, we will only make it when we admit that we truly are weak and cannot do it lest the Lord come to our side.

The same goes for all of you.  There are not many out there that have not been touched by this economic downslide.  You too, have a choice to make.  Will you trust in yourself, or will you trust in God.

Again, I would encourage you to read Deuteronomy chapter eight.

–

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior, and have questions about your eternity, either send me an email or go to http://www.wayofthemaster.com/goodperson.shtml

SO, JUST WHY IS THERE NO BALM IN GILEAD ANYWAY?

There has been a video circulating on the internet from the Gamaliel Foundation of a bunch of community organizers that are apparently praying to Barack Obama.  I’ll admit, when I first watched it, I was shocked that the people were in a church chanting, “Save us Obama!” and “Deliver us Obama!”  Then, after watching it again, I noticed that only a few of them were saying, “Obama.”  Most were saying, “Save us oh God.”

This was pointed out to me by a liberal who was calling me out for posting this on my Facebook page.  Well, I had to agree with him.  But, after watching it again, listening a little closer, I picked out a verse that the priestess was using.  In order to bring validity to this abominable healthcare plan she quoted Jeremiah 8:22, from the New Revised Standard Version, which says, “Is there no balm in Gilead?  Is there no physician here?  Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?” I couldn’t believe that she would use this, of all scriptures to validate universal healthcare.  It was obvious that she could care less about the context of that verse.  And I felt that this was just as grievous a sin as chanting, “Deliver us Obama,” which some really did do, by the way.

So, why was there no balm in Gilead anyway?  Was it because the government of the day was not doing their job of providing affordable healthcare to all the people of Judah? (Not that that is the government’s job in the first place.)  To answer that question, you need to, first, go back to Jeremiah chapter seven.  This is where Jeremiah first gets called to deliver a sermon right at the gate of the Lord’s house.  What was his message?  Verse three says, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.” His message to those who entered into the temple of the Lord was to repent.  And, by the way, the message needs to be the same thing today.

In verse four, we find the prophet warning them not to trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” You see, the priests and prophets were telling the people not to worry, because God would never let anything happen to this temple or to his chosen people.  But those were deceptive words.  Unfortunately, the people gobbled it up.  And people are gobbling up the same nonsense today, believing that they can live in blatant sin and trust that a prayer they once prayed will save them on the Day of Judgment.

Jeremiah, then, spends a few verses naming specific sins; one of which was the shedding of innocent blood.  How fitting that this priestess was quoting from this sermon of Jeremiah, while she supports a man who vehemently advocates the shedding of innocent blood, through the abominable practice of abortion?  Then he says again, in verse eight, “But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.” Isn’t it ironic that we have the same problem today; deceptive words from the prophets and priests?  Look at the the response TD Jakes gave when he was asked to talk about the politics of the day.  “Tragically, this generation has limited its definition of morality to two issues, same sex marriages and abortion. Morality goes far beyond those two issues. Racism is immoral. I think racial profiling is immoral. I think not providing health care is immoral. To let someone die in a country that is as progressive as ours for the lack of something that is within our power to give them is immoral. It is virtually murder.” Then he went on to congratulate Barack Obama when he won the Democratic Primary in June of 2008.  You see, the problem today starts in the pulpit.  What we have, as Isaiah would say, are “dumb dogs, they cannot bark.”

In verses nine through eleven, Jeremiah busts the people in the temple up real good.  ” ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,  and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”-safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.” A den of robbers is the place where criminals would go to hide after they had committed their crimes.  That’s exactly what God’s people had become: criminals.  And they were falsely hoping that because they were children of Abraham; because they had the temple; they would be safe to continue in their wicked practices.

Is that not exactly where we are today?  Week in and week out, we meet women at the abortion clinic, going in to murder their own children. Many have Bibles in their cars and fish bumper stickers.  And what do they say when told that Jesus would never want them to kill their own children?  “Yes, but He will forgive me.” They are just like those who Jeremiah was confronting at the temple.  And the problem is, they are just repeating what they have heard from pulpits all over this land.  Many pastors are teaching that you can, “sin all the more and grace will cover.”

As I have been reading Jeremiah this year, two things have stuck out to me more than any others: God’s issue with hypocritical believers and false prophets.  And here’s the thing, he pins the blame of the believers’ hypocrisy to the deceptive words of the false prophets.  Of course, Jeremiah is not the only prophet of the Old Testament to deal with this.  Actually, they probably all address this at some point.  I know Isaiah and Ezekiel do.  But Jeremiah is chock full of it.

But to get around to answering the question posed in 8:22, let’s finish going through chapters seven and eight.  You see, in verses twelve through fifteen, Jeremiah proclaiming what will happen to the temple, giving an example of what God did in Shiloh.  This is where the evil sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) thought they could take the ark into battle and that God would rout the enemy, even though they were living such evil lives.  But of course, they were slain by the Philistines, the ark was captured and Ichabod (the glory had departed) was written over the Tabernacle.  And now, the people of Judah could expect the same judgment to fall on them.

Then, we see something strange in verse sixteen.  God tells Jeremiah not to even pray for this people.  You see him saying this a total of three times in the book of Jeremiah (7:6, 11:14, 14:11).  This was because they had hardened their hearts to God and were not going to repent.  God’s call for Jeremiah was to preach to these people, not to pray for them.

In verses seventeen through nineteen we see something that has to break the heart of God.  “Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?” Instead of the families teaching their children the fear of God, they were teaching them how to worship false gods.  Are we not doing the same thing today?  In many Christian homes the altar of sports, entertainment and fashion is much more prevalent than any family devotion time.  And I am sure that this is just as upsetting to God as it was in the days of Jeremiah.

In verse twenty, Jeremiah lets them know that God has had enough.  He said, “My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be quenched”

Then, in verses twenty-one through twenty-six God confronts them for their hypocritical sacrifices.  They were hypocritical because they were only following part of what God required of them.  They were offering up sacrifices yet ignoring God’s desire for obedience.  He goes back from the time he brought their forefathers out of Egypt until the moment Jeremiah was confronting them.  Throughout that time they refused to obey the Lord and they refused to listen to his servants the prophets.

Therefore, in verse twenty-seven, God lets Jeremiah in on a little secret.  Basically, he told him that when he delivered this message they were not going to listen.  They were a stiff-necked people, who rejected anything resembling truth.  All Jeremiah could do was continue to preach God’s word and take up a lament, because God was going to take them out.  I wonder how far God is from saying this very same thing today.

In verses Jeremiah 7:30-8:3, God again deals with the sins of the people and lets them know what’s coming.  This time, he specifically calls out child sacrifice (7:31).  It was such a horrific practice that God had never even allowed such a thought to enter his mind.  Yet it still goes on today.  And now we have the most pro-abortion president ever.  Do you think that God has had just about enough?  Is this nation about to become like the Valley of Slaughter?

In verses four through twelve of chapter eight, you find that God is dealing with the hearts of the people.  To sum it up, the people basically did whatever they pleased and, when confronted, would never repent of their wickedness (v 6b).  They had no idea what God required of them (v 7b).  Why?  Well, not only had they lost the law in the temple, but the prophets and priests were giving them a different law (kind of like the prophets of today are preaching a different gospel.)  But they didn’t have a problem with that.  After all, they had a chance to hear the true word of God when he sent them true prophets, but they would have none of it.  Like today, they just wanted to have their ears tickled.

The false priests and prophets were all alike.  They all practiced deceit and were greedy for gain.  They dressed the wound of God’s people as though it were not serious.  Though Jerusalem was surrounded by the judgment of God, the cry of the prophets was uniformly, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace.

In verses thirteen through twenty-two God goes on to explain, in detail, how he was going to judge his people.  He showed them that their harvest would be removed, their cities would crumble, and they themselves would either be brutally slain or taken captive.  In spite of this, they still did not repent.  No.  They fled to their fortified cities!  Their cry in verses fourteen and fifteen went something like this, “Oh poor us.  Look what has happened.  How could a loving God have allowed such a thing.” Sound familiar (9/11, Katrina, etc.)?  Well, it happened because of their unfaithfulness and disobedience to the one true God (See Isaiah 59:1-2).

In verse twenty, the people quote the proverb, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” The people have finally realized that they had the opportunity to repent and be delivered, but they missed it.  It was now too late for deliverance.

That leads us to verse twenty-two; the same verse that the priestess was reciting in the house of God, using it as a cry for deliverance.  Yet she had no idea what she was actually saying.  “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” So, why is there no balm in Gilead?  Why is there no physician there?  Why was there no healing for the wound of God’s people?  If you can’t already clearly see the answer, please turn to Jeremiah 30:12-15. (Well, turn there anyway)

12 “This is what the LORD says: ” ‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. 14 All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. 15 Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.”

We see here that there was no balm in Gilead, there was no physician and no healing, not because the government had not been doing their job, but because the people of Judah had spurned the only cure.  Isaiah went before Jeremiah and preached for years that the people no longer trust in themselves and the government, but to turn to the Lord.  Yet, now, even in the midst of disaster, they still refused to repent and turn to him.  The Lord was their only hope and they had completely rejected him, making him their enemy.

So, does this apply to us today?  Over and over, God sends true prophets of God to proclaim these truths, not only to the wicked culture, but to the church.  What is the overwhelming response?  “What gives you the right to judge?” or, “You intolerant bigot!” The true message from God is being rejected and replaced by a lukewarm, seeker-sensitive, false gospel, which dresses the wound of God’s people as if it weren’t serious.  The popular message today is “Peace, peace” when there is no peace.

So what do we do?  Should we sit around and try to come up with a better healthcare plan to counter the liberals?  Or should we try to reach across the isle so we can work something out that everybody agrees on?  No.  Our only answer lies in us realizing that healthcare is not the issue.  Liberalism vs. Conservatism is not the issue.  No.  The issue is sin.  We need to repent.  And we need to preach repentance, not only at the gates of Hell, but also at the gates of the Lord’s house.

Only then will the people find balm in Gilead.

–
For His Glory,
Adam Tennant

THE GIFT OF BIBLICAL FEMININITY

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”  (Matthew 19:4-6)

This article is all about a precious gift that God has given women; the gift of authentic biblical femininity.  So, why did I begin with this verse about marriage?  This verse probably means more to me than any other verse.  Let me explain.

I, like many others, was raised in the home stricken by divorce.  After years of trying to find that special someone, I was left with the idea that I just wasn’t meant to be married.  And I felt very strongly about that.  To me, love was something that didn’t last.  I believed that love was something that you “fall into.”  Therefore, I reasoned that it was something that you could also “fall out of.”  And, unfortunately, this was not just my perception; it was my experience.

I praise God that He changed my heart on this matter.  In February of 2005, I surrendered my life to Christ.  Not long after that, I met Paige (my wife).  I had never met a woman of such purity.  Over the next few months, God took me to the cleaners.  He took me to a place where I realized that my relationship with Christ was the most important relationship I could have.  I decided that, if it was God’s will that I live a life of celibacy, I was fine with that.  Thankfully, not long after that, He clearly showed me that this was not His will; that He had set someone apart just for me.

Paige and I began courting in January of 2006.  Neither of us knew all that we know now about biblical courtship, but we definitely did things differently than the cultural norm.  And as we went along together, and learned more about this, we changed some things.  We didn’t do everything perfectly, but our hearts were following Christ, and by His grace, we kept ourselves pure.

Early on in our relationship, I had to come clean about something.  I knew that I loved her and that I wanted to marry her, but I was scared to make any kind of commitment because, to me, love was something that could dissolve at the drop of a hat.  I told her about this.  I told her that I was scared to love her.  I feared that her love for me might wear off one day.  We committed ourselves to praying about it.

The next morning, I woke up humming a familiar tune.  I wasn’t sure where it had come from.  I was humming a verse from a Jason Upton song, which said, “What God has joined together, let no one separate it.”  That verse continued in my head all morning.  Then it hit me.  That’s not just a song!  That’s a Bible verse!  It was incredible.  God was showing me, through His Word, that He would not let anyone tear our love apart, as long as we made Him the center of our marriage.

So, now that you understand that godly marriages don’t just happen, let me talk to you about biblical femininity.  After all, Jesus Christ has been the most instrumental in changing my life.  And of course, He set for us the example of ultimate purity.  But, other than Christ himself, I can think of no better example of purity than my precious wife.  And, as I love her as Christ loved the church, my daughter(s) will see how precious a gift it is to become a woman that embraces the gift of biblical femininity.  And, by the grace of God, my daughter(s) will grow up to be like my wife.

I’ve showed you that a virtuous woman is far more valuable than all the riches in the world.  But unfortunately, this is foreign to most parents in our culture today.

I don’t know if you went to any of the county fairs this year.  But if you did, I am sure you noticed how the young (and I mean young) girls dress when they go out.  Many of them resemble the hookers you see on the corner of Trade and Tryon.  You wanna know what is really sad about that?  These girls get out of minivans that their parents drop them off in!  Those parents are the ones I really want to strangle.  How could a loving mom or dad allow their precious little girl to go out dressed like that?  I don’t have to get descriptive.  You know exactly what I’m talking about.

It doesn’t have to be like this mom and dad.  It really doesn’t.  Did you know that there was a time in this nation when modesty was taught?  That’s right.  And there was a time that innocent little girls were taught that embracing biblical femininity was far more important than becoming a successful business woman.

I’ve been off work all week and have been able to spend alot more time with my precious daughter, Olivia.  I get to take her on dates.  I get to tuck her in at night.  I get to do many things that I’m not able to do when working all day.  After putting her to bed the other night, I went to exercise when I heard her crying.  By her cry, I knew she was not gonna go back to sleep, so I went in to rock her.  In the still of the night, as I was rocking her to sleep, she started patting the back of my neck.  I could tell that she felt so secure in my arms.  Things like that are so special to me.

I started to think of things like, “Will she ever have to experience a broken heart?”  I’m not sure why that popped in my head.  But, do you know the answer to that?  She, in no way, will ever have to experience that.  Many would probably think I’m crazy to say something like that.  But why does that sound so crazy?  Is it because what I said is untrue, or is it because our culture has trained us into thinking this way?  We think that a broken heart is something that children just have to go through.  We think that dating is just part of growing up.  That is a lie from the pit of hell.  You know why they have to go through that?  Because we think it’s cute when they have a boyfriend or girlfriend in elementary school.  We think it’s cute when they talk about their first kiss, that they experienced on the playground.  Well, you wanna hear something a whole lot cuter.  My wife experienced her first kiss on the altar.  You wanna know why?  Because she was not raised according to the standards set down by our culture.  She was raised according to the standards of Jesus Christ; the Word of Almighty God!

Anytime someone finds out that my wife and I experienced our first kiss on the altar, that person can hardly believe it.  That really bugs me.  Yes, I am grateful of this, but this should not be a freak thing.  This should be the norm.  And at one point in time, this was the norm.  Purity was held in high esteem.  Women were treasured far above rubies.  Now, it is the other way around.  If only we would once again begin to teach our girls that biblical femininity is a gift from God; that it is far better to be godly than it is to be wealthy or “successful.”  When little girls start to realize the value of this gift, we won’t have to worry about them just giving it away to any little boy that comes along.  No.  They will cherish it.

But this will only happen, dad, when you cherish it.  That’s right, I said, “dad”, because dad is far more responsible than mom.  Dad, you need to be the man that God has called you to be.  You need to set an example to your little girl(s).  Show her what a real man is like.  Open doors for her.  Take her on dates.  Kiss her on the hand.  And don’t stop hugging and kissing her, just because she starts growing up.  Let her know that her daddy loves her.  Let her know how much you love her mother.  But also let her know that you love Jesus Christ more than anything or anyone.  And let her know that she should never marry anyone that is not as godly as you are.  And Dad, it’s your responsibility to make sure that never happens.

Let her know that biblical femininity is a gift from God; that becoming a godly wife and mother is far more important than becoming “successful.”  And when I say, “successful”, I mean it the way our culture defines it.  Dad, if you do that, you won’t have to worry about her wanting to date.  Dating is nothing more than practice for divorce.  And, when she becomes a woman of virtue; a woman of God; she will glory in God’s wonderful gift of biblical femininity.  And God will give her to a man that He has raised up to lead her in love and righteousness.

And when this happens, living happily ever after, is no longer a fairy tale.  Will it be a bumpy ride at times?  Of course.  But when a husband and wife make Christ the center Thread in their marriage, there aren’t enough minions of Hell to tear them apart.

I hope that you will not just let this message fade away.  Training our children in the fear of God is the answer to overcoming this culture in which we live.  Don’t beat yourself up if this message sounds completely radical to you.  This type of message is as rare as a comet these days.  I would encourage you to read an article I wrote on biblical manhood.  Also, let me know if Paige or I can help you in anyway.  I have written other articles on this subject and have many resources that can prepare you to raise your children God’s way.

http://ifmypeople.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/is-there-a-scriptural-basis-for-courtship/

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

GOD’S GRACE…TO SUFFER

What if our modern day TV preachers were faced with the decision that all of the apostles were faced with?  Over and over, they were warned to stop preaching in that Name.  They were beaten within an inch of their lives many times, yet they continued to lift up the name of Jesus.  For all but one of them, this faithfulness ended in a martyr’s death.  The only exception was the Apostle John who was boiled in oil and somehow survived.  He was then banished to the island of Patmos where he died of old age in a prison camp.

Not only did the apostles face incredible persecution.  There are historical documents testifying of women, who rather than denying their Lord, were forced to watch their own children thrown to lions.  To many of us, these are just stories, right?  But take a moment to put yourself in their shoes.  What if you were given that choice?  The truth is, you will never know what you would do unless put in that situation.  All we can do is die to ourselves every day, in order that maybe, just maybe, God would give us the grace to stand in that day.

Dying to ourselves?  Ha!  Where are you going to hear that preached today?  We live in an age, where the prophets are not teaching us to deny ourselves and follow Christ.  They are not teaching us to take upon ourselves the responsibility of the birthright.  No.  They only appeal to our own monstrous lusts.  “Get your blessing!” they cry.  In essence they are proclaiming, “It’s all about ME!”  And now, a generation has risen up, who deny their birthright, and follow after the blessing.  How foolish we are!

Where are the true prophets?  Where are the watchmen?  Where are the men of God, that will tear down the arguments of these foolish preachers?  The message is not, nor has it ever been, “How to live your life to the fullest!”  No.  Quite the contrary.  The message of the gospel has always been, “How to die well!”  You will find that all through the Scriptures.

I could give you a long list of these false prophets who claim that the gospel is all about life enhancement.  Likewise, I could give you a long list of true prophets who preach the true gospel; that the only way to find your life is to lose it.  However, for the most part, both are to blame for the awful state of the church.  And both are to blame for the awful state of this nation.  While the false prophets are leading the sheep astray, many of the true prophets are leading the sheep…nowhere!

God has given us His Word.  He has given us many resources to study His Word.  He has given us great minds to learn and teach His Word.  But He has also given us our bodies to do His Word.  James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” We love to listen to His Word.  We love to learn and teach His Word.  But, when it comes to doing, we leave that to the professionals.  You know those people who are actually “called” to do that.

“That’s not my calling”, is the popular excuse for not standing in the gap and building up the hedge.  Many Christians are deceived into believing that God has set apart a small group of people and has “called” them to fight the more “controversial” issues.  This is ludicrous.   I once fell into the category of those who believed this lie.  Therefore, I say with no shame that this idea is dead wrong.  Just look at Luke 10:25-37 to see that God is calling all of us to love all of our neighbors.  There is nothing we can say to justify our apathy.

Why are Christians so ignorant of this battle?  Simple.  The shepherds have been bought; hook, line, and sinker; by itching ears.  You think it won’t cost him much the moment he dares to take his congregation to an abortion clinic?  You better believe it will.  It won’t be long before half of his church is gone.  What does that tell you about the flocks of this land?  Simple.  They are not converted.  They are just pew-warmers with humanistic theologies and materialistic lifestyles.

What’s the answer?  Repentance.  The shepherds of God’s house need to repent.  Judgment begins in the house of God and, until the shepherds repent, His house will continue to crumble.  The prophets must make a commitment to God, surrendering all that they are, completely dying to themselves, and take their congregation with them.  As the battle heats up, this might mean loss of pastorates, loss of incomes, possibly even loss of lives.  But is our God not worth it?

He certainly is.  I truly believe that this nation is heading to a total moral collapse.  I believe that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  And, sadly, I believe that it will come to the place that we will have to make the decision: our lives or the gospel.  Beloved, although everything inside of me desires to live, I would be honored to be nailed to a cross, upside-down, if it were for the sake of my Lord and King, Jesus Christ.

I say that now.  I can only hope and pray that, if presented with that opportunity, God’s grace would carry me through.  Until that day, I will consider my life as nothing, dying daily to my flesh, and continue to lift up the name of Jesus.

OSA NATIONAL EVENT – LAS VEGAS – DAY 4 (A.M.)

Overpass Teams – Saturday Morning

If I haven’t said it already, I just want to let everyone reading this know that this is just my journal from the 2009 OSA National Event in Las Vegas. I tried to keep up, from day to day, some of the things that were taking place. No doubt, God did many more amazing things. These were just some of the raids that I took part in. And, it seemed that the stories were getting longer, as the week went on, so I’m going to break them up into stories, instead of the entire day.

On Saturday morning, I rode down to the strip with Pastor Andrew, his wife Morgan, and Joe. From there, I was assigned to Pastor Mark’s team. I have found that, if you want to get into some “trouble”, you just need to tag along with Pastor Mark for a little while. Praise the Lord!

We set up on a walkway overpass which connected Bally’s to Bill’s. The pedestrian traffic was pretty busy. It was awesome! All of the tracts were passed out within the first half hour. That was alright though, because it seemed that everyone in my team was quite the evangelist. Everywhere I looked, someone was either in a conversation or doing some open-air preaching.

I recall a conversation I had with a young couple. They were appalled by the Malachi sign I was holding. I was able to explain to them how it is the churches’ responsibility to fight abortion. This hit home for them, because they were professing Christians. They had even given me a promotional flyer to their church, which was linked to Creflo Dollar (who has a large abortion mill right across the street from him, which he has been completely apathetic towards). Using the story of the good Samaritan, I was able to show them their specific responsibility, not only to the poor and destitute, but for their unborn neighbors. I could tell that they had been cut to the heart. They promised me that they would join the battle at the clinics in their hometown. I even got Flip to come over and meet them. He told them that they needed to confront Creflo, telling him to do something about the clinic across the street from him. They said they would send him an email. I pray they do.

To end our conversation, I confronted them for being in Las Vegas. They said they were there to celebrate the husbands’ birthday. So I told them they had no business in Las Vegas if they were there for themselves. No, the only reason a Christian should come to Vegas is to serve Jesus Christ and to proclaim the Gospel.

The morning went very well. The gospel was preached, sin was exposed, and Jesus was lifted up. As we were wrapping up, I had a little altercation with a drunk guy. I had previously told him that there would be no drunkards in the Kingdom of Heaven. I saw him walk by from time to time. Well, after walking up, running his mouth, and walking off a few times, he decided he was going to put a stop to my preaching. He charged up, got right in my face, and punched me in the ear. Praise the Lord! That was the first time I have been punched for the sake of Christ!

By the way, I didn’t stop preaching.

OSA NATIONAL EVENT – LAS VEGAS – DAY 3

Witnessing Encounter with Larry – Friday Morning at The Fremont Street Experience

Friday morning, at the Fremont Street Experience was quite dead.  It was obvious that Las Vegas was not the kind of city that got up very early.  All we saw, for a while were clean-up crews.  I was under the impression that it was a daily necessity, considering the filthiness of that place.

We were manning Tom Raddell’s abortion display, and reading through the Bible, when I had a conversation with a man named Larry.  It was, no doubt, a divine appointment, which went on for, what seemed to me, well over an hour.  I remember his initial comments.  He basically was asking the question of, “Where is God when all of this happens?”  He was looking at pictures of aborted babies, an african american hanging from a tree, and holocaust victims piled in stacks.  That’s a good question isn’t it?

During my attempt to answer this question, he said that he didn’t believe that God would send anyone to Hell.  Well, after I shared some Scriptures with him and some sound reasoning, he changed his mind.  I could tell that Larry was a man of much conviction.  He believed in God, but confessed that he was unsaved.  He had never really thought it necessary to search the Bible for the truth, because he thought he had enough of it to get by.

After discussing sin, righteousness, and judgment; he was pretty convinced that he didn’t have what he was hoping he had before.  He knew, for sure, that he needed to get right with God or he would spend eternity in Hell.

It was incredible to see the Scriptures coming alive to him.  I shared with him many Scriptures, but the ones that made the most sense to him were Romans 7:14-25 and Romans 1:18-32.  When I shared Romans 1 with him, he was astonished.  His exact words were, “Adam, if I didn’t know you were reading that from the Bible, I would say that that is an editorial from one of today’s newspapers.”  Isn’t it amazing to see the Scriptures come alive to someone who, previously, had never given them the time of day.

I was so blessed to be able to minister to Larry.  His heart had truly been pricked.  I explained some things in the Bible to him and tried to answer all of his questions.  By the end of our conversation, he told me he would go home and search out the truth for himself by beginning to read the Bible; that he would get right with God.  I told him to start with the Gospel of John.

I’ll never fortget his departing words.  He said, “I’ll never forget you, Adam.”  Isn’t it such a priviledge to be able to share the Gospel with someone, and know that his life has been so drastically changed.  Praise God!  Just think, he was just heading on a daily task one minute, and the next minute God confronted him with eternity.

Visiting the abortionist’s house(Eric Grant) – Friday afternoon

On Friday afternoon, when we were visiting the houses of the abortionists, I had the chance to speak to some of the neighbors.  I spoke with one woman for a long time.  It was Brenda, Kelly, Michael and me.  It was awesome how God used each of us to minister to her.  She said that she didn’t have a problem with killing a child in order to keep “crackheads” off the street.  Her logic was that a child raised in a bad home was a drain on the society.  Therefore, kill them before they are born.

I tested her premise.  I suggested that we ought not to stop at killing the unborn.  If they are a drain on the society, we should kill the children that have already been born as well.  She had to change her logic after that one.  I then explained to her that criminals are criminals, not because they were born in bad environments.  No, criminals are criminals because they turn their backs on God and do what is right in their own eyes.

I was able to explain to her that we are born in sin.  Sin is the problem.  The Holy Spirit provided excellent opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, in it’s entirety, to this woman.  I could see that, as we reasoned with her, she was really listening.  For, it wasn’t us that was speaking to her, but it was the Spirit of God.

I pray that this woman comes to repentance.  She knows the truth now.  She might not accept it, but she knows it.

Meanwhile, there was a bunch of screaming going on down the street(at the abortionist’s house).  I found out later, that Eric Grant’s wife had come out and started acting like the demon-possessed woman that she is.  I didn’t see this happen, but I did get to see Pastor Mark and Shelley confront him right at his door-step.

It was awesome.  As Mark and Shelley were talking to him, about forty people, dawning red OSA shirts, gathered in his front yard.  Mark said that in the middle of a sentence, Eric Grant’s jaw hit the floor, as he said, “Whoa.”  You could tell he had never been confronted for murdering little babies.  I couldn’t believe his response.  He actually said that he’s not an abortionist, rather he is an OB-GYN.  OK.  I don’t care what your job title is.  You can be a lawyer, but if you commit rape, you are a rapist.  Likewise, you can be a doctor, but if you perform abortions, you are an abortionist.  Therefore, a murderer.

He didn’t like it too much when Ken and Jo Scott asked him some tough questions.  That’s about the time that he got a phone call.  After returning from the call, he said he would not take anymore questions and asked us all to leave the yard.

I guess that’s when his wife (the head of his household) reared her head.

OSA NATIONAL EVENT – LAS VEGAS – DAY 2

A-Z Women’s Clinic – Thursday Morning

By the time we arrived to the abortion mill (around 7:30am), it was already quite hot.  Being that it was our first day together, the entire group joined forces at this specific gate of Hell.

I was really blessed to hear Rusty’s testimony.  He shared about a wonderful opportunity he had, sharing the gospel with an irate woman that morning.  In his words, she was “spittin’ mad” because we were judging.  Well, she was under the assumption that we had no right to be where we were, doing what we were doing.  I believe Rusty said that she asked him the age-old question, “Who gave you the right to judge?”  Being a man of great discernment, Rusty politely said in reply, “Ma’am, do you have a few minutes?”  She pulled to the side, and it wasn’t long that she was in tears, weeping uncontrollably.  She was under much conviction.  Praise God!

Our prayer is that she has, by now, found the peace of God through repentance and faith in Christ.

The Fremont Street Experience – Thursday…All Day

After being at the Fremont Street Experience for a few hours, I was getting pretty tired and was ready to get back to the hotel.  It was around 2pm and I figured that, if I left, I would have a chance to get a nap before the Thursday night rally.  Well, that was before Tom asked me to stay.  I sure am glad he did.  All of my flesh wanted to say no, but I knew, in my spirit what God wanted me to do.

Had I left when I wanted to, I would never of had the chance to meet Bubba.  Bubba was around fourteen years old, accompanied by hs sister and I think a couple other family members.  He was a very nice kid, but was lost in his sin.  His sister professed to be a Christian, and I could tell she was excited about where our conversation was going.

After taking him through the law, this happy-go-lucky kid was pierced to the heart with the fear of God.  He was thoroughly humbled and I could see that he was ready for grace.  I told him that he didn’t have to pay for his transgressions with and eternity in Hell.  I explained to him how Jesus took his punishment on the cross.  His eyes were opened and I could see that glimmer of hope in his eyes.  He now saw that the cross was, by no means, foolishness.  It now made perfect sense to him.

Now, just so you know, I’m not one that pushes “cheap grace”.  I could have easily gotten him to pray the “sinners prayer”, but I don’t do that.  I don’t ever want to give someone the false assurance of being saved if they have not truly repented.  Jesus didn’t teach it, so I don’t use it.  His sister was a Christian and he said that they would go home and talk about it.  He knew what he needed to do, and he knew the cost of doing it.  It’s up to him when he wants to come to Christ.

I prayed with them and encouraged them to sit down today and go over the things we had talked about.  I truly believe, that as you read this, Bubba’s name has already been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!  Praise God!

Though I wanted to leave at 2pm, God had other plans.  I ended up staying for around twelve hours.  It was worth it.

OSA NATIONAL EVENT – LAS VEGAS – DAY 1

Witnessing Encounter with Brian – Wednesday Night

On the first night, at the airport, I met a man named Brian.  He was from Las Vegas, flying in from New Orleans.  It was a great conversation(which hopefully leads to a great conversion).  He told me that he was a Catholic and needed to get right with God.  When I witness to Catholics, the first place I take them is usually John 3:1-21, which is where Jesus tells Nicodemus that you must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.  He was interested in what I had to say, and had admittedly never paid the Scriptures much attention.  He was very excited when I pulled out my Bible and showed him certain passages.  Don’t you love it when someone, all of the sudden, realizes the power in God’s Word.  I could tell that he would go and search out the things we had talked about to see if what I said was true.  After all, he knew that if what I told him was true, he would not be going to Heaven when he dies.

I gave him Mark Cahill’s, “One Heartbeat Away” before his ride picked him up.  When his ride pulled up, I helped with his luggage and we said our goodbyes.  Over and over, he expressed how thankful he was for the conversation we had.  I am just thankful that God gave me the opportunity to share the gospel on that night.

NAMBY-PAMBY CHRISTIANITY

C.T. Studd (1860-1931) was an English missionary who faithfully served His Saviour in China, India, and Africa. His motto was: “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

“Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time of waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! In God’s Holy Name let us arise and build! ‘The God of Heaven, He will fight for us’, as we for Him. We will not build on the sand, but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ, and the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us.  Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.”  (C.T. Studd)

When I first read this quote, I was blown away.  I’m not sure when C.T. Studd gave this quote, but it was at least 78 years ago, as he died in 1931.  And though it was uttered almost a century ago, is it not just as relevant today?

Men like C.T. Studd are rarely found today.  He was obviously a man’s man.  He preached the gospel without compromise.  And he stormed the gates of Hell with reckless abandon.  Praise God!  As a man of God, he didn’t mince words.  He fearlessly preached the truth, regardless of who might get offended.  Do you see that today?  Yeah, about as often as you see a comet.

The truth is, a man of God who has grasped “Masculine Holiness” is hard to find today.  Why, when you look at this “namby-pamby Christian world”, you don’t at all find masculinity.  On the contrary, you find a church that has been emasculated…a bunch of spiritual sissies.  It seems today, the church finds it more relevant to be a hippie than a man of God!

Why has the church been so emasculated?

First of all, we no longer stand on the Word of God.  We are far more concerned with being relevant to the world and allowing the world to dictate truth, than we are standing on the Word of Almighty God.  We just don’t want to confront anyone with God’s Word.  We would rather tell them a pretty story about God’s word and paint it up to look all non-offensive.  I’ve got news for you!  The Word of God is offensive!

Secondly, the men have become lazy and passed the authority to women.  This is true, not only in the church, but in the home.  We live in a feminized culture and a feminized church.  We shed more tears trying to pray saints out of heaven than we do praying sinners out of Hell!  How backwards is that?  We need men of God, like King Josiah, to rip their garments and weep over their sin.  We need men of God to openly confess and repent!  We need men of God to take back the responsibility and authority in God’s church and in our homes, and take to the streets to tear down the gates of Hell!

In the words of Dr. Voddie Baucham, “Are you smellin’ what I’m steppin’ in?”  You see beloved, all of our compromises today started when we departed from the firm stance on God’s Word being our standard.  As soon as you allow any outside influences to direct your paths, you will compromise His standard.  And, as soon as you do, Satan is just waiting to pounce on you.

Hopefully, this will cause you to ask the question, “Well, what must I do?”  I’m so glad you asked.

First, you’ve got to come to terms with the fact that you are wrong.  You’ve got to humble yourselves.  Despite how strongly you believe that everything you are doing is completely justifiable, you need to admit that you are wrong and God is right.  And just so you know, as I write this, God is revealing things to me that I’ve got to change.

Then, once you realize that you are wrong, you need to repent.  That is basically just changing all of your thinking to line up with God and His Word.  You can’t let experience dictate truth any longer.  You can’t let your emotions run your spiritual life.  You must ground yourself into God’s Word.  Allow all of your thoughts and actions to be filtered through His standard.

And last of all, you’ve got to go to battle.  “The time of waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! In God’s Holy Name let us arise and build! ‘The God of Heaven, He will fight for us’, as we for Him. We will not build on the sand, but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ, and the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us.” We need to, as C.T. Studd did, run to the front lines.

There is a wonderful opportunity to respond to God’s call to battle.  From July 15-22, men and women of God will be meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada to wage war against the devil.  There are currently nine abortion mills in the city of Las Vegas.  If you are wondering where the battle is, you can see it no clearer than when you look at abortion.  Innocent blood is being shed and we must stand in the gap on behalf of our unborn neighbors.  We must run to the front lines.

It’s not to late to join us.  Just go to http://lasvegas.operationsaveamerica.org for all the information.  Time is running out, but you shouldn’t have any trouble booking a cheap flight and a room.

In Christian love,

Adam Tennant

IS THERE A SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR COURTSHIP?

Hello beloved,

I was asked the question by a Christian brother of mine, who has become a good friend to me, “Adam, can you give me some Scriptures that point to courting over dating?” That’s a great question. After all, do not the Scriptures address everything? Of course they do. In one way or the other, the Scriptures have the answer to every question.

However, to answer the questions, I don’t think that the Scriptures provide a clear-cut model of what courtship should look like. But I do believe that we are given some very good principles. From those principles, we need the wisdom of God to show us how to arrive at the goal. What is the goal? I’m so glad you asked. I’ll do my best to answer that before I finish writing this article.

When I have taught about courtship there are two main points that I try to hit. My first point is found in the Song of Solomon 2:7b, 3:5b and 8:4b. These verses say, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” God has given a set time in every individual when love should be awakened. That’s an obvious biblical principle. My second point is that a young person should, at all costs, flee sexual immorality and youthful lusts. That principle is found in 1 Corinthians 6:18 and 2 Timothy 2:22.

The Scriptures are very clear on these two points. However, you really have to dig in to find the answer of “How do we raise our children to fulfill these principles?” There is not an expositional sermon that I can give you on what the Bible says that courtship is. Much of what I have learned has come from the wisdom of those who have gone before me. I’m not always for the pragmatic approach, but at times, it does us well to look at those who have marked out the path. You can look at those who have set a good example and compare it to the bad examples set by modern American dating. Need I say more?

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (Song of Solomon 2:7b, 3:5b and 8:4b) NIV

This is a very important point. I have found it gets skipped though. That is unfortunate. So is the fact that Christendom makes the mistake, far too often, of slapping Christian labels on worldly practices. I have known many who love to announce to the church that they are courting so and so. The problem is, they have skipped the most important step. What is that? Reaching biblical manhood or womanhood. And because a boy hasn’t reached manhood, he’s usually too much of a little boy to embrace any of the other principles. If you disagree, I dare you to ask a boy, in a relationship, if he had the nerve to talk to the girl’s parents before “asking her out.”

In the verse above, it is obvious that God has all of the intentions to awaken love in a young person. I can’t give you a certain age, but around twelve would be a good estimate of when this happens in most. When a young person begins to notice the opposite sex, this does not mean that it is time to begin the pursuit. No, this means that it is time to start the journey from childhood to adulthood. And, just so you know, adolescence is a lie from the pit of Hell. It is based off of a false evolutionary model which causes boys to stay boys until they are thirty five. In case you disagree, do a little research on the average age for computer gamers. You would think it would be a young teen. Nope, try early thirties.

I won’t address all that it takes to reach biblical manhood or womanhood in this article. That is an entirely different article. It is also a subject that many others have done a wonderful job of addressing. If you are interested, I would love to give you some resources. But, I’ll end this point with a word for all you boys and girls out there who want to become men and women of God. Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 13:11 when he said, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” Beloved, there comes a time to put away all of the childish things. You want to be treated like a adult? Then, stop acting like a child.

“Flee from sexual immorality.” (1 Corinthians 6:18a) NIV
“Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22a) KJV

Beloved, all through scripture we are told to battle with sin. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11 to stand against the devil’s schemes. In James 4:7, we’re told to resist the devil and he will flee. With Christ, we can stand and fight the devil. He is no match. However, Scripture tells us to “flee from sexual immorality” and to “flee youthful lusts”. You know what that says to me? Our own flesh is more of a match for us, than Satan himself. We shouldn’t try to stand and fight our lusts. We should flee any opportunity to feed them. That doesn’t mean to flee the opposite sex, but you should flee any opportunity to be alone with the opposite sex.

That’s where we use a biblical principle to provide a model of reaching the goal without falling. This model has been mapped out by many others, in generations past. And you won’t have to go back too far. If you do your homework, you will find that the practice of dating is a modern phenomena. You can also trace the breakdown of the home, in America, to the time when dating was embraced. After all, is the practice of dating not just the practice of divorce? It teaches us that if things aren’t going well, just move on and find a better one.

One of the most important principles in courtship, other than when a young person can begin courting, is the principle that the two courting should never be alone together. Well, before I say “never”, let me explain. The raging hormones of two young people of the opposite sex, who are attracted to one another, are too strong for something not to happen if they are alone together for an extended period of time. I could almost guarantee that.

However, I believe it is up to the parents of the two to established the rules of engagement. I think a time and place should be provided for them to spend time together without being bothered. But that would need to take place at one of their houses with the parents being home, and never behind a closed door. Also, I would say that going to dinner, late in the courtship process, might be OK. However, I don’t think they should ride alone in a car together. You might say that this doesn’t show much trust in your children. Well, you’re right. But I am not called to trust my children. I am called to protect them and raise them in the fear of God.

So, those are just a couple of the Scriptures that I believe point us toward a good model of how to bring a young man and young woman together, in holy matrimony, without their purity being compromised. And I believe that that is the goal. We need to protect them and show them how this can be done.

There are definitely many other Scriptures that point us toward this model. Hopefully, as time allows, God will give me the grace to write on each of these. Not just for you, but for me as well. I don’t know it all. That’s for sure. But I have set my heart toward knowing all that I can about raising my children to be men of integrity and women of virtue. May God give me the grace to do so.

And may He do the same for you.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant