THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS LEARNED…

Hello beloved,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  (Proverbs 1:7a)

The fear of the Lord is the principle part of knowledge.  I’ve heard it said, in other words, “Without knowing the fear of the Lord, you really don’t know anything.”  There is absolutely no amount of knowledge you can obtain that is more important than the fact that God is to be feared.  When you understand this, you will understand that your life is not your own.  With all that you are, you are to fear him.  You are to revere him, serve him, obey him and worship him.

Another reason that the fear of God is such an integral part of knowledge is that fearing God will teach you to properly use the knowledge which you obtain.  Here is an example.  The Bible is full of great instruction.  It contains many principles which, when applied to your life, can radically change things.  For example, there are many principles on how to handle money.  Anyone can apply these principles and his finances will improve.  However, if he does not fear God in his dealings, he will not be building the kingdom of God.  Rather, he will be building his own kingdom and the kingdom of darkness.  Are you starting to see why the Bible teaches that the fear of God is the beginning, or the principle part, of knowledge?

So, being that the fear of God is the principle part of knowledge, we should never set out to learn anything without setting out to grasp a better understanding of the fear of God.  And with this principle in mind, our primary goal, when teaching and training our children, must be to teach them to fear the Lord.  My goal today is to show you ways in which you can do this.

God finds it very important that we, as parents, teach our children to fear Him.  Therefore, he gave us very clear instructions on how we may go about doing this.  All, that we will address today, are found in Deuteronomy.

“9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”  (Dt. 4:9-10)

In this passage, you see that hearing God’s word will teach you to fear the Lord.  Also note that they were assembled together, as they heard the word of the Lord.  Although we do it quite differently today, you won’t find age segregated ministry in the Word of God.  They worshiped together…as a family.  And nothing in the New Testament changed this practice.  We are still supposed to worship and study God’s word…as a family.  In doing so, we are learning to fear the Lord.

“1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.”  (Dt. 6:1-2)

In this passage, you see that keeping his commands, or obeying his word, will teach you to fear the Lord.  In James 1:22 we are told not to just hear the word of God, but to be “doers of the word.”

“22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.”  (Dt 14:22-23)

In this passage, you see that paying tithes will teach you to fear the Lord.  God gives us all that we have.  We are required to give a tenth of our income back to him.  It is very important that we do this as a family.  We must teach our children where our provision comes from.  Make sure they know the importance of paying a tithe.  In doing so, you are teaching them to fear the Lord.

“18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees…”  (Dt. 17:18-19)

In this passage, you see that reading God’s word will teach you to fear the Lord.  In Matthew 4, we find that Jesus fought the devil; not with fists, but with the word of God.  In Matthew 4:4, when Satan tried to use his hunger to tempt Him, Jesus came back at him by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, which says,  “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Beloved, if you are not daily storing the word of God, you will have no way to combat the devil and will eventually die spiritually.

“11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  (Dt. 31:11-13)

In this passage, you see that hearing God’s law will teach you to fear the Lord.  The law of God has been lost.  We no longer teach it in our homes, our schools and even our churches.  Remember, it is the law of God which is perfect in converting the soul. (Psalm 19:7)  It is our schoolmaster which leads us to Christ. (Galatians 3:26)  If you want your children to find Christ, I suggest you teach them the law of God.

Beloved, God gives very clear instruction on how we should teach our children to fear Him.  Why is it that so many, today, know nothing of the fear of God?  Well, that’s real simple.  If his instruction is found in his word, then that could only mean that people are not reading his word.  That explains why our nation is where it is today.  Hosea said it well in Hosea 4:6, which says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.  ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.'”

If his people have not knowledge, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, then we need not ask why our nation is in the state that it is today.  Until we put away all of the nonsense, and return to God’s word, there is no hope for us as a nation.

So, we have addressed five important principles that God has given us to use in teaching our children to fear Him.  They are hearing God’s word, keeping his commands, paying tithes, reading God’s word and hearing God’s law.  Now, we have only gone over five of these principles today.  There are many other ways that God has given us, in order to learn to fear him.  You just need to dig into the word and find them.

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

AN EVENING AT THE SHACK, WITH PAUL YOUNG

Hello beloved,

I spoke of William Paul Young (author of The Shack) a few weeks ago, in an article entitled, “The Emergent Church: Submerged in Delusion”.  If you haven’t read it yet, I would encourage you to do so at:
https://ifmypeople.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/the-emergent-church-submerged-in-delusion/

Today we are surrounded by deception.  It seems that everywhere we turn, someone is claiming that they are the new mouthpiece for God.  Everyone wants to come up with a new way to understand and communicate the will of God.  Mr. Young even said, “I want to be a part in the change that is happening in the community of faith.” It’s obvious that his wants are becoming a reality.  Many people are taking this fiction book as doctrine.  Oh, it is so dangerous.

Last night, my wife and I, along with another couple, went to a lecture featuring William Paul Young.  I say lecture, but it was a much different environment than what you would expect.  He played some emotional music, mixed with some humorous songs during a night of story-telling.  It was a very “comfortable” setting.  I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that.  I’m just explaining to you the setup.

He spent a little while just telling us his story about his book, “The Shack”.  He told us how it was so obvious, to him, that God had providentially lifted this book to the top seller list, giving several “miraculous” examples along the way.  All I have to say about that is that you had better be very careful with signs and wonders.  They, by no means, accredit someones ministry as being approved by God.  See Deuteronomy 13 if you want biblical proof of that statement.

Paul used alot of his time to get the people to really like him.  He is, in fact, a likable guy.  He is funny, witty, seemingly humble and very intelligent.  This night, though, had a very dangerous theme.  Over and over, he presented his book as a “new” thing that God was doing.  According to him, the language we now use is very religious and “stuck”.  You know, because all of us that stick to sound doctrine are just placing God in a box.  So, according to Paul Young, The Shack is what God wants to use to change the language that God uses to reach people.

He then went on to explain some of the ways in which he was letting God outside of our man-made box.  One was why he used a large, African-American woman to portray God, The Father.  He explained that God “transcends gender”.  After this, he went to a Q&A session.

I was the second person he called on in the Q&A session.  Here is the exact question I asked him.  I said, “Your book title says, ‘Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity.’  I don’t remember Hell ever being mentioned.  But there was a quote from Papa, I believe, saying that ‘sin is it’s own punishment.’  So my question is this, ‘Do you believe in a literal Hell?'”

His exact response was, “Good question…next question.”  He was kidding of course.  He spent about ten minutes actually answering the question, but his first response kind of summed it up.  He didn’t really want to answer the question because he didn’t want to outright say what he believes.  But, as he danced around the question, he gave some obvious hints.

His first actual response was, “Hell is real.  It is a spiritual reality.  It is a place created for Satan and his angels.”  But he clearly and definitively said, “It is not separation”, using Revelation 14:10 to back it up, saying that the Lamb was present with those in torment.  He, of course, did not give the scripture reference; something he did many times throughout the night.  There is a big problem with that.  When you quote verses from all over the Bible without giving references it’s hard for people to record them. Which makes it hard to put them in context to see if what is being said is legit.

He continued to answer my question and said this, “God does nothing that is not motivated by love, which should make us look at it (Hell) differently.”  If you read the book, you will come away confused on what the author is trying to get across on some issues.  It was no different during his lecture.  After this last quote, he said that “we have theologically defamed God.”  It seemed that he was saying that the fundamental doctrine of Hell was a mis-interpretation of Scripture which defames God.

Still speaking on the wrath of God, he said, “God’s wrath is not directed at us (mankind).  It is directed at those things that keep us from being free.”  He used Romans 1:18 to back that up; again, not giving the reference.  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men…” If you put this in context, you cannot come up with what he was trying to say.

To sum up his answer to my question he said that there is enough ambiguity in Scripture to think that there might be a chance that God will, after a certain period of time, give everyone a second chance.  Again, that was a subtly unclear statement.  Was he saying that people would have a chance to accept Christ after they die?  It would seem so.  Well, that completely contradicts Luke 16:26, which says, “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”

As the night went on, he seemed to get more and more out there; yet in a very subtle way.  As my friend Gaute said, “It’s spooky!”

He was admittedly using this book to subtly change the way we look at God.  He was later asked the question, “If you say that God transcends gender, why have you been referring to God as He tonight?”  His answer was that he didn’t want to shock everyone.  Instead, his plan is to slowly introduce this new view of God.  He wants to incrementally get everyone to a place where they have no problem with referring to God as “She”.  He even said that he had no problem, whatsoever, referring to God as “She”.

Overall, his message last night focused on introducing a new way to view God.  Sound familiar?  It does if you have researched the Emergent Church any.  It seems everyone wants to find a new way to “do” Christianity these days.

Christianity is about how God redeems a people from their sins if they repent and trust him.  Mr. Young placed much emphasis on finding deliverance from God, but absolutely no emphasis on sin, righteousness and judgment.  The words “sin” or “repentance” were not mentioned all night long.  It was all about how God can fix your problems through relationship.  He was very clear that God does not use guilt or condemnation.  What does that say?  Well, it would seem that it says “Jesus died, not for our sins, but to heal us of your problems.”  It is basically humanism.

He ended the night with a prayer to “Papa”.  The last statement/request in that prayer was, “If we say we love You, that is enough.  Heal us so we can live as free people.” There are some obvious problems with that statement, but I won’t go there right now.

So that’s it right?  Not at all.  As everyone left, we hung back hoping that we might get a chance to talk with him.  Well, he walked right up to us, and said something to Christan(Gaute’s wife) about her pregnancy.  That was very cool, because Christen had a question that she wasn’t able to ask during the Q&A session.

So she asked him about his statement in the book, from Jesus, which said, “I am the best way.”  She asked him if he believed that Jesus was the only way.  To our amazement, he said, “absolutely”.  He explained that the reason he used that statement was because he wanted to use a new language and said that most roads don’t lead anywhere.

Gaute asked Paul what he meant when he said that he was trying to come up with a new language for God, basically boasting that he was God’s “new mouthpiece”.  When Gaute told him that it sounded like he was saying that the Bible is out-of-date, Paul said that he was more referring to man’s interpretation of the Bible.  Paul said, over and over, that the Bible was an ambiguous book.  Gaute did a great job of showing him, through Scripture and men like Luther, that the Scriptures are not ambiguous, but are actually very clear.

His answer to Gaute was “That is your interpretation of the Scripture.”  I told him that there is only one interpretation of the Scriptures.  He agreed.  He asked me if I had all the correct interpretations, basically trying to corner me.  I told him that I don’t know it all, but I have a sound base.  I explained that we could agree to disagree on some things in the Bible, but on the core issues, God is very clear.  I said something to the effect of, “When Jesus said He was the only way, that is very clear.  So, to say in your book that He is the best way was a mis-representation of God.  And to say that “some roads lead to nowhere” is simply not true.  God’s Word is very clear that all roads lead somewhere.  On the day of judgment, we will all stand before God and have to give an account for our sins.  On that day, it will either be Heaven or Hell.  There are no other options.  There are no roads that lead to nowhere.”  (See Matthew 7:13-14)

His response to that was an analogy of someone believing in pink and yellow frogs.  “Roads like that don’t lead anywhere”, he said.  I disagreed.  I said, “If someone puts their faith in pink and yellow frogs to save them from the wrath to come, they will definitely go to Hell when they die.”

The conversation continued for around ten minutes.  It was quite an interesting conversation, and Paul is quite an interesting man.  I’m just praying that God would prick his heart and show him that he is teaching a false gospel and that he will repent.

I’d like to end with this.  During the lecture, the Holy Spirit revealed the following verses to, both Gaute, and myself.  Gaute shared this verse with Paul during our conversation.  His only response was, “I am very familiar with that verse.”

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

The Shack is nothing more than a fable.  The problem is, it paints the picture of a god that is suitable to our culture.  And it is turning many away from the truth.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant