Leading Our Children Out of Darkness, Part I

This is an e-mail from ASSIST News Service (ANS) which I highly recommend. The details to signup are included in this message. I often find myself struggling to define what it means to embrace a Christian WordView, such as Charles Colson teaches in his books and writings. What I have taken away from this article is that we need to teach our children to live in the world today. Our generation is not their generation and unless they are grounded in the Word and living by faith not fear, they will be unprepared and face many hardships that we as parents could have prepared them for.

Love in Christ,
Frank

Leading Our Children Out of Darkness, Part I
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ANS@assist-ministries.com	Thu, Apr 19, 2007 at 12:38 AM
To: ASSISTNEWS@sheperd.com
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Leading Our Children Out of Darkness, Part I By Ken Smitherman Special to ASSIST News Service HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- One of the most significant contributions we can make to our culture is to educate our children. The word "educate" comes from the Latin educo, which means "to lead out of" and inferred that an educator led a student out of the darkness of barbarism into the light of Christian civilization. Regrettably, today educational processes often imply the opposite-to lead out of the light of Christian civilization into dark neo-paganism. This chapter addresses this predicament and offers solutions using insights from two Christian educators who are gifted with Christian wisdom, knowledge and understanding. While I recognize exceptions, prevailing motifs affect all students today that blur any cultural differences between Christians and non-Christians. These motifs include: Pressure for performance. From parental demands for high grades to personal anxiety about being above the cut on a sports team, pressure for performance can be almost all consuming for a teenager. Premature sophistication imposed by subjection to illicit influences that short-circuit character development. This is a trend perhaps best symbolized by media presentations of five-year-old Jon Benet Ramsey, the kindergartner portrayed as a glamour model, who was the victim of a grisly murder. Diminished concern for ethical and moral values. The message here is that "if it's right for you, it is right!" Personal entitlement. This is a credo of deserving rather than earning, which says, "Here I am to collect!" The belief that the end justifies the means. What counts here is where you end up. Process and procedure take a back seat to shortcuts, instant responses and self-gratification. Indifference to cheating, sexual irresponsibility and violence. This is the belief that "what you do is none of my business; it's your life. To each his own!" Anti-social conduct. This is often reflected in gross rudeness, flippant and open vulgarity, disrespect and mockery. Pessimistic uncertainty about the future. Despite economic prosperity, young people have the sense of being caught in a downward shift from good to bad times as they hear of such threats as the aids epidemic and global environmental disasters. Developing a God-honoring Worldview Today's cultural messages powered by the high-octane fuel of entertainment media present a great challenge for the family, the Church and the Christian school to apply the Word of God against these ungodly influences. It is a world impacted by a spirit of materialism to the point that consuming to live has become living to consume. However, many Christian schools today are diligently seeking to help students develop a God-honoring worldview. Fran Sciacca, a Christian educator, writes the following regarding this in his book Generation at Risk: I completely rewrote my senior Bible curriculum to focus on the principle of worldview. One week was spent on each of ten key questions about life from the standpoint of both secular and biblical worldviews. We sought answers in the Bible for the problems that any worldview, whether Christian or secular, must address and answer to be legitimate. The ten issues of life we discussed were: Individuality: Who or what am I? Meaning: What's the point of it all? Values: How am I to make moral choices? Truth: Is it possible to know the truth about ourselves and the universe? Love: What is love, and where can it be found? Suffering: Why is there suffering, and how can we live with it? Death: How am I to face death? Is there life after death? Hope: What hope is there for the human race? Reality: Is there anything more than the physical world? Evil: Is there any hope in fighting evil and injustice? A number of curious things began to happen as we examined secular and biblical answers to the above ten questions. Those who were intently following what we were doing gradually began to see that biblical Christianity made sense of life as it really is. They slowly realized that being a Christian was not just a matter of saying yes to a creed. It involved all of life and demanded the alignment of their lives with God's will.2 This is but one example of the diligence and effort that mark Christian schooling and give us a choice-to develop young men and women who are not of the world but effectively in the world, bringing salt to preserve it and light to dispel its darkness. Paganism Coming Out of the Closet I am saddened, however, by what I recently read in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a secular publication that reports trends on campuses. One article I read stated, "Inspired by environmentalism, feminism, and TV, more students embrace pagan beliefs. . . . [These students] embrace a variety of earth-based beliefs, including traditions of ancient Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, druid, and shamanistic origin. Their most significant influence is Wicca, a religion with roots in pre-Christian Europe, which is often referred to as witchcraft."3 The movement is clearly one that rejects the claims and gospel of Jesus. The Witches' Voice, an advocacy group for paganism, lists 113 pagan college groups on its website, with 38 added so far this school year. Although the numbers pale when compared to the number of Christian organizations on campuses, paganism is growing. Some students claim that they turned to paganism after they became disenchanted with the rigid structure of mainstream religions. To them, paganism was a more individualistic in nature and allowed them to shape their own belief systems by combining a variety of traditions. Combining a variety of traditions is a reflection of how postmodernism denies absolute truth. As Christian parents, challenged to recognize the influences that will impact our children, the issue moves from mild to extremely urgent concern as the forces at work in our culture detract from and undermine our faith. The co-president of one pagan group likens the magic spells of pagan worship to the power of positive thinking. She states, "A spell is like a prayer. Its function is to use our ability and our connection with the divine to make change and increase the possibility of something happening". This is a gospel that seriously misconstrues the Christian tradition of prayer. It is important to experience and enjoy the support of Christian schools, which instill the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 24:11: "False prophets will appear and deceive many people." Our responsibility for parental guidance and direction is awesome. The world is replete with contrary challenges and opportunities, and our task may seem overwhelming as we work to provide our children with the best spiritual and educational foundation possible. Yet perhaps there is no better time to give thanks for the Christ-centered school that knows who Jesus Christ is, bears His witness, models Him daily, and diligently teaches spiritual truth. In the Christian school, children are taught to discern between His truth and pagan religions that falsely promise to meet their personal wants and needs. Investing Where It Counts I am reminded of a story that Gordon MacDonald tells at the beginning of his book, The Life God Blesses. He begins, "Once a foolish man built a boat. From the beginning, he intended it to be the grandest, most talked-about boat that ever sailed from the harbor of the boat club he belonged to. He was determined to spare no expense or effort."4 MacDonald goes on to explain that the man began to build the most lavish boat ever, with colorful sails, complex rigging, comfortable appointments and every possible convenience. Its decks were the most beautiful teakwood with custom fittings of polished brass. The man imagined the admiration and applause of his fellow club members. He soon began to obsess over the things that would show, so he invested even more time and energy into what would truly draw attention. Since no one would see the bottom of the boat, he decided not to give much consideration to the keel, or ballast, or anything that had to do with distributing the weight. He concluded that people comment on what they can see-he had no memory of anyone ever admiring the bottom of a boat. So the foolish man continued to build. Finally, the day came for the boat's maiden voyage. The man's earlier observations had been correct, for the club members offered high praise for the sails, rigging, teakwood, and brass, reassuring the man that he had put the emphasis in the right places. Big gold letters proclaimed the boat's name: "Persona." The boat slid smoothly into the water, and its maiden voyage began. Sailing with a small flotilla, it stood out as the grandest. Even from a distance, the captain could be seen gripping the rudder with fierce pride in what he had accomplished! However, when high gusts of wind began to rock the boat, bad things quickly began to happen. The sails were soon in shreds, the splendid mast was a tangle of splinters, the rigging was unceremoniously draped over the bow, and the shiny teakwood decks were awash in saltwater. While other boats righted themselves, this one did not. Why? All that was below the waterline had been ignored; there was no weight there. A well-designed keel and adequate ballast would have righted the boat, but none of that existed. Days later, as observers viewed the tattered wreckage that had washed ashore; they were quick to see what was missing. "A wise man would never build such a boat, much less sail in it" they commended. "A man who builds only above the waterline does not realize that he has built less than half a boat." And so, as you consider the costly efforts of "boat building" with your children, remember that it is worth investing where it counts to draw attention to the Word of God. By building below the waterline, you are preparing your children to sail in a stormy ocean. God richly blesses such efforts. Later, as you see the big picture, you will know that whatever it cost, the price was right! Faith Sustains Us Have you ever been brought up short by a comment you heard? It might have occurred on the street or in a place where people were gathering and conversation was in motion. The topics might have ranged from those that reflect reckless moral abandon to the many ways a person can come to know his god. I recall a dinner conversation with two international college students who were living in our home. We talked about spiritual matters and our personal relationship with Christ. At that time, two of our four daughters attended a Christian college. Our two guests shared about their own religious heritage-a practice of ceremonially attending church at Christmas and Easter. They explained that in their country, religion was really only practiced by the elderly. They could understand why my wife, Karen, and I were religious-since we were, after all, in our forties. But they could not understand why our daughters were religious. To them, that simply did not make sense. The conversation brought the clear realization that our story was not their story; it was, in fact, far removed from their reality. Such differing realities are far too popular in the cultural arena today. Christianity: A Prevailing and Influencing Force According to Michael Regele, author of Death of the Church, there was a time in Western civilization when the separation of church and state was unthinkable, because for many centuries societies had an authoritative central belief system based on religious tradition. The truth of this system was unquestioned: it simply was. For example, you either worshiped God or Baal, and those who made any attempt to combine the two were shown no mercy. Culture and politics were governed by the prevailing religion, which was Christianity, carried forward by Roman Catholicism from the fourth century on. Around the time of the Renaissance and the Reformation, this central belief system began to be undermined by Galileo and a host of other scientists that challenged the church's Christian worldview, which was supported by the state and at least paid lip service by the general populace. Christianity was a prevailing and influential force in the time of America's founding. As early settlers in the New World, the Puritans prized an intellectual and spiritual life. Their ministers founded colleges and studied science and philosophy. Christians were the authorities in the community and at the center of the marketplace of ideas. Their views were more than mere ideas; a Christian worldview was the basis of their biblical lifestyles, which had a significant impact on the culture of the new nation. Now, in the twenty-first century, our Christian story is often viewed with disdain, even mockery, and considered the realm of the weak and the powerless. Effective Christian schooling is not merely a process of adding chapel and Bible class to a traditional academic curriculum. Rather, its mission is to forge a new mindset-a transformation that begins through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is then nurtured and developed by deliberate and strategic integration of biblical truth into every curricular area. Christian schooling, then, confronts and challenges the fragmented secular worldview. The Postmodern Worldview Postmodernism-a term very much in vogue today-denotes the thinking and attitudes of a significant part of our world. Actually, we should probably think of this term as naming a time rather than a clearly articulated ideology. The things that are happening, the way people think, and the way they act in this postmodern era are having a great impact on the Church and on parachurch entities such as the Christian school, as well as the people within those institutions. Our story may not become their story, yet through faithful development of the spirit and the mind we can once again have an impact on the marketplace of ideas. Let me first make it clear that there is no expectation that the few words in this article will come anywhere near covering this continually unfolding topic. Nonetheless, this postmodern culture presents some great challenges to our Christian schools, as it works to confront issues that have a tremendous impact on our children's learning. Recognizing a few of the key components of postmodernism may help us better understand what is happening and perhaps will assist us in nurturing our children in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. Cover for THE CULTURE-WISE FAMILY Postmodernists live in a culture of individualism where society is a means to accomplish the individual's self-centered goals. The expectation is that everyone should be tolerant of anything, because there is no absolute truth. It is as if to say, "What you believe does exist, and for you it may be right, but please, please, don't suggest that your truth should be truth for me." This concept flies under the banner of existentialism. The nineteenth-century Danish philosopher S�ren Kierkegaard was first to describe himself as existential. He proclaimed that "I must find a truth that is true for me . . . the idea for which I can live or die." In essence, this is the belief that one must choose one's own way without the aid of universal laws or objective standards for moral decisions. Another 'ism that marks the postmodern age is pragmatism. In its simplest form, pragmatism suggests that ideas or theories must past the test that they will bring about a desirable result. In other words, if it works, it is considered right. The pragmatic ideology is extremely critical of the concept of absolute truth and reveals an electrifying absence of the concept of faith. Christ alone provides a desirable way through faith in absolute truth, thus the Christian school makes a radical departure from pragmatism. The concept of truth is a vital and critical component in Christian schooling that is based on unchanging biblical precepts and the understanding of them. Perhaps your first notion is that we must escape postmodernism-we must go back. Well, the fact of the matter is, we will not be going back. We must learn to navigate these challenging times while teaching our kids how to be effective as salt and light, rather than comfortable, at-home citizens in an ungodly culture. That's what Christian schooling is all about-built and sustained on the absolutes of God's Word and His call to make a difference. Notes Ken Smitherman has served as the president of the Association of Christian Schools International for the past 10 years. Prior to that time, he served as a Christian school administrator in Idaho, Hawaii and Washington for 26 years. He currently also serves as the president of the Board of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). Fran Sciacca, Generation at Risk (Minneapolis, MN: World Wide Publications, 1990). Leo Reisberg, "Campus Witches May Wear Black, but Don't Look for Hats or Broomsticks," Chronicle of Higher Education, October 20, 2000. http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i08/08a04901.htm (accessed December 2006). Gordon MacDonald, The Life God Blesses (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997). EDITOR'S NOTE: This insightful article is a companion article to Dr. Ted Baehr and Pat Boone's new book CULTURE-WISE FAMILY: Upholding Christian Values in a Mass Media World. It is available in a special section of www.movieguide.org. Entertainment expert Dr. Ted Baehr and legendary musician Pat Boone think it's time we began paying attention to our mass-media consumption. They urge people to make wise choices for themselves and their families so they can protect their children from toxic messages in the culture. The Culture-Wise Family offers a rich, authoritative analysis of the many perilous trends in a time when parents face challenges that are unprecedented in their intensity and detrimental influences. This book builds on the firm foundation of a biblical worldview and analyzes the implications of other worldviews as they are expressed and promoted in media, entertainment, and public education, the three purveyors of the increasing secularization and pluralization of our times. It will not only help you to protect your children and grandchildren, but also it will help you redeem the times and the culture! For more information on protecting your children from the influence of the mass media of entertainment by teaching them how to be media-wise, please read Dr. Ted Baehr & Pat Boone's new book: THE CULTURE-WISE FAMILY. THE CULTURE-WISE FAMILY is available at most bookstores, on www.Amazon.com and at www.movieguide.org, or by calling 1-800-899-6684. ** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend. This story is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ASSIST News Service or ASSIST Ministries. ASSIST News Service is brought to you in part by Gospel for Asia. GFA's Bridge of Hope program is designed to rescue thousands of children in Asia from a life of poverty and hopelessness by giving them an education and introducing them to the love of Christ. For only $28 a month, you can cover the cost of one child's tuition, books, uniforms, one or two meals a day and a yearly medical checkup-and your child, his family and community will hear the Gospel as a result. To learn more about Gospel for Asia's Bridge of Hope program, visit our website at www.gfa.org/child or call 1-800-WIN-ASIA (United States) or 1-888-WIN-ASIA (Canada). ASSIST News Service is Sponsored By

Real Treasures

20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:20-21 (NIV)

“Real treasures do not rust, run low on power, become obsolete, clutter up closets and garages, or rack up credit card debt. One need never worry about a real treasure being stolen. Real treasures are never hoarded. They are shared.”

Seven Days to Live

Seven Days to Live
What can we learn from Jesus' last week on earth?
by Bill Hybels


When some celebrity dies—such as Princess Diana or Sonny Bono—filmmakers often scramble to put together a documentary that examines the last hours or days of that person's life.

What if you knew you had only one week to live? What actions, what priorities, would be captured on film?

Passion Week—the last week of Jesus' life, before he faced a criminal's execution on a cross—was an extraordinary week. Jesus knew he was going to die in seven days. He knew it would be an excruciatingly painful death. But there's much we can learn from what Jesus taught and from how he acted in the week preceding Easter Sunday.

Saturday
The weekend before his death, Jesus stayed at the home of three of his closest friends in the small town of Bethany, about two miles outside Jerusalem. These people weren't among his 12 disciples; they were personal friends—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus chose to spend his last days of freedom with them.

Throughout Jesus' teaching ministry, he emphasizes the importance of community. Jesus continually told all who would listen, "You were created for community with God and others. You were created with a yearning to know and be known, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to celebrate and be celebrated."


What are you doing with the one and only life God's given you?

Have you found this kind of community in your life? It's more than good relationships with your family. You need an inner circle of friends who are fellow believers—just as Jesus had—with whom you can be honest, with whom you can "do life" together.

Sunday
On Palm Sunday—six days before Jesus' death—people lined the streets, waving palms as he entered Jerusalem. It was the first-century equivalent of our ticker-tape parades for heroes down the streets of New York City.

Jesus' popularity was at an all-time high; his teaching had astonishing power. Jesus had changed people's hearts and healed them physically. He'd even recently brought someone back from the dead! By far, Jesus was one of the most popular people in the entire Middle East.

But everyone who lined the streets had a different reason for waving those palms. Some were political activists; they'd heard Jesus had supernatural power, and they wanted him to use it to free Israel from Roman rule. Others had loved ones who were sick or dying. They waved branches, hoping for physical healing. Some were onlookers merely looking for something to do, while others were genuine followers who wished Jesus would establish himself as an earthly king. Jesus was the only one in the parade who knew why he was going to Jerusalem—to die. He had a mission, while everyone else had an agenda.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent some time between flights looking at books on spirituality in the airport bookstore. I discovered things haven't really changed in two thousand years. People are still trying to push their agendas for what the power of God can do. What about you?

Monday
On this day, Jesus did something that shocked people. Known for his love, gentleness, and humility, Jesus came into the temple, saw all the little arcades set up for commercial business, and cleaned house. He overturned the merchants' tables and kicked them out of the temple. People had never seen this side of Jesus before.

Why did Jesus act with such passion? Because he saw worship at the temple in Jerusalem going awry. Jesus knew he had to straighten out the situation before he died, was resurrected, and returned to heaven. The message of his transforming power was going to be left in the hands of worshiping communities. Jesus couldn't afford to have any church get distracted and caught up in questionable activities. They alone would possess the message that would change the world. Jesus sent a signal: Don't get sidetracked. Stay on target. Stay on the mission of spreading God's love.

Tuesday
Jesus taught from early morning till late at night. When the sun went down on Tuesday, his earthly teaching was done.

As dusk approached, Jesus taught the parable of the talents. In those final moments before his teaching ministry came to an end, he told his listeners, in essence, "You have one life. That's it. Some of you have all kinds of gifts and abilities; some of you have less. But don't squander the one and only life God's given you; do something noble and great with it." How poignant it is that as Jesus talked about this, he knew his life was almost over.

Jesus also spoke about the day of reckoning. The closest our society comes to that is tax day—April 15—a financial day of reckoning! But Jesus referred to the day when all moral accounts will be settled. He taught that when that day comes, either people will pay for their evil by being separated from God forever, or they'll be rewarded for having accepted Jesus' payment on the cross for the evil they committed. It's either the self-payment plan or the Christ-payment plan—no other option. Jesus urged his listeners to follow his plan. Whose are you following?

Wednesday
Most scholars believe this was a day of solitude for Jesus. He was doing the most important thing he could—getting alone with God. As he quieted himself, he heard the still small whisper of his Father say, "You're on a mission, and it's going to be difficult, but I'm asking you to endure. I'll be with you."

Some would call it a wasted day. Others would say it was a day that gave Jesus strength to do what he needed to do.

We live in a culture that no longer values solitude. We go from one meeting to the next, one deadline to the next, one activity to the next. Too often we fail to quiet ourselves enough to hear what God would say to us—if only we were listening.

What if you took just one hour to go to a quiet place and say, "God, if you have a message for me, I'm listening"? Some of the richest times you'll know in life will be spent in solitude with God.

Thursday
This day, Jesus took a normal Passover meal and changed it forever. All the arrangements had been made, but then the foot-washer didn't show up! The disciples came to dinner with dusty feet, and stood around asking who messed up the arrangements. It never dawned on them that maybe one of them could humble himself to do that for anybody else.

Jesus came, took off his robe, put a towel over his arm, filled a basin with water, then knelt down and started washing the disciples' feet. They couldn't believe it! The Son of God, the Savior of the world—and he had the humility to wash their feet.

In today's words, here's the lesson: True fulfillment never comes from a life of self-gratification. The way to the top in God's economy is through serving. It's finding God's mission for your life and engaging in it. It's finding people you can humbly serve in daily, down-to-earth ways. And when you find God's purpose for your life and pursue it in a spirit of humility and servanthood, your heart spills over with love and gratefulness.

Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, and when he was done, he said, "Now, you go out and live this way."

Friday
On Friday, Jesus voluntarily submitted to be nailed to a cross.

The Bible says at noon the skies got dark. There was an earthquake. The temple veil was torn. People suddenly realized that when Jesus cried out, "It is finished," and then died, he was no ordinary man.

Jesus was taken from the cross, prepared for burial, and put in a tomb.

Thankfully, the story doesn't end there. But what follows next—Saturday—is most difficult of all, because it's the day between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. Jesus had predicted he'd be crucified, and that he'd rise from the dead. He was dead all right. But would he come back?

On Sunday, Jesus burst forth from the tomb exactly as he'd predicted. The guards at the tomb saw him, went back to tell the officials, "He's alive!" and were paid to keep quiet about it.

Jesus appeared to more than 500 people—cynics as well as believers—before he ascended into heaven. There was no question about whether or not Jesus was resurrected.

I once spoke to a Muslim who knew I was a Christian. He said, "How come you won't convert to Islam?" I said, "'Cause I won't follow a dead guy. It's that simple. Your prophet Mohammed is in the tomb. How can you get behind anything where the leader, the founder who claims to be something, has no evidence for being any different than any other man?" Jesus Christ is the only religious leader whose tomb says "unoccupied."

With his resurrection, Jesus proved he is the Son of God. And by what he did during his last week alive, but most importantly, on Easter Sunday, your life—and your eternity—can be changed forever.

Bill Hybels is senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.