Opposites Attract

Jack's Pipe rips a great quote from Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the purity of church and its effectiveness in reaching the lost. LL-J vividly tags the old understanding that becoming like the world never attracts the world. Only a true, burning fire will attract those who are cold.

Holy Habit of Church Attendance

In his biography the 19th century evangelist DL Moody is quoted to say that his mother's discipline created within him the holy habit of attending church.

As a boy Moody disliked going to church and and detested having to sit through messages that he did not understand (and, I'm sure, found quite boring when they were understandable!). He always thought that he would quit going as soon as he was old enough to decide for himself whether or not to go. But instead he found that his mother had created within him a holy habit that he could not break.

If only we had more mothers today who trained their children in the way they should go--to sit through and interact with sound church services. Most likely we would not have so many children walking away from the faith. Currently it is reported that 7 out of 10 Americans raised in Christian families stop going to church by the age of 23.

Scratching over the Dung

I don't doubt that the average American church-goer finds church quite burdensome. If it isn't entertaining and/or edifying, then it should be scrapped. But let this anecdote from Spurgeon's autobiography change your mind on how to attend to the Word of God.

When he was a boy Spurgeon once asked a godly woman, "Why do you go to such a place?" referring to the church of poor quality that she attended. She replied, "Because there is no other place to go to worship." She went on to explain, "You will see a hen scratching over a pile of dung to get a piece of corn, and when it is had her spirit is warmed. That is how I treat the church. I scratch over all the dung to find the grain of truth. When I find it my spirit is warmed."

Making Wise the Simple

"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."
Psalm 19:7

What a good argument for having children in church. If children are anything, they are simple. The remedy? A pew.

One of the things that distresses me has to do with the lack of children that sit in the worship services. I honestly believe that we are training our children to be heathens. Parents drop their children off in the nursery for some free babysitting and then head off to another part of the church. Then, for the next hour, the children learn the basic theology of clay, Lego's, and various other forms of hedonism.

This from a so-called "family friendly" church. Let's be clear, any church that promotes the separation of parent and child is not pro family.

I have heard the argument so many times, "But they don't understand what is going on in the service." But we all know that's a big lie. Kids are as keen as hawks. Sure, they might not get it all, but they pick up quite a bit, even from very young ages.

Moreover, it is the parents duty to review the services with the children. In prior days families would discuss the points of the message they just heard over lunch. This way parents could keep a watchful eye on the development of the child's spirituality as well as assist them in their learning (And if the kids know that they will be quizzed, then they'll be more likely to stay a bit lively too!).

Obviously I'm not down with the "they don't get it" excuse. I honestly believe that, as long as the Bible is being preached in the right way, a child will be able to understand. That's because God gave the Bible to children too, to make them wise.

Moreover we can think of Jesus' preaching. His messages were simple, vivid, instructive (shall we say doctrinal?), and powerful. I don't see him organizing the disciples into a nursery duty rotation. I see him speaking to fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

Certainly the church in Ephesus serves as an example for having children in church. In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul spoke directly to the children. We can safely assume that they were right there by mama and papa. They might have even received a "did-you-hear-that?" elbow in the ribs.

With our children in the pews we can have faith that God will speak to them (much more than He would through a crayola crayon and a ditto sheet with a Bible picture on it), for faith cometh by hearing.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
2 Tim. 3:14-15

Making Wise the Simple

"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

Psalm 19:7

What a good argument for having children in church. If children are anything, they are simple. The remedy? A pew.

One of the things that distresses me has to do with the lack of children that sit in the worship services. I honestly believe that we are training our children to be heathens. Parents drop their children off in the nursery for some free babysitting and then head off to another part of the church. Then, for the next hour, the children learn the basic theology of clay, Lego's, and various other forms of hedonism.

This from a so-called "family friendly" church. Let's be clear, any church that promotes the separation of parent and child is not pro family.

I have heard the argument so many times, "But they don't understand what is going on in the service." But we all know that's a big lie. Kids are as keen as hawks. Sure, they might not get it all, but they pick up quite a bit, even from very young ages.

Moreover, it is the parents duty to review the services with the children. In prior days families would discuss the points of the message they just heard over lunch. This way parents could keep a watchful eye on the development of the child's spirituality as well as assist them in their learning (And if the kids know that they will be quizzed, then they'll be more likely to stay a bit lively too!).

Obviously I'm not down with the "they don't get it" excuse. I honestly believe that, as long as the Bible is being preached in the right way, a child will be able to understand. That's because God gave the Bible to children too, to make them wise.

Moreover we can think of Jesus' preaching. His messages were simple, vivid, instructive (shall we say doctrinal?), and powerful. I don't see him organizing the disciples into a nursery duty rotation. I see him speaking to fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

Certainly the church in Ephesus serves as an example for having children in church. In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul spoke directly to the children. We can safely assume that they were right there by mama and papa. They might have even received a "did-you-hear-that?" elbow in the ribs.

With our children in the pews we can have faith that God will speak to them (much more than He would through a crayola crayon and a ditto sheet with a Bible picture on it), for faith cometh by hearing.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

2 Tim. 3:14-15

Your Affectionate Uncle, Screwtape

I've tried to get a jump on our upcoming evening study, and am amazed at C.S. Lewis' insights in his work The Screwtape Letters. I couldn't catch all of the good stuff to post, but this one I couldn't overlook.

At one point Screwtape, the demon who is mentoring his young protege tempter, says

If a person cannot be cured of church going, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood so that he becomes a taster, or connoisseur, of churches.