Jump Start # 3625

Daniel 3:18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Around here schools are starting up. Another school year. The big yellow busses will roll through the neighborhoods picking kids up in the mornings. Stores are stocked with back to school supplies Vacations are over and now it’s time to settle into the routine of a new school year.

Recently, I presented a lesson pointed this direction. I want to share some of those thoughts in this writing.

Another school year presents opportunities, challenges and choices, for the child as well as for the parents. For some families, going to school will be a new adventure for some homes. Some will be off to new schools this year. Some off to universities.

As a believer, young or old, at school, at work, or on social media, there will be three things we face:

First, your convictions will be assaulted. Unfair, unkind and untrue things will be said. It happened to Jesus. It happened to the first Christians. It will happen today. Hiding your faith is not an option. But neither is getting into a dog fight with someone who just wants to make you look bad.

Second, your values will be challenged. The devil used verses to tempt Jesus. There will be those who claim to know the Bible who really do not. Some will twist, bend and distort the Bible to their own purposes. You will be considered narrow, bigoted and judgmental and some will not have anything to do with you because of that.

Third, you will be influenced to do wrong. Satan always provides both an opportunity to do wrong and a crowd to encourage you on. Doing right often finds you standing alone. Doing wrong, always finds a crowd.

This is why having a solid faith is important. Learning to see through things is important. Having a positive spiritual support system is important. When your child is young, you just tell him what to do. As he grows, you must teach him to think, reason and consider. With those tools, he’ll learn to ask the right questions before jumping into things. He’ll place God’s word as the guiding compass in his life.

Current stats show that 50-80% of college students lose their faith by the time they graduate. They come home with a degree and no belief in the Lord. Homes and congregations need to strengthen the faith of our young people through studies of evidences and answer the common questions that are going to cross their paths. Keeping the college students strong and engaged during those years is essential.

Don’t hide from those difficult questions that students hear and wonder about. Don’t give childlike answers to their complex questions. Our world has changed. People are wondering about  changing genders, traditions and the “what’s wrong with,” stuff that some have shied away from because they are controversial, sensitive, and difficult.

When Paul walked the streets of Athens, he saw their idols. That’s what he talked about. That was their world. And, we must notice our world today and those are the things that we need to be looking at through the pages of the Bible.

Kids are smart. They know when we don’t know. They know when we are blowing smoke, dodging a topic and afraid to say things. Believe me, they are hearing the other side of these topics from the world. And, what they hear is unfiltered, raw, and blunt. And, as we delicately tiptoe around things, they are bombarded with reasons not to believe. From the classroom, to videos they watch, from the lips of their friends, they hear all the time why wrong is right and right is wrong.

Our kids need to know more than just reciting the books of the Bible in order. They need to be able to stand as Shadrach and his two friends did in a hostile, pagan environment. For them, it was Babylon. For our kids, it may be the university here in America.

It’s time to lower the nets into depth and get our children to think. A weak and shallow faith has no hope of survival in today’s universities. Let’s strap on the helmets, put on the boots and get to action. The souls of our children deserve it. “Just because,” isn’t an answer. It’s an excuse. If moms and dads don’t know the answers to todays challenging questions, then let’s find the answers.

In a foreign land, to the most powerful world leader at that time, Shadrach and this two friends, stood with faith, confidence and assurance. They would not be intimidated. They would not be scared off. They would not be beaten down. And, because of that faith, the king honored the Lord.

Those that survive, will do well.

Roger

Jump Start # 2785

Daniel 3:18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

There has been so many wonderful lessons that have come from the story of the fiery furnace in Babylon. The three Jewish young men were put on the spot. Bow down or die. Away from home, having no one, other than themselves, to encourage each other, they remained absolute in their decision. Our verse expresses their words, “we are not going to serve your gods.” We refer to that as conviction.

Conviction is something that is at one’s core. This is what I believe. And, based upon that belief I make the choices in life. Conviction ought to be solid like steel. It ought to remain the same in sunny days and stormy nights. It ought to be the same whether I’m in a crowd or by myself. Conviction doesn’t follow the crowd. Conviction doesn’t change day after day. For us, we stand upon the word of God. That is the rock that the wise man built his house upon. That is hope, assurance and confidence that we have.

All of this sounds good, especially on a Sunday morning while sitting in the church house. But these days, convictions are under assault. Pressure from those who do not agree attack that very core of conviction. They say that our core conviction is wrong. Our core belief is harmful to them and injurious to society. You must change your core belief or else you will be exiled, labeled, mocked and abused.

The most recent victim was the author Max Lucado. Max, light years ago, preached among the churches of Christ. He’s moved beyond that and his international status as a writer has led him to evolving his views on many points. But recently, Max was verbally attacked for his views against same-sex marriage. A petition was formed to ban him from attending a national prayer service. A decades old sermon surfaced where Max defended the Biblical view of marriage. The fireworks started. The LBGTQ community claimed they were offended, wounded and hurt by the views of Max. Pressure mounted. Max caved in. I expect behind the scenes the publishing houses were ready to dump his contracts and burn his books. So, Max bowed down. He wrote a letter of apology. The powerful LBGTQ movement claimed another victory. Another voice silenced. Given enough pressure, they all seem to back down and bow down.

And, for us, this is everything. Powerful pressure and fear can move convictions. This is why we need to consider our verse today.

First, refusing to bow to the king’s idol insulted and offended the king. That it did. Convictions tend to do that to those who have different views. Yet, with that, the Jewish three stood. Brought before the king and offered a second chance, the three refused. With the threat of death, they refused. They would rather die, being right with the Lord, than live having sold out to the devil.

If you have Biblical convictions, you will upset some in your family and in your place of work. Some will push you to test your faith. Some will look for you to slip up. Some will try you. And, as the Jewish three found out, there are consequences that come with convictions. You may not be included, invited or welcome any more. You may be pressured out of your job. You may be ridiculed and eventually forced off of social media. You may be on the outs with your family. Peter sat in a prison cell. Paul was dragged out of town and stoned. Fear and pressure will try to chip away your convictions. Faith will help you remain loyal and true.

Second, we do not find the Jewish three being obnoxious about their convictions. Some invite persecution because of the ’in-your-face’ attitude they manifest. Jesus was never like that. His words offended those who didn’t agree, but you don’t find Jesus picking a fight. Kindness, gentleness are not the opposites of boldness and firmness. They go together. One doesn’t have to be mean to be confident.

Third, the world would rather change the Bible than change it’s ways. That’s always been true. The world is in love with sin more than it is in love with the Lord. The shocking news about Max Lucado is that at the front of his opposition was a group of “religious” leaders. Their twisted theology had left the Bible so long ago that they do not even realize who they are following. We’d like to think honest talk would change some. It won’t. We’d like to think putting the evidence out on the table will help others to see. It won’t. This isn’t a search for truth. Some have redefined the truth in such a way that they are not interested in anything but their current agenda. And, if anyone stands in their way, they will be knocked down.

Fourth, our world is getting darker and darker. I saw a report that claimed there are 63 gender choices. I don’t understand that. I thought there was male and female and God made that choice for us. The “in-crowd” is refusing to use the expression “baby.” The word today is “weebee.”  Parents are going to let their child determine their gender. Will they let the child determine whether he goes to school? How about what language to speak? Better yet, maybe that child will choose new parents, and get a better set next time. Nothing is wrong these days except religious conviction. Everything is in, except the Bible. Don’t offend. Don’t hurt my feelings. Don’t make me feel bad. It doesn’t matter that you offend God, hurt His feelings, and make Him feel bad. Those weak in faith, will be causalities. They will cave in to social pressure. Those with convictions will be mocked and pressured. But, the truth goes on. It must go on.

If the Bible is indeed right, then we must stand upon that with all of our heart. Man is to follow the Bible, not the Bible follow man. We will not bow down! Defiant. Sure. Absolute. Convicted. True to God.

Let’s hope and pray that we can have some genuine convictions.

Roger