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Posts Tagged with family

The Head of the Church

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Who would have thought that a claim of a global pandemic would help wake up the sleepy western church?

Today, the local church has to at least ask questions about who they believe the head of the church is. Fundamentally; is the state the head of the church, is the pastor the head of the church, or is Christ the head of the church?

One will treat the church depending on how they answer this question.

If the pastor is the head of the church, that church will soon collapse. Personalities come and go. Trends eventually need to be adjusted to stay in front of the secular trends.

If the state is the head of the church, that church will capitulate to another God ordained institution that does not have the jurisdiction to be the head of the Lord’s bride, the church. That local church would eventually look to the state for permission to speak, meet, act, read, sing, evangelize, etc… The state is responsible to protect the church from infringement from any other, including the state.

If Christ is the head of the church, and He is, then no other institution under heaven has the authority to instruct the church on when, what can be said, what to wear, or what percentage of its seating capacity can attend.

Most are watching what will come of the recent arrest and imprisonment of a pastor in Canada. James Coates, pastor at Grace Life Church in Edmonton, Canada was arrested this past week for preaching to a gathered people of more than what the government permitted them to have. When told he could go home if he promised to not preach to more people than permitted he informed the authorities that he would not and could not make such a promise. The result, he will remain in jail until his trial date of March 31.

What now?

First, do you see how important it is to how you answer the above question? Who you say is the head of the church is how you will act toward the church.

Then, you should not willingly abandon the church house this coming Lord’s Day. Heads of homes, gather your family together before Sunday morning and instruct them that we are no longing treating the bride of Christ with such careless attention.

I encourage you to gather your family together and listen to the sermon James Coates preached the day before he was arrested and imprisoned (see link below). Put Christ in front of yourself and your family and be resolved to not let any temporary discomfort keep you from gathering with the local followers of Christ ever again.

The Ancient Paths

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(Submitted column for the Times News for Saturday, June 2, 2018)

The church is among the most unique institutions created by God.

Marriage is an ordained institution by God for procreation and the glorification of God for the proclamation of the gospel. Family is a result of this first institution where parents train and teach their children to walk in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The church is then this blessed institution where the gathered fellowship of individuals, married couples, and families constitute the united effort of advancing the gospel of the Lord Jesus the Christ to the ends of the earth.

Often in churches there is a celebration of those who are innovative thinkers. There is much made about people who “think outside the box”, so to speak.. This doesn’t mean a church shouldn’t exercise good thinking and planning about how to get the gospel to those who don’t have it yet or express thoughts and worship with old and new songs. This does, however, mean that churches must consider what they’ve been instructed to do.

Can you imagine that a soldier is instructed to carry out a command and instead of doing it how he was instructed, he decided to do it more creatively? He would not be a soldier for very much longer. It doesn’t mean that his idea was a bad idea, it means he didn’t follow the instructions of his commanding officer.

Can you imagine if a catcher on a baseball team decided it would work better if he stood behind second base instead of the assigned place the coach put him? He wouldn’t remain in the game much longer, or his team would lose every game for the remainder of the season while this so called “creative innovator” rewrote the game.

This is similar in the church.

Sadly, many pastors and churches have bought into a new clever methodology that is secular and worldly. Pastors get recognized today for doing what no other pastor has ever decided to do, rather than being faithful to what the Bible calls the “ancient paths”.

A problem is that many think the word “ancient” means old, wore out, outdated, or old fashioned. Ancient could mean that if the previous generation introduced new innovative ideas that are now more like a clothing fashion or have treated their duties like a coat of paint on a wall that needs refreshed from generation to generation because the popular color then is now out of date.

But the institution of the church is not like this.

Maybe the church house needs a fresh update. But the core of the institution is immutable. It doesn’t need a change and should not change.
A church that strives to remain faithful to Scripture and let the Holy Spirit use this ancient Scripture to conform God’s people is met with opposition among the new “innovators”.

The Holy Bible says that the word of God is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Churches and pastors who get this may face criticism from those who think there may be a better way.

Churches and pastors must become more disciplined today to remain faithful to this eternal work.

There is nothing better than a soldier who does what he’s been trained to do. There’s no better way to guard the home plate than a catcher who endures the heat, sweat, dust, and pain of doing what the coach trained him to do. There’s no better aid to a community than for a church and her pastor to be “the pillar and buttress of truth” by returning to the ancient path of Scripture.

Bless the Lord for churches in the Magic Valley who get this and may God bless these churches with pastors who will faithfully do their duty.

Is Your Church a Church or A Community Group?

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Yesterday, February 16, 2018, I exercised my privilege as a citizen of the great state of Idaho to appeal the House Education Committee not pass out of committee House Bill 579. The experience is always a breath taking experience. If you’ve never engaged in the process of your government you should find a bill some time and make it a family project to follow it from start to finish. It is best experienced with a field trip to the state house while a bill is being introduced and public hearing is available.

Really, you should try that some time.

Hose bill 579 was sent to “General Orders”. That’s a normal path many bills take that need more work. I was pleased that the bill was not directly sent to the House floor for a vote, even though I’m confident it would have died there. The bill did not die yesterday but it is not out of committee yet either.

I have expressed several concerns with regard to the bill 579. Here is the audio of my testimony before the House Education Committee on February 16, 2018 in Boise Idaho.

Update on the New Idaho Sex Education Bill

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The first look at an attempted updated sex education bill introduced in January in the Idaho state legislature was eventually scrapped and re-worked to include stronger language about family. That House Bill 414 is no longer an active bill.

The new sex education bill is H-0579 (posted below) was introduced earlier this week and was just posted for public hearing on Friday, February 16, at 9:00 a.m.

There were a few improvements from the original H0414 but I argue that the new bill H0579 is still an abandonment of long standing Idaho sex education laws in public schools.

My concerns with the new house bill (H0579) are similar to my concerns with the first one submitted in January (H0414).

Compare the introductory paragraph: There are subtle language changes that are quite impactful. To say the state of Idaho “acknowledges the importance of families…” is weaker than saying the state of Idaho “believes that the primary responsibility for family life and sex education, including moral responsibility, rests upon the home and the church…” this new bill subtly says the state is the lead and simply encourages “family communication.” The current law gives family the primary jurisdiction on these matters and that the state gives local school boards direction to establish a sex education curriculum under the leadership of family and church.

  • Proposed Bill H0579:
    • “The legislature of the state of Idaho acknowledges the importance of families in all aspects of their children’s education and promotes a strong school-home connection to support the implementation of sex education curriculum that respects community values and encourages family communication.”
  • Current Law:
    • “The legislature of the state of Idaho believes that the primary responsibility for family life and sex education, including moral responsibility, rests upon the home and the church and the schools can only complement and supplement those standards which are established in the family.”

Another section with great concern to me: To say “school districts shall involve families and community groups” is different than saying “the program should supplement the work in the home and the church…”

  • Proposed Bill H0579:
    • School districts shall involve families and community groups in the planning, development, evaluation and revision of any instruction in sex education offered as part of the school curriculum.
  • Current Law:
    • The program should supplement the work in the home and the church in giving youth the scientific, physiological information for understanding sex and its relation to the miracle of life, including knowledge of the power of the sex drive and the necessity of controlling that drive by self-discipline.

I urge you to read the new House Bill 579, compare it to the current Family Life and Sex Education Bill. If so inclined, contact the house education committee immediately, contact your local representatives, and/or travel to Boise on February 16, at 9:00 a.m, to speak directly to the committee.

I’ll post some recommendations I have learned over the years of speaking in the public arena and why I think it is important for Christians to speak into issues that are being introduced into law before they become law. Even if our speaking does not impact the direction or intentions of the legislators, it is good to be heard and to be respectfully heard.

After you read the new proposed law consider sharing this with those you feel will make contact with the House Education Committee and other legislators to express concern. Please consider sharing this with your church leadership, this bill deliberately has removed all language of “church” from the bill (compare current law with proposed bill.)

Helpful documents about the proposed sex education bill and committee contact information
House Education Committee: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2018/standingcommittees/HEDU/
Agenda information: http://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2018/standingcommittees/180216_hedu_0900AM-Agenda.pdf
Statement of Purpose: http://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2018/legislation/H0579SOP.pdf
H0579 page: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2018/legislation/H0579.pdf

(formatting has been adjusted to fit page, no content has been adjusted in any way.)

                                                LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO
Sixty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session – 2018
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 579
BY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
1                                                                           AN ACT
2             RELATING TO SEX EDUCATION; REPEALING SECTIONS 33-1608 THROUGH 33-1611,
3             IDAHO CODE, RELATING TO SEX EDUCATION; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 16, TITLE
4             33, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 33-1608, IDAHO CODE, TO
5                                ESTABLISH PROVISIONS REGARDING SEX EDUCATION.
6                                       Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
7                         SECTION 1. That Sections 33-1608 through 33-1611, Idaho Code, be, and
8                                                       the same are hereby repealed.
9                         SECTION 2. That Chapter 16, Title 33, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
10                  hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-
11                                   ignated as Section 33-1608, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
12                              33-1608. SEX EDUCATION. (1) The legislature of the state of Idaho ac-
13                             knowledges the importance of families in all aspects of their children’s ed-
14                            ucation and promotes a strong school-home connection to support the imple-
15                             mentation of sex education curriculum that respects community values and en-
16                                                      courages family communication.
17                               (2) For purposes of this section, “sex education” means the study of the
18                                              anatomy and physiology of human reproduction.
19                               (3) The decision to include sex education in the school curriculum
20                             shall be made at the district level by the board of trustees. If a sex educa-
21                                      tion program is included in the curriculum, the program shall:
22                                (a) Be medically accurate according to published authorities on which
23                                                    medical professionals generally rely; and
24                               (b) Adhere to the Idaho content standards for health education as es-
25                                                     tablished by the state board of education.
26                               (4) School districts shall involve families and community groups in the
27                             planning, development, evaluation and revision of any instruction in sex ed-
28                                                  ucation offered as part of the school curriculum.
29                                (5) A child shall be excused from sex education if the child’s parent
30                                 or legal guardian files an excuse request to the school district board of
31                                                   trustees on a form made available by the board.
Current Idaho Law (formatting and emphasis added by me, no change to content has been made)
TITLE 33
EDUCATION
CHAPTER 16
COURSES OF INSTRUCTION

33-1608. FAMILY LIFE AND SEX EDUCATION — LEGISLATIVE POLICY. The legislature of the state of Idaho believes that the primary responsibility for family life and sex education, including moral responsibility, rests upon the home and the church and the schools can only complement and supplement those standards which are established in the family. The decision as to whether or not any program in family life and sex education is to be introduced in the schools is a matter for determination at the local district level by the local school board of duly selected representatives of the people of the community. If such program is adopted, the legislature believes that:

a. Major emphasis in such a program should be to assist the home in giving them the knowledge and appreciation of the important place the family home holds in the social system of our culture, its place in the family and the responsibility which will be there much later when they establish their own families.

b. The program should supplement the work in the home and the church in giving youth the scientific, physiological information for understanding sex and its relation to the miracle of life, including knowledge of the power of the sex drive and the necessity of controlling that drive by self-discipline.

c. The program should focus upon helping youth acquire a background of ideals and standards and attitudes which will be of value to him now and later when he chooses a mate and establishes his own family.
History:
[33-1608, added 1970, ch. 119, sec. 1, p. 282.]

How Important Is It To Know?

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When state legislators are in session the people better be paying close attention.

There is a bill right now before Idaho legislators to address the language of the law concerning Family Life and Sex Education. (section 33-1608 Idaho State Legislature). The link I have referenced is the current law, amended last in 1970.

Here is how it currently reads:

TITLE 33
EDUCATION
CHAPTER 16
COURSES OF INSTRUCTION

33-1608. FAMILY LIFE AND SEX EDUCATION — LEGISLATIVE POLICY. The legislature of the state of Idaho believes that the primary responsibility for family life and sex education, including moral responsibility, rests upon the home and the church and the schools can only complement and supplement those standards which are established in the family. The decision as to whether or not any program in family life and sex education is to be introduced in the schools is a matter for determination at the local district level by the local school board of duly selected representatives of the people of the community. If such program is adopted, the legislature believes that:

a. Major emphasis in such a program should be to assist the home in giving them the knowledge and appreciation of the important place the family home holds in the social system of our culture, its place in the family and the responsibility which will be there much later when they establish their own families.

b. The program should supplement the work in the home and the church in giving youth the scientific, physiological information for understanding sex and its relation to the miracle of life, including knowledge of the power of the sex drive and the necessity of controlling that drive by self-discipline.

c. The program should focus upon helping youth acquire a background of ideals and standards and attitudes which will be of value to him now and later when he chooses a mate and establishes his own family.
History:
[33-1608, added 1970, ch. 119, sec. 1, p. 282.]

Notice a few things with me…

  • The state of Idaho believes (in 1970) that the primary responsibility for family life and sex education, including moral responsibility, rests upon the home and the church.
  • The school can only complement and supplement those standards. The standards established in the family.
  • Local school districts/boards is the level that determines how this is implemented.
  • The state of Idaho (in 1970) saw that the jurisdiction of family life and sex education was chiefly, the duty of the family.
  • The state of Idaho (in 1970) believed the best place for children to responsibly establish their own families was in the authority of the family.
  • The state of Idaho (in 1970) set law in place to ensure that children would primarily receive their moral, scientific, physiological instruction for understanding sex and its relationship to the miracle of life, and set its moral compass of the sex drive and self discipline as high priorities of family and church.
  • The state of Idaho (in 1970) was satisfied to be a supplement for what was to be primarily taught in home and church.
  • The state of Idaho (in 1970) believed that parents were qualified to give their children the necessary background, attitude and morality to help them make informed decisions now and to later choose a mate and establish their own homes.

Our duty now is to consider what is being presented to legislators today. We need to ask good questions about why they are suggesting changes and why have they deliberately chosen the wording of such and what are they saying about home and church today in relationship to what was previously thought about them both.

This demands our attention.

Here is the new wording of the proposal…

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 414
BY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
AN ACT RELATING TO SEX EDUCATION; REPEALING SECTIONS 33-1608 THROUGH 33-1611,
IDAHO CODE, RELATING TO SEX EDUCATION; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 16, TITLE 33,

IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 33-1608,

IDAHO CODE, TO  ESTABLISH PROVISIONS REGARDING SEX EDUCATION.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
SECTION 1. That Sections 33-1608 through 33-1611, Idaho Code, be, and
the same are hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. That Chapter 16, Title 33, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and
designated as Section 33-1608, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:

33-1608. SEX EDUCATION.

(1) For purposes of this section, “sex education” means the study of:
     (a) The anatomy and physiology of human reproduction; and
     (b) The development of healthy relationships.
(2) The decision to include sex education in the school curriculum
shall be made at the district level by the board of trustees. If a sex education
program is included in the curriculum, the program shall:
     (a) Be medically accurate according to published authorities on which
medical professionals generally rely, which authorities shall be designated

in rule by the state board of education; and

     (b) Adhere to the Idaho content standards for health education as
established by the state board of education.
(3) School districts shall involve families and community groups in the
planning, development, evaluation and revision of any instruction in sex
education offered as part of the school curriculum.
(4) A child may be excused from sex education if the child’s parent
or legal guardian files an excuse request to the school district board of
trustees on a form made available by the board. Alternative educational programs shall be provided for excused children

Acknowledgement: I am not a lawyer. I make no pretenses on this matter. I’m writing with an attempt to be a well informed and responsible follower of Christ. This is my one and only agenda. Nothing hidden in my observation of this change in Idaho law.

Here are the following initial observations of the change in Idaho law Section 33-1611

  • First, note that this revision of a law starts with scrapping the entire previous law. Maybe that’s the normal way to keep a law clean, but when what was previously the law and the intentional language of the law is completely removed I want to know why and I want to pay close attention to what the new law has to say.
  • Second, I note there is no mention of church. It may be implied by the language of “community groups” but that is no small change and should not be overlooked.
  • Third, I note that the state law seeks primarily to “involve” families rather than treat families as the primary educator on this matter.
  • I then see that there is, what appears to be, intentionally dangerous language that leaves the matter of morality to the subjective wind of “published authorities” on which medical professionals “generally” rely.
  • The law gives parents right to excuse a child from the “sex education” curriculum on a form made available by the local school district board of trustees. Then it gives unclear direction as to what the alternative curriculum that is to be provided for excused children is.

I will be writing my legislators today to inform them of how I read this and express desire that they not alter the good law we already have. I urge you to do the same. Even if you don’t agree with me in how I read the proposal.

What do you think about this?

 

 

 

For Church and Family (009) the Lord’s Table

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In this post I encourage parents to formally train their children about the Lord’s Table at home so that when they are at the church house and the gathered saints proclaim the Lord’s death in the corporate proclamation is something to watch. Teach them why they should wait to take it until they have made a confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Tips for Church and Family.

  • Parents:
    • This is important because your sons and daughters are watching a people make confession about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
    • Explain what the cup and the bread represent.
    • Explain why, especially if they are young and asking questions, who is able to take the bread and the cup.
    • Point out that those who take this when it comes by have made Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives and submit to him as their Lord.
    • Explain only those who professes this do this.
    • With holding it from them is not abusive. It is actually eternally helpful, until they are old enough to understand what is actually happening and if they understand.
  • Church:
    • Treat this with seriousness.
    • Heads of households, gather your family together when the pastor instructs you on the Lord’s Day and pray with your family. Your children will not think this strange if you do what the pastor instructs.
    • When you pray, pray for salvation to come to those who are not yet redeemed.
    • Pray for the boys and girls as they watch and listen to what is happening at this moment. The Gospel is being proclaimed.

For Church and Family (007) Clothing

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In this short clip I give instructions about training children in how they dress and behave at the church house on the Lord’s Day. Talk about why we dress differently on the Lord’s Day than any other day. The why is very important on this topic.

Tips for Church and Family

  • Parents:
    • We are not building a case for a dress code. As a parent, we want to train our children about the significant event we are going to participate in and we dress significantly different for significant occasions.
    • Make the plans on Saturday night for what each of the children will wear on Sunday morning. This will help so that there is less stress on the Lord’s Day for finding the matching socks, locating a belt, or what color shirt/blouse goes with what color pants/dress.
    • Make this a normal routine while they are young. Remember you are training a child in a pattern or way. Make this a special routine with special treats upon occasion.
    • Model this in what you wear.
  • Church:
    • Encourage parents who are doing this. This is not an easy thing to do on early Lord’s Days. It is a lot of work and effort.
    • If you speak about a child’s clothing, be sure to only mention the clothing.
    • If you see families dressing nicely on the Lord’s Day, consider helping them by setting an example for them and their children.
    • Show these young ones in our congregation that this special gathering deserves nice clothing.

NOTE: This is not a matter to get too worked up on. But don’t miss the benefit that this is. It is not a small thing.

For Church and Family (005) Listening to the Preaching

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In this post I explain the reasons behind parents teaching their children to listen to the preaching. The hardest thing to teach a child in church is to listen to the preaching.

Tips for Church and Family

  • Parents:
    • Be consistent
    • Talk about this at home before you arrive.
    • As the grow older help them desire to listen to the preaching.
    • If a child needs to go to the bathroom every week, make a trip to the bathroom before you enter the auditorium.
  • Church:
    • Do your best to not get up and leave during the preaching.
    • Be sure to turn your phone off.
    • Display a discipline of not using your phone for messaging or games.

For Church and Family (004) Teach them to Listen

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In this post I encourage parents to read ahead in the scripture text at home and teach the children to listen for key words, listen to what songs we sang, ask them later what they heard.

Tips for Church and Family

  • Parents:
    • Read the text that your church is preaching through at home several times before the coming Lord’s Day. Make this a habit even if the children don’t understand what’s going on.
    • Note key words for the children to listen for.
    • Teach about those key words.
    • Only bring quiet items into the church house
    • Follow up with questions after.
    • Ask; “What songs did we sing at the church house today?”
    • Have an expectation
  • Church:
    • Give the children something honorable to imitate

For Church and Family (003) Singing

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In this clip I encourage parents to teach the children to sing at and with the church family when we gather on the Lord’s Day.

Tips for Church and Family:

  • Parents:
    • instruct your children to sing.
    • They don’t have to know how to read in order to sing.
    • Use the home study guide to teach songs.
    • Use the singing time as a starter for paying attention to what is happening and the importance of participating with everyone.
    • This is a good time to put down the toys and coloring books, and sing.
  • Church:
    • Sing!
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