Why Christian Schoolkids go bad
by: ProIsrael
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Word Count: 4466
Turn to your bibles if you would please. Open to the center of the Bible. You’ll probably be right at the end of Proverbs or the first couple chapters of Ecclesiastes. We’re going to look in Ecclesiastes 4 in the only book that God wrote. Amen. Those other books that we buy- God didn’t write any other book. He wrote only this one. Ecclesiastes 4.
I look forward to getting to know you. It’s good to get to know you. Speaking of getting to know you…it reminds me of a story of a young man dating a young girl. They had been dating for six months down south. The father said to the daughter, “I don’t want you to date that boy no more, seppen you bring him home for dinner.” (That’s how they talk down south.) And the girl went to the boy, “We can’t date no more, seppen you come to my house for supper.” “No problem, set the day!”
On the day he was supposed to go meet his girlfriend’s daddy for dinner, he stopped by the drugstore and said to the pharmacist. “I’d like a one pound box of chocolate…a two pound box of chocolate…and a three pound box of chocolate. Each individually wrapped.” The pharmacist put it together. The pharmacist asked, “What is this for?”
“Tonight, I’m going to my girlfriend’s house. Afterwards I’m going to meet her father at dinner. Afterwards, we’re going to sit on the front porch. We’re going to sit on the swaaaang. (That’s how they talk down there.) I’m going to sit up right next to her. If she doesn’t scooch away, I’m going to give her that one pound box of chocolate.”
“Then, I’m going to put my arm around her. If she doesn’t slap my face… (By the way young ladies, she should slap his face.) well, I’m going to put my arm around her, if she doesn’t slap my face, I’m going to give her that two pound box of chocolates.”
“I’m going to reach over, I’m going to give her a big smooch (this is as bad as it gets, preacher) on the cheek. If she doesn’t go tell her daddy, (She should tell her daddy right then) if she doesn’t tell her daddy, I’m going to give her a three pound box of chocolate.”
“Man, that sounds like a plan!” the Pharmacist replied.
The father opened up the door. The father said, “Young man, come on in, good to meet you, I hear you want to get to know my daughter a little better. I‘d like to get to know you. Sit right here at the head of the table. I want you to pray for supper.” He started praying like he was preaching. “O God, O God, I pray, you bless this dinner. O Father God!” He prayed for thirty minutes. He had spit coming both sides of his mouth, “Amen! Amen! Amen! Amen!” “Honey, I didn’t know you could pray like that!” “Yeah, and I didn’t know your daddy was the pharmacist, either!”
Ecclesiastes 4. I am indeed proud to have my bride Laurie here with me; I don’t get to travel with her very much, in fact the other day, I had my 5 year old son with me… I was getting ready to travel. I was packing up my stuff. He had these two fingers acting like they were airplanes, going rorrrr rorrr right by my face. I grabbed his fingers, and said, “I’m going to eat your fingers!” I walked out of the room. He was still looking at his fingers. “What happened, son?” He said, “Dad! What happened to my booger?” I was just told, that you can’t teach a college chapel unless you got a booger joke out of the way...I’d appreciate if you just stay put.
Ecclesiastes 4 –I’m going to talk to you why Christian school kids go bad. I’m a Christian school kid that went bad. A reputable publication recently said that 69% of bible college graduates forsake their faith within 18 months. That’s a lot! Millions are spent! Wouldn’t you think we could do better than that? 69% To forsake their faith, the study defined that as not going to church. I know a lot of people that never miss church, but have forsaken their faith. I know many people who don’t have confidence in God, faith, but they still go to church. Many people go to church, but have forsaken God, have confidence in themselves, they have very little faith, but they go to church, doing little for God. They go to church because it is the right thing to do. They sit, sulk, and sour for decades doing little for God, but the number is much higher than 69% when you biblically define the phrase “forsake their faith.” Why do Christian school kids go bad?
Ecclesiastes 4: The wisest man in the world considers the truth-any time wise people consider/ponder, how important it is we consider what they consider and recognize their answer. We need to recognize whether we might be part of the 69%. You see, as a Christian school kid, I was called to preach at 17 and never made it to bible college. I wasn’t called to preach at 12 years old and then gave up on it later. I enjoyed Christian school. I enjoyed memorizing verses. I enjoyed the sports program. I enjoyed all of that. I enjoyed being part of the clique. I was all state in soccer. I was into my Christian school. It was not like I was a rebellious kid who couldn’t wait to get out.
The wisest man that ever lived said, Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed:
Behold the tears- the emotional instability of such as were oppressed.
If you like to take notes, you ought to fill your bible with notes. Circle the word oppressed –an old English word for the modern English words-outside pressure.
He is pondering: oppression: the emotional instability that comes from outside pressure. Most people think of oppression is very Satanic in nature. Of course, Satan does put outside pressure on people. Basically, oppression is nothing more than outside pressure, pressure that comes from the outside, much like peer pressure.
The bible says, Behold the tears-> the emotional instability of such as were oppressed. And on the side of the oppressor, there is power.
Pressed by outside pressure. Solomon is considering the instability of outside pressure. Oppression is outside pressure. Pressure that comes from the outside. And they had no comforter. And on the sides of the oppressor, there was power.
On the side of the oppression, they had power. Absent of a comforter, there is power on the side of the oppressor. Why don’t they stop smoking? The bible says, the side of the oppressor there is power. The overeating? The undereating? The gambling? Why don’t they just stop those things? On the side of the oppressor there is power. Why? Because they have no comforter. Absent of a comforter, there is no power. Why don’t people just get out drugs? Why don’t they get out of it? On the side of the oppressor, there is power.
Why? Because they have no comforter. Absence of a comforter. There is no power. The outside pressure, the oppression, is the devil’s system of management for mankind. It is listed in 1 John 2:15, 16, 17-Love not the world (Do not have a great affection for the things of the world.)
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Three distinct things that make up the world, that creates the outside pressure. These are the same things, not only for the unsaved drug addict but also for the Christian school kid who is experiencing pressure and temptation. These are the same things the devil uses, they are made up of the three things:
1) Lust of the flesh
2) Lust of the eyes
3) Pride of Life
1) Lust of the flesh is the consuming desire to do, if a man could do anything whatever he wanted to do, no matter what it was, from the day he was born and the day he died, no matter what it was, do this, do that, travel across the US, and nobody has ever been able to do whatever he wanted to do. If a man could do whatever he wanted to do, the bible says that man would have gain 1/3 of the world, but there is still 2/3 of the world.
2) It’s also made up of the lust of the eyes. The lust of the eyes is compelling desire to have whatever he wanted to have. Nobody has ever been able to have whatever he wanted to have, but the bible says, That man would have gained 2/3 of the world, but there is still 1/3 left.
3) The last third is the pride of life is the compelling urge to be. If a man could do whatever –be, do, have (no man has ever) –the bible says he would have gained the whole world, but it also says, what shall it profit a man? if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul!
We know as Christians, if a man rejects Christ, and accepts all that the world has to offer, that person will surely be damned, and lose his soul in eternity and go to hell. But, wait a minute, Chris, there are a lot of God’s people who do whatever they do without no real regard of what (be, do, have) God wants them to be, do, have. I know a lot of God’s people who do, be, and have with no regard to what God wants. I know a lot of parents who have, do, be . I know a lot of God’s people who do, be, and have. Isn’t it possible that they could lose their own souls? Surely we understand, they cannot lose their souls for their souls are forever safe in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, which are forever safe in the hands of Almighty God.
Through the outside pressure, the oppression of the things of this world, that Christians can lose control of their souls. You need to understand the the system of the devil’s management has always worked on mankind, on the Lord Jesus Christ when he was here, and since the dawn of time.
Genesis 2: Understand God’s design for man- God’s system of management for mankind. God designed man and how we were to operate: Genesis 2 :7 :And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
Body:When God formed man out of the dust of the ground- created the body, that was just 1/3 of man. God created man to function in three parts. Members-body parts. Do not yield your members to unrighteousness-body parts to do that which is unrighteous.
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
God breathed. It’s an act of the spirit.
and man became a living soul. God created man to function in three parts.
Soul: Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Man became a living soul. Three parts of the Soul- mind, will, and emotions (M,W,E). Your soul is the way you think, you want, and the way you feel. It makes up who we are, it makes up our personality, it happens to be where all freedom dwells.
Spirit: The Spirit is that part of you that communicates with God. God only talks to a man’s spirit. The spirit is the place -communicates with you and God. God communicates to a man’s spirit; God is a spirit; and man must worship him in spirit and in truth. Spirit is where God communicates. God is a Spirit. In order to worship God, you need a living spirit and you need Jesus. He is the intercessor between God and man. There is a truth involved, that truth is not information. That truth is a personal relation. In order to worship God, you must worship in spirit. Must indicates an obligation. God is a Spirit, and worship him in spirit and truth.
In order to worship, you must have a living spirit. A living spirit. God would communicate to the spirit. The spirit would communicate to the soul. The soul would submit to the spirit that lived within the body. The body would carry forth God’s will. Spirit -> soul-> body.
The spirit acts like an employer. Master. The soul acts a lot like a steward. Manager. The body acts like a servant. Employee. The employer gives the manager things to do, “go ye therefore”. He doesn’t say, “go build bus routes.” The manager (mind, will, and emotions) designs techniques to submit to the commands of God and negotiates with the body to carry out God’s will. This is how we are supposed to operate. It is referred to scientifically as a functioning trichotomy- three parts- intended to function in a certain way.
The first command came. The Lord first commanded , 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He says, You are free, BUT. What’s up with that? How can you be free, But? All freedom is measured by boundaries.
Now as a Christian school kid, I thought, I can’t wait until I get out of this Christian school, I can’t wait until I get out of this Baptist church, I can’t wait until I get out of this Christian home….Young people, you only exchange freedom for bondage. There’s freedom within boundaries, not gaged by the absence thereof.
I’m going to put you in this garden…17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God promised the day that they ate of the tree, they would surely die.
Then in chapter 3, we are introduced to the first bit of pressure. God works from the inside out, that’s internal persuasion. The devil works from the outside in-through pressure.
When the woman saw the tree that it was good for food-that’s the Lust of the flesh. And it was pleasant to the eyes-Lust of the eyes. Makes one wise-Pride of Life. V6 We see the devil uses the things of this world. Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
The devil only got involved personally manifesting in the life of Eve and Adam, and in the life of Job. He got involved with Peter but never showed himself. He gets involved with us, seeking whom he may devour, but he doesn’t show himself as in a manifestation . He used the things of the world.
When he was with Jesus. “ Turn the stones into bread.” Lust of the flesh. “I’ll give it all to you.” Lust of the eyes. “Make everything bow down to you”-that’s the pride of life. With the first Adam, it worked, but with the second Adam, it didn’t. The reason was the first Adam wasn’t thinking right, he wasn’t thinking about what God had said. The second Adam was concentrating consistently on the Word of God. Everything is found in meditation.
Let’s give the ladies a break . We like to blame the women, but the women had not been created yet in Genesis 2:17. Any failure for the women to understand was his fault. The fault was the man’s. She ate it, and she gave it to the husband who was with her--the saddest words in the bible. The whole time, he was there! The man was supposed to protect. He was supposed to dress it and to keep it, to develop it and to protect it. There she was facing outside pressure from the enemy, and she took and ate it. This was the first time in the history of mankind, that when outside pressure that negotiated with the soul, that we rejected the spirit and submitted to the soul.
That day, the devil tempted them with information about God over a personal relationship with God, thus rejecting the spirit of God. They walked with God everyday, but that day, they chose information about God over a personal relationship with God. The devil said, “You can be just like God! You’ll learn all you need.” They ate of that tree. They said, “I’d rather neglect that relationship, but I’d rather learn more about God.” They submitted to the outside pressure. Thus, rejecting the spirit of God.
Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, because you listened to the outside pressure of your wife, because your wife gave you a pressure, you did something different than what I told you, cursed is the ground.
What? He said he was going to kill ‘em. Did God change his mind? No. Did God go easy on him? No. Is God a liar? No. Something had to die that day. What was it that died that day? That day, the spirit of man died. For the soul of man lived another 900 years.
From that day forward, man could no longer hear from God, except through the outside manifestation. Fingers on a tablet. Burning bush. Or through a prophetic man of God. There was no more internal persuasion. No more living spirit within man. Man chose information over relationship. As a result, man had to learn about God. For man was on a search for knowledge. Because he had no longer the internal power of God. He tried to build a tower where he could communicate with God, and that frustrated God. He knocked down that tower (Babel tower). God gave man exactly what he thought God needed. I’m going to give him a bunch of rules, since you can’t have a relationship, if you obey them all, every time and tittle, you can be just like me.
But man was on his own, so he had to do it in his power. Information over relationship. Knowledge/ rules/ but he had to do it religiously. Religious leaders like the Spiritual Gestapo. If the young kids would rebel, they would take ‘em and stone them with stones. It was very effective in getting for people to obey God through external pressure. External behavior modification. Sometimes it worked as in the story with Joseph, and sometimes it didn’t like his brothers. Because rules without relationship eventually breeds rebellion. This went on for thousands of years, man can only did good if he did it in his own power. We had to train his soul for self-control. But it shoulf never trumpet over Spirit-control. For thousands of years, God’s purpose for the law, no matter how hard he tried, the harder he tried, the more he would realize he wouldn’t measure up.
That’s how it was for me. In 1993, I was drug addict. But, I was a pretty good guy. I think I’m worse than I thought I was back then. I THINK I’m Worse than I THOUGHT back then…Why? The closer you get to the Lord, the more you realize how far you fall short. The law is a wonderful schoolmaster, leader that educates you. That’s what the law does. That will kill your joy. No matter how hard you try, you cannot control the soul. It will not develop any fruits of the spirits within you.
You hath he quickened. Quickened means made alive who were dead from sins and trespasses. Trespasses – violated boundaries. Those of you who have violated boundaries and have listened to outside pressures. Arent’ you glad that you live in this dispensation of grace?
When man does something for God. Sin shall not have dominion over you, that’s power, for you are not under the law, where man does the work, but under grace, where God does the work. You are not under the law, but under grace. Man was able to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
I had no clue growing up in Christian school. The reason is The devil considered to himself probably about Acts 2, he saw, “Look at that Peter, in Acts, he wouldn’t even admit that he knew Jesus in front of a group of women. Something has happened.”
I believe that that time, The devil saw the revelation of Jesus Christ from the Old testament the revelation of Jesus Christ. He recognized the Psalm 22 was prophetic of Jesus Christ, Isaiah 53, Joel –spirit would come upon them again-these people’s spirits have come alive. Aha! I’ll do the same thing that worked for the first Adam-first Adam, I’ll get them to chose information over a personal relationship.” (That’s the devil’s strategy)
Don’t act like the world! Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Transformed- Metamorphises. To change in form.
Tranformation: Back in 1977, watching tv, I was introduced to Dr. David Bruce Banner doctor physician, searching for…by gamma radiation, whenever he gets angry, a metamorphises occurs, he changes his tire, and he changes into a raging monster. In the incredible hulk. What was that tv show teaching us? When faced with adversity we turn into a monster.
There was a Superhero who was far more mild mannered Clark Kent, who never broke a sweat, he’d see an airplane flying into the Daily Planet, he’d flip into his leotards and stop the airplane in mid-air, saving all on board. He never broke a sweat! How did he stay so calm, cool, and collected in the midst of adversity? He knew of a great power that began with a capital S, and living within you is a great big power that begins with a capital S.
When outside pressure comes, when you are unable to yield to the internal power instead of love, you’ve got self-love, instead of peace, you’ve got worry, instead of gentleness, you’ve got harshness, instead of meekness youv’e got discord, instead of joy, you’ve got frustration, instead of faith you’ve got doubt, instead of temperance you’ve got self indulgence. You’ve got all of these alternatives. That’s like saying, I understand your pedophelia.
How could you say that? God is saying, “I’d rather you be hot, where I can bless you, or cold where I could discipline you.” You do good in your own, lukewarm in your own power, God hates unrighteousness, but our self-righteousness is an abomination. You’re doing right in your own soul.
Be not comformed… but not, we accept information about the cross, justification is based on information. We do not have as unregenerate people God knew , we did not have an interest, you love information. Knowledge is power. That is not true! Knowing him is power.
The more you know about God, the prouder you become. The more you know God, the more you grow. But it’s not about knowing about God, but knowing God is power. You’re only growing in your mind. But, not in your spirit. The more you know God , the more you grow with God. The more you know about God, the more prouder you become. Information gatherers to relationship builder. Be ye transformed, renew or repair the mind. If everything Knowledge does nothing for spirit. Devil accept the information, how do we follow the rules, how much do we do, what can I do? Instead of conforming, we are conforming by performing. We need rules if we’ve got a relationship. From information gatherers to relationship gatherers.
What are the rules? What can I do? Instead of conforming, we are conforming by performing. Against such there is no law. But on the inside, we’re like white seprachulres.
Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears those who were were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
There’s no reason for rules but because of outside pressure. But on the inside, we are trained the soul for self-control. All the oppressions, behold the tears of those who are oppressed because they have no comforter. The power of the oppressor. Because they have no comforter.
DL Moody had a sermon in Europe, all of the preachers were excited were singing the praises of Moody, “you guys act like Moody has the monopoly on God.” “No, God has a monopoly on Moody”. That’s the difference between Christian school kids that go bad and those who don’t. You may have the comforter but that doesn’t mean you he has you. And If you are comfortable, then why would you need a comforter?
In prayer: It is possible for Christians to train their soul for self-control, but they will be vulnerable to addiction or apathy. They are will be the same as new-born Christians. They need to be develop their spirits.
About the Author
Brother Steve Currington, Why Christian schoolkids go bad.
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