____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ March 24, 1991 ____________________________________________________ Guiding Our Children Aright by Tom Edwards In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), it appears that this young wastrel was ill-prepared for life. Perhaps, he viewed being on his own in only an irresponsible and careless manner in which he could pursue the hedonistic lifestyle of his choice in order to fulfill his every whim. Fortunately, he had a loving father who welcomed him back and helped him to get on his feet again after this course of living had landed the unwise prodigal in ruin and most definitely proved to be a wrong turn. There is a great need, especially in today's society, for parents to prepare their sons and daughters for that time in which they will leave home. Certainly they would not want to see their children end up wasting their lives as the young prodigal who had to learn a lesson of life through a very difficult and humiliating experience. Fathers are exhorted in Ephesians 6:4 to ''...not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.'' Yes, there is a great need for this in our time. According to the USA Today, ``When kids who are sheltered for much of their lives eventually are exposed to things they've never seen, they're unable to cope...Parents, and the attitude at home, are keys to a child coping with problems at school.'' I suppose this comment is made from a secular point of view, but what about adding a little spirituality to it? Let's consider ``parents who are Christians'' with ``a godly attitude at home,'' teaching their children the principles of the Scriptures. Those of you who are parents with school children are well aware of many of the struggles they face among their fellow peers. Being a Christian or just trying to live a better life can be a challenge, regardless of one's age. YOUTH AND VIOLENCE Schools have changed pretty much from when I used to attend. I was surprised when I learned that many young students today are allowed to watch movies once in a while during school hours. This is a far cry from Mr. Goddard's science class that we used to enjoy watching occasionally or the Spanish lessons that were also aired over the TV when I was in the fourth grade. Quite understandably, some parents have raised objections towards the violence portrayed and the profanity thundered from some of these videos. Consequently, they sought after a policy that would require children to have their parent's permission before they could view shows of this nature. I sometimes worry about children taking pleasure in violence and where it might lead. It seems that many of us love to see the bad guys get stomped. But is this the godly attitude that the Christian should have? Solomon writes in Proverbs 24:16-18 the following: (16) for a righteous {man} may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity. (17) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; (18) lest the Lord see {it}, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him. How can we develop a merciful disposition, but at the same time gloat over the misfortunes or death of the wicked? Is this the way our Lord -- whom we are to strive to be like -- is? Will God take delight in sentencing people to eternal torment in the Judgment Day? Will He be glad to see them get their ``just deserts'' and be punished eternally? Not according to Ezekiel 18:30-32, in which God implores His sinful child to ''...Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin...For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies...Therefore turn and live!'' It is God's desire for all to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), rather than that any should perish. I once read of some statistics that contrasted drastic changes that had occurred in public schools in 1940 to those in 1982. The major offenses in 1940 were as follows: 1) talking without permission; 2) chewing gum; 3) making unnecessary noise; 4) running in the halls; 5) getting out of turn in lines; and 6) not putting waste paper in the wastebasket. These all seem harmless enough, but now let us notice what had happened by 1982: The top offenses for that year were 1) robbery, 2) assault, 3) rape, 4) burglary, 5) bombings, 6) arson, 7) vandalism, 8) extortions, 9) absenteeism, 10) drug abuse, 11) alcohol abuse, 12) pregnancies, 13) abortions, 14) venereal disease, 15) suicide, 16) murder, and 17) gang warfare. These external circumstances must be changed by getting to the root of the internal problems: the sinner must be ``born again''; he needs to become a ``new creature,'' which begins from within, and continue to develop that new life by growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Our young people need to be taught about God while in the days of their youth; for the Scriptures can change each one of us for the better, that in turn becomes the manifestation of an improved society in which to live. Oh, how beautiful the world would be if each individual made God's word a part of his life. YOUTH AND THE TOBACCO ROAD Teenagers face many challenges that they need the strength of a godly upbringing to endure. Today, many young people start smoking through peer pressure or simply to be a part of the crowd, perhaps even with a misconception that it will make them grownup or feel more important. Our young people, therefore, must be warned of the dangers of tobacco and be shown from Scripture that the Christian's body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19,20). Consider the following facts derived from USA Today: 390,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses each year. In Seattle, Washington, a state health report shows that 1 in 5 deaths are caused by smoking. Health secretary Christine Gebby continues by pointing out that smoking was the direct cause, in a recent year, for 7,000 deaths state-wide. Because of all these annual deaths -- 390,000 -- the tobacco industry must replace nearly 1.5 million smokers each year to maintain the current market. 9 out of 10 of these new smokers are teenagers; 50% of whom start before age 15!!! One-third of high school seniors still do not believe that smoking a pack a day can harm one's health. Surely, false advertisement attributes much to this misconception by giving the impression, as one person said, that ``Smoking is OK; it will make you popular and enhance your quality of life.'' How tragically wrong this is. Tobacco advertisers should be ashamed for enticing people of all ages with these false impressions. One man, David Goerlitz (a former ad model for a particular brand of cigarettes) stated: ``Children tell me they smoked _______ (the brand David advertised, T.T.E.)...so they could be just like me. For that I shall always feel quilty.'' Today, 500,000 youths are habitual cigarette smokers. We need to make our children aware of the dangers of tobacco -- though it is more than just a teenage problem; it is said that smoking cigarettes costs the nation more than $52 billion annually. May we point these facts out to our young people. The dangers of smoking is now more evident than ever before. Even passive smoking is now realized as being an additional threat. The American Medical Association shows that cigarette smoking is the major cause for lung cancer. The smoker has a 1 in 148 chance of dying from it; whereas the non-smoker, 1 in 16,238. If you are a smoker who kicks the habit, the odds will increase in your favor. YOUTH AND THE WINDING PATH OF DRUGS Drugs on campus is also a threat to our young people. It's been said that our nation represents about 6% of the world population, but consumes about 60% of all the illicit drugs. In the past five years, coca cultivation has increased in South America 400%. Yearly, 375,000 infants are born with drug-related problems. Drugs can harmfully change a person's outlook on society and life in general. So many terrible crimes have also been attributed to them. Not too long ago, a 12-year-old boy was set on fire by a 17-year-old because he had refused to yield to the older boy's demand to take some drugs. The report continued by showing that this brave, young boy was then dragged into a garage where he had his hands tied behind his back. Next, he was struck with a baseball bat, doused with gasoline, and then set on fire. He was critically injured with severe burns. One of the residents of this neighborhood referred to it as ``crack city.'' She said, ``The crackheads walk around with their cheeks sunken-in like living skeletons.'' What a pathetic condition of those who make up this drug-related environment. How unlike their lives are to that which Jesus came into this world to give. As He states in John 10:10, ''...I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.'' The joy of the Lord and this abundant living is not found on avenues of illicit drugs, immorality, and other related hedonistic practices. The abundant life can only be found when one is traveling on the highway of righteousness. Then that one may experience the spiritual blessings that can only come from the Lord. LACK OF PROPER UPBRINGING With so many paths to choose from, young people need to be shown of the dangers of wrong turns and the safety of the proper course. What percent of parents today, though, are raising their children the way that God would have them and fulfilling this responsibility? In view of many of the involvements of today's youth, it would appear that not many do. Lt. Governor Marlene Johnson has recommended that each adult should have a fifteen-minute talk with one child to guide youths. She cited a poll which showed that most teens can't remember the last time they talked with an adult. In Marietta, Georgia, the police used to joke around the office by saying, ``Get ready; report cards are coming out.'' But when they discovered that child abuse cases escalate during this time of the year, they could no longer treat the matter humorously. Not too long ago a social worker was charged with failing to report suspected child abuse prior to the death of a young child. Apparently, the child had been shoved headfirst into a toilet for soiling his pants. Undoubtedly, the fault in our youth today often lies in a failure to raise our children properly. We need to be not only teachers, but also examples of what we teach to our young people. Jesus was never a smoker nor a drug user. He is our example (1 Pet. 2:21). May we each strive to conform our lives to the pattern of His life in order that we may also be a better example for those who we are trying to teach and raise. ___________________________________________ GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION BELIEVE (Mark 16:16; John 8:24) REPENT of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 2:38) CONFESS FAITH in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36,37) BE BAPTIZED to contact the blood of Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21) BE FAITHFUL unto death by keeping the commandments of the Lord (Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:35-39; 2 Pet. 2:20-22) ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________