For many, just using the term "Fundamental Baptist" brings ideas and thoughts to mind that stir strong emotions and ideas. I have heard many young people see this term being defined in their mind as being people who believe in only looking with an outward appearance as a set standard. They see people in these churches as people that look one way on the outside but are different in who they really are on the inside. I have found that many of these young people point out that the pastors and evangelists preach about and how church people should put on an outward compliance to those things, but these young people know this is different from what these people are in reality at home and at work. They see church members spending all their time making sure they wear the right clothes, say the right words, read the right materials and Bible (KJV), and listen to the right music (anything that sounds "boring"). They see these people failing to reach out to the needy, hungry, and poor. They see a people who are just angry and bitter because the world is so worldly. These young people then begin to hear all messages preached as being hateful. "Where is the 'love'?" I hear that statement over and over again.
The conclusion for many of these young people is that what they have been hearing must be wrong; therefore, what is opposite must be correct. These young people begin to look for religions that do not look like what they grew up in. They begin to major on not caring about the minors at all instead of truly majoring on the majors. They go to pointing out that Jesus spent time with sinners who did not look right or act right and criticize the religious crowd. They remind everyone that we do not need to preach on dress and lifestyle and music and Bible versions because Jesus did not address these things to the people he met.
This type of statement indicates a spiritually immature way of understanding. Jesus never told these people that once they changed clothes, reformed their lifestyle, stopped listening to Babylonian music that He would then talk to them about being saved. Jesus showed them love because they were in their sin and needed help. When they saw their need of salvation, Jesus made statements such as, “Go and sin no more.” After salvation, these people were not to return to their worldly lifestyle. I believe in come as you are, but I also believe you can’t stay as you are.
So what went wrong? I do believe that there are some preachers and churches out there who are teaching change first, then come in. But I believe they are fewer than some believe. I believe the problem is not what is being preached from the pulpit, but what is taking place at home during dinner after the message of the day has been heard that is the problem. When our children hear the pastor's message and then hear parents criticize at lunch, well, this causes a problem. Too many pastors are being served up at dinner and they are not even sitting at the table. I also see that our young people are hearing the message preached and watch their parents do everything that is preached in the message -- while they are at church or a church function or when the pastor is around. But they see a whole different world at home or at work or at school from the same people who dress and act right at church, but not anywhere else. This becomes a pattern for our young people. After twenty plus years in ministry I have seen many excuses from young people leaving church, but all seem to reflect on a disagreement in their mind between the commandments of God and the love of God. These two areas go hand in hand.
Here is a passage for parents. The underlines are my emphasis.
Deuteronomy 6:1-25: (v. 1-4) Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
(The commandments of God were listed first, then next is the love of God.)
(vs 5-25) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Love does no good if we do not keep His commandments. You cannot reach the world to give them new life of change without there being a change. Parents, if your children have walked away, what did you really teach? Israel did a very poor job. What are we doing?
