Devastation

What if our education system is bringing devastation?

  Around 40 years ago, out of High School, I accepted Christ. I won’t bother with the details as this is not the point of this article. But I give this now for the purpose of saying, “I’ve got a few road miles.”

  There is this pointless, helpless feeling that often invades you when you watch people throw away their lives on things like vain philosophies. Or they get sidetracked by people whose goal it is to deceive. In the early years, I watched as witchcraft families sent their kids into church youth groups. No one listened, families and leaders were all consumed by the concept of being a “good witness.” In time most of these church kids departed from the faith, and the few that stayed led highly questionable lives and are now passing on their compromised morals to the next generation.

  Part of the issues at that time revolved around the issue of “tolerance.” These leaders kept the youth groups moving in an entertainment atmosphere with no real grounding or equipping. This was deliberately done so that they could “softly introduce” Jesus to the unbelievers who were coming. Question, did you ever see an instance where Jesus softly introduced himself in scripture? Did you ever see the Apostles do it? Why should we? The reality is a foundation built on entertainment is not a good Spiritual foundation.

  Here is a great quote from another pastor, Mark Grote, “Salvation without transformation is a counterfeit conversation.”

  Later in life, I was on staff at MorningStar Ministries, It took a long time for the Lord to finally open my eyes. When he did a couple of things started to happen. #1 You quickly discover how much of your friends will shut you off or attack you once you expose issues. #2 A profound feeling of helplessness arrives as you watch good people being led down bad paths. 

 Every person or ministry should be measured by their fruit. Personally, I couldn't care less about the Sunday morning message if there is no transformation taking place in the fellowship. What we see in ministry on the outside is to make men feel good, not God. The long-term fruit is what should be measured. I kept hearing story after story of graduated students who were either no longer following the Lord or were so broken they had fallen into homosexual marriages or chemical addictions. Two young men I knew of were quietly wandering off to bars to watch the women perform, and one of those men was often a worship leader.

  Since leaving, I have tried to remain in contact with some of the young people. But all that is gone now as they have mixed new-age occult thinking into their version of Christianity. One of the people I worked a lot in my office, is now working directly with an occult healing center in the Carolinas.

  This is Devastation, this is the real issue. When the word Devastation is often used people think of things like hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, or even war. But this is worse, for the after-effects of this war are eternal. 

  What good is “higher” Christian education if the education only opens the doors of hell in a student’s life? Should not educators take a page out of the Jewish Rabbi's thinking and start measuring their teaching success by the long-term life their students lead after departing from school? 

  Paul said he labored to bring every man complete in Christ. (Colossians 1:28-29) I’m sorry but it kind of feels like we are laboring to bring them into anything else but the image of Christ as long as it still looks Spiritual. Can we really say that the Hope of Glory, Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) is really what we are imparting when the evidence of spiritual devastation suggests otherwise?

  To equip (Ephesians 4:12-16) means to give tools, not concepts. Concepts without hands-on equipping in the hands of the enemy have the potential to become vain philosophies. We all need to learn how to take the realities of the cross and grow them deeply within us, and then walk that out in our new life in Christ. Here is another quote, this one is from another former MorningStar person who had to leave.

  “You insult the Cross when you continue to identify with who you used to be.” Amber Brooks.

  Students need to learn to make hard decisions about their own lives. To learn to seek Christ first in all things and not social or cultural loyalties. By learning to cultivate the ground within you, together with the Holy Spirit you are rebuilding the Garden in the middle of a war zone.

  Question, suppose you had been fighting for weeks, months or your whole life on a battlefield. All you have ever seen is death and destruction, and then suddenly you walk around the corner of a burnt-out building to see an oasis. Mowed green grass, water fountains, animals at rest, and kids playing…what would you do? Would such a thing not draw you closer?

 That is the spiritual effect of a life consecrated to God, ever working on growing your spirituality in union with the Holy Spirit. Your life is no longer your own, in effect Christ has been lifted up above you and he is now drawing all men to himself through the marvelous work he has done in your life. That to me is the better education.

  I’ve listened to the testimonies of some of the students of the Asbury revival. Now remember, these are kids who have grown up in churches and yet this was the first time many of them had felt freedom. Freedom to explore the God who made them, freedom to fully understand what loving God is really like.

  In the Body of Christ, we have offered a religious system, not a life. We have given bandaids to apply over open wounds while making them feel better about their current condition. What is really needed? Well, that is something very few pastors know how to do, bring them into the presence of God and teach them to rest. They do not know how because they themselves do not know how to do it for themselves. In effect, you can not teach what you do not know.

  But the good news is the door is open, the Holy Spirit is a good teacher. What kind of education do you really want?