Charles

Years ago when I was starting out in ministry, I was working with young people. I directed a summer youth camp and conference program during my seminary days and couple of years after graduation. What a thrill it was to see some of the young people come to know Jesus Christ. As I travel throughout the country, in and out of many different churches, from time to time I run into some those now grown children that I had the privilege of working with and teaching the Word. I think of a man who is now the pastor of a huge mega church in the north. We had spent much time together during his teen years in the church as well as that camp and conference setting. And there are so many others. What a rewarding experience that was.

I also had a couple of Young Life Clubs during those seminary days. I later pastured a church in the Atlanta area where I had earlier led a Young Life Club and some of the teenagers in the clubs, now adults, were members of that church. The senior pastor with whom I worked during those early days had a placard in his office and I will always remember it: “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” What a truism and how consistent with the Scripture!

But on the other hand, I remember a man who was in charge of placement at my seminary saying to me on one occasion, challenging me work in another setting, “Don’t spend so much time with the calves, that you forget the cows that give the milk.” I’ll never forget that statement either. During my years as a pastor, I always made it a point to work with the young people. They matter to me. I said in an address to the 25^th PCA General Assembly meeting in St. Louis, one of the reasons I left the mainline church to help start the PCA was because I wanted to communicate to the younger generation that truth mattered, and that we cared for them and wanted them to have a church home that would teach them the Christian world and life view, and I was never more serious, when I said that.

At Christian Education and Publications I have found a place to continue to express that interest and for the past five years, our strategic faith plan has focused on reaching the rising generations, particularly the millennials. If you have read Equip for Ministry in the past or heard me speak, you already know that. The difference at this point is that we do not have the opportunity to work directly with the young people, except on occasion in our local church home. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was about two years ago when one of the older teenagers approached me, after I had preached that morning, to ask if I would help him develop a biblical world and life view. We have had a great experience studying and praying together since that time. He is now in college.

Our role in the PCA is to train, equip, and serve as an encourager and resource to those involved in ministry to the younger generations. We develop curriculum, conduct training workshops, and everything else that we can do with the older generation to challenge them to see the opportunity to reach this younger generation. We have a fulltime staff, as well as regional trainers committed to helping you and your churches to plan and implement an effective ministry that communicates to your younger generation that you really care about you.

This past year we added, a fulltime coordinator of Children’s Ministry. Sue Jakes, who has worked with us and our Sunday school publisher, Great Commission Publications. We have asked Sue to write the lead article. In that article you will see something of her heart, as well as ours, regarding this important task. Reaching this next generation has always been a god-given assignment to the church, but as we look around us today, especially since Sept. 11, 01, that assignment has taken on a new urgency. We are living in a dangerous world politically, economically, morally, and spiritually. By the time you read this article, we may have already gone to war to fight terrorism.

I have spoken by request on several occasions recently on the topic of Islam in America. (We will address that in later issues of Equip for Ministry). I need say no more at this point except that this fastest growing religion in the world and in America has targeted young people. They are being quite effective and our youth are extremely vulnerable. One statistic shows that around 80% of Muslim converts have had some kind of church background.

Both postmodernism and the growth of neo-paganism in America remind us that we are not exposing our younger generations to the truth of God in a life transforming way. As I stated to one of the groups mentioned above in response to a question, what do you see for the future with Islam as it relates to America? My response was “humanly speaking, not good. Muslims appear to be better prepared to talk about Islam and the Muslim faith than are Christians about our God and faith. If you read some of the polls and trends, many which we have mentioned in this publication, and we have reviewed many of their books, Gallup, Lindsay, Barna, American Demographics, etc. We are raising a biblically illiterate generation of young people in America. While local and national leaders are discouraging things like Bible reading and prayer in the educational systems, they are allowing other religions, such as Islam, to have their privileges.

We want our readers to know that we at CE/P are concerned and committed to doing all that we can do to help those of you in local churches to have the best discipleship program for your young people that you can have. Of course the programs are secondary, so we first emphasize the most important element of all and that is personal relationships and a sense of community. The younger generation both want and need relationships with older committed Christians.

I was so pleased this past Sunday to be in a church both for preaching and training leaders where one of the elders, a retired executive with a major corporation spoke to the youth group on Sunday evening. As I talked with him on that afternoon, I could detect a sense of excitement and challenge about that opportunity. He told me, I am going to tell them that we need to know that things in this world do not last and that we should not be too wrapped up in the world. He had on a coat, a shirt, and tie. He opened his jacket and he had ripped his shirt to shreds to illustrate his point. We smiled about that. Those young people were blessed because that man’s attitude was infectious.

In this issue, we have the lead article by Sue Jakes. I encourage you to read it carefully and respond to the questions for discussion. The “In Case you’re Asked” section talks another opportunity through Christian schooling to minister to this younger generation. You will also see several news articles about some things that we are doing at CE/P and in the PCA to minister to this rising generation. The book reviews are important, especially the one dealing with Islam.You will also find a listing of the various conferences and seminars that CE/P will be conducting. They are listed both for your information and prayers.

I am reading a book on Christian education that I will review in future issue of EFM, entitled Christly Gestures. The author Brett P. Webb-Mitchell talks about the importance of baptism in the education process of making disciples. He writes, “We perform the gesture of many profound vows at our baptism. The crucial ones in the education of Christians are the ones uttered for the child by parents or guardians and the ones uttered by the adult being baptized, and the gestured utterance of the members of the congregation-that they will raise the newly baptized into what John Calvin would call an “understanding of our baptism.” I believe if we took this ministry to the younger generation seriously, there would be more young people who do not abandon the church in their teens and later life and more adults who are excited about their Christian faith because they are sharing with the next generation.

We are here with our training, resources, and consulting to assist you in developing, expanding, or improving your ministry to the next generation. We need to work together in this task. The challenge is more than any one person, church, or denomination can do, but if we work together, praying, being intentional, and knowing the situation, I believe we can be a part of the solution and not a continuation of the problem. By the way, that is the only way that our church, the PCA, and your church locally, or you as an individual will see the long rangeimplications and applications of this challenge.

Point one: Have you ever been watching television and heard a word that shocked you? Of course you have! I have heard words through the media that have not only shocked but also embarrassed me a bit. A few nights ago we were with our grandson watching the western channel on cable the 1950s version of the “Lone Ranger.” All of a sudden Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s “Indian sidekick” referred to something as being providential. I was shocked! Providential? You would not hear that word in a new TV series. It isn’t one of those politically correct terms that you hear in the media. It was like President Bush saying the 9/11attack was an evil act performed by evil men. Evil? What is that?

Point two: We have recently gone through an agonizing time with the deadly shootings from the “beltway snipers.” Innocent people were killed in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, and possibly, many other places. I have been asked where I see God in those tragic deaths and evil acts. A pastor and wife approach me, forlorn and confused over being asked to leave their church, not knowing why. Then, one of the members our church was soon to give birth only to find the umbilical chord had choked the life out of the infant. Several people asked, “Why did God allow that to happen?” Finally, just last week my two-year-old granddaughter jumped up on our sofa and snuggled up to me shivering and shaking because of a thunderstorm. I tried to explain to her that God was in control and she could trust God to take care of her but at two, I am not sure how comforting that was to her.

We face similar situations everyday and either think to ourselves (or muster up the nerve to ask someone) where is God in all of these things? That’s a legitimate question, and we should not be afraid to ask. That is one way we can grow, and if we are successful in “thinking God’s thoughts after him,” we will grow in those circumstances.

How does this relate to Tonto’s reference to providence? To answer that question we have to define our terms and the first place to begin is not with that word, but with God. We have to begin with God if we want to come to the right conclusion because He is the author of the grand narrative that brings together all the pieces of the puzzles of life. In Him, said the Apostle Paul, all things cohere or hang together (Col. 1:17). If we believe the Bible to be God’s word of truth then we have a framework whereby we can struggle with some of life’s deep, perplexing, and frustrating happenings.

In order to understand providence, we have to relate it to God-specifically God as the creator of all things. If God is not the creator, truth is up for grabs and one explanation is as good as another. That’s why we have heard repeatedly that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are the key to the entire metanarrative of the Gospel. What God teaches us there establishes the framework to know Him and something about how he relates to his creation.

You cannot stop with the first chapter of Genesis, as important as it is. There have been people through the centuries who have done that and ended with a distorted view of God. You’ve heard of the Deists. They believe that God created the world then retreated to let things run their course, like people used to do with clocks and watches. They would wind them up and let them run on their own momentum, until they finally ran down. Deists believe that there is a creator God but He has no ongoing relationship with His creation. Events are not connected with God because they are all up to man and his free will. Of course, there are those who deny the existence of God hence God as creator, but that’s another part of the story for another time.

If you read the opening article by Marvin Padgett, you’ll discover another group of people who believe God is the creator and has an ongoing relationship with His creation. They believe that the way creation plays out really depends on man’s libertarian free will. In other words, God has no predetermined control over what happens, hence the only way to deal with tragic events is not to relate their happening to God but rather to trust him to come to the rescue and pick up the pieces. R. C. Sproul’s book, When Worlds Collide, reviewed in this issue, deals very effectively with the biblical teaching that nothing happens by chance or happenstance. God makes, sustains, and governs all things by the power of His word. This means everything that happens somehow relates to God’s grand story. There is no “blind chance” or “lady luck” or “Mother Nature.” Those terms are not in line with the Bible.

God the creator is also the God of providence. This means that He sovereignly controls all things that come to pass, not that He is simply aware them, but he is the final and ultimate cause of all things that happen. What about evil, wickedness, senseless events such as 9/11, the beltway snipers or the death of that little infant? We must know and not apologize that the Bible teaches that God is in control of and is the cause of all things that happen, except evil. Do we understand that? Can we explain it with any rational satisfaction? Probably not! We cannot understand those things but if we think God’s thoughts after Him, we have to know that both good and evil, light and darkness are part of His will. John Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion that a person is pathetic if he believes that he is at the mercy of unpredictable events.

When we understand that all things that happen do so according to God’s will, we will be positioned to see God’s involvement in His creation. God’s will has different aspects, a secret will and a revealed will. We have to breathe a sigh of relief that the Bible teaches that. That means that some things that God wills we can understand because He reveals them to us by His graciousness. It also means there are some things, like my explanation to my little granddaughter, we cannot understand and may never understand. Whether or not we understand the things that happen listed above doesn’t really matter. What matters is that God understands them fully and tells us that they are not random, chance, irrational events. Paul says that “we see through a glass darkly”, at this present time, but one day “we will understand fully even as we have been understood” (I Corinthians 13).

God is not in the dark regarding the future, and things do not have to happen before he knows them. They happen because He ordained them and one day He may allow us to understand what is presently a mystery to us. Some open theists actually believe that God does not always get what He wants hence; there are no guarantees for us in the things that happen. Thank God that His Word teaches differently. Sproul rightly says that 9/11 happened within the will of God, but can we explain how? Probably not, but that does not negate the truth.

God is not absent in the everyday events of life. His hand is implementing His will in all things that occur. I can be comforted and offer that same comfort to anyone willing to operate his or her life based on God’s framework of understanding and experiencing life. He is not far off or standing in the shadows, watching. I can be comforted as long as I think about God as He reveals Himself by His Word and Spirit. As I do that, I will never be without hope in this life.

In case you are asked, as I have been, is anyone in charge? I can say with full certainty that God is controlling all things that take place: therefore, I can trust Him to do what is right. That truth is not the least bit dependent on any rational explanation. Am I a fideist saying that I merely have simple faith with no rhyme or reason to work with? No, I am a Christian theist who believes the testimony of God’s revelation in the Bible. I believe that all the events of reality fit into God’s grand story. I know along with the Apostle Paul several wonderful truths, “If God be for you, who can be against you?” “God will work all things together for good to them who love Him…” “He that has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion.”

One of the disturbing things we are hearing is that Christians do not understand what they believe and why. The Bible tells us (1 Pet 3:15) that we are to be able to give a reason for our hope but several major surveys have concluded that Christians do not know enough about their beliefs to do that. For example: George Gallup Jr. and D. Michael Lindsay conclude in their Surveying the American Landscape that “there is a glaring lack of knowledge about the Bible, basic doctrines, and the traditions of one’s church. That there is great superficiality of faith, with many people not knowing what they believe, or why.” George Barna echoes the same message that “less than 10% of the professing Christians have a biblical world and life view.” “People are desperate for spiritual truth-but they can’t find the answers they need in Christian churches.” He goes on to sayin The Second Coming of the Church, “In short, the spirituality in America is Christian in name only. We desire more experience than knowledge. We prefer choices to absolutes. We embrace preferences rather than truths.”

I am concerned that while we are seeing greater interest in religion and spirituality, especially in the two younger generations, it is not directed toward Christianity. Gallup’s polls indicate that more and more evangelical Christians are embracing some of the doctrines of the New Age Movement, such as communicating with the dead, visitation of extraterrestrials, witches, ghosts, etc.

One way the disciple making process is breaking down is our failure to ground believers, young and old, in solid, sound doctrine. Faith often becomes very shallow and superficial. It does not really alter our lifestyle and it doesn’t give us opportunities to respond to questions asked regarding our faith in Christ. When I think of Peter’s words quoted above, I am reminded of two things: 1. Although we are called to give a reason for what we believe and the hope we have in Christ, trends indicate that most cannot do that. 2. That may not pose the problem that it should because if people do not see that hope operating in our lives, they will not ask us about our faith.

‘In case you’re asked’, can you give a reason or explanation for the hope within you? We need to study our faith. All the other things we study, says the Apostle Paul, are to be in accord with sound doctrine. Another concern is that trends indicate that pastors experience a “halo effect” and believe their people are more equipped and trained to do 1 Pet 3:15 than is actually the case.

A word to parents and to the church community in this regard: we must see the challenge that our children and youth face today. We are not living in a friendly world, where Christianity is concerned. We are not taught or encouraged to teach the Bible in a life-changing way. Truths are uncertain or up for grabs. In response, we give our children and youth a moralistic version of Christianity, which accomplishes nothing strategically and is terribly misleading. Even when we do try through our Sunday schools, Bible studies, youth activities, and the preaching and teaching ministry, they do not see the connection between what they are hearing and their own lives.

Every Christian family and church should have a plan of discipleship aimed at equipping the people of all ages to know what they believe and why, and how to articulate those beliefs. We must also aim for life transformation as a result of those truths. Truths, doctrines, theology, philosophy, and all the basic foundational areas, must be taught, learned, and applied in a way that will transform people’s lives. It must impact what they believe, how they think and live, the choices they make, and relationships they develop. Disciple making is not a fluff and stuff kind of activity with no real substance; neither is it an academic exercise. It is life oriented.

In this issue we reviewed a book by Roger Nicole that deals with the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. Those doctrines are to be a part of the warp and woof of our lives. They ought to be as much a part of us as the air we breathe. While there is nothing wrong with admitting that I do not know something, God told us to be able to explain why we do believe something to be true.

I am often asked how we can know whether our attempts at discipling are working? My response: 1. Is there a life change taking place and an awareness of Christ’s Lordship in all of life? 2. Are people seeing a difference in us because of our faith in Christ? One way we know is by the opportunities we are given to talk about our faith with them. George Gallup, Jr. wrote, “Sensation and subjective experience is so prized that what a person actually believes recedes in importance (The Next American Spirituality).” He further writes, “Many Americans do not know what they believe, or why. Many do not know what it means to belong to the faith or denomination to which they subscribe. They would be hard pressed to defend the faith, if called on,”(ibid). May that not be the case with us. In case you’re asked, be able to tell those who ask with passion and understanding what you believe and why.

Welcome to the November/December of Equip for Ministry. As we have looked back over the year, EfM has been a vital link in our ministry at Christian Education and Publications. Our objective has been to think about you, the reader, and your local church ministry. At a recent Equip seminar in Pennsylvania someone said to me, “I really look forward to Equip for Ministry. It is a good, quick, but substantive read. I don’t have the time to read like I would like and EfM is a help.” A pastor from the west coast called to thank us for the book reviews, saying they helped him plan his reading list. We strive to provide articles dealing with issues, resources, ideas, and nuts-and-bolts tips for ministry to increase your effectiveness in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. We trust this last issue for 2002 will do the same.

We also bring other books and ideas to stimulate and challenge your thinking and spiritual growth. As we have stated before, we see dozens of books pass by our desk almost monthly. Because of limited time and space, we attempt to carefully select what we believe to be the most strategic ones at this moment in time. Occasionally, a classic reprint falls into that category or even a book that is not necessarily written from a Christian perspective. We do not choose those books lightly. Even in this issue, we had to overlook a host of good books in order to bring our short list to you. The book relating to the history of hymns, one might say, is not really a strategic book, but we believe it could play an important role in the worship and growth of God’s people.

We have frequently written about postmodernism and will continue to because it is the overarching philosophy of the world and impacts our entire lives. While we have only skimmed the surface, we will continually keep this topic before you. In this issue for example, we have reviewed an excellent book by Millard Erickson on postmodernism. God willing, we will continue to challenge you to read and think about crucial subject.

We encourage and challenge our readers to develop their Christian minds, not in order to create an intellectually elitist people, but to “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” CE&P offers a variety of ministries for your churches’ various specialized groups such as youth, children, women, officers, leaders, teachers, and men. Our resource topics deal with doctrine and theology in a life-oriented way. Themes such as stewardship, prayer, and evangelization of today’s postmoderns are constantly addressed.

Since 9-11-01, we are living in a different kind of world, one that has indeed changed forever. We would like to think the change is for the better, but that is not certain. We do know that God has called us to be salt and light, and as part of His church, to represent His truth and kingdom in all of life. We also know from Scripture, as well as from practical experience that as individuals and as churches, we can be more effective together than alone. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own ministries that we tend to forget others who are also involved.

In this issue, we feature the topic of small group ministries written by our coordinator of training, Robert Edmiston. Bob is an expert in the area of small groups. He has not only helped local churches develop small group ministries throughout the PCA, he is presently overseeing such a ministry in his home church. George Gallup Jr. states that small group ministry is one of the most effective ways for churches to minister to people. Robert Wuthnow, sociologist from Princeton, writes that 40% of American people are involved in small groups. Since groups can enhance a local church’s ministry if done well or hinder it if not done well, our seminars and resources are designed to help churches lead small groups well.

Because this is specifically a CE&P publication, the staff, regional staff, committee members, or someone who has served CE&P in some way usually writes the content. For example: in the last issue, we had a lead article by Ken Sande on abuse. He has participated in some of our conferences. Many PCA churches and agencies have used his materials on conflict management to help them deal with sticky situations. Even the advertisements are chosen not primarily for the revenues used to print the magazine, but because we believe local church leaders need to be aware of those for their ministries.

With this issue we also welcome Michelle Estile as the new managing editor replacing Amy Downing Veerman. Amy and Erik welcomed the birth of their little girl, Marguerite Lynn, as we were preparing this issue. Michelle’s husband Daniel works for MTW in the Internship department.

Our prayer is that each issue will encourage and assist you in living for and ministering on behalf of our Lord. Our entire staff is your resource for Christian education, disciple making, teacher training, and other leadership areas. We pray that God will use you in 2003 in a special way and allow us to play some small part in helping you to be more effective in your Christian life and witness.