Family Driven Faith-Chapter 2 – A God with No Rivals

As the title of Chapter 2 of Family Driven Faith states we are to have a God with no rivals but just as the Israelites would all too often allow everything to rival God we need to guard against this. The point is stated by Voddie that:

A family without a commitment to the God of the Bible has no hope of stemming the tide of cultural onslaught. If we mix a little biblical truth, a little secular psychology, a little romance novel ideology, and a little eastern mysticism, we will get a deadly mixture of lies.

So it is not a matter of just caring for our families but a commitment to God needs to be at the heart of the matter. It is this commitment that we need to show and instill in our children. I know that only God can do the heart change but one of the means to this is in our leadership in this area. Children may hear our words (Orthodoxy) but if our actions (Orthopraxy) do not align they will in the end probably learn more form our actions that from our words.

Voddie shares the story of a man whose son went off to a Christian College to play baseball and shortly after going off to college he had abandoned the faith. What was learned was that this family had seen the boy’s baseball as so important that they missed worshiping God on the Lord’s Day when it conflicted with baseball. This taught the son that when it came to decisions that the Christian faith he was told about was secondary to other things so when he went off to college it was relatively easy to slide away as he had already been primed to. His parent’s commitment was reflected in the son. Voddie then shares the person issue he had with education in his family and how he and his wife had done a similar thing with education in that they had elevated it above just about all else. He shares that:

Bridget and I simply had to admit that much of what we were doing was geared toward achieving the American dream at the expense of weightier matters.

To give guidance in avoiding worshiping idols that our culture provides plenty of he uses Eph 5:15-21 and offers the following:

Watch Your Walk (vv15-16) – It is not just our words that matter, and they do, but it is also our walk that says much about what we have said. Children will inevitably not rise above our examples. This, as it is for me, should be convicting because I often have the “do as I say not as I do” mentality.

Be Good Stewards of the Time (V17) - We need to realize we have limited time with our families and we need to spend that time on what is most God glorifying and it is not going to be those things the world puts on a pedestal.

Understand God’s Will (V17) - We need to understand that our children are not ours but they belong to God and thus we should strive to want God to tell us what to do with our children instead of us telling Him.

Constantly Yield to God’s Spirit (V18) – We need to show our children that at all times we seek after God so Voddie offers some practical times we should display this ; Mealtimes, Times of Crisis and Special Occasions as well as on special trips.

Order Your relationships by the Book (V21) - We need to display proper relationships to our children and Voddie offers 3 reason. First as parents our job is to “get our children grown and gone.” Thus we need to prepare them for future relationships so they get their relationship priorities correct. Second, the marriage is the foundation upon all the other aspects of family life. To accomplish this the husband and wife need to spend time together. Marriage also “sets the tone for discipline in the home.” The submission the verse calls out for needs to be seen so that our children understand the God directed call for submission, biblical submission. Lastly, as our children will likely be married someday they need to understand how the relationship is to work in the context of the family.

Next Chapter 3 – Learn to Love

A Layman's Guide to Church Planting

I was led by the Founders Blog to a series by Dr. Stan Reeves on the Reformed Baptist Fellowship site regarding church planting. He has posted part 1 of a 7 part series entitled: A Layman’s Guide to Church Planting – Part 1: Cultivate the Characteristics of an Effective Lay Leader . Being part of a church plant I am very interested in what he has to say over the coming weeks. While I may have been an Associate Pastor for some time church planting is new for me and something I would have never guessed God would have me do if you asked me even 8 months ago.

Family Driven Faith - Chapter 1

I just got Voddie Baucham's new book Family Driven Faith and will be giving a chapter by chapter review and synopisis over the next few weeks. Voddie also has a Family Diven Faith web site.

Chapter 1 - The Lay of the Land

Do we as Christian parents all too often look at the world through the lens of the world? Voddie puts forth that instead of asking the question “Do you know where your children are?” we should be asking “Do we know where our children are spiritually?” He relates how in his travels he speaks to youth brought up in Christian homes but often they are either not regenerate to begin with or are simply not brought up with a well grounded Christina perspective.

The tile of the first chapter, The Lay of Land, sets out to make sure we see truly where we are as a people. We see that often the priorities of the world invade the lives of Christian families and we take on those same priorities. We see our work, wealth and well being as primary over God and the family and thus get things backwards. Yes God does come before family but in the end if we ignore the command to care for our families in a biblical manner we in essence also ignore God.

Voddie uses the analogy of having a Wide Screen or Full Screen view of the world and that the average person has a Full Screen view. The point being that in Wide Screen movies there are black bands on the top and bottom and people think they are missing something but in reality it is the Wide Screen view that reveals the full picture. In today’s families people are all too afraid that their families may miss something if they are not involved in every extracurricular activity available. So, we make sure our kids are involved in every sport and every other activity that appears to give them a full life but in reality this does not do this and instead will limit time to experience the life as God desires.

Voddie, in this chapter also touches on areas such as a misguided view of education (Making the Grade), sports and extracurricular activities (Making the Team) and even wrong views on dating (Making Time). He then moves onto some aspects of the world that even Christians have assumed such as having an attitude that creates an Anti-Marriage and Anti-Child culture. The sad part is that scripture speaks of the blessing of children but how many professing Christians see children as a hindrance to advancement and any number of other things. This may be the attitude of the world but it is not to be the biblically directed attitude of believers if we truly believe God’s word is our source of direction. Unfortunately Christians have abdicated their source of direction to the world and have followed the lead of the world we are to change. The result is we are changed by the world than the other way around.

He ends the chapter with this:

"There are many worthwhile pursuits in this world, but few of them rise to the level of training our children to follow the Lord and keep His commandments. I desperately want my sons and daughters to walk with God, and I am willing to do whatever it takes, whatever the Bible says I must do in order to be used by God as a means to that end. My prayer for you is that God would awaken in you that same passion. Something tells me He already has."

Next, Chapter 2 – A God with No Rivals

AIG at NEA Conference

Answers in Genesis (AIG) has a booth at the National Educators Association (NEA) conference in Philadelphia (June 30 – July 5th). Think of it, in the midst of this conference for educators in the public schools is a booth with the title “Evolution Exposed.” You can go to their site ( Evolution Exposed: NEA Outreach Blog ) where they are blogging from the conference and there is lots of audio about what has been going on there. They even handed out surveys to fill out to win prizes, see here for what the survey asked, remember this is a survey handed out a Public school educators conference.

Christianity, Hijacked by the American Dream

How often do you hear the hopes and dreams of those in the church sound strangely similar to those of the world? Families hope their children have a good education so they can get a good job and a better life than they had. They also hope, and if time permits pray, that their children do not commit crimes or have premarital sex but if they do succumb to temptation that they are protected. The standards of many in the church mirror the best the world hopes for and even that standard of hope is falling as the bar is lowered more and more every day.

Is this what we are to aspire to for our families? Does education, moral living and a good job say anything at all about our faith. Have we allowed the American Dream to hijack Christianity and in essence be allowed to commingle just as the many foreign gods and belief systems were allowed to commingle with the Israelites. Scott over at These are the generations of…. continues to write on Multigenerational Faithfulness and touches on how we are to regain what God intended.

I know at times I tend to see these issues and write on the problems and even offer up solutions. However, at the root of all of this is that I need to raise my family in a way that is Christ exalting and God honoring. And where do we learn how to do this, well in that place that people seem to neglect to look, God’s Word. While I read as much as most I know that the extra reading is simply to see how God has revealed spiritual truths to others but at the end of the day it is God’s word that defines how we are to live.

We are a people that are often quick to claim the Bible as the inspired word of God but when issues arise we turn to Oprah, Dr. Phil and every other Thomas, Richard and Harold but neglect the one source that is infallible, the Word of God. We have become so complacent in searching out what God would have us do that when we have to have answers we have no idea where to turn and even if one does turn to the Bible we do not know how to discern what it says.

So let us commit to be faithful to the word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit raise our families as God directs in His word. From there we should commit to being part of Christian communities that do likewise and over time the look of Christianity can be restored and rescued from the world.

Around the Web and Blogosphere (7/01)

For those of you have spent time on the web you may have found that the doctrine of Penal Substitution has been under attack, particularity by those that hold to the “New Perspective on Paul (NPP). Well here is a site that has articles on the subject: Pierced for Our Transgressions.


Jim over at Old Truth has an article on the issue of patriotism in the church: Will You Be Setting Up Asherah Poles on The 4th? I do not think the issue is whether a Christian should be patriotic or not but where ones ultimate allegiance lies and how that shows itself in the life of the church. As American believers all too often the line between patriotism and being a Christina is blurred so much so that we have statistics that say America is 85% or more Christian. I would have to say if this statistic, which is sometimes a little higher or lower, was true we would be an entirely different nation than we presently are and such things as the issues of abortion would not be an issue. We need to make sure that while we are to pray for and honor our leaders we can not let this cloud our judgment when it comes to our true allegiance, to God.


Along the same lines there is a review of a new book called: Jesus Made in America that going by the review touches on an area that has always bothered me and that is the commercialization and Americanization of Christ. The review says at one point:

"What's fascinating about this book is that it shows how American Christians have been domesticating, commodifying and otherwise trivializing our Lord from the historical outset."

Does it not bother anyone else at the things we in the west will make and by that I am pretty sure Christ would have cursed many a “Christian Bookstore” with what is sold and peddled as “Christian”. I can not speak to the book but it does sound like it should give us something to think about.


There is a debate between Dr. Albert Mohler and Orson Scott Card on: Are Mormon’s Christian? It will be interesting to read how this goes because it would not have been too long ago that Mormon’s would have been arguing as to whether “Evangelicals” were Christian instead of simply wanting to sit at the same table.


Over at Against Heresies there is an interview with Mark Dever: The Faithful Pastor and the Faithful Church: an interview with Mark Dever

Some Random Thoughts

Just some thoughts, and I realize that some of these are generalizations:

Why does it seem that if a mother is killed while pregnant the person can be prosecuted for the death of the unborn child, and many people are, rightfully so, angry about it, but abortion is legal?

In the same line of thinking; Why does it seem that many of those that are against capital punishment think it is OK to murder (I know this is not a PC description) unborn children in the name of choice? By the way those sentenced to death made a choice as well.

Also, why is it that so many are for saving the environment but saving the unborn is a different story?

Do those that argue against legislating morality realize that all laws are some form or comment on morality?

How is it that the Dove Awards were sponsored, based on the short bit I saw on TV, by the movie Evan Almighty? What next, will it be sponsored by Oprah or Depak Chopra?

Also, why is it OK to mock the God Christians are to worship in film but if Mohammad or Allah were have the same done to them it would cause a riot? Actually this one says much about Christians that allow this to happen and actually often spend money to propagate it.

Why is the standard argument against homeschooling one that entails a complaint against socialization when the vast majority of public schooled, and many Christian schooled, kids spend inordinate amounts of time in front of TVs and video games? Now that is socialization.

On the same note, why is a standard argument for sending kids to public school that we need to evangelize the lost when the children themselves are in many cases are themselves lost? In the end the evangelizing that takes place is at our children and attempts to convert then to the secular humanistic philosophy of the world.

New 9Marks Blog

Well there is a new blog on the block (say that 10 time real fast).

Those of you who have read the great stuff at 9Marks Ministries will be glad to know they have a new blog called Church Matters. I am looking forward to the articles they will put out and would recommend adding this blog to your RSS reader.

All Books $5 - June 27-28 at DGM

If there are any books you want from Desiring God then next week is the time to buy as all their books will be $5 on June 27-28 from the Desiring God store.

Here are some suggestions:

Desiring God

God is the Gospel

Let the Nations Be Glad
Don’t Waste Your Life
What Jesus Demands from the World

6 Dangers to Avoid in Family Worship

Joe Thorn adds to his 5 Reasons to have Family Worship with 6 Dangers to Avoid in Family Worship. As with most things that are good, and called for by God, our sinful nature has a tendency to distort them and this can also be true of Family Worship, thus the dangers that can exist. However, simply because there is danger does not negate that we are called to practice family worship.

Around the Web and Blogosphere (6/16)

Joe Thorn writes on 5 Reasons to have Family Worship. Reason number one is that it is our responsibility as parents to train our children and not the churches, or for that matter anyone else’s. However, it seems so often that the church takes the same mindset that the government takes and that is that someone else is more capable of caring for our children that we are. We then get lazy and just accept this and hand over our duty and responsibility to someone else. Children are to be a blessing and not a curse so let’s try and live that way. Let us make family worship the norm rather than the anomaly it is n today’s church.

Matt Bullen at Blessed Family Ministries has some words from John Wesley: On Family Religion.

Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries writes on the latest SBC Annual meeting to just finish up in San Antonio: SBC-SA Wrap up: the good, the bad, and the confusing . I followed the convention to some degree over the internet and to tell the truth get more frustrated every year. Tom has tried for two years to get people to speak to his resolution regarding Integrity in Church Membership without success but the convention has no issue with pass a resolution on Global Warming. The conventions apparent desire to ignore the bloated rolls in its churches reflects a numbers mentality that is very discouraging. People speak on numbers of conversions and baptism and gain lots of applause but when the question of true conversion is brought up heads seem to turn away. Personally I think the convention is afraid that if it every tried to speak to the issue of integrity in membership and all of those that are not truly attending were purged from the numbers annually given the SBC would loose a very large number of members, who are not really there anyway. They would then no longer be the numerical force it purports itself to be and I believe this is not acceptable to the present leadership and the convention as a whole.

Check out the computer generated pictures and video of Ancient Rome put together by the University of Virginia at: Rome Reborn 1.0

Also at The Jerusalem Archeological Park you can get computer models of the Herodian Temple Mount

Establishing a Multi-Generational Vision of Faithfulness

Scott at These are the Generations of….. is writing on Establishing a Multi-Generational Vision of Faithfulness and so far in part one he has set down the need that is glaringly evident. I am looking forward to part 2 to see the solutions and methods he proposes as at the end of the day it is not enough to recognize a need unless we do something about it and that is where the rubber meets the road so to speak.

We would all do well to look at this topic with regards to our families as so often, and I am guilty of this, we just tend to plow along trying to do the best we can without any deep thought put into it. However, it is when we go to scripture and discover what we are called to do and then plan a biblical course of action that things are done in the most God glorifying Christ exalting manner.

The Literary Study Bible - ESV

Like I need a new bible but the new “Literary Study Bible” (ESV) from Crossway may be hard to resist. When I took my Old Testament class in seminary one of the many great things I learned was that we need to read the Bible as literature since that is the primary medium God has determined to use to convey His message to use. When we begin to see the Bible as literature, albeit divine literature, we will begin to better see the message God is conveying to us. Too often we read scripture in all the same manner, revelatory the same as narrative, and this will hinder our understanding of the word of God that is right in front of us. This may seem foreign to some but the idea is not to minimize the inspiration of the text but to better see what God has inspired or better yet expired, breathed out, (2Tm 3:16) out of the various authors in various literary forms.

You can look at more information about this bible here: Crossway "The Literary Study Bible"

Gaining Knowledge is Not the End of the Road

Heb 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

I have been teaching through Hebrews lately and have to truthful say that even though I have read Hebrews many times I have not seen as much as I have recently as I prepare weekly to teach from the book. Chapter one is a glorious passage where the writer of Hebrews expresses Christ’s superiority and in the process reveals his divinity and many other attributes. What is interesting is that when you get to 2:1-4 the writer takes a brief respite to exhort the reader, the hearer of the time and us to do more than take in information but to “pay much closer attention” to what has been heard.

This speaks volumes to the whole idea of Orthodoxy (right doctrine) and Orthopraxy (right practice). All too often we as believers in a desire to grow spiritually simply take in information with no outflow or result ensuing. We read the Bible, listen to sermons, read books and go to numerous conferences all to gather that next morsel of information but at the tend of the day we are not left time to put into action all that we have taken in.

We are a nation and world that hungers for facts and see the accumulation of knowledge as the salvation of all. How often have your heard that if a certain group only had more education they would be better off or that having more knowledge means having more power, While these adages may be true in some fashion they both ignore the work of God in all that we do and that we as a human race have a much bigger problem than a lack of knowledge.

I have even written, as have others, in the past that all too often this mindset that revolves around knowledge invades the Christian Homeschool movement and leads to people schooling at home rather than home schooling. This mindset does not see the Christian reason to Homeschool being the raising of godly children but instead sees raising kids smarter than public school kids as the goal. This is the mindset that says I want my kids to have more information that your kids. Again, I am not saying information is bad it is just where we place it in the priority of things than can be an issue.

What does it take for us to see that one of the results of the fall is take the sin nature of Adam and Eve leads us to desire to seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge? We are not to abandon knowledge as people have done in the past as an over reaction to just this problem but we are to seek knowledge for the Glory of God and that Glory comes from living out all that God indwells us with. If we were to truly to see that we are to do all for His glory I dare say we would have to ask, “why am I learning this” or “why am I going to this conference” or even, yes even this, “why am I reading the Bible.” If we simply read the Bible for readings sake and not transformation through the power of the Spirit we have missed the boat. We read scripture to know Christ and it is the knowledge of Christ that is to transform us.

So I would encourage you not to stop taking in knowledge but to always ask the critical question of why and this may help in making sure that we “pay closer attention to what we have heard” and read. Do not make knowledge the end all be all but go further to let the understanding that God gives outflow into the practice of our lives and from this we will begin to have both Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

Added 6/7/07

My friend Matt Bullen let me know that Kevin Swanson had some similar thoughts on knowledge in his blog article: Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth

Free New Attitude 2007 Conference MP3s

If you are looking to download the free MP3s from the New Attitude 2007 conference you can also get them direct from the New Attitude website as the Sovereign Grace online store was so busy. Sovereign Grace Ministries also has a link to download the files directly.

New Attitude 2007 site

Sovereign Grace Ministries site

SBC 2007 Education Resolution

I was asked where the text of the 2007 Education Resolution that Voddie Baucham and Bruce Shortt submitted for the 2007 SBC Annual Meeting could be found; so for those interested you can get the text of the document here: 2007 Education Resolution.

Or you can go to Exodus Mandate Project and download it from there.

Around the Web and Blogosphere

Timmy Brister has provided a list entitled : A Chronological Survey of the Calvinism/Arminanism Controversy in the SBC in which he has links to the various articles that the list references. You can also go to his site – Provocations & Pantings for the link as well.

Tom Ascol has again submitted his resolution entitled: 2007 Resolution on Integrity in Church Membership. Let’s hope it is taken as seriously as it should at this years SBC Annual Meeting in San Antonio June 12-13.

Over at The World From Our Window there is a post entitled, You Tube Tuesday: Creation Museum Highlights that are about the new Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Here is information from Voddie Baucham on the SBC Education Resolution 2007. I would encourage you to read all of what he has to say before making a judgment on the call to remove our children from government schools. I am sure that this will not be popular for many but often the correct thing to do is not popular.

Dog Fighting and Abortion

What do these two have in common? Well initially one may say nothing at all but if you listen to much sports radio you may see that they both tend to show the world view of many people. First off I am not saying that everyone feel this way but there does appear to be a large number of people that seem to be comfortable with abortion but when it comes to harming animals that is a different story.

Recently Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons was connected with dog fighting. Whether he is guilty or not isn’t the issue but the number of people that are outraged that he would promote dog fighting is. Recently I have heard more outrage over the killing and injury to dogs than one would ever hear about the killing of babies. Now I would not condone dog fighting either but I would see the need for more outrage over abortion than I would over dog fighting.

To even make this clearer Clinton Portis a running back for the Washington Redskins commented that he did not see this as a big issue since what Vick did in private should not be an issue. His opinion led to more outrage that this would be his thoughts on the issue; I guess there are absolutes for those that do not like to say there are any. Are not Portis’ arguments much like those of the pro-abortion advocates as they center on the rights of individuals to do as they see is best for them, hence the mantle of ”Pro-Choice.” Obviously Portis feels that Vick should have the “Choice” to promote dog fighting if he desires to do so.

So, while I would never condone dog fighting it is deffintly interesting, and saddening, to see that the world has become so accustomed to the idea of abortion that other issues that are nowhere near as vile are more vilified. How a people can seek to save animals and spend huge sums of money to see if we have global warming and still argue over whether abortion, of any kind, is OK says much about our world and especially western society.

It really does reveal a schizophrenic society that one day bemoans the way we treat animals and the earth but the next argues that we should be able to abort babies at will so as to maintain the freedom of choice for the women, never mind the babies choice ( I forget the pro abortion people would never call them babies). People can walk around with signs that on one side may say “Save the Seals” but on the other “Keep Abortion Legal” if that is not schizophrenic then I am not sure what is.

When a people abandon the Bible as the "actual" word of God for their own understanding what we see in today’s culture should not be a surprise. This is why even professing Christians can claim that abortion may not be OK for them but is OK for others or that it is even OK for them in certain circumstances. So again while I am saddened by all of this I am not surprised at all.

2007 Family Integrated Church Conference - Houston

I will probably repeat this reminder a few times over the next few months so it is not just my fading memory that is showing itself if you see this again.

There will be a FIC conference hosted by Grace Family Baptist Church October 26-27 in Houston. My family and I are going and are throughly looking forward to it.

I can not say enough about how much Matt Bullen at Grace has been an encouragement as we move along in starting Sovereign Grace Christian Fellowship here in Southern California. As I have written on before Donna and I spent a few days with the Bullen family lat February and it was not only a great time of fellowship but we also were able to try and glean what we could from GfBC and how they are ministering to families in a God glorifying way. We also got time while there to speak to one of the other Elders, Paul Renfro, and his family, which was also very helpful.

Again check out the GfBC site and read about the conference.

Voddie Baucham’s New Book – Family Driven Faith

Voddie’s new book, Family Driven Faith, comes out June 11th from Crossway but as I pre-purchased the book from them they sent a PDF version so I have been able to read it already and it is very good. Donna, my wife, is way ahead of me and enjoying the book immensely and I have gotten through about chapter 2 and am also enjoying it. Now I say enjoying and in some ways that may not be the best word as often the book steps on my toes, which need stepping on, and this makes me, and will probably make others, a little uncomfortable.

The issue today is that Christians have become too comfortable in the world and we need books like this to awaken us out of our comfort zones. Those of you who have read or listened to Voddie know that he does not mince words and he does not do so here and in doing so he makes the call to reclaim our families from the world for God. I would encourage everyone to get this book.

Here is a link to Voddie’s site about the Book: Family Driven Faith

Here is the description from Crossway:

More teens are turning away from the faith than ever before: it is estimated that 75 to 88% of Christian teens walk away from Christianity by the end of their freshman year of college. Something must be done.

Family Driven Faith equips Christian parents with the tools they need to raise children biblically in a post-Christian, anti-family society. Voddie Baucham, who with his wife has overcome a multi-generational legacy of broken and dysfunctional homes, shows that God has not left us alone in raising godly children. He has given us timeless precepts and principles for multi-generational faithfulness, especially in Deuteronomy 6. God’s simple command to Moses to teach the Word diligently to the children of Israel serves as the foundation of Family Driven Faith.

You can pre-purchase it at Crossway and get the PDF early.