10 Lessons for Parents to Teach Their Children from John MacArthur
Posted on January 25, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Being a parent is often a mix of faith and hope. You want to believe you are doing the right thing in teaching and raising your kids but only time will tell. And when the time comes to see the results of your efforts, it will be too late to go back and redo things. So, parenting often feels like living in perpetual uncertainty and perpetual hope.
Knowing parenting can feel like this, I routinely look for resources to help me do a better job. I’m not really into the fluffy “be your kids best friend” stuff that comes from modern psychology and pop culture. I’m looking for biblically based advice that shares practical tips on how I can do a better job raising my kids.
I recently came across an article sharing the “Ten Crucial Lessons Every Father Should Teach,” from John MacArthur’s book Brave Dad. This list is not only biblically based it’s practical. Furthermore, it’s counter-cultural.
Look, the bottom line is that we live in a society that is upside down. The things that are valued in our culture go against the biblical values that we want to teach. And, in order to combat that anti-biblical teaching our kids are bombarded with in culture we must be diligent in teaching them, clearly, what the Bible says. It won’t happen by accident. And while we should expect our church to reinforce what we are teaching our kids at home, we should not expect our church to be the primary biblical teacher of our kids.
Look at how practical, and counter-cultural, these lessons we need to be teaching our kids are: Continue reading…
The Secret to Church Growth is Out!
Posted on January 24, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Finally, the secret to growing a church has been discovered, and revealed.
Like me, if you have spent time in leadership at your church you have wondered, and discussed, ways to grow the church. You’ve tried to figure out what the “secret” is and how you can see church growth in your church. You’ve looked at programs, discussed strategies, and planned campaigns designed to see exponential and permanent growth. And you are still wondering: what is the key?
Personally, I’ve been concerned that the secret to church growth is having a full head of hair and a Ph.D.; because I have neither. I’ve also been concerned that the secret to quick growth is in cool glasses and skinny jeans and soy-non-fat-mocha-vegan-gluten-free-useless warm brown water. Because, if that’s it…I’m in trouble.
As it turns out, the “secret” to church may lie in something as simple as doctrine.
A new study is reporting that doctrinally conservative churches that prioritize reaching out to their community are growing.
This goes against everything we’ve heard in recent years. As an article from The Gospel Coalition explains: Continue reading…
How Would You Answer This Question: What is the Gospel?
Posted on January 18, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
What is the Gospel?
If you were walking down the street and someone stopped and asked you that question, how would you answer?
There is much confusion and misinformation in our world about what the Gospel is. Some people think the Gospel is doing good things, living “right” (whatever that means), or going to church once in a while. Many Americans believe that being born in America or in a particular part of the country is enough “Gospel” to save someone. And other, well meaning “church people” would say that the Gospel is doing good deeds as a form of “servant evangelism.”
Still, there’s those pesky mega-preachers that claim to know Jesus and say that the Gospel is loving people. All you gotta do is flash a perfectly white smile, say some fluffy, inspiring cliché’s and, voila, Jesus.
None of this is the Gospel. So the question remains, what is the Gospel?
It is clear that our culture is very confused about what the Gospel is. Many Christians can’t articulate what the Gospel is and can’t explain it to someone else. Recognizing the confusion in our culture and our churches over what the Gospel is, I am reminded of something my pastor said recently in a Bible study: Continue reading…
Do You Know How Much Money You Will Need for Retirement?
Posted on January 17, 2017 in Money by Nathan Cherry
How much should you be saving as you progress in your career and stage of life?
Saving for retirement is not a static event. You can’t merely put a dollar amount into a 401k at age 25 and continue for the next 35 years. Retirement saving is an ever-changing event that will depend on your idea of retirement. For those that want a more quiet retirement at home, less might be needed. And for those that want to travel and buy new things regularly, more might be needed.
Each decade of life brings new challenges and new opportunities for saving. As you pay off student loans, advance in your career, and start a family, new aspects of saving and investing take shape and priority.
After graduating from college and beginning your career, your focus should be on paying off student loans and learning good spending and saving habits. The faster your loans are paid off, the quicker you can begin saving and investing in your future. And the aster you learn to budget your money monthly and develop good spending and saving habits, the better off you will be later in life.
I found a recent article helpful in breaking down some of the priorities of each decade. This is important because as you get older and advance in your stage of lie you must be conscious of changes that are needed in your plan for retirement. You might have planned for traveling the world when you were younger, but, now, you want to sit on the porch of your house in the country and enjoy a cup of coffee. Those are two very different retirement plans that require very different planning. Continue reading…
Was It Appropriate for National Geographic to Feature a Transgender Child?
Posted on January 11, 2017 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
As a culture and society, we should do everything in our power to protect children. Whether that is protecting the unborn in the womb, or ensuring child predators are stopped, protecting the children of our nation should be a top priority.
For this reason it is alarming to see a well-known publication promoting the dangerous political ideology of transgenderism.
National Geographic recently made the decision to display the image of a 9-year-old boy named Avery on its January 2017 edition. Avery, according to his parents, identifies and lives as a girl.
The sexual and cultural revolution has decided that gender is not fixed at birth but is, instead, a social construct. Armed with this piece of idealism, the revolution marches on, sounding the trumpet that boys can be girls and girls can be boys. To this end they celebrate young Avery for telling the world that he is, in fact, a girl. Continue reading…
If You’re Not Praying for the Persecuted Church – Read This!
Posted on January 10, 2017 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Once again Christians were the most persecuted religious group in the world in 2016. This makes several years in a row that Christians have topped the list as the most persecuted religious group.
What this reality tells us is that those who deny Christians are persecuted for their faith are simply not paying attention. Often we hear about Muslims being persecuted, and it is true that Muslims are the second most persecute religious group in the world. But, denying that Christians are persecuted for their faith can only be done out of ignorance. And, interestingly, Muslims are typically persecuted by other Muslims while Christians are persecuted by Muslims, governments, and others.
The truth is, 2016 saw nearly 90,000 Christians killed for their faith, according to an annual study.
The annual study conducted by the Center for Studies on New Religions (Censur) also found that 500-600 million Christians are not able to freely practice their faith. Considering the fact that Christians make up more than one-quarter of the worlds population with 2.2 billion adherents worldwide, this statistic is shocking.
According to the report, the breakdown of persecution looks like this: Continue reading…
There is a Difference Between Political Statements and Religious Convictions
Posted on January 5, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
People should be free to live and do business according to their convictions, even if that means refusing to serve food to Donald Trump supporters.
Our culture increasingly wants to force people to take part in things that offend their convictions and conscience. Like making a baker bake a cake for a same-sex wedding when he only believes in traditional marriage. Or, making a florist create flower art for a wedding she doesn’t believe in.
Some would mistakenly say that forcing people to take part in things that violate their religious beliefs, convictions, or conscience is all part of being “tolerant.” However, that would be a mistaken understanding of the word tolerant. The word tolerant doesn’t mean forcing people to violate their conscience and smile about it. The word tolerant means respecting the divergent views of other people or, in other words, agreeing to disagree.
Take for example the restaurant in Hawaii that declared all Trump supporters are not welcome to eat in their establishment.
A café in Honolulu called Café 8 ½ posted a sign that read: “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here! No Nazis.” Continue reading…
Some of the Top Articles Concerning Life and Abortion in 2016
Posted on January 3, 2017 in Life by Nathan Cherry
It’s that time of year when people spend some time looking back at the past year and reflecting. To say that 2016 was an interesting year would be an understatement. It was a year filled with many surprises on the socio-political front. However, one thing remained, the issue of life continued to be one of the issues Americans cared most about.
A majority of Americans continue to support greater abortion restrictions and want to see fewer abortions. The election cycle did nothing to diminish the desire of pro-life advocates to see life protected at its most vulnerable stages. Americans believed that their vote would either protect the unborn or further jeopardize the unborn.
In a surprise that some are still recovering from, the most pro-abortion candidate in American history lost the election. Pro-life advocates were excited to see a candidate win in November that promised to nominate pro-life justices to the court. The hope that unborn children would be protected has gained strength and momentum post-election.
One pro-life outlet that I follow regularly recently did a look back and their top 10 headlines from 2016 and it’s no surprise that 40% of those headlines involved political candidates and the election. Take a look at the list of headlines below and you will realize how broad the issue of life is in our culture. It involves the unborn, the ill, and the aged. The issue of life stretches from the White House to the Church house. This is an issue that touches every aspect of our life and culture and continues to leave a lasting impression on us all. Continue reading…
A Few Reasons Why Parents Should Demand Obedience from Their Kids
Posted on December 27, 2016 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
If you are anything like me as a parent, you have those daily moments when you know your kids are not obeying as they should and you wonder what to do about it. How important is it for kids to obey their parents?
That simple question is loaded with implications for now and the future. Years ago, the obedience of children was paramount for parents as they sought to raise kids that knew what submission to authority was all about. Now, not so much. Many parents now want to be friends with their kids. This can often produce friction as the parent steps back and forth between “friend” and “parent.”
I find that my greatest struggle in parenting my kids is consistency. Playing loudly in the basement is okay at noon, but at 7:30 in the morning? Seeking to consistently apply the rules of our household each and every day is no small feat. But, one thing is for sure; demanding that our kid’s obey is essential.
As Christians we understand the importance of obedience. We have committed to following the commands of Jesus each and every day as we seek to be more sanctified and holy. The more we lay down our life and pick up our cross to follow Him, the more we understand the absolute necessity for obedience. But are we communicating the biblical principle of obedience to our kids?
A recent article I read reinforced the need for kids to be obedient and for parents to demand obedience. Continue reading…
This Video is the Cutest Telling of The Christmas Story Ever
Posted on December 23, 2016 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The heart-warming video has gained quite a few views this Christmas season. Once you watch it, you’ll know why.
The Southland Christian Church in Kentucky asked their kids about the Christmas story and then created a video using their answers. The adorable and charming result speaks for itself. But it also proves that kids know a lot more about Christmas than we give them credit. And, that we should diligently teach the biblical Christmas narrative to our kids.
Watch the video below and enjoy the story of Mary and Joseph as told by some cute little kids.
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