“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Matthew 19:14
"Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:37
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes.” Matthew 18:1-6
I participated in the recent Summit Against Abuse and Assault in Charlevoix and I was overwhelmed. It is time for all of us to take a stand against the ravages of abuse, especially the abuse of children.
How prevalent is child abuse?
- 1 million children per year confirmed (does not include all the unreported incidents)
- 2,000 children die every year because of child abuse
- 1/5 girls and 1/7 boys by age 18 will be abused
- 1.1 million runaway/throwaway children in the U.S. – often runaway because of abuse
- 241,000 children are prostituted in the United States each year
- The rate of child abuse is 10x greater than the rate of cancer
- U.S. government spends 10x more on cancer prevention than child abuse prevention
- 94 billion dollars are spend every year on aftercare for child abuse
What about the sexual exploitation of children?
- 20% of children ages 10-17 have been solicited sexually online
- 100,000 – 300,000 children are exploited sexually every year
- average child prostitute sees 4-10 customers a day
that’s 1,460 – 3,650 sexual victimizations per year, per child
- avg age of sexually exploited child is 14
- 18.5 million pornographic images/videos of children produced each year
- If a child runs away or is thrown out of their home, and they spend more than 30 days on the street, it is almost a guarantee they will end up in the sex trade industry and become a sexually exploited child.
- 70% of victimizations come at the hands of someone the child knows and trusts
Child abuse is a sin.
Child sexual abuse is a sin.
It is the work of the Enemy who is seeking to destroy children.
“. . . it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck . . .”
All forms of child abuse do exactly what Jesus warns us about. They keep children from God.
“How could God let this happen?”
“Where was God when my own dad was sexually abusing me week after week, year after year?”
“Why did the church provide more support to the offender than to the victim?”
“Why did the church condemn the victim and show mercy to the offender?”
“Why did the church start avoiding me and my family when I reported the abuse?”
“How could the church let this happen in their own building?”
“Why do I feel like I did something wrong by telling the truth?”
“Why doesn’t the church believe me?”
One of the devastating consequences of being a victim of abuse is the temptation to reject God and the church.
It may not be an easy topic to talk about, but it must be addressed. We cannot claim to love our children and the children in this community without acknowledging the reality of this evil that as one person described “is the playground of Satan.” There is nothing that he wants more than to destroy the weak and innocent ones among us. A prime target is children. Our silence only furthers his cause.
A few suggestions:
- Parents must talk with their kids about this reality. Help them understand that no one should touch their private parts and if anyone does, they need to tell someone until they are heard.
- Parents need to help children understand the difference between sinning and being a victim of someone else’s sin.
- Many offenders tell children it is their fault and that they are just as guilty as the perpetrator for participating in this activity.
- Parents need to help children understand that secrets can be very bad especially when they are asked to keep secrets from one or both of their parents.
- Parents need to help their children understand and avoid the dangers of the internet.
Would you allow a stranger to come into your child’s room and close the door and spend time alone with your child? Of course not, but many parents allow this behavior to take place on the internet.
In a loving and helpful way, ask your church, school system, law enforcement, etc. what they are doing to prevent child abuse. Become an advocate for kids and help these organizations do everything they can to protect the children in our community.
Check out the following websites for helpful information:
Grace – www.netgrace.org
Halos – www.charlestonhalos.org
Faith Trust Institute – www.faithtrustinstitute.org
Google the “Darkness2Light” training curriculum
Watch the DVD “Hear Their Cries”
National Child Protection Training Center – www.ncptc.org
Great web site for those in law enforcement/judicial system
Pray for children in our community – for those abused and in the midst of abuse.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Giving Money Away
The following are excerpts from Randy Alcorn’s book, Money, Possessions & Eternity.
If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then he is not our Lord. (5)
Can we put Christ before all, deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27), with no apparent effect on what we do with our money and possessions? (9)
The more America has gained wealth, the less the Church has addressed the subject of giving. Perhaps that’s why the percentage of income Christians give away has been declining for thirty years. In fact, dollar for dollar, the average American gave more during the Great Depression than today. (174)
The meaning of the word tithe is “a tenth part.” Today the term tithing is often erroneously used of all giving. People talk about “tithing” fifty dollars, when they make two thousand dollars a month (a tithe of which is two hundred dollars, not fifty). You can donate 2 percent or 4 percent or 6 percent of your income, but you cannot tithe it . . . (174)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9
Tithe denoted the amount of the offering, firstfruits the nature of the offering. . . The first 10 percent of God’s provision was returned to the Lord. God was regarded as the provider of the harvest. The firstfruits reminded people of God’s ownership. They saw God as the source of all life and blessing. Parents hoped their children, by witnessing this regular, systematic giving of wealth to the Lord, would grow up understanding their infinite debt to God, and their need to continuously honor him by their worshipful giving. (175)
The nature of firstfruits requires that it be taken “off the top.” It’s both the best and the first. As soon as it’s harvested or received, it’s to be given to the Lord. It’s not to be stored up, hidden, hoarded, or distributed in any other way. Those who kept the best and gave God the leftovers brought God’s judgment on Israel. Giving back to the Lord what was rightfully his was a thermometer of faith. When Israel slid spiritually, they ceased to give as they should. When they ceased to give as they should, they slid spiritually. (176)
No one ever had to say, “I feel led to tithe,” or ask, “Would you like me to give the firstfruits, Lord?” The answer had already been given in Scripture. Voluntary giving started after the firstfruits. The tithe was never a ceiling for giving, only a floor. It was a beginning point. . . The tithe was a demonstration of obedience. Voluntary offerings were a demonstration of love, joy, and worship. (178)
Tithing’s stated purpose is “that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Tithing is intended to train people to put God first in their lives. Because the giving of the 10 percent represents the other 90 percent, tithing symbolizes the giving of one’s whole life to God.
Tithing gives perspective. It reminds us that all we are and all we have is from God. Tithing is not a tip thrown mindlessly down on a table after a meal, but a meaningful expression of dependence upon God and gratitude to him. (179)
The tithe is God’s historical method to get people on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of true “grace giving” today, just as it gave rise to the spontaneous, joyous, freewill giving we see in various Old Testament passages. It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop with our giving, but it can still be a good place to start. Remember, even under the first covenant, tithing was never a maximum standard – it was merely a starting point. (183)
With his emphasis on sacrificial giving Jesus never once suggested that the “floor” set by the tithe is now invalid, but simply that the ceiling of Christian giving is far above it. When Jesus told the disciples to go the second mile, he assumed they had already gone the first. (184)
Why not tithe?
There are many common arguments against tithing, including the following:
“Tithing is legalism.”
Any legitimate practice can be done with a legalistic attitude. In such cases, the fault lies with the attitude of our heart, not with the practice itself. . . Legalism can be a convenient label to cover our unwillingness to obey God.
“I must pay off my debts rather than tithe.”
Why am I in debt in the first place? Is God responsible for my unwise or greedy decisions that may have put me there? And even if I’ve come into debt legitimately, isn’t my first debt to God? Isn’t the tithe a debt to God since he says that it belongs to him and not to me? If we obey God and make good our financial debt to him, he’ll help us as we seek to pay off our debts to others. But I must not rob God to pay men.
“If I’m going to tithe eventually, I’ll need to move toward it slowly.”
I’m often asked, “If I haven’t been giving at all, won’t God understand if I move toward it gradually, starting at 3 percent or 5 percent?” What if I told you I’ve had this habit of robbing convenience stores, knocking off about a dozen a year. But then I say to you “This year I’m only going to rob a half-dozen!” Is that better? Well, yes. But what would you advise me to do? The solution to robbing God is not to start robbing him less, it’s to stop robbing him at all.
“I just can’t afford to tithe.”
If tithing is God’s will and he promises to provide for those who trust and obey him, won’t he allow me to get by on 90 percent rather than 100 percent? In fact, aren’t I a lot safer living on less inside God’s will than living on more outside of it?
If my tithe seems to be a lot of money, I should praise God! It proves how abundantly he has provided. When people tell me, “I can’t afford to tithe,” I often ask, “If your income were reduced by 10 percent, would you die?” They always admit they wouldn’t. Somehow, they would manage to get by. That’s proof that they really can tithe. The truth is simply that they don’t want to. (188-189)
If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then he is not our Lord. (5)
Can we put Christ before all, deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27), with no apparent effect on what we do with our money and possessions? (9)
The more America has gained wealth, the less the Church has addressed the subject of giving. Perhaps that’s why the percentage of income Christians give away has been declining for thirty years. In fact, dollar for dollar, the average American gave more during the Great Depression than today. (174)
The meaning of the word tithe is “a tenth part.” Today the term tithing is often erroneously used of all giving. People talk about “tithing” fifty dollars, when they make two thousand dollars a month (a tithe of which is two hundred dollars, not fifty). You can donate 2 percent or 4 percent or 6 percent of your income, but you cannot tithe it . . . (174)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9
Tithe denoted the amount of the offering, firstfruits the nature of the offering. . . The first 10 percent of God’s provision was returned to the Lord. God was regarded as the provider of the harvest. The firstfruits reminded people of God’s ownership. They saw God as the source of all life and blessing. Parents hoped their children, by witnessing this regular, systematic giving of wealth to the Lord, would grow up understanding their infinite debt to God, and their need to continuously honor him by their worshipful giving. (175)
The nature of firstfruits requires that it be taken “off the top.” It’s both the best and the first. As soon as it’s harvested or received, it’s to be given to the Lord. It’s not to be stored up, hidden, hoarded, or distributed in any other way. Those who kept the best and gave God the leftovers brought God’s judgment on Israel. Giving back to the Lord what was rightfully his was a thermometer of faith. When Israel slid spiritually, they ceased to give as they should. When they ceased to give as they should, they slid spiritually. (176)
No one ever had to say, “I feel led to tithe,” or ask, “Would you like me to give the firstfruits, Lord?” The answer had already been given in Scripture. Voluntary giving started after the firstfruits. The tithe was never a ceiling for giving, only a floor. It was a beginning point. . . The tithe was a demonstration of obedience. Voluntary offerings were a demonstration of love, joy, and worship. (178)
Tithing’s stated purpose is “that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Tithing is intended to train people to put God first in their lives. Because the giving of the 10 percent represents the other 90 percent, tithing symbolizes the giving of one’s whole life to God.
Tithing gives perspective. It reminds us that all we are and all we have is from God. Tithing is not a tip thrown mindlessly down on a table after a meal, but a meaningful expression of dependence upon God and gratitude to him. (179)
The tithe is God’s historical method to get people on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of true “grace giving” today, just as it gave rise to the spontaneous, joyous, freewill giving we see in various Old Testament passages. It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop with our giving, but it can still be a good place to start. Remember, even under the first covenant, tithing was never a maximum standard – it was merely a starting point. (183)
With his emphasis on sacrificial giving Jesus never once suggested that the “floor” set by the tithe is now invalid, but simply that the ceiling of Christian giving is far above it. When Jesus told the disciples to go the second mile, he assumed they had already gone the first. (184)
Why not tithe?
There are many common arguments against tithing, including the following:
“Tithing is legalism.”
Any legitimate practice can be done with a legalistic attitude. In such cases, the fault lies with the attitude of our heart, not with the practice itself. . . Legalism can be a convenient label to cover our unwillingness to obey God.
“I must pay off my debts rather than tithe.”
Why am I in debt in the first place? Is God responsible for my unwise or greedy decisions that may have put me there? And even if I’ve come into debt legitimately, isn’t my first debt to God? Isn’t the tithe a debt to God since he says that it belongs to him and not to me? If we obey God and make good our financial debt to him, he’ll help us as we seek to pay off our debts to others. But I must not rob God to pay men.
“If I’m going to tithe eventually, I’ll need to move toward it slowly.”
I’m often asked, “If I haven’t been giving at all, won’t God understand if I move toward it gradually, starting at 3 percent or 5 percent?” What if I told you I’ve had this habit of robbing convenience stores, knocking off about a dozen a year. But then I say to you “This year I’m only going to rob a half-dozen!” Is that better? Well, yes. But what would you advise me to do? The solution to robbing God is not to start robbing him less, it’s to stop robbing him at all.
“I just can’t afford to tithe.”
If tithing is God’s will and he promises to provide for those who trust and obey him, won’t he allow me to get by on 90 percent rather than 100 percent? In fact, aren’t I a lot safer living on less inside God’s will than living on more outside of it?
If my tithe seems to be a lot of money, I should praise God! It proves how abundantly he has provided. When people tell me, “I can’t afford to tithe,” I often ask, “If your income were reduced by 10 percent, would you die?” They always admit they wouldn’t. Somehow, they would manage to get by. That’s proof that they really can tithe. The truth is simply that they don’t want to. (188-189)
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