by Caleb Gordon | Jan 10, 2018
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates – Deut. 6:5-9.
We live in a “Christian parent culture” that, by process of elimination, is teaching by example. In and of itself, this is what we are called to do.
We are to lead our kids. We are to show them what it looks like to love Jesus. We are to show them what it looks like to love the church and to truly be committed to the body local of Christ.
But there is a problem. The stats are showing something different. More than 80 percent of students are walking away from the church by the time they are seniors in high school. And there are blogs, articles and books that attempt to address the “why,” but I think the biggest reason is that the parents are not truly living out Deut. 6:5.
We have adults who are professing to know and love Jesus, but they act as if they are atheists. Look at this command:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…”
What are we to be teaching our children? Are we teaching them to pursue Jesus with everything, to make him the top shelf when it comes to our priorities? Are we teaching them that being active in the church is important?
The sad thing that is happening is that the average church member only makes around two church services (meetings) a month. This includes Sundays and Wednesdays. Church attendance is not what saves us, but it is an outward barometer that measures what we view as priorities.
If you, as a member of any other social organization only made two meetings a month, it would be deduced that you really did not think that this group was that important. Out of all organizations on the planet, the church should be one of the most cherish and loved above all else. What we are doing in the church WILL matter in 10,000 years.
You need to ask yourself the question, “Does what your recreational sports team is doing going to really matter in eternity? Is it more important than the things that Jesus has called us to do?”
I know the regular arguments: “We can be salt and light if we are in these areas.” And the answer to that is YES WE CAN BE! But in all reality, 99.9 percent of the time we are NOT being salt and light.
We don’t want to rock the boat. We don’t want to truly engage on that level. So we remain quiet, or even worse, we dive headlong into the realms of the people who are present with us, and instead of showing the light of Jesus, we just become exactly like the other lost people. So in all reality that excuse is not truly valid.
It’s been my experience with people that if folks are replacing church with other activates, they are committing idolatry (i.e. they love this world and the things of this world more than JESUS). And just so you know, that ends badly for those people.
Our utmost commitment needs to be to Jesus Christ and the mission of Jesus, which is primarily executed in the local visible New Testament church. If you are devoting more of your time to any other organization or group, you are living un-biblically.
Matt Chandler said: “There is data out there that now shows that kids are not being secularized at college by some atheist teacher. Rather, they are being secularized at home, before they go to college by well-meaning Christian parents who can’t tease out the value balance between sports and activities and the gathering of people of God.”
So, in other words, a ball game or some other activity determines and dictates how your family views and operates around God and the church.
One of the major reasons atheism is growing in our church culture is because men (fathers in particular) in the last 60 years or so have placed high regards on everything and anything, (sports, money, jobs, hunting, fishing, video games, etc.) but the things of God (Bible study, Church membership, being active in that biblical community, and prayer) have mostly been ignored.
Because of this, it has had a trickle-down effect on children, so we are seeing children now not just ignoring the things of God, but rather becoming hostile to the things of God. So the bottom line is parents are choosing to show their children that investing in a ball and a gun is vastly more important than investing in the eternal things of God.
It’s time to change things! MEN (Fathers) WAKE UP! Take an active role in your child’s spiritual formation. How can we do that?
- Make sure you are committed to a local Bible-believing church. What does that look like? You and your family are actually committed and active in that community, and not just on Sundays but throughout the week. Have other believers and church members in your home on a regular basis, and show your children what a healthy loving church community looks like.
- Make time to have regular family prayer and Bible study together. This means taking time to get on your knees and pray with your wife and children. Open your BIBLE inside of your home, and encourage and lead your family to do the same!
- Be committed to living the Gospel out in your city. This means, actually do something. Lead and encourage your children to do mission projects that actually will have an impact, and commit to helping lead others to Jesus Christ!
What are we to be teaching our children? To make Jesus our EVERYTHING…and we should be chasing Him more than we chase anything else! Or are we teaching them that Jesus is just an add-on? What you’re doing right now with your children matters!
This verse sums it up: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).
by Caleb Gordon | Jan 2, 2018
It’s easy to take our spouses for granted. It’s easy to pick apart flaws in the person you married. For some reason, this inclination comes naturally to us. It’s difficult to praise our spouses. For some reason, it’s hard for us to see the good and focus on that good over the bad.
Bottom line, it’s because of sin, which has fractured everything in our world. However, that is not an excuse that we should snuggle up to in hopes of being proven right. We have to make war on our sinful nature. We have to rise above what comes naturally to us.
So I listed three different ways we can see the best in our spouses, three ways we can change our marriages.
1. When your spouse messes up (and they will) be ready to show the kind of Grace that has been extended to you by Jesus Christ.
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
I want you to honestly think about this for a moment. How often does Jesus forgive you? And how many times has He stepped into our timeline and forgiven us more than once for the same exact thing? Since Christ has been willing to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive one another. Even if we mess up.
2. When we have the desire to use our words to tear down, make the choice speak life into our spouse’s life.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Prov. 18:21).
Words are so powerful. The right words have the ability to take us to heights unknown, and the wrong words have the ability to drag us down into the depths of sorrow and anxiety. When you have the desire to retaliate or speak harshly, count to 20 before you say anything. It just might change the whole situation.
3. Look for ways to outdo one another in showing honor and love to one another.
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Rom. 12:10).
Look for ways that will build up your spouse every day. Find ways to show them honor. Figure out what makes them come alive and then show that off to them. We all know our spouses and what they love. Do the things they love and do them with no strings attached.
When we walk these three simple ideas out in our marriages we’d see far less divorce and far more extravagant people walking on the planet. These ideas just might transform the world!
Let’s start doing this today!
by Caleb Gordon | Dec 13, 2017
This last weekend we saw the video of the young man who was bullied at school. Kids made fun of his nose and poured milk on him. This is just outrageous. There are no words to express the heartbreak I feel in my heart over things like this. I was bullied in school. I remember once parking in the ‘wrong parking lot’ at school. There was the “JOC lot” and then the “regular lot.” I parked my 1978 El Camino in the JOC lot one day. I came out at 3 p.m. to filthy and foul language splattered all over my car, why? Because I parked in the wrong lot. Kids can be horribly mean.
Kids are mean. I remember the pain I felt because of what those students did to me. Why did they do this? Because they wanted to make sure that the other students did not see their flaws. So they shine the light on someone else’s flaws in order not to be hurt first. The whole “eat before being eaten” mentality. Yes, it stinks, but sadly it’s the sinful and broken world in which we live. I thank God I had a strong family and solid youth group with students who loved and poured into me because I sure was not getting that my first two years of high school.
Dear Christian Student,
You need to be the person that steps in and LOVES other kids who are not the cool kids. You need to step in and befriend the kids who have no friends. That is exactly what happened to me. At the end of my sophomore year of school and the beginning of my junior year of high school, a young man named Andy Myers stepped in and became my friend. He was the CLASS PRESIDENT. He was athletic and super talented. He stepped in and offed me his friendship. I took it.
Come to find out, he was crazy in love with JESUS, and that was what truly shined through. He loved Jesus more than he cared about what other kids thought. So he became my best friend in school. His faith had legs. His faith had action. He did not just talk a big game in his church. He showed off a big game in the halls of his school. And because one guy stepped up and DID what he said he BELIEVED, it changed my world!
You have the power to change someone’s world today. Put your feet down and start walking out your faith in real ways in the hallways of your schools today. Show off the love of Jesus to people who are different from you or are in a different social status. You never know how that can affect someone. I can say with certainty I am the man I am today because Andy took time to be my friend and show me what the love of Jesus really looked like.
Be the change you say you are!
by Caleb Gordon | Nov 16, 2017
The air is crisp. The leaves are such a beautiful and warm color right now.
The mood of our family is full-on holiday mode. It’s an amazing time of year, and I truly do love this time of year for so many reasons. God has truly blessed us as a family. We’ve seen some amazing miracles in 2017.
We’ve walked through some dark valleys, but God’s Word has been such a sweet rock for us to fall on. So when I read 1 Thess. 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” it really has comforted my heart. Honestly, some of the circumstances have been painful, but knowing that Jesus holds this entire thing has been so comforting, it has been a solid rock to stand on. This year more than usual I’m really thankful for where I am at. I’m thankful for the people who are in my life. I’m thankful that God is molding and shaping me to look more like Him.
God tells us over and over again in the Scriptures to be thankful. You and I have every reason in the world to be thankful. Think about this. Jesus has come and has offered to us the ultimate sacrificial system. He took our place on the cross. Sin, death, and hell have no hold or say in our lives. Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. And because of that, we should look like Clark Griswold’s house at Christmas time. The whole town should know where we stand.
The world around us is looking for answers. The people you work with are looking for hope. We as believers have that hope bottled up inside of us. It’s high time we unscrew that cap and let the grace of Jesus out for the world to see.
So today I want to challenge us as believers to live in a state of showing off the grace of Jesus Christ to the world around us, and, as a result of doing that, thankfulness will be extended. Don’t believe me?
“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:13-16).
Be Thankful!
by Caleb Gordon | Oct 26, 2017
It’s easy to take our spouses for granted. It’s easy to pick apart flaws in the person you married. For some reason, this inclination comes naturally to us.
It’s difficult to praise our spouses. For some reason, it’s hard for us to see the good and focus on that good over the bad.
Bottom line is because of sin. It’s fractured everything in our world. But that is not an excuse that we can snuggle up next to in hopes of being proven right. We have to make war on our sinful nature. We have to rise above what comes naturally to us.
So here are three ways we can see the best in our spouses, three ways we can change our marriages.
1. When your spouse messes up (and they will) be ready to show the kind of grace that has been extended to you by Jesus Christ.
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
How often does Jesus forgive you? And how many times has He stepped into our timeline and forgiven us for the same exact thing more than once? More than twice? Because Christ has been willing to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive one another. Even if we mess up.
2. When we have the desire to use our words to tear down, make the choice speak life into our spouse’s life.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Prov. 18:21).
Words are so powerful. And the right words have the ability to take us to heights unknown, and the wrong words have the ability to drag us down into the depths of sorrow and anxiety. When you have the desire to retaliate or speak harshly, count to 20 before you say anything. It just might change the while situation.
3. Look for ways to outdo one another in showing honor and love to one another.
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Rom. 12:10).
Look for ways every day with your spouse to outdo them. Not in ways that will hurt or harm them, but rather in ways that will build them up. Find ways to show them honor. Figure out what makes them come alive, and then show that off to them. We all know our spouses and what they love. Do the things they love and do them with no strings attached.
I think that when we walk these three simple ideas out in our marriages we’d see far less divorce and far more extravagant people walking on the planet. These ideas just might transform the world!
Let’s start doing this today!