Studies on Modern Issues

Introduction

In Christian circles today, especially among Millennials, there is a lot of discussion and debate about “culture.” The majority in Christendom seems to have adopted the view that the believer is to embrace the culture in order to reach others for Christ. What I feel obligated to warn Millennials about is the inclination and almost obsession in today’s churches to embrace the culture. I would like to mention a few Biblical principles that aren’t always included in this debate, but should be.

“Culture” Defined

One of the difficulties with this subject is defining the word “culture.” In 2014, Miriam-Webster Dictionary selected the word “culture” as its word of the year. “We’re simply using the word culture more frequently,” said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster. “It may be a fad. It may not. It may simply be evolution.” Personally I am thankful that Miriam-Webster made that choice. Now I know that it’s not just me. I have also been observing that this word appears much more frequently in my reading – especially by Christian blogs or articles about Millennials. And it seemed to me that many of these writers were infusing this term with a slightly different meaning that it had before; culture of corruption, culture of transparency, information culture, counter-culture, multi-culturalism cultural mandates, redeeming culture, pop culture, folk culture).

Words are constantly evolving in their meaning and usage. That’s normal over time. Definitions of CULTURE: Britannica: “Culture or Civilization… that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” Collins Dictionary: “the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action.” Cambridge Dictionary: “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time.” Combining the main points of these definitions, the term “culture” includes the morals, customs, beliefs, values, and most importantly the way of life of man in a particular society.

Embracing Culture

         The issue at hand today is “Should believers embrace their culture or avoid their culture?” The answer is not as simple as it may appear. This question is posed in light of the growing dichotomy between fundamentalism and evangelicals – including conservative evangelicals. This dichotomy is becoming more pronounced in the area of LIFESTYLE: music, art forms, dress, speech, and worship.

         There is a tendency today among many evangelicals to view culture as being “neutral.” Mark Driscoll: “It was God who created cultures.” Additionally, Driscoll explains that the gospel “must be fitted to” culture. Driscoll is a Reformed Calvinist who describes himself as “theologically conservative and culturally liberal.” Many evangelicals have chosen to embrace culture in order to reach people for Christ. We applaud their intentions. Their intentions are good and Biblical – reaching people with the gospel. There is also a very important element of truth in this approach. Fundamentalists are often wrongly criticized for avoiding all contact with the cultural practices of the day. That’s why we’re dying, so say many contemporary Christians who embrace the culture. The criticism is that our doctrine of separation prevents us from engaging the culture and causes us to see culture as evil – when (in their view) culture is neutral. This is the crux of the problem… and it is not an easy problem to respond to. Two different lifestyles are emerging.

         That depiction of the differences between evangelicals and fundamentalists is not entirely accurate. Fundamentalists do NOT refuse to engage modern culture. That’s absurd. Of course we are part of modern culture. We don’t dress like George Washington. We don’t refuse to listen to music written by one of our contemporaries. We go to baseball games and eat hot dogs and pizza. We don’t live in communes like the Amish or in monasteries like monks. Fundamentalists do live in our modern culture – just like everyone else.

         The difference is not one of KIND; we engage in the same kind of modern culture that the evangelical does. The difference is one of DEGREE; While some believers dive right into the culture and embrace it, we choose to be more cautious. As believers, we live IN the world, and thus, to a certain degree, we engage in our culture. But we are not OF the world; there are aspects of our culture that we must reject because of our faith. And that makes us different from the world and from worldly Christians.

         John 15:19 – “If ye were of the world, (and you are not) the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (second class if clause – unfulfilled)

         We are told by some popular evangelicals today that the church needs to EMBRACE today’s culture if we want to win people to the Lord. Cultural differences were problematic in the early church – and still are today. The early church almost split in two because of “cultural” differences. The differences between the Jewish laws, customs, traditions, holy days seemed totally incompatible with the Gentiles’ way of life. I would like to encourage the Millennials and others that the answer to this issue IS found in the Scripture, not human opinions.

What the Bible Says about the Believer’s Relationship to Culture

A Way of Life: Two Different Ways of Living the Life Are Emerging. There is an element of truth to what the evangelicals say about culture. There are some aspects of a culture that are neutral. God isn’t so concerned about whether Christians eat spaghetti, Lo Mein, Swedish meatballs, tacos, or Mulligan stew. God isn’t so concerned about whether Christians wear a suit and tie, a toga, a kilt, or a long robe as in Afghanistan. And areas of cultural differences where there is no moral, religious, or spiritual meaning attached, the rule is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Or as Paul put it, “Unto the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews.” Of course there are aspects of culture we are to embrace.

Let’s consider once again the definition of culture. The concept of culture is multi-faceted. But overall, culture is the “way of life” (customs; traditions; art) of any particular society in any region of the world. The term “culture” does not appear in the Bible, but the Bible has a lot to say about the believer’s “way of life.” That concept is captured in a couple of common Greek words in the New Testament, translated as either “walk” or “conversation.” Our English word culture is similar to what Peter described as our “conversation received by tradition from your fathers.” The Bible does not say that our walk or manner of life is NEUTRAL. Rom. 6:4 – As new creatures, we are to “walk in newness of life.”   Salvation brings to the believer a new manner of life – fitting for one who has been raised from the dead – and completely different from those who are still dead in their sins. I Cor. 3:3 – Paul rebukes the carnality, immaturity, and worldliness of the Corinthian believers: “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” The reason for the rebuke was that they as Christians were walking (had a manner of life) that was the same as “men” – meaning unsaved men of the world. Eph. 2:1-3 – We used to walk like the world – in lockstep with them: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

As believers we USED to have a manner of life like the world – a Satanically directed manner of life… like everybody else. Vs. 4- BUT – God saved us and we now have a totally different manner of life than the world around us. Now our walk as a Christian is to be in accordance with our heavenly position: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…” (Eph. 4:1) The difference between our manner of life and the world’s manner of life is as different and distinct as light and darkness! Our new lifestyle is totally different from the earthly lifestyle. Eph. 4:17 – We are specifically commanded NOT to walk like the Gentiles walk: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.” If culture is a way of life, the Bible specifically forbids the believer from imitating the way of life of the unsaved around us. I Pet. 1:18 – God saved us FROM our vain manner of life: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.” Salvation takes us out of old manner of life… our old culture and traditions. (Not all of the old traditions – but those not consistent with Christianity.)

Eph. 5:7-8 – We are to walk as children of light: “Be not ye therefore partakers with them. ⁸For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light…” Light is totally different from darkness. We are NOT to be partakers with them in any form of darkness. I Peter 4:3-4 – Our unsaved life in the past was lived in the way of the Gentiles, but no more: “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: ⁴Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you…” Peter notes that the believer used to live in the ways of the Gentiles, but now that we are saved, we no longer run with them to the same excess of riot. Our new way of life makes their way of life look bad, and the world hates us for that. If we embrace their way of life (culture), they won’t hate us. We can be popular with the world – even “cool.” That’s exactly what is going on in the evangelical world today. But if we embrace their lifestyle, the salt has lost its savor!

The Bible certainly does NOT command us to embrace culture – the way of life, including all the habits, customs, and practices of our society. We are commanded NOT to walk in their ways. The Old Testament is FULL of warnings to God’s people about the danger of “embracing the culture” of the nations. Lev. 18:3 – “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.” Lev. 18:24-25a– “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: ²⁵And the land is defiled.” Lev. 20:23 – “And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.”

Culture is NOT neutral. The “way of the Gentiles” expresses itself differently in different regions, but it all stems from the same source: fallen men, who are part of the WORLD system. Satan is the god of the world system. Paul speaks of the way of life among men today as the “present evil world” system. John warns us that the whole world system lies in the arms of the wicked one… being lulled to sleep spiritually. Every culture in every nation is a part of that system. Yes God has sent us into the world to live in the world and even to use the world (I Cor. 7:31) – “using as not abusing.” But the believer is warned NOT to mindlessly embrace all the cultural values, traditions, and ways of life in the various societies of the world. That is because while some aspects of a particular culture may be neutral, other aspects clearly are NOT. The views, practices, beliefs, or lifestyles that originate with man can be either good or evil. Because all men are created in the image of God, some aspects of every culture will be good and acceptable for Christians. This aspect of culture we should embrace. But because all men are sinners and rebels against God, other aspects of their culture are not higher and nobler, but are the dregs of society… the bottom of the barrel. This aspect of culture we should reject. Cultural issues are very often NOT neutral. They can be either good or bad… clean or unclean.

When it comes to ART – embrace the art of a culture that speaks of beauty, order, and decency. Reject art forms that promote chaos, rebellion, and immorality. MUSIC is also an expression of culture. Every culture will have its unique musical expression. But within that culture embrace that music form that is higher and nobler. And reject those forms that reflect the dregs of society: vulgarity, rebellion, chaos, disorder, lewdness. CLOTHING is also an expression of culture. Embrace that which speaks beauty, order, wholesomeness, modesty, and is manly for a man and feminine for a woman. Reject that which does not. MOVIES are also an expression of culture. They are not neutral. Hollywood has an agenda that is not in harmony with Christian values. Every blue moon they may make a good movie, but it’s rare. In pop culture churches today, illustrations are drawn mainly from Hollywood movies. Today we have a whole generation of professing believers that have convinced themselves that in order to win the lost, they must embrace culture: almost hook, line, and sinker. And while that has an element of truth to it, BUT – they are not making the necessary distinctions in their choices. It is getting to the point where a Christian lifestyle is becoming indistinguishable from the world.

The Bible SHOUTS out this generation: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good; and abstain from every form of evil. Approve things that are EXCELLENT! Distinguish between holy and unholy. Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? But as a note to Millennials, it is good to be reminded that American culture has been influenced by Christianity more than any other country on earth.

In America, Christians have grown accustomed to embracing many aspects of the American way of life. But as we move into the 21^st century, we will find ourselves having to reject more and more aspects of our culture. We don’t live in the days of the Pilgrims any more. We are living in a period of rapid cultural decline. The influence of Christianity and the Bible on our culture is waning rapidly.

Discernment

Because of this, believers in the 21^st century need discernment more than ever; and that can only be obtained by saturating our minds with God’s Word… which is more and more difficult to a generation plugged into other voices almost 24/7. Yes, the Bible has a lot to say about the believer and his relationship to the “way of life” of the Gentiles. It is obvious and apparent that many in the pop culture churches today are using “culture” as an excuse for worldly living.

They use the PC approach to shame all opposition into silence. They claim that since their lifestyle is a cultural issue then “How dare you old fashioned bigots criticize our way of life: our music, drinking, dancing, immodest dress, and overall lifestyle – because these are only cultural differences.” And (so say some) “culture is neutral”… Therefore, they conclude that no one has the right to judge cultural expressions. But is that true? Is that really what the Bible says?

         Fundamentalists are constantly being criticized for being picky, but the reason for that is because the Bible commands believers to be picky. I prefer the word “discerning.” I Thess. 5:21-22 – “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. ²²Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Romans 12:2 – “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” I Cor. 2:15 – “he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” Eph. 5:10-11 – “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. ¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Phil. 1:9-10 – “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; ¹⁰That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.” Leviticus 10:10 – “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.” Ezekiel 44:23 – “And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Hebrews 5:13-14 – “For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. ¹⁴But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” If there was ever a generation that needs discernment it is today’s generation. And the reason this generation needs discernment more than ever is because the world and its ways are becoming increasingly complicated. In addition, the American culture is changing rapidly, erasing all vestiges of Christian influence, and are busy re-writing our history. So before we jump on the bandwagon and embrace the culture, we need to stop, think, and ask: Exactly what it is that we are embracing? Will this be good for me spiritually? Does this enhance holiness? Is this aspect of culture pleasing to God? It is God’s will for the church? Don’t just embrace every new thing that comes down the pike. PROVE all things. He that is spiritual JUDGES all things.

         So should we embrace our culture? Yes and no. YES – in those areas of culture that higher and nobler. Embrace them and engage in them. Hudson Taylor wore Chinese clothes to reach the Chinese… exactly as Paul commanded. NO – in the baser elements of a society’s culture. But when Hudson Taylor’s wife went shopping for clothes, she did NOT embrace whatever kind of Chinese clothing appealed to her… nor did she wear whatever Chinese clothing she could find. She studied what Chinese women wore and chose those styles that were wholesome. She didn’t imitate the baser elements of Chinese culture. She rejected the immodest clothing worn by Chinese prostitutes… also part of that culture. She sought to imitate those aspects of Chinese culture that were higher and nobler. As a Christian, we cannot embrace a culture in its entirety. Believers need to be discerning, and yes, picky.

         We should be as cautious about engaging in our OWN American culture as a missionary is overseas. Crossdressing is become acceptable in our culture – but it is certainly not to be embraced by Christians. This principle applies to other aspects of our culture in decline: rude, vulgar language, popular music, Hollywood movies, roles of men and women, etc. Jeremiah 10:2-3a – “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain.”  

Christian Liberty

                   God has given us several chapters in the New Testament that deal with real cultural issues, relating to the very real and troublesome different ways of life between Israel and the Gentiles. (Rom. 14-15; I Cor. 8-10) In these chapters, Paul deals with cultural differences that ARE to be embraced. These cultural differences were all non-doctrinal and non-moral. The theme of these chapters is Christian liberty.

         Here are some passages many evangelicals use to support embracing culture to win folks to Christ. And by the way, they are absolutely correct. These passages DO teach that very thing. I Cor. 9:20 – “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews.” I Cor. 9:22 – “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Here Paul stated that in his ministry, when he was preaching in Israel, he embraced the Jewish culture. While ministering to Gentiles, he embraced their culture. He became as a Gentile – a GODLY Gentile!!! And his goals were noble: to lead people to a saving knowledge of Christ! What Paul did was perfectly right and we should all follow his example. But let’s not take this passage out of its context. Paul has been speaking about the subject of Christian liberty – that relates ONLY to non-doctrinal and non-moral issues. When Paul ministered to the Gentiles, he sought to embrace every aspect of their culture that he could – but only if the cultural practice was non-doctrinal and non-moral in nature. In those situations, Paul gladly embraced the culture of Greece or Rome. But if the cultural practice was associated in any way with doctrine or morals, there was a whole different approach. (Prove all things!) But we should point out the PURPOSE of the chapters on Christian liberty. To many these chapters mean: “These are my rights and nobody is going to take away my rights!” That may be the American way, but it is a gross misreading of these chapters. It is a selfish reading of the chapters. The main thrust of these chapters teaches us that we should be willing to lay aside the exercise of our “rights” for others. (love)

                  Consider how Paul presents this subject: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (I Cor.10:23) All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (I Cor. 6:12) All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. (Rom. 14:20) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Gal. 5:13) As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (I Pet. 2:16) “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.   (I Cor. 8:8-9)

         If you want to justify a practice, you can easily find a “proof text” for it – as long as you don’t mind taking a text out of context… as long as you don’t mind twisting the meaning of Scripture. But if we are honest with ourselves, with God, and with His Word, we will be forced to conclude that liberty teaches us to ABSTAIN from many things that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible but for various reasons are not helpful in our worship… in our daily practice… and can be detrimental to our walk with God. I want to see Millennials learning how to make honest, God honoring decisions in gray areas – because apart from that, the next generation is DOOMED to slavery to their own fleshly desires… the very thing God saved us FROM.

        My main point is that I might urge Millennials and young men in the ministry that are facing incredible pressure today to conform to the cool and hip culturally relevant churches OR DIE the slow death of attrition. That’s a mighty powerful pull – especially if your flesh is already inclined in that direction. But here is a little something I want to leave in your ear: “The church that embraces a culture in decline is itself in decline.” It’s like taking comfort on a sinking ship because it’s such a comfortable cruise liner, and everybody’s on board. There is the ever present danger of becoming so “relevant” to one’s culture, that Christianity becomes indistinguishable from the world. Lifestyles that should be different and distinct (believers and unbelievers) are mingled together to such a degree that it is hard to tell who is influencing whom in this relationship. The end result is what has traditionally been called “cultural Christianity” – not the real thing. They know the language, they talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk. And the next generation of churches is almost there. Cultural Christianity has been a blight in the southern states for many years. It has now worked its way up north. This is a choice that Millennials and those who come after the Millennials are going to have to make. Once a local church chooses to follow the path of being relevant to the culture to the point of being indistinguishable from the world, it’s almost impossible to reverse it.

                  We older folks aren’t going to be around forever. So today we are pleading with the next generation at Salem Bible Church: Don’t be so quick to embrace cultural changes just because they are accepted by society. Prove all things! Walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. Learn not the way of the heathen… For the customs of the people are vain.” Ask God for wisdom to distinguish between holy and unholy… clean and unclean. And remember, true holiness has never been cool to the in crowd in the world. Choose to be holy rather than cool. Choose things that are excellent. As a church, seek to be faithful to the Word of God – not cool and popular with the in crowd in the world. And in the years to come as the younger generation takes over the leadership of this church, don’t ever be ashamed to be a small remnant of believers. God has always worked through a relatively small, godly remnant. Let’s pray for a remnant of godly young people that means business with God… and a young man to lead this church in the 21^st century.

         I am ready and more than willing to pour the rest of my life into that group of young people… and I trust that God will raise some up and make them hungry.

Millennials Have Short Attention Spans (really?)

The Claim

                The claim: Gen Y and Millennials have short attention spans. They cannot focus as long as previous generations. Dr. John Butler, a University of Texas professor, has conducted extensive research on innovation and millennials. He says one defining characteristic of millennials is their short attention spans. It is known as a “generational form of ADD” (attention deficit disorder).

A Canadian study stated that Millennials have an attention span one second shorter than a goldfish! Reasons for their inability to focus:

Constant videos

Quick pace of movies they constantly watch

Watching multiple screens simultaneously

Repetitive music

Multitasking (texting; working; driving; 24/7; etc.)

Being plugged into several media simultaneously

Is that Claim a Reality? Are they really so different?

         One study noted that “millennials generally are the largest user group for new technologies, but other generations are not far behind. For example, the Pew Research Center notes that 65% of American adults age 18-29 own a smart phone, but so do 59% of American adults ages 30-49. While 86% of those ages 18-29 use Facebook, 73% of those ages 30-49 and 57% of those age 50-64 do too.”

         Another study noted that the “short attention span” among Millennials may be a myth: “Surely, the effort required to narrow the infinite stream of information aimed at millennials every day must be destroying their ability to focus on any one task. Right? Really, we have no idea. No one has mounted a long-term, standardized study of attention comparing millennials to a previous cohort at the same point in their lives. Michael Posner, a professor emeritus of psychology who studies attention and memory at the University of Oregon, says criticism of the millennial attention span is probably unwarranted.”

         The studies by experts on this subject are far from unanimous in their conclusions.

              Certainly there are some Millennials whose ability to focus has been affected by their use of technology – especially those who play video games and are on social media 24/7. But I know some mighty sharp Millennials. We have had a good number of young Millennials who have graduated from some difficult university programs with high honors. To do that you have to be able to focus through hour long classes… with multiple classes a day. And then they had to focus on writing their papers and reading the books assigned. On the other hand, I have also known some Millennials that could accurately be called “air heads.” You’ve seen them at the mall. But that has always been the case – in every generation. It takes all kinds! The Millennial generation is not a monolithic block. No generation is; and we don’t want to paint them all with the same broad brush. Millennials are a generation of unique individuals who have been born into a rapidly changing world – a world filled with incredible danger on the one hand… but also with incredible potential on the other.

         We certainly are not going to criticize Millennials for the world into which they were born. God picks our date of birth. But in light of the spiritual and moral condition of the world into which they were born, church leaders need discernment and wisdom from above like never before. This is no time to lean on our own understanding; this is no time to follow the crowd and go with the flow; this is no time to be wishy washy and spineless. In times like this, we need leaders with courage to obey the instructions of the apostle Paul in Eph. 6:12-13 – “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

                           Two different words for stand appear here: Stand: to take a stand (stand FOR the truth); Withstand: to stand against (stand AGAINST the evils in the evil day). Without question, we are living in an evil day morally and spiritually. It is a spectacular day technologically and scientifically, but EVIL morally. Millennials are going to have to bring up their families in a very evil day. They need the help, support, and guidance of an older and hopefully wiser generation more than ever. We are not here to criticize this generation; our goal is to build them up and train them to stand in the 21^st century.

How can the churches best minister to Millennials?

         This is a legitimate question for church leaders today. I don’t question anyone’s motives. Evangelicals and Fundamentalists both want to reach this generation. But as so often has been the case, two very different approaches or methodologies have emerged: Bring the church down to their perceived level (dumbing it down for a generation unable to focus – so they say). Lift them all up to higher ground (via in depth teaching, instruction, exhortation). And while the intentions behind both methodologies may be good, the consequences of taking the wrong path could be devastating for the churches in the long run. The lowering of standards has the immediate effect of bringing in hordes of young people into the church – which is good. But the long term effect will have dire consequences: spiritually, morally, and doctrinally… if the end result is a radical transformation of the church that departs from the Biblical pattern.

         Let’s consider these two OPPOSITE approaches to the situation.

                 Approach #1:

Transform the Body of Christ to Better Harmonize with the Millennials

         This approach is based on a Biblical principle we looked at previously: “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews.” (I Cor. 9:20)

         Paul’s point is that when travelling to foreign countries or ministering to people of a totally different culture, there are areas where it is best to accommodate the ones you are trying to reach with the gospel. But remember, the CONTEXT was always non-doctrinal and non-moral issues. Ministering to Millennials is not so much a cultural distinction as a generational distinction. The distinction Paul describes in I Cor. 9:20 is not like the difference between Jew and Gentile, but rather between the older generation and the younger generation. Normally the older generation is more mature and experienced while the younger generation is generally less mature and less experienced. Transforming the church to suit the younger (less mature and less experienced) is not wise; nor is it Biblical. The church is to be led by a group of men the Bible calls “elders” – older men who are spiritually mature. The emphasis on the use of that term (elder) is on experience and maturity, not just age.

         My generation (baby boomers in their hippie days) tried to do the same thing decades ago: get the church to accommodate them. We preferred our own kind of music way back then too. We liked the casual atmosphere. And our way of dressing was far worse than most Millennials today. The difference was that back then, the church leaders were united in standing against the kind of change the hippie generation wanted to bring into the churches – thank God!

         Today the thinking is that since Millennials have shorter attention spans, we need to cut back on the preaching… constantly flash pictures on the wall to keep their attention… play the music they like… and tone it all down or you’ll lose them. This methodology is not unique to Millennials. It has been around for a long time. Our adversary has constantly attacked God’s program for this age: the local church. You don’t design the local church to suit the preferences of men. The local church is to be designed as closely as possible to the pattern found in the Bible… which is the preference (will) of God. There will be obvious, irrelevant cultural distinctions from one nation to another; but overall the churches will be the SAME – same pattern, the same doctrine, same customs, same reverential atmosphere, the same God-centered worship.

         Almost from day one here at Salem Bible Church, I have felt constant pressure to “dumb down” the church. Through the years here, I have been poked and prodded and pressured by folks right here who have vigorously urged me to lighten up on my teaching… to make the messages shorter… not to be so dogmatic… so doctrinal… I’m too hard to understand… Part of leadership is the ability to sift through all the advice and recommendations of well-meaning men and respond appropriately. PROVE all things: Take heed to the sound, Biblical advice. Ignore or reject advice not consistent with Scripture. We have had a good number of folks leave the church because I refused to lighten up... tell more jokes and stories. With all the talk about Millennials, all the blogs, all the articles, all the warnings, and all the well-intentioned concern, more than ever I am feeling the pressure to accommodate the Millennials by making the messages short and sweet. The reasoning behind their pressure has been that “studies have shown” that Millennials have short attention spans and that they won’t sit through a long message. The pressure for the pastor is this: Change the way we worship and the way you preach, or the young people will leave and it will be all my fault because I stubbornly refused to make even the tiniest changes to make the young people happy and keep them here.

         This is extremely intimidating; especially when we see our young people leaving and going to churches that DO accommodate them. They want their kind of music. They want a casual atmosphere. They want sound bite sermonettes. And today, they have plenty of choices – not available in the past.

        Ways to Minister to Millennials: Exhibit A: A Church Named: Crushed

          The pastor says: “Our ‘service’ has three parts.” “For the first part, our gathering, I encourage everybody to bring their iPod and have people share a song or two,” Barker said. Because the group meets on Saturday nights, Barker’s goal is to create something casual to “lighten it up and make it feel like an actual Saturday night activity.” After this gathering time, (the pastor) gives a short sermon directed at some aspect of being crushed. The sermon is followed by a time of silence and then a time of group sharing. “The whole idea of that time is to allow people to be listened to.” (instead of being taught truth).

         Yes, today the local church is being radically transformed into something else… all under the guise of winning the youth. This is a fad. To keep it going you have to constantly come up with something newer… edgier… cooler… pushing the envelope even further. This is NOT the way to win anyone to Christ. It is certainly not the methodology found in Scripture. We reject it and every form of it.

Approach #2:

Transform the Millennials to Better Harmonize with the Body of Christ

God’s Pattern for the Local Church (Acts 2:42)

         Acts 2:42 – “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” All four of these essentials for the early church are God-centered. Doctrine: God’s truth – I am the Truth.

         Fellowship: is with God and one another. Bread: the Lord’s Table – communion with Him. Prayer: to God. When a Millennial gets saved, the goal ought to be that HE become transformed and suited to better fit into and function in the Body of Christ, the church, and in particular, God’s design for the local church. I Cor. 12:18 – “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. Eph. 2:21 – “The building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” You don’t change or transform the Body to suit the person; the person is to be transformed to fit into the Body and to function as designed.

         God has given us the blueprint for the church in His Word, and that is not to change. Of course every individual and every generation is naturally going to make each expression of the Body unique, but you don’t change the blueprint.

         I think as a pastor, I have always tried to be open to change. But I do have three simple criteria: Change must bring us closer to the Biblical pattern not further away (Acts 2:42 – the apostle’s doctrine; fellowship; breaking of bread; and prayers). It must enhance not diminish the sanctity and reverence of the worship. It must be God-centered and for His glory – not man-centered. We are commanded to PROVE all things. If it doesn’t pass the test, we don’t want it. It will take us in the wrong direction.

         The tendency today is to have a shorter time in the Word and they emphasize more performed music (usually a pop band). But note in Acts 2:42 that music was not even mentioned. That is not because they did not sing, but because it was not the emphasis in their assembly meetings. But it is clearly the emphasis in the churches designed for Millennials today. This is not closer to the Biblical pattern. It doesn’t pass the test. And the motivation sure does seem to be man-centered; not God-centered and for His glory. That doesn’t pass the test either.

God’s Plan: Transform the Believing Millennial by Lifting Him Up

         Not all change is good. It must be in the right direction. Changes that don’t lift us UP spiritually will drag us DOWN. “Down” is the wrong direction; and it cannot be good for a church corporately in the long run. Nor it is good for the individual members of the Body either. Lowering standards in the local church may be easier, but it’s not good for YOUR spiritual life.

         Very rarely is the easiest route the best way to go. It’s not always the best in the business world. It’s not the best route in education. It’s not best when learning to play an instrument. It’s not the best route to take if you want to excel at sports. And it doesn’t work well in the process of spiritual growth. For example: For example: I have a confession to make. I sing in the choir, and sometimes I get irritated at our choir director. It’s because I feel very comfortable rehearsing songs we have done before and the easier songs. But every once in a while he picks a really hard song – way beyond my ability. It is frustrating because it takes so long to learn; it’s hard; I have to focus and concentrate…  But do you think the choir director would have mercy on us?  Not for a moment! He keeps pushing us, working us and stretching us musically to our limit… and then some. He doesn’t relent until the song clicks and we get it. The end result is rewarding – there is a sense of accomplishment. The exercise of being “stretched” musically hurts; but it is good for the choir. Stretching is by nature uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of the learning and growing experience. And it is for us good musically. It equips us to serve God more skillfully. We should praise God for those believers who seek to stretch us, whether in ministry or in life.

         A good teacher in any setting aims to stretch his students beyond their comfort zone… on to higher ground. What a foolish teacher it would be to teach the class at the level of the slowest student. We often hear, “Put all the cookies on the lowest shelf.” Well, some cookies should be on the lowest shelf; but more cookies should be on the higher shelves… so that you have to stretch to get them! Putting all the cookies on the lower shelf brings the learning level DOWN to the lowest common denominator. It’s called “dumbing down.” But God’s plan is to lift us up to higher ground. And how high up does God want to stretch us? II Cor. 3:18 – “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” Phil. 3:13-14 – We are to be “reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 4:12-13 – “for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

         And yet, there is still pressure to take the easy route in God’s work. There is pressure to shrink the sermon for the sake of Millennials. We also see the shrinking doctrinal statement. We see the disappearing evening services or prayer meetings. These are spiritually deadly trends that couldn’t possibly be good for the future of the churches. Even though it is easier, we don’t want to make those kind of changes. They don’t pass the test.

         God has some incredibly HIGH expectations for Millennials. He has some pretty high standards for us: “Walk worthy of your vocation” (heavenly calling in Christ!) II Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” God expects much of His new creatures… old things pass away; all becomes new… in his life, not just from his mouth.

         The purpose of the teaching ministry in the local church is not to make people feel happy and comfortable. It is to teach and train believers to stretch… to reach forward… to grow… to learn… to mature… to exercise unto godliness… to run the race with patience… not to settle for mediocrity, to strive for excellence. I don’t find in the Scriptures any hints that we should lower standards or lower expectations for Millennials because they have a shorter attention span. I would be profoundly insulted if I were a Millennial and was treated that way. It’s demeaning. At Salem Bible Church, we expect a lot from believing Millennials because God has equipped them with spiritual gifts and they have a lot to offer to the Body of Christ. We want to help them grow in their (1) knowledge of God and His Word, (2) in their level of dedication to Christ, (3) and in their commitment to the local church – SO THAT they can grow into positions of leadership and take the church into the next generation!

         We are told that Millennials have a short attention span and you can’t expect them to sit through a full length sermon. We are told that they can’t handle that; give them sermonettes. The studies do not all agree that Millennials have shorter attention spans. But even if it were so, what should we DO about it? If you are preaching a gospel message to a group of unsaved Millennials, then you may want to keep it relatively short. You may well lose their attention – because the lost aren’t all that interested in the first place. But if you are preaching the Word to Millennial believers in the local church, it is best to use a different approach.

         I keep hearing from well-meaning believers that I need to understand what Millennials are like. They can’t focus very long – so adjust to what they are like and teach the Word that way – short and sweet. If believers are unable to concentrate then instead of just accepting that fact, TEACH them to concentrate! If a lack of focus was learned behavior via technology, then they can reverse that too. If you were a pastor in a church in the jungles of Brazil, and the people could not read, you don’t just sit back and say, “Oh well, that’s the way they are. We’ll adjust to the way they are.” It may be the way that they ARE; but they can CHANGE. Christianity is about change, transformation, growth, and maturity into the image of Christ. If the “way they are” is illiterate, wouldn’t it be a good idea to teach them HOW to read!? Without the capacity to read God’s Word they will be missing out on a huge part of the Christian life… and it will greatly handicap their ability to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. If you were the pastor of a church of Millennials who could not focus long enough to THINK through a doctrinal truth, then the wise thing to do is to teach them to THINK and to FOCUS on things above. These are Biblical commands.

         The ideal is for believers to be able to read God’s Word and to think through its meaning and applications. This requires focus… the ability to concentrate on truth… balanced, rational, logical thinking… If some younger folks are rusty at this – they can learn… they can be helped… and they can learn to excel at it too! God expects more than a bumper sticker understanding of His Word from Millennials – from all of us, regardless of the generation. You CANNOT adequately teach God’s Word the “quick and easy” way. There are no shortcuts to growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. It’s hard work; it requires stretching; exercise; practice; meditation; study; application; and years of experience. We could follow the crowd and dumb down the service – shorten the sermons; add more performed music; drop the evening service; skip prayer meetings. That seems to be the wave of the future. But is it good for you? We are convinced that that route is NOT good for God’s people today and it certainly does not bode well for the next generation.

          God’s plan is for constant preaching, teaching, indoctrination, learning, study of His Word. If our goal is growing into the image of Christ, and growing into the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, then cutting back on teaching (God’s method for attaining that growth) is not the way to go. Acts 20:7 – “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them… and continued his speech until midnight.” That was no mini-sermon. The Bible is not the kind of book that you can learn unless you really APPLY yourself. If you don’t have a good attention span, then work on it; develop one; seek to improve; learn to concentrate and focus. Stretch yourself! That’s the only way to learn. The shepherd that caves in to the pressure to lighten up, to make the message short and sweet, and overall to “tone things down” for the Millennials does them no favor. It’s easier to drink milk than to chew steak. And sure, sermons should have some milk for new believers with a few cookies on the lower shelf. But it also needs some meat for the more mature believers – AND for others to strive for… to reach out for… to stretch for. Everybody likes milk and cookies; but once you develop a taste for steak, you discover that it is really good and good for you!

         Consider Paul’s masterpiece: Romans, his treatise on sin, salvation, sanctification, security, and separation. He makes some lengthy arguments in this treatise that require concentration, focus, logical thinking, and following through on his lawyer-like presentation. Every Christian should do their best to master this book. But you won’t make much progress if you hear it taught in short little snippets. It takes time to develop an argument and see it through to the end. That’s the way God’s Word was written. The New Testament speaks of the “deep things of God.” We are sometimes ridiculed by our brethren for teaching that “higher life stuff.” I don’t know about you but I want a “higher life”; I want to grow from one level of glory to the next; I want to be progressing towards Christlikeness. And I am under pressure to dumb things down in order to reach the Millennials; and I’m sorry, but you cannot learn the “deep things of God” in 140 characters or less! You cannot communicate lofty, majestic truths in a Tweet! I know the present generation likes everything reduced to bite size – to a Tweet. But if you really want to learn God’s Word in depth then you have to change…

         To our Millennial brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t believe the stereotypical description of your generation. If you are saved, you are an individual and you don’t fit into that mold any more. You are a new creature in Christ. And as such, God expects much more from you. Don’t settle for milk and cookies; demand strong meat. Don’t settle for a worship environment that imitates the entertainment industry; demand a worship atmosphere that is patterned after the Holy Place in the Tabernacle in Moses’ day… or the New Testament church in Acts 2:42. Don’t settle for a man-centered church whose leadership is bent on pleasing men; demand a God-centered church where Christ has all the preeminence. Don’t settle for a church where the doctrinal statement has been pared down to a few bullet points, their “core values”; demand a church that is built on a solid foundation of apostolic doctrine, teaching, and truth. In other words, don’t settle for a church that is part of the 21^st century “downgrade”; demand a church body that is committed to going on to higher ground… in the midst of a culture that’s going downhill fast!

Introduction:

          This is the end of our mini-series on issues relating to Millennials. We want to end with a loving and gracious exhortation concerning WHY Millennials need to be immersed in sound doctrine and the present danger of failing on this crucial aspect of THE FAITH.

The Truth in Scripture

          Truth is obviously a major theme in the Bible; the English word appears 237 times. The concept appears many more times: Deut. 32:4 – God is a “God of truth.” John 14:6 – Jesus is the Truth. John 1:14 – The Word (Christ) is full of grace and truth. John 1:17 – Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Prov. 23:23 – We are to buy the truth and sell it not. Psalm 26:3 – We are to walk in the truth. Psalm 25:5 – The psalmist asked God to “lead me in thy truth.” Psalm 51: 6 – God desires truth in the inward parts. John 4:24 – We are to worship God in spirit and in truth. I Cor. 13:6 – Love rejoices in the truth. Eph. 4:15 – We are to speak the truth in love. John 8:32 – The truth shall made you free. John 17:17 – We are sanctified by the truth. Thy word is truth. I Tim. 3:15- The church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Eph. 6:14 – We are to stand, having our loins girt about with truth. II Tim. 2:15 – We are to rightly divide the truth. James 5:19 – It is possible for a believer to err from the truth. Col. 1:5 – The saving message is the word of the truth of the gospel. I Thess. 2:12 – Those who don’t believe the truth are damned. I Tim. 2:4 – Being saved means coming to the knowledge of the truth. II John 8 – We are to be fellow-helpers of the truth. John 5:33 – We are to bear witness of the truth in the world. I Tim. 2:4 – It is God’s will to have all men come to the knowledge of the truth. That’s our mission in the world. Psalm 100:5 – God’s truth endures to all generations – including the present generation of Millennials.

        Truth is an essential part of Christianity. I think we are all in agreement on this very basic and fundamental Bible fact. Christians don’t embrace Christianity because they have studied all the world religions and find this the most satisfying philosophy. It is not embraced because it is the most pleasing or the most helpful. The reason Christians embrace Christianity is because it is the TRUTH. Period. Christianity is truth or it is nothing.

The Present Age Is Characterized by an Organized Assault on Truth

         Matthew 13 is a description of the character of the age between Christ’s first coming at His birth until His Second Coming to establish the Kingdom. (church age and tribulation period)

        Matthew 13 – Parables that predict the evil nature of the present age: Matt. 13:37 – The One sowing the seed is the “Son of Man”. The parable covers a time period beginning with the Son of Man proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom – sowing the seed. The expression “Son of Man” connects Christ to His Incarnation. The Eternal Son of God entered into humanity and became the Son of Man… Jesus Christ. Jesus began sowing that seed – the good news of the Kingdom – the gospel of the Kingdom at His first coming. These parables begin with the earthly ministry of Christ.

         Matt. 13:39 – The harvest is at the end of the world (age = αἰών). The harvest time is the end of the age. The “age” refers to the age just prior to the Kingdom. It speaks of the time at the Lord’s Second Coming and the pre-kingdom judgements associated with that coming. There will be a separation of the wheat from the tares before the Kingdom begins. Jesus taught unless a man is born again, he won’t enter the Kingdom!

         Our purpose today is simply to highlight the time frame for these parables. They begin in the first century during Jesus’ earthly ministry at His first coming and end at His Second Coming and the judgments associated with the establishing of the Messianic, Mediatorial Kingdom. There is a huge time gap (over 2000 years) in between. These parables are called “mysteries of the Kingdom.” A mystery is a previously unrevealed truth – but now revealed. The Kingdom was certainly not a mystery in the Old Testament. It was a major theme of the Old Testament!

         But in Matthew 13, the Lord reveals certain aspects about the Kingdom that had not yet been revealed. Matthew 13 hints at the fact that there would be an unspecified time gap between when the Kingdom was first announced and when it is actually established.

         In chapter 12, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of performing His miracles in the power of Satan. At that point their minds were pretty much made up concerning His offer of the Kingdom. Now Jesus reveals that the kingdom would be postponed. He also reveals the evil character of the age… between His first and second coming… which includes the church age and Tribulation Period. These parables reveal that this time period will be characterized by the following: Phony professions of faith: four soils – some receive the word with joy, but have no root and die out. Difficulty in discerning between the true and phony believers: wheat and the tares growing together. Unholy mixture: Christendom grown from a tiny mustard seed into a monstrosity – a tree that houses every foul bird in heaven. Doctrinal corruption: A woman takes flour to make bread and puts leaven in it until it is all leavened; leaven is a form of corruption. Phony doctrine. Mixture of good and evil: Fishermen cast a net and gather both good and bad fish; the bad fish are cast away. Jesus reveals that the present age is characterized by: phony professions of faith; corrupt doctrine; unholy mixture of good and evil; truth and error. This age is a time of deception and counterfeit.

          This is consistent with the revelation of the present age in the epistles too. II Cor. 11:3-4 – The serpent beguiles minds and hearts with “another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel” which mimic the true, but are phony. They are a counterfeit. They are not consistent with the truth revealed in the Scriptures about who God is… and what the gospel is. Expect to hear much talk about another Jesus who is not the same as the Jesus of the Bible. Jesus will be described as a radical… a revolutionary… Expect to hear much talk about another spirit – who leads people to do things contrary to the Scriptures… who moves people to violate the principle of holiness… who is more concerned about feelings than truth. That’s not the Holy Spirit. That’s some other spirit. And expect to hear confusing talk about another gospel a gospel that does not ring true.

          II Cor. 11:13-14 – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” He is the great counterfeiter. II Cor. 11:15 – “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” This is the spiritual and moral character of the age in which we live. II Tim. 3:1,5 – “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come…. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Matthew 7:15 – “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Eph. 4:14-15 – “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Titus 1:16 – “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

          In the Tribulation Period after the church is raptured, the deception will be even more severe. The Tribulation Period is also part of the “time gap” between Christ’s first coming and His Second Coming. II Thess. 2:9-11– “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” The closer we get to Christ’s Second Coming, the darker, more deceptive and more confusing things will become… especially near the end.

          The Truth in previous centuries- Truth and doctrine were paramount. Church Councils held to deal with false doctrine intruding into the churches. (Acts 15 – the Judaizers.) Doctrinal Statements became necessary to weed out doctrinal impurity. Battles fought over doctrine because the church is (or ought to be) engaged in a battle for the truth… fighting the good fight of THE faith (the body of Christian doctrine). Denominations formed – not because denominations are biblical; they were not. But it happened throughout church history because historically Christians have held strong convictions on doctrine… because sound doctrine equals truth.

         The Truth in the Last Days- I Tim. 4:1 – “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” Shall not endure sound doctrine. We are almost there. Some shall turn away their ears from the truth. II Peter 2:2:2 – The way of truth shall be evil spoken of. Concerning His Second Coming, the Lord asked, “Shall He find (the) faith on the earth?” Truth (the light) grows dimmer and dimmer the closer we come to the end times. II Tim. 3:13 – Evil men shall wax worse and worse. It is darkest just before the dawn.

         This is the spiritual climate that Millennials have inherited… through no fault of their own. They were simply born into it. And because they live in spiritually perilous times, Millennials need to learn to live for Christ and function in the midst of this moral and spiritual mixture and confusion.

Recent Trends that are harming young people spiritually

          Millennials have been fed a constant diet of tolerance, being non-judgmental, and learning co-existence. In today’s world, the worst sin is to make a moral judgment between right and wrong! But at some point, remaining non-judgmental becomes a tacit approval of wrong doctrine or wrong behavior. The culture and the schools have groomed them be non-judgmental – in a day when they need to learn to judge between truth and error more than ever! This generation has a pressing need for the ABILITY to judge and discern – the capacity to distinguish between right and wrong in a confusing world that teaches them NOT to judge. It also has a pressing need for the WISDOM to know how, when, where, why, and with what words to judge and speak out. They have been born into an America and a world that have become more and more anti-Christian; therefore, Millennials need to dare to be a Daniel. Millennials who want to be faithful are going to have to stand opposed to aspects of modern culture; to oppose things that Christians have always opposed… only now society doesn’t have their back. Today society will stab you in the back for such “bigotry”. Our culture is turning against Christianity… and its Christian roots.

         The shrinking doctrinal statement – this also is spiritually harmful to the next generation. Today doctrinal statements have become but a few bullet points… in order to attract more people. The smaller the doctrinal statement, the fewer people it will hinder from coming. I don’t want to sound crass, but the purpose of the doctrinal statement is not to attract people; it is to weed people out of church membership. Today, the doctrines that keep people away are deleted from the doctrinal statement… because their goal is not purity but UNITY. While their bullet points may be good as far as they go, they don’t go far enough. An example of a church pastored by an exceptionally well known national speaker. Under the tab “Our Beliefs” it says: We are … Calvinistic in our theology, Baptistic in our church polity, Charismatic in our affections, Our Aim: Your Happiness.

         In most of the doctrinal statements I looked up, you can’t fault them for what they included; it’s what they didn’t include that is troublesome. Every evangelical in the country would be in agreement with those few bullet points listed. That makes the doctrinal statement almost useless. I want to know more. Are you dispensational or Reformed? If dispensational, are you hyper dispensational, or PD? Are you premillennial, amillennial, or post-millennial? Are you pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, or pre-wrath? Do you even believe in the Rapture at all? Do you distinguish between the two comings of Christ? Do you distinguish between the two natures of the believer? Do you believe the book of Revelation is history or prophecy? Do you believe the charismatic gifts are operative today? Do you believe the Christian is under the Law? Do you believe the resurrection is literal or spiritual? One general resurrection? Do you believe there are mistakes in God’s Word? Did Jesus die for the elect or for the whole world? Was the atonement accomplished on the cross alone or also throughout Jesus’ life? When did the church begin? Do you believe the church is the Kingdom? Is the church Israel? Do you believe in the Millennium? Is Hell literal? Is it forever?

         You might think that I’m being too picky – persnickety… but I am picky for your good. Details of doctrine matter. Some of these things can take you very far away from where you ought to be. You might say, “Why should I care about those doctrines? I don’t even know what they are!” Well, if you were in need of major surgery and your life was hanging in the balance, wouldn’t you want (demand!) your doctor look into all the tiny details of your disease before he puts you under the knife? Even if you didn’t understand all the terminology or what all the tests were for – you would want your doctor to know what he was doing. And yes, you would even want him to be very PICKY and check everything out before he cuts you open.

         I could list a series of bullet point doctrines with which we agree with the Roman Catholic Church, or the Mormon Church, or the Charismatics, or the Nazarenes, or the 7th Day Adventists… and virtually any other group of professing believers. The purpose of a doctrinal statement is not just to show points of agreement. But when looking for a church, I want to know the points of disagreement. The purpose of a doctrinal statement is to weed out those who do NOT believe the same things. The larger and more detailed your doctrinal statement, the more error it weeds out. The shorter your doctrinal statement, the more error it permits. Suppose you are ultra-allergic to peanuts, and have anaphylaxis reactions even eating a tiny bit of peanut dust. If you are buying some muffins, don’t you want a complete list of ingredients? It does you no good to read a label that only includes only the main ingredients – a few bullet points, like, milk, flour, butter, and salt). Those ingredients aren’t what you are concerned about. Of course those are good; they aren’t going to harm you. It’s the peanuts that you want to see on the label – especially if a small amount could kill you.

         We should have learned the lesson from Spurgeon’s downgrade controversy in England. The Baptist Union became filled with every foul bird – every contrary doctrine imaginable. Why? Because they did not have a doctrinal statement to weed out error. They said, “The Bible is our doctrinal statement,” which sounds noble but is worthless – because everyone says that. They assumed that they were all in agreement; but they were not. The Union was not based on sound doctrine. They ended up booting Spurgeon out because he insisted on sound doctrine. The point: doctrinal statements need to be detailed; the details are necessary to weed out doctrinal error. In an age in which deception and error are on the rise – simultaneously, that which weeds out deception and error is shrinking. Does that sound sensible to you?

         The relatively recent spread of Charismatic and mystic influence in the churches. There is a growing emphasis on feeling rather than the facts of Scripture. Faith must rest upon facts from Scripture, not feelings from a fallen heart.

         Closing of fundamental schools: Pillsbury; Northland; Tennessee Temple; Calvary Lansdale; and most recently Clearwater Christian College. These are very ominous signs of the times. Less good literature written from the fundamental position. Fewer fundamental pastors trained; thus fewer fundamental churches planted; thus, more “new Calvinist” and “designer” churches.

         Logos software “packages.” This is the largest and probably the best Bible software company. It is a wonderful tool for Bible study. I highly recommend it. I use it every day. It is a wonderful aid in Bible study – but it’s only a tool. They now sell the Bible software in packages for Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, Charismatics, 7th Day Adventists, Lutherans, Reformed, but no “Dispensational” package. The sad fact is, there are a lot of customers for Reformed packages, but not so many for customers for dispensational theology.

         Sermon Audio- This is a fabulous tool also. It contains thousands of sermon recordings that you can download and listen to any time you want. Some of the men preaching on Sermon audio are with the Lord! And while there are some fabulous sermons from good, solid, fundamental, dispensational preachers there – it is getting like finding a needle in a haystack… unless you know their name and search the name. By a long shot, most are Reformed. Thus, the venues and sources outside the church from which Millennials and young pastors are getting so much of their information are SLANTED against dispensationalism and against fundamentalism… because it is all market driven, not truth driven.

Why Millennials Need Truth More Than Ever

         The battle against the truth is increasing in a day when a deep knowledge of the truth is decreasing. Knowledge of the truth is taking a back seat to feeling and experience. That’s like more germs floating around at a time when the body has a depleted immune system – not good timing.

         Believers are facing persecution in America and around the world. This trend is likely to increase not decrease in the decades to come. It has started already – a few Christian bakers, photographers, and business owners have been targeted for their convictions: refusing to participate in a gay wedding or in their opposition to abortion. The flood gates have been opened and the writing is on the wall. Huge changes are coming to our society once gay marriage is approved nationally… and gender neutrality… These changes are going to bring problems and persecution to individual believers and to churches who refuse to go along. We all knew that such things were coming. But I have to admit, it came much faster and more suddenly than I expected. The next generation, through no fault of their own, are going to have LIVE with the consequences of these changes. Do you know what that means? That could mean losing your business; losing your house; pastors being imprisoned; churches closed down. This is not far-fetched. We are losing our freedoms fast, including the freedom of speech. Being opposed to certain lifestyles and speaking in public about it is taboo in Canada already. It’s called hate speech. In Canada, there have already been between 200 and 300 legal proceedings against critics and opponents of same-sex marriage. Even our national sovereignty is slowly being eroded by the push for a one-world globalism.

         Brethren – as much as I love my country, what we are witnessing is a 21 century version of the Roman Empire crumbling from within before our very eyes… and Christians are also being persecuted! I say these things with a broken heart – because our children are the ones who will have to live in and raise their families in this moral and spiritual confusion. I am sounding this alarm because of the poor choices I see young people making today with respect to church and lifestyle; choices that will leave them ill-equipped to face the danger, the deception and the persecution our adversary the devil has planned. As Rome crumbles around us, Christian Millennials are going to face the proverbial lions for their faith in the days to come. Satan’s goal is not to bite and wound us with a little error. His goal is to devour us… to eat the heart out of Christianity and leave its carcass for the birds of carrion to feast on. That’s why Millennials need to be prepared more than ever before. That’s why they need all the help they can get from the older and more experienced believers. If the next generation is going to stand in the evil day they will need to know the truth and the meat of God’s Word… they are going to need strong convictions from God’s Word… and they desperately need discernment. And all of these things that they desperate NEED are being undermined by the “light and lively” pop culture churches. And sound fundamental churches that have substance and meat to offer are dying of attrition – because so few Millennials want what we offer.

         This generation seems to have everything stacked up against it. The moral temperature in our country is falling rapidly – and it’s not just fundamentalists who are alarmed; many non-Christians are also alarmed. Today 61% believe that having children out of wedlock is morally acceptable. In 1969 – the year of Woodstock and in the midst of the hippy movement, 12% of the population was in favor of legalizing pot. Today it is a majority nationwide. Support for gay marriage is at 60% today. I don’t even want to mention the Bruce Jenner story. And for anyone to oppose those views is to subject yourself to all kinds of rejection and labeled as a hate monger, a bigot, a homophobe, a sexist or some other slur aimed at silencing the opposition. The moral climate is going to make it more and more difficult for believing Millennials in the years to come. Young people have been groomed to be tolerant of all beliefs, lifestyles, etc. and to never be judgmental… even of wolves in sheep’s clothing. And to make matters worse, the landmarks are being moved: Fundamental churches and schools are closing. Dispensationalism is becoming a bad word. Not as much sound literature is being distributed.

         Millennials have many more distractions than previous generations. And to boot, the government is cracking down on the practice of Christianity in America. There is a much more aggressive push for the progressive one world agenda of tolerance and co-existence. It seems the only thing that isn’t tolerated are those pesky Christians who need to be silenced.

         All these things are suddenly converging against the Millennials. Evil trends in the world today are piling up against them, making it necessary for believers to be stronger and more fortified in the faith than ever. Yet simultaneously, the trend in the churches today seems bent on keeping Millennials malnourished and weakened spiritually. Because of these unhappy trends, there will be precious few Millennials who will come to a church like this to worship God in an atmosphere of reverence; who will tolerate warnings against error; or tolerate being challenged to holy living and to seek things that are excellent rather than going with the flow. There will be precious few – but the few who do come will be precious – rare gems… the kind of believers God can use to carry the church into the next generation. That godly remnant of Millennials will come because they don’t come to church to hear a band play the latest tunes… they come to worship in spirit and in truth. They don’t come to church just to be with friends; they come to be with their brethren – members of the Body of Christ who fear God – regardless of earthly distinctions like Jew or Gentile; male or female; bond or free; young or old; red, yellow, black, or white.

         The church is not a social club for friends. Nobody comes to Salem Bible Church to feel good; you will be sadly disappointed; those who come do so to be fed and to go from here to serve. Millennials won’t come to Salem Bible Church to be pampered and coddled; they come to be challenged; stretched; encouraged to run the race with patience; and challenged to stand in the evil day… to swim against the current and never look back! Millennials are NOT going to come to Salem Bible Church in droves; but the few who do come and stay will stay because they are serious about spiritual things. They come singing “gimme that old time religion” not “gimme that show time religion”; they are looking for edification not entertainment. In this evil day, even though everything seems to be working against them, evil trends converging against them: yet God is able to raise up a remnant of young believers that are worth their weight in gold. And I’m convinced that over time, some of the Millennials in the cool, hip, designer churches will grow weary of the shallowness… will begin to see through its façade… and will begin to hunger for something more than milk and cookies. And I’m convinced that God will lead some of those folks right here – or to other churches of like precious faith… And from that remnant God is able to call some to serve Him in foreign lands… or to plant churches in a region where there is no witness… and to be witnesses for Christ. They will be like the remnant Malachi describes in 3:16-17: “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. ¹⁷And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels…”

Ways We Can Help

         Teaching, and sound doctrine; Warnings; Mature believers who would love to mentor younger believers; Help in sorting out doctrinal information overload. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you are struggling or need help.

              The Lord has built a church here that (by His grace) has been solid, stable, and consistent. We haven’t changed or shrunk our doctrinal statement. We haven’t fallen for all the religious fads. We believe that God has created here a solid foundation and spiritually healthy atmosphere in which to raise a Christian family… and we would love nothing more than to work with young Millennials and be a help, an encouragement, to support, to teach and to train in sound doctrine and practice… and help you exercise yourselves into godliness and discernment, because brethren, you are going to need all that in the days to come if you want to be found faithful when the Lord returns.