Madrassas - American Style

by **bvonahsen** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:20 pm

<a href="http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2006/08/american_madras.html">David Byrns' Journal</a> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>8.2.06: American Madrassas Saw a screening of a documentary called Jesus Camp. It focuses on a woman preacher (Becky Fischer) who indoctrinates children in a summer camp in North Dakota. Right wing political agendas and slogans are mixed with born again rituals that end with most of the kids in tears. Jesus CampTears of release and joy, they would claim — the children are not physically abused. The kids are around 9 or 10 years old, recruited from various churches, and are pliant willing receptacles. They are instructed that evolution is being forced upon us by evil Godless secular humanists, that abortion must be stopped at all costs, that we must form an “army” to defeat the Godless influences, that we must band together to insure that the right judges and politicians get into the courts and office and that global warming is a lie. (This last one is a puzzle — how did accepting the evidence for climate change and global warming become anti-Jesus? Did someone simply conflate all corporate agendas with Jesus and God and these folks accept that? Would Jesus drive an SUV? Is every conclusion responsible scientists make now suspect?) Awareness of the rest of the world is curtailed — one can only view or read that which agrees with the agenda. Naturally, the kids being so young, there is no questioning of any kind — they simply accept what grownups Fischer and the others say — they get pumped up, agitated, they memorize right wing and Jesus slogans and shout them back obediently. They become part of a support group — a warm, safe, comfortable feeling for anyone, for any social animal, for you and me. No one strays or gets out of line even the slightest bit. (More on peer pressure later.) There were some perfect sound bites — at one point Pastor Fischer instructs the little ones that they should be willing to die for Christ, and the little ones obediently agree. She may even use the word martyr, which has a shocking echo in the Middle East. I can see future suicide bombers for Jesus — the next step will be learning to fly planes into buildings. Of course, the grownups would say, “Oh no, we’re not like them” — but they admit that the principal difference is simply that “We’re right.” In another scene a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, with his trademark smirking smile, is brought out and the children are urged to identify — many of the little ones come forward and reverently touch his cardboard hands. I kept saying to myself, “O.K., these are the Christian version of the Madrassas (those Islamic religious instructional schools in Pakistan and elsewhere, often financed by Saudi oil money)...so both sides are pretty much equally sick, there’s a balance." (Although it must be said the Madrassas provide some regular education and literacy where no other option is available, they do community work that is non-religious...and they take in aimless troubled youth.) They want to turn the U.S. into the "Christian" version of Iran or Saudi Arabia. A theocracy. The separation between church and state, already shaky with Bush in charge, is under full frontal assault by this bunch — and they are well organized, too. The megachurches tell their parishioners who to vote for, what judges to support, letters to write, and where they should stand on the issues. Well, we all do this to some extent — even in casual chats with friends we attempt to deduce and arrive at a consensus of opinion; a sloppy democratic give-and-take on any number of subjects often gives way to agreement. But this is top-down messaging — no discussion allowed. There’s a scene in the Colorado Springs megachurch run by the Preacher who talks with Bush once a week — same deal as with the kids, only most of the attendees are pliant adults. What is it about Colorado Springs? Littleton is right next door to these megachurches. I think they are 2 sides to the same coin. One breeds the other. The dissatisfaction and alienation that leads folks to join this weird non-“Christian” Christianity (much the same has been said about fundamentalist Islamic groups, that they are a perversion of the Islam of the Prophet) leads down a road to both Littleton and Colorado Springs — and in the sense that they allow the mind to be pleasantly emptied, they are identical. The documentary juxtaposes scenes of an Air America radio call-in guy, a former preacher himself — who rants against this version of Christianity. These scenes seemed almost unnecessary, as to many of us in the audience Becky was pretty much indicting herself, though she wouldn’t see it that way. But they did give some relief from the scary view of the heartland as harboring an army in formation. Zombies from the wheat fields. Sad, as the heartland and areas untouched by the big city sicknesses are also the home of much practical down-to-earth wisdom. Wisdom borne of the land and of experience, unsullied by the trendy political and ethical philosophies that periodically sweep the urban jungles. When one sees religion perverted — in the U.S. or in Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan or India, one wonders if the spiritual seeds, planted by visionaries and enlightened prophets like Jesus, Mohammed, Marx and others, are just too volatile for large societies to deal with. One asks if religious visions are better off kept as a personal thing, or at least confined to a small group — otherwise the death and destruction sown by and in the name of religions more or less balances out their moral and personal virtues (which are many.)<hr></blockquote>

by **bvonahsen** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:49 pm

I forgot to check the "preview" box. there were somethings I wanted to add. <img src="http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/870/080206jesuscampao0.jpg" style="border:0;"/> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>In another scene a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, with his trademark smirking smile, is brought out and the children are urged to identify — many of the little ones come forward and reverently touch his cardboard hands.<hr></blockquote> My current theory is that there will be no elections in 2008. Maybe in 2006 but I don't believe they will give all they have worked for when GW's term is over. There'll probably be some pretense. These kids will be 14 then. And there will no doubt be plenty of 16-18 years olds too. A nice army of true believers don't you think? All wearing their brown girl scout or boy scout shirts. <a href="http://kidsinministry.com/">Kids in Ministry</a> <img src="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/3128/img0zi7.gif" style="border:0;"/> --- <img src="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7830/firecentervl4.gif" style="border:0;"/> <a href="http://kidsinministry.com/FIRECenter/index.html">The F.I.R.E. Center</a> Core Values <blockquote>Quote:<hr>The following are the CORE VALUES of the F.I.R.E. Center. The order as listed here has nothing to do with which ones are the most or least important. They all have equal value in our estimation. "FIRE" stands for F.amilies I.gnited for R.evival and E.vangelism. 1. We highly value the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth through the supernatural ministry of Jesus Christ. This is to be accomplished as all age groups together learn to hear His voice, be led by the Spirit, operate in the prophetic including dreams and visions, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, doing signs and wonders and miracles, and proclaiming His unfailing Word. 2. We believe in equipping of the saints of all ages for the work of the ministry, from the smallest of children to the oldest members, and releasing them for ministry in and out of the four walls of the church building. We propose to equip them through teaching and impartation in regularly weekly services, as well as conferences, seminars, books, DVDs, CDs, the establishment of a international training center, and one-on-one discipleship and mentoring. This includes providing opportunities for their gifts to be used within the church structure, and being an encouragement to the ministries and visions God places on the individual hearts of the members of our fellowship. 3. It is our desire to see a community of believers who have a red-hot passion for Jesus Christ. We believe they will demonstrate it through worship, prayer, fasting, giving, compassion, commitment to truth and righteousness, sacrifice in all areas of life, and love towards God and fellow believers as described in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. We place a high value on daily, regular, ongoing individual prayer and worship, and personal fellowship with God. 4. We recognize evangelism as one of the highest priorities of the Kingdom of God, and recognize this to be one of the primary reasons for our existence as a church and as individuals. We hold in utmost value and importance bringing souls into the Kingdom of God, by rescuing the perishing from the kingdom of darkness and bringing them into the kingdom of Light. We value sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone around us including family, friends, co-workers, schoolmates, playmates, neighbors, and well as strangers here and in the nations. We choose to be workers collectively and individually in the Last Days Harvest of souls which will usher in the second return of Jesus Christ. 5. We highly esteem and value the salvation of children recognizing that it is in childhood that God ordained people to be saved (Matthew 18:1-3). Regardless of their ability to contribute in finances or labor in the operation of the physical church, we choose to do everything in our power to see the children of our communities brought into and established in the Kingdom of God. We choose to make them a high priority in the F.I.R.E. Center! We choose to make sacrifices of time and finances to disciple the child converts and establishing them in the family of God including being mentors and surrogate spiritual parents where they have no one to guide them in spiritual issues. We choose to become spiritual mothers and fathers to the fatherless. We will not value the salvation of an adult over the salvation of a child, because it was over a child that Christ, the Good Shepherd, left the ninety-nine sheep to go and rescue "one of the least of these" (Matthew 18:14). 6. We place in high value the growing of the church family of the F.I.R.E. Center through "reproduction" rather than "relocation" of existing saints. In other words, we value growth in numbers to be through new conversions rather than attracting Christians from other churches. 7. We value and hold in highest esteem seeing our members of the F.I.R.E. Center choosing to walk in holiness and purity in spirit, soul, and body in a culture that values the exact opposite. We choose to give grace and mercy to those who are growing in their relationship with Christ in these areas, but in gentleness, meekness, humility, and tenderness of heart choose to hold each other accountable for demonstrating the character of Christ. We desire to have a testimony in our community that is above reproach. We value the growth and development of the Fruits of the Spirit in the members of our church fellowship according to Galatians 5:22-23. We choose to forsake strife, jealousies, envying, slander and gossip, and the works of darkness listed in Galatians 5:19-21. 8. We value our children and youth and will do everything within our power to establish them in truth and holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We highly value and esteem even the "least of these" and will be proactive in an attempt to retain them throughout their lifetime as active members of the Church of Jesus Christ. This is to be done by loving them, and training, equipping, and mentoring them in all areas of ministry, the same works that Jesus did through teaching on age-appropriate levels, but also deliberately incorporating them into a multigenerational environment in our church body. A seamless, multigenerational community is one in which the older generations actively declare the praises and works of God to the younger generations forsaking old paradigms and traditional mindsets of what children's or youth ministry is. All generations together side by side and shoulder to shoulder will fast, pray, worship, heal the sick, prophesy, and do signs, wonders, and miracles. As Joshua and Caleb--the top leaders of Israel--took it upon themselves to circumcise them (i.e. pass on the faith of their fathers) and mentor the next generation and lead them into the promised land, so we as a church body--including the top leadership of our fellowship--will collectively and individually mentor and train and lead our youth and children into revival, the promises of God, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth--our Promiseland. 9. We highly value seeing our people responding to God at an "old-fashioned" altar, including bowing the knee in submission and humility, listening to His voice, surrendering to Him all things in our lives that are sacred and valuable. We value "the altar" as a place of repentance, humility, and surrender to God. The "altar" is more than a place or a fixture; it is an attitude and posture of the heart. It is a place where we communicate with the Creator of the Universe, and allow Him to speak into our lives regularly, leading and guiding us into His purposes for our lives. 10. We highly value the baptism (infilling) in the Holy Spirit as described in the book of Acts. We recognize that the baptism in the Spirit is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is one indication of one's hunger for "more of God." The scriptural ideal for the believer is to be continually filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the specific event that introduces the believer to the ongoing process of living a Spirit-empowered life. Although we highly value speaking in tongues as an outward sign of the baptism, we believe that tongues is not the only sign of being "Spirit-filled" and that the operation of the other gifts of the Spirit are also valid signs of the Spirit-filled life. We believe that scripturally and practically tongues are designed by God to be much more than simply one evidence of being filled. Subsequent speaking in tongues brings enrichment to the individual believer when employed in private prayer (1 Corinthians 14:4) and to the congregation when accompanied by the interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:6, 25). We encourage all believers to ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1--31). We also choose to walk in love, patience, and humility towards those inside and outside our fellowship that do not agree with us, refusing to allow this issue to divide brothers and sisters in Christ, refusing to argue over doctrine, or entertaining the falsehood that somehow those who can speak in tongues have more value and spirituality in the kingdom of God than those who don't. We recognize that the most spiritual saints are those who walk in maturity in the fruits of the Spirit, not the gifts! 11. We value being a "prophetic" community, that is, where the members can hear God's voice, being able to encourage, comfort, and edify one another as well as total strangers with a biblically sound "word from God." We recognize that with this supernatural activity the unbeliever's heart can be turned to God because of such a word, and saints can receive inner strength and renewed hope. We value the training of all ages in "prophetic ministry." 12. We hold as a core value the aiding and helping of parents to become the primary spiritual disciplers of their own children in the homes where Jesus is Lord. We recognize as a church we are merely an aide and extension, and support to the spiritual nurturing that should be going on in the home. We recognize that it was never God's intension for the "church" to be the primary spiritual disciplers of children or youth, and that He designated that role to parents very clearly (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). However we recognize because few people were raised in homes where this was modeled before them, that they may need guidance how to do so with their own children. It is a priority with us to help parents to see they must be proactive in the spiritual discipling of their own children. For children who belong to our church but do not have Christian parents, we will do everything legally and morally appropriate to disciple them as much as we can through our church activities.<hr></blockquote> Gotta love that fire image. Reminds me of "Origen" from Sci-Fi channels' Stargate.

by **bvonahsen** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:59 pm

It just never ends does it? <blockquote>Quote:<hr><a href="http://kidsinministry.com/Articles.Teachings/PreschoolersPowerful.html">Preschoolers Are Spiritual Power Houses!</a> By Becky Fischer One of the most frequent questions I am asked is if we have any curricula or teaching materials for children ages 3-5, or what we call preschoolers. It's because people are beginning to recognize the importance of training children in spiritual issues at a very early age. Technically the answer is no, though it is one of our goals. I usually tell people that until we do to please refer to my book "Redefining Children's Ministry in the 21st Century." One of the last chapters deals with this age group, and there I give some practical suggestions of what teachers and parents can do immediately to begin training their wee ones in the things of the Spirit. After writing the Redefining book, which is filled with anecdotes of children doing amazing things in the Spirit, it suddenly struck me how many of those stories came from the lives of preschoolers. Easily a third of them involved children ages six and under. In trying to determine why this was, I came to the conclusion it's because children are more sensitive to the supernatural world at that age than any other time in their lives. Their innocence, openness, and lack of pretense makes them perfect candidates to interact with heaven regularly and report what they see or hear. They haven't yet caught on to what's "politically correct" in Christian circles. Peer pressure to be like everyone else is a few years down the road yet. So they just honestly report what they are experiencing. However, because they also naturally have a unique, over active imagination, it's hard for us and them to determine what's real and what's make-believe, because their make-believe is so real to them. For this reason, we adults are far too quick to dismiss almost everything they say as being fantasy. As such I believe we have missed many true things God was trying to tell us through our smallest children. Next to working in the church nursery, there's not another age group that is less esteemed and harder to man than the preschool classes. One of the greatest frustrations I faced regularly while on staff in churches was the constant revolving door to the preschool classes. It was nearly impossible to find anyone who was willing to give up every Sunday to teach or even help in the classes. We often had to resort to a rotation of teachers either weekly or monthly in order to find anyone at all. Not only is this hard on children of that age, but it is truly reflective of our overall lack of understanding of how spiritually capable children are at this age. Kids at this age can flow in an out of the spirit in fifteen seconds or less and have genuine encounters with God. Because they didn't "stay in there and focus" for the length of time we adults need to do the same thing, we conclude they couldn't possibly have gotten anything from God. Yet some of the most powerful prayers and feats I've ever heard and seen came from kids under the age of five. As I travel and minister to kids everywhere, it is very common for four and five year olds to be present in my services. Though some don't seem to be paying attention, but when it comes to time to interact with the Spirit, they almost always have something. Others will sit as quietly and attentively as the older children, and if you've been in my meetings, you know I typically preach thirty to forty five minutes. When I ask questions in the following services of what I taught on, even the youngest can respond amazingly accurately. And almost always they participate at the end of the service in praying, and hearing and seeing things from God. A few months ago, a grandma brought her four year old grandson to our Wednesday night PowerClub services for the first time. He did not come from a Christian family. At the end, as we always do, we spent some time worshipping in the presence of God. I looked over at this active little boy, and saw his head was bowed, eyes closed, and little hands jammed deep into his pants pockets. As we worshipped he stood otherwise motionless and began to weep. It wasn't just tears running down his face, but his chest heaved and he silently sobbed in the presence of His Creator. No one had touched him. No one had suggested anything to him. Just all by himself, encountering the Living God for the first time in his young life, he wept for at least fifteen minutes. He's never missed a service since unless sick or out of town. I frequently think that if I wasn't so sure of the call of God on my life right now, that I would seriously consider dedicating the rest of my life to working with preschoolers to equip them in the Spirit. I truly believe many parents, and the body of Christ at large, is missing an unbelievable opportunity to make a major impact on this generation by not taking this age group more seriously. I am told that some Islamic men leaders will begin mentoring young boys in the Muslim faith when the boys are only four or five years old, and stay with them their whole lives. No wonder they have young men so committed to their faith. Moses was raised by his God-fearing mother until he was weaned, and chances are he heard nearly nothing about his family's God until his adult years, yet he never strayed from the faith because of what was put in him during his preschool years. Let's begin to pray that God will raise up men and women of vision for this age group, and that it will no longer to be the group most avoided, but the group most embraced and mentored!<hr></blockquote>

by **bvonahsen** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:03 pm

ok, last one. <a href="http://kidsinministry.com/Articles.Teachings/ItsComingtoPass.html">It's Coming to Pass!</a> By Becky Fischer "There is not just a youth revival coming but a youth revolution!" These were prophetic words given by a well-known minister about the teenagers and children of today. He continued by saying that these kids are the ones that will finalize the restoration of all things, and help usher in the return of Jesus. Loose the Young Ones and Bring Them to Me! There is scriptural basis for this. In studying the familiar story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we know how He told His disciples to find a donkey with her colt and bring them to Him. The account in Mark 11:2 says, "…you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it." So the Master took the young colt, and with coats thrown over its back, sat on it, and rode it through the streets of Jerusalem. Some have said that this is a type and shadow of Jesus' return to earth. If so, we can look at this and conclude that the young among us will play a significant role in ushering in the Bridegroom! What will that role bet will be taking their place among the rest of us in kingdom activity. Jesus is saying in so many words, "Loose the young ones and bring them to me!" Free them from the old mind-sets of "you're too little and too young," and throw your mantles upon them and bring them to Me to be used for the glory of God! This very thing--releasing children into various forms of ministry that have normally been reserved for adults--is happening in unprecedented numbers today. Even though children have always been prophetic to one degree or another, and although God has always visited them in powerful, life-changing ways, what is happening among the children of the world today in huge numbers is astounding. Many have begun to see that not only can children be recipients of the power and grace of God, but that they can be able ministers of the gospel as well. Jesus commanded the church in Mark 16:15 to: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature...And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover," Qualifications for Performing Miracles A new mentality of leadership has come to see that when Jesus spoke these words to the body that this also included children. They have come to believe that when Jesus said, "Go ye", the "ye" or "you", meant all "them that believe". If a child believes, he qualifies for participating in all these kingdom activities and more. There was no other requirement placed on the hearer than believing--not age, size, education, years of experience, nor a high school diploma. In fact, we can conclude that if a believing child does not respond and obey Mark 16:15, he is in direct disobedience to the commandment of our Lord just as adults are. The main reason we have not seen them doing these things is simply lack of equipping and encouragement from the adults in their lives that they can do it. This is a paradigm shift that's come to the forefront in the church as recently as the last ten to fifteen years. When Charles H. Spurgeon endorsed ministry to children in sermon after sermon in his day, he strongly admonished his hearers to "feed the lambs" and offer them, not spiritual pabulum, but the meatier things of the Word. Some of his beliefs about children were way ahead of his time--for that matter they are way ahead of our time--in which he said he believed children were capable of even doing their own outreach and of looking after each other pastorally. His opinion was that we as the church have never developed the capabilities of young people, as we should have done. (Children Aflame, Faith Printing Company, Taylorsville, SC 1995) What he is expounding is the epitome of equipping the little saints for the work of the ministry! Was he saying they needed no adult oversight and supervision? No--simply that their potential is much greater than we have given them credit for up to this point. Children Doing the Work of the Ministry Yet as outlandish as that may seem to us, these are actually some of the things God is doing through children today. Take for instance the All Children's Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a church of about a thousand children that started when a teenage preacher's son began ministering to the street children in his city. As he reached out in compassion, many of those unwanted kids became believers. They then turned around and began winning their street friends to the Lord. In a short period of time they had a functioning church body! They eventually decided to bring in some adult leadership to help give it oversight, but to this day the children lead the worship, preach the sermons, and conduct every aspect of the services including doing prophetic outreach through very powerful children's intercessory prayer ministry that they have become well known for. It is possible to visit this children's church through the ministry of Harvest Evangelism with Ed Silvoso. I recently talked to a woman who traveled to Argentina as an intercessor for a large outreach where ten thousand people were in attendance. They kept the intercessors in a large area created under the platform during the services. She related that off to the side were approximately thirty children ages four to twelve who were down on their faces in the grass in the freezing cold, crying out, "God, save our nation! Save Argentina! Souls, Lord, souls!" In her words, they were not concerned about their Nike tennis shoes--they wanted revival for their nation! She was told by some of the Argentine leadership that there is an estimated thirty thousand child intercessors in the country of Argentina! It's reported that orphans in Uganda--eight hundred of them--have been raised up as intercessors to pray for other orphans just like themselves. They were trained by a team out of a ministry called Children's Global Prayer Ministry that has trained thousands of kids around the world in intercessory prayer. It was birthed out of the Global Consultation on World Evangelism sponsored by the AD2000 and Beyond movement of which C. Peter Wagner was involved. During those meetings in Korea, the children would huddle together, face down on the floor, crying out in intense prayer for up to three and fours hours at a time. Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida captured an incredible event on video of one of their revival services in which a group of their children who had been otherwise occupied in the children's auditorium began watching the service on closed circuit TV. They suddenly fell into intercession. They began to work their way up to the hallway right behind the platform where the service was going on, and weeping uncontrollably, began groaning and travailing for lost souls. It went on for a half an hour or more, bringing the service almost to a standstill as they miked their voices broadcasting them across the sound system--a chilling sound to hear. As you can imagine the altar call that night was powerful. Signs and Wonders at the Hands of Children For a short time I was privileged to be a part of a children's ministry that had taken over six hundred boys and girls ages eight to twelve years of age on missions trips around the world. Stories abounded in that ministry of children laying hands on cripples, the blind, deaf, deformed, even those with open gangrenous wounds, casting out devils, and seeing miracles before their eyes. One twelve-year-old boy told about praying for a woman who had a deformed hand in which the fingers were tightly curled up in painful fashion. He said that as he laid his hand on hers and began praying that he could hear the knuckles cracking as the fingers straightened out before his eyes. An eight-year-old boy began praying for a woman in a wheel chair, then filled with faith began pulling her up out of the seat. At first the adult leaders were horrified, thinking she was going to get hurt, but before they could get to him to stop him, the woman was walking! During the different conferences I've attended there have been children as young as seven years old who have wandered through the congregation at the end of the services, walking up to grownups and stunning the hearers with a pointed word from the Lord. We have seen preschoolers take the microphone during the worship times and sing the song of the Lord on pitch, in rhythm, and singing spontaneously created lyrics beyond their years in substance. Our sons and daughters are truly prophesying! In a recent newsletter from a powerful ministry in the Ukraine that takes in children that have been abandoned and thrown away, the leader writes: "At a recent evangelization in a mountain village, our children were singing, dancing, and testifying about what Jesus had done in their lives. As they did this, the village people began crying. They were hungry for God's Word. Keep in mind, that dancing and singing with joy to the Lord is not usually accepted in the Ukraine. But something happens, and the atmosphere is charged with the purity and presence of God as these children worship in this manner. They're so sincere in their faith and worship that doors open for them that don't open for others. After the meeting, the people said that is was very good, and asked if our children would come again. They said they wanted their own children to be like ours. Then the village boys and girls gathered around our kids who continued to speak with them, teaching them about how to live this new way of life in Christ." These types of stories are coming from all corners of the earth! This Is Just the Beginning! This is a move of the Spirit that is gaining momentum as more and more children, parents, and workers discover what God desires to do through the little saints. We know that, at least in part, this is a move that earmarks the coming of the King! We can look at the story of Samson in the Old Testament, who was a type of the church. With his eyes poked out at the hands of his tormentors, he called for a lad--a child--to help him, and this child led him to the pillars, the place of his greatest victory! Our children, properly trained, with godly adult guidance, will take our hands and lead us into the greatest victories of the ages! (See Judges 16:26). I don't believe we have seen anything yet! Why do I believe that? Because I still see the vast harvest out there of unreached millions of children. The Bible says "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). The laborers in children's ministry for the most part are extremely few! Children are going to have to be trained to do what Spurgeon saw in his heart--they must be trained to reach their own if the job is going to get done. Reaching them with the message of salvation is just a part of job. They must be equipped as able ministers of the gospel. We must teach them that "The Spirit of the Lord is upon them, Because He has anointed them To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent them to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19) Kids are extremely anxious to get involved with Jesus and His work. Let the little children come! Continue to pray over your children, and train them in the practical day to day way they should go. Train them up in the fear and the admonition of the Lord. Continue to fill them with the awesome Bible stories and educate them in the Word. It's a daily line upon line, precept upon precept job to raise children, including training them in Godly things. As Deuteronomy 6:7-9 says, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 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." And "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statues, and the judgments which the Lord, our God has commanded you? then you shall say to your son; We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand." (Deuteronomy 6:20-21) (NKJ) What Can We as Parents Do? As you go through your days, testify to your children of the Lord's delivering hand in your life and your family's life. Your children need to know what God has done for you specifically, not just what happened in the Bible days. As you pray for them, lay your hands on them and call for their giftings and anointings to come forth. Speak positive, affirming words into their lives daily! I can't stress this enough! Let them know with the words of your mouths daily that you love them and have confidence in them to make right choices. Let them know you believe they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. Then, take them with you into the prayer closet and model heartfelt intercession before them. Take them to the streets with you as you share your faith and let them participate in the preaching of the gospel. Take them on your missions trips. Take them with you to the hospitals to pray for the sick. Give them opportunities to speak prophetically into your life--coach them by your meek example. Don't leave them at home in front of the TV with a baby sitter while you go off and minister! Involve them in what you do for Jesus. Then get them involved in children's ministries that are equipping ministries--ones that will teach them evangelism, how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit, will let them preach and testify, and to lay hands on the sick. Excitement for Jesus is contagious. If we get excited and let them work with us, then they will become laborers in His fields automatically, and your children will be among those seeing signs, wonders and miracles! Let the children come!

by **Joe Hillshoist** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:44 pm

Look I don't know how you can confuse good decent Christian values with that evil heathen Islamic stuff. How could anyone possiblt consider this child abuse. Its Gods will and we are saving their souls fand preparing them for spiritual warfare.

by **blanc** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:29 pm

this continent doesn't have militant christianity as a palpable force. looking from the outside at USA, it feels like deeply anti-christ ptb churning up a sandstorm of 'believers' to hide their crimes, which are by now getting just too too obvious to conceal by media manipulation alone. an aside - parents who put their children through this crap are really really disturbed about something. lets hope the kids have more sense eventually

Madrassas - American Style

Madrassas - American Style

Re: Madrassas - American Style

Re: Madrassas - American Style

Re: Madrassas - American Style

Re: Madrassas - American Style

burying the evidence

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