The Man For The Job

“I write unto you, little children…

I write unto you, fathers…

I write unto you, young men…”

1 John 2:12-13 (selected)

Are our kids ready to be Christians? A recent reading of this passage in 1 John revived an old topic that bugs me still. I wrote the introduction to this sermon in 2018, called, “A Man To Do A Man’s Job.” You can search for it in the archives later. For today, I pray I can bring the message to heart.

I can never read this passage without seeing the disappointing end of one of Israel’s greatest judges, Gideon. The strange ending to the story of Gideon instructs men, fathers in particular, concerning when to entrust manly responsibilities to their sons. Before we read this sad passage, you should understand that this is a very current problem. Parents have placed expectations upon their children without the necessary instruction to attain them. Churches in turn suffer because of that undue emphasis on children, also they fail to provide necessary training.

I am a youth pastor. My whole week is devoted to scheduling events, finding object lessons, writing basic Bible sermons, and coordinating with teachers, helpers, bus drivers and parents. Our church has put on some fantastic week-long Bible camps for kids with wild and one-of-a-kind themes. I am not writing this to critique what OTHER churches are doing because I am lazy and don’t want to be upstaged. Rather, this Reload comes from wanting to do right by our children, young men, and fathers according to what God expects of them.

Gideon’s Failure

Gideon’s story is well-known, at least the start. Who could forget the dew on the fleece? Or how the host of 32,000 was whittled down to 300 men? Who hasn’t heard of the lantern, the pitcher, and the trumpet, and the triumphant shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon”?

Yet, soon after the initial victory over the Midianites came a torrent of shame and defeat to the family of Israel. Gideon has captured the kings of Midian. He brought them out for capital punishment; let us listen to the reading of their war crimes before their public execution.

“Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.”

Judges 8:18-21

How severely did the humiliation turn back on Gideon! He wanted to show how brave his son was, but his son was not ready for warfare. He was yet a youth. He was just a kid.

Never Send A Boy To Do A Man’s Job

How often are we, in our churches, humiliated when we push the children to do our fighting for us. It is no wonder that young people drop out of church when we put them forward as bullet-stops in a spiritual battle that we ourselves shy away from.

Young people are pushed to memorize Bible verses every week, even whole Bible passages. Adults can’t be bothered with saying just one for a ‘verse and a song.’

Young people are prodded and made to feel inferior if they don’t invite their friends to church. The people that prod and provoke them haven’t brought a soul to Christ in years.

Young people are quizzed and given homework to do from their Sunday school classes. Adults are too lazy to even take notes on the lesson, unless their outlines are wrote out for them.

Young people are dressed up for church. They are made to look their best. While the adults that bring them openly defy any sort of decorum. They don’t believe in wearing a tie, they say, but they also must not ‘believe in’ tucking in their shirt, shaving, showing up on time or standing for the opening prayer. (I wonder, what DO they ‘believe in’?)

The church is not dying for more ‘youth’. The church is dying for lack of action from young men and leadership of fathers. Our youth programs, ministries, clubs, camps, promotions, plays, etc. are just as ignoble as a terrorist using one of their daughters as a human shield. We are sacrificing the lambs to the roaring lion.

Or did you forget the devil was real? Or that he is the enemy? Have you never read about lions?

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

1 Peter 3:8

The lion pride always cuts off the weakest, the slowest, the most helpless member of the herd. The lion goes for the ‘youth’ first, and if they are paraded about instead of protected, what in God’s name do you expect to happen to them?

Whom Resist Stedfast In The Faith

God commands the believer to resist the devil, but not all believers of all ages. John divides out the achievements of each development.

The little child is given:

• Basic Responsibility “that ye sin not” (2:1)
• Basic Reasoning “because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” (2:12)
• Basic Reality“Because ye have known the Father.” (2:13)

Which compare to the young man, who has:

• Earned Responsibility “because ye have overcome the wicked one” 2:13
• Advanced Reasoning “because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you,”
• Challenging Reality “and ye have overcome the wicked one.” (2:14)

Yet how many young men are willing to face-off with the old serpent? By young man, I mean enlistment-aged as God called them to Israel in the wilderness. Moses counts every man who can fight and be part of the Lord’s host to march into the promised land. “From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.” (Numbers 1:3)

Who is to go to war? The junior church kids? The adolescent, or the teenager? No, sir, twenty and up.

It is no wonder we are losing ground to Satan. We have no idea how to fight a war. The young men are in the bedroom playing on the internet. Children are smart, they can be instructed. Twenty-somethings are complete idiots. They traded reading their Bible for a phone, and gave away their goals for a girl. They are slovenly, selfish and stupid. And the fault lies with the fathers.

As you continue reading 1 John, you will notice that there is much more for the “little children” all through the book. 1 John is an excellent book for new believers because it addresses a young believer on his level. John also speaks to the “fathers,” but only twice. And in two addresses, he repeats a forgotten responsibility, reasoning, and reality:

• “I write/have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.” (2:13/14)

I read a note of melancholy in the words of the Apostle John. To me, he’s saying, ‘you should know better.’ I can’t help but see a wicked servant with his talent laid up in a napkin who “knew” his lord (Matthew 25:24). I see an embittered elder brother outside of the banquet hearing, “Son, thou art ever with me.” (Luke 15:31) I recall again a servant who has labored all day for the generous householder, yet for all his experience he gains nothing more than greed of God’s blessings. “Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” (Matthew 20:15) All of these men thought they knew something, when they really didn’t.

No, sadly, I don’t see high praise for the fathers. I see that he knows more now than he ever has, but he is doing less with it than ever before.

• What is the father’s responsibility? You know Him.
• What is the father’s reasoning? You KNOW Him.
• What is the father’s reality? YOU KNOW HIM. What more could you want? Now show HIM and teach HIM and preach HIM and instruct THEM with what you KNOW! How could you ever NOT do these things, and let a generation suffer in ignorance at the merciless hand of the devil while you sit back with all your knowledge?

Only As High As The Source

Evangelist George Griffis has begun his youth camps for forty years with a counsellor prayer meeting. Before they pray he sets the expectation for the whole week: “Water never rises higher than its source. If we want revival to happen in their life, it must first happen in ours. If we want God to break their heart, He will first have to break ours.” That is both my fear and my hope in writing this Reload. And it is unarguably true in training Christian children.

Gideon’s enemies said, “as the man is, so is his strength.” They mocked the youth, Jether, because he hesitated to draw blood. They mocked Gideon. They mocked Israel for their weak stomachs. And they were mocking God.

The church is caught in this instant. This embarrassing moment, frozen in time, seems we have been stuck here forever. We sent out the children, and they were not ready. The shame and disgrace of what has happened is still sinking in– how can we recover from our grave error?

Rise up, Gideon!

“And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna“ (Judges 8:21) The humiliation can’t be undone, but we can finish what we started, fathers. We can’t save face, but may God spare our children from suffering any more for our failures! Rise up, fathers!

Yes, I love the children’s ministry. I have been a part of that work for over sixteen years now. But my job is not to parade them out so the world and the devil can laugh them to scorn; my job is to prepare them for spritual warfare by training them. Not by word only, but also by my own personal exploit and derring-do. May I model the soldier I hope they one day become.

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