Trying to Hide/Destroy Our Talent

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' Matthew 25:24-25 NIV

“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6 NIV

Children are on my mind this morning. As I grew up, children were to be managed and controlled and as I came into being an adult, I carried on the tradition of my past. I learned to shut down the spirit of God within the child and teach him/her to be like me. I was so hardened in my “Christian” training it was no longer possible to remember the burning fire of my youth for God.

Unless we become like the child is straight from Jesus and instead of becoming like the child I chose to make them like me. Most of my years in the church have been spent following a tradition of transforming children and others into the church of Christ instead of working to transform others to be like Christ/children.

I have taught my own children the importance of many things contrary to scripture. I have taught them to be on time to a building for worship, I have taught them to listen to a bible class teacher, I have taught them to sit quietly and listen to the preacher, I have taught them the necessity to sing and take communion in the “proper” way, I have taught them to be anything but Christ/children.

I could have been teaching them to express their love for others and I could have been watching them for instruction on how to become like them but no, I had to control and manipulate them into something other than what God wants.

We are told of children being a gift from God and the parable of the talents came to my mind within the last couple of months regarding the children and the church. Consumed by the desire to keep the church constant with no change, I and others have fought to make the church of Christ look like the church of the first Century. I was too blinded to see all of the examples in the bible of the church becoming like Jesus and began trying to copy the formula of the First Century in things done which became “artificial” worship.

They would sing and so I must sing. They would pray so I must pray. They gave of their money so I must give of mine. They preached so I must preach. Finding so many things to copy, I forced an artificial form of worship on to others and specifically the children who now have to leave our fellowship if they are to find any true worship. I taught acts of worship instead of worship. I did not teach the object of all obedience is to love God and our neighbor. I have caused children to be less than Christ by demanding the bondage of false worship be carried on if they are to be accepted.

Effectively, I have done worse than hiding the gift from God and not allowing it to gain in value; I have been focused on destroying His gift and making it into something of which He does not approve.

I hope the new Mike will encourage the kids to be real towards God. I hope to encourage them to continue loving and doing good to all. Instead of saying “you can’t do that,” I hope to encourage others to look at our kids and do everything possible to become like them.

In closing, (this was a short one) I wish everyone could see the strength that has been found by the youth in my congregation. They are the DELTA FORCE for Christ because they have for years been evading the enemy and rescuing others from bondage. They have been faced with obstacles from those like me not approving of them doing things other than those “blessed” by our fellowship.

Warriors for Christ still exist today! The youth of my congregation have tolerated the harshness of the churches of Christ and done things the way of Christ. With so many of them graduating and leaving home, the spark of true Christianity goes with them to infect those they will be around in the future.

Tradition tried to bury them because the Master is hard and we wanted to take no chance at angering Him. I have discovered once again something I should have learned from my lessons in the bible. I once, like some still today, chose tradition over Christ and now hope to choose Christ over tradition.

NONE CAN STAND AGAINST GOD! Tradition has tried and it is coming to an end. May God be praised by those who no longer will give in to Tradition; those who have become (are becoming) like the kids in my congregation.