Truth My Kids Will Know - Be Saved From This Generation

 Acts 2:40 - "And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, 'Be saved from this perverse generation.'"

Just A Little Twisted

According to Scripture, this world is perverted. Now don't assume this means "nasty" or "disgusting" - because that's not what the word "perverse" means. This term actually defines something that is mostly right, but just a little bit wrong.

The concept is similar to a warped 2x4 board. If the warp isn't that severe, it may look like it's straight when it's by itself. Only when you compare it to a truly straight board does the defect becomes obvious. If you've ever seen a stack lumber at a hardware store, then you've seen how a perverse board sticks out from the rest.

In my line of work (aluminum extrusion) we see this kind of defect all the time, and have teams dedicated to inspecting our product for it. When aluminum lineal are packed up to ship, they are placed on a straight-edge and inspected for any deviation from straightness. Should any of these parts be warped or twisted beyond an acceptable point, they are scrapped out.

    The straightedge is the standard - it is calibrated to be perfectly straight.

    The acceptable deviation from that standard is called tolerance - and it varies based on the customer's requirements.

    The outcome of the inspection determines whether a part is good or scrapped out.

My friends - this is how it works with us. God's Word is the standard; and He has zero tolerance for deviation from that standard. A person may look more or less good on their own - but the test comes when they are compared to the standard. The more removed God's Word is from this someone's heart, the more perverse their definition of "good" becomes.

This is why you can have an entire generation of people who are absolutely convinced they're good people...while they do some of the most wicked things you can imagine. It's because they allowed themselves to deviate from the standard of God's Word. They have become perverse.

The Choice In Every Generation

Every generation of believers have had this same choice:
    Will they turn their back on the culture they grew up in and follow God's standard?
    Or will they just "get saved" and then go back to their same old lifesyle?

Count on this - anyone who is genuinely and passionately following their Savior is going to stand out from their generation!

Philipians 2:15 - ..."that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..."

It seems like this used to be the sacrifice that Christians were willing to make. Looking back at previous generations, they seemed to understand that they would have to be different from the world if they were going to serve God. That concept seemed to be normal for Christians...up until recent days.

But now we're seeing a generation of Christians that are struggling to hold onto the world around them and the God that they claim to serve. As my generation was coming up, this pull of compromise was strong. But the generations following me are facing an even stronger fight than I did. It's as if the world has successfully redefined "good" and "evil" in the mind of that generation - to the point where thinking biblically is too much for these young Christians!

But God's standard cannot be reconciled to the world's! That's why James 4:4 says, "Don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." To cozy up with this world's standard of good and bad is to alienate yourself from God.

The Responsibility To Expose The Lies

This world's system has been pushing its lies on us for a long time now. Many of them are subtle. Some of them may even sound reasonable - especially if they're all a young person has known. But every one of them are diametrically opposed to the standards that God requires us to live by. Why? Because you cannot be good without God.

As a father of four, I realized that I am responsible for exposing these lies to my kids. My wife and I are the only ones that are responsible for them knowing the truth. As I realized this, I began to list out the lies that I want to keep my kids from falling for. The only way to keep them from the lie is to make sure they know the truth - as it's found in God's Word. 

The result of this realization was a list 25 truths I want my kids to know as they grow up.
These are twenty-five different lies exposed.
These will be twenty-five areas where my kids will stand out, and not warped like the rest of their generation.

(Ironically, some of these truths are so "radical" in this generation, that they may not even be allowed to be published - we'll see how many you're allowed to read!)

This will make my kids different - but it will keep them from being "scrapped" out with the world.

Here are two words of advice as we begin looking at these truths:

1 - If I hit a nerve with one of these...take that as a warning. The pain indicates where the lie has already been working its way into your heart.

2 - If you find that someone older than you agrees with what I'm saying, then pay attention! That probably means that they have experienced what I'm saying. It'd be wiser for you to learn from them than go through it for yourself!

Now take a deep breath - are you ready to expose the lies of the world for what they really are?

Are you ready for the world to see that you're not like them?