Resources

Trent Moody explains in this video that if a child starts to question their gender and discusses it with you, you have an incredible opportunity to speak into the life of that child. Take them to Scripture and help them to see what God has said. His ways are perfect and He made them male and female. Help them to remember that the heart is desperately wicked -- what they feel doesn't dictate what truth is. Point them to the Word of God. Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) - "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

Jason Dohm explains in this video that if the children of Christian parents are questioning their gender, parents need to help their children focus on what Scripture has to say. At the beginning of Scripture, we see how God created both men and women. Parents should bring their children to Scripture and explain that it has nothing to do with tradition or opinion but that it is so because Scripture says so. John 14:6-7 (NKJV) - "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.'"

Anthony Mathenia explains in this video that if parents have a child in the home that is questioning their lifestyle or Christianity in general, be patient and loving. Remind them that you haven't been a perfect parent but that you have sought to do things according to Scripture. Open Scripture with your child and show them what Scripture says. 2 Peter 1:19-20 (NKJV) - "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation."

Joel Beeke explains in this video that the most important thing to do when raising children is family worship. Fathers should talk with their children about the things of God, read Scripture, and pray with their children. Through these times of Bible reading, study, and prayer, families can discuss a multitude of subjects and glimpse what God's perspective is on each. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NKJV) - "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God."

Paul Carrington explains in this video that if our children begin question gender roles, it isn't an area that we can be passive about. We are living in a very dangerous time -- where anything goes and where there are no absolutes. We must be diligent to teach and remind our children that Scripture makes it very clear that there are two genders. Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) - "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Tom Ford explains in this video that often, a wife and mother choosing to stay home to raise her family is looked down upon by the world. If a woman has a certain education, they believe that she is wasting that education to train her children. And yet, we see in Scripture that her priority should be to teach and train her children and to be her husband's helpmeet. Proverbs 31:10 (NKJV) - "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies."

John Snyder explains in this video that you do not want to undervalue your parents who care for you and love God. It might be easy to find fault with them for no parent is perfect. But, don't be quick to reject what they've taught you. Also, it is important to get to the root of why you are disagreeing or critiquing your parents -- is it because you want to be in control and decide what you believe? Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) - "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life."

Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). Grace Community Church has always stood immovably on those biblical principles. As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands. Some will think such a firm statement is inexorably in conflict with the command to be subject to governing authorities laid out in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Scripture does mandate careful, conscientious obedience to all governing authority, including kings, governors, employers, and their agents (in Peter’s words, “not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable” [1 Peter 2:18]). Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not. In other words, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still bind the consciences of individual Christians. We are to obey our civil authorities as powers that God Himself has ordained. However, while civil government is invested with divine authority to rule the state, neither of those texts (nor any other) grants civic rulers jurisdiction over the church. God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority with jurisdictional limits that must be respected. A father’s authority is limited to his own family. Church leaders’ authority (which is delegated to them by Christ) is limited to church matters. And government is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community. God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. The church does not have the right to meddle in the affairs of individual families and ignore parent

What does the Bible say about conspirators and conspiracies? Let God’s instruction to Isaiah clear the record. In , God instructed him, not softly, but “with a strong hand,” to stop talking about conspiracies because that’s the way everyone else talks. They are wrong. God told him that he ”should not walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” (Isa. 8:12). In other words, God is commanding Isaiah, “stop following the hype of the crowd. Quit talking about conspiracies. Stop it.”  Instead, God instructed him to shift his fear off the conspiracies, “The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow (8:13). Then, He directed him to shift his fear to fear the lord of hosts, “Let Him be your fear” and “let Him be your dread” (8:13). (For other God controlled, God-ordained “conspiracies" in the Bible see, Isa. 8:12, Neh. 4:7-9, Mk. 3;6, Matt. 26:23, Jer. 11:9, Ac. 23:12-15). Don’t’ blame it on the Governor, the President, Pelosi or Xi or the Illuminati. Don’t rail against globalist, socialist, statist conspiracies. It's not the chicoms, neo cons, or just plain cons. God tells Isaiah and He is telling us, stop saying, “conspiracy, conspiracy.’ Why, because He is doing it. Don’t look for conspiracy theories, look to God.  Is COVID-19 a Conspiracy? The answer is yes and no. Yes, God is conspiring all the time. But no, COVID-19 is not a conspiracy of man. It is a conspiracy of God to cause us to hallow, and fear and dread God - not man.

Here is a vaccine for the spiritual protection of the joys and benefits of local church life. As churches get used to experiencing church services online via live stream, recognize the dangers of getting used to such a thing. We need to inoculate ourselves against this. I suspect that after this current crisis blows over, we will have many more people comfortable staying home from the Lord’s Day worship. They will feel it's ok to travel and go to “church” online. It is not ok! Real churches gather together and they always have. God has commanded His people to meet together in an intensely personal and spiritual manner. He brings His people together – person to person, face to face.  Biblical local church life engages the whole being. This method which God designed, cultivates personal relationships, stimulates the mind and stirs emotions. It is intellectually stretching and relationally enriching. In Acts 1:4 the saints are “assembled together in one place.” In fact, the Biblical word, “church,” (ecclesia) means “assembly” or “congregation” of people who gather together. The early church gathered together, in cities where the first local churches were established (Acts 2:42-47). Paul assumes that the church will meet saying, “when you come together,” (1 Cor. 14:26). Luke documents meeting on the Lord’s Day (Ac. 20:7). Heb 10:25, speaks, to the imperative of meeting together but it is not referring to temporary pauses for emergencies. Rather, it refers to people who are “forsaking.” They are avoiding the gatherings because they don’t prefer them and would rather do something else, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Earthquakes, fires, snow and ice storms and other emergencies may require pausing the meeting. This is legitimate. In other words, it is not sin to pause meeting for unusual situations. Don’t lose your love for the meetings of the church. Innoculate yourself against it. I’ll say more about how to use the vaccine later. There are many things that happen in personal face-to-face meetings that are impossible in online experiences. When the church meets together it is exposed to dozens of beneficial forces. Simply drivi

In this study of Chapter 24 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, Jason Dohm discusses how the people of God ought to relate to the governing authorities. He provides three keynote passages to help us better understand this theme. All civil magistrates have been ordained by God. While they are under Him, they are over the people they govern. This is all God's plan.

In this discussion of Chapter 18 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, Scott Brown discusses the theme of assurance of salvation. How can you be assured of your salvation? Is it sinful to have doubts about your salvation? This chapter gives us insights to these kinds of questions, answers these questions, and more. Many wrong departures from Scripture are confronted in this chapter.