“ equip the saints for the work of the ministry , for building up the body of Christ , until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God , to mature manhood , to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ .” That is a pretty lofty goal that is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish , given the limited access pastors have to people .
The reason Paul gives for the task he outlines is simple . He wants the people in Ephesus to be mature , able to respond well to false teaching and the challenges of life in a fallen world . He doesn ’ t want them to be like “ children , tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine , by human cunning , by craftiness in deceitful schemes .” Do you see the connection with what Jesus says to the disciples in Matthew 18 ? Those who represent error as truth can easily deceive ill-equipped children .
Thus , I come back to my question : What makes Jesus angry ? The answer is simple : Anyone who systematically engages in teaching that distorts truth , causing children to believe error and stumble , makes Jesus angry , especially when children are the deliberate targets of that distortion and deception . Sadly , this is exactly what happens in the cauldron of error that our secular public schools have become . This is the inevitable result of a people who choose to ignore truth and instead embrace the counsel of the wicked .
Many in the Church , however , see public schools as mission fields . That may be the case . They have certainly become increasingly dark places . If we are serious about that , let ’ s send gifted , biblically sound teachers and leaders to minister in that field . I suspect , however , that if we were to speak with those mature Christians currently in the secular system , we would find that most of them find it increasingly difficult to minister in that setting . If that is so , how much more difficult is it for an immature child who has not yet learned to be discerning about what is being taught daily ?
I understand the impulse to “ save our schools .” This is especially understandable for those who have chosen to invest their lives as teachers , coaches , administrators , and volunteers in our public system . If that is your calling , then by all means , seek ways to do all that you can to fulfill that calling in a manner that honors our Lord and represents Him well .
To expect our children to serve in that capacity without the necessary preparation and ongoing encouragement is to put them at risk of stumbling morally , theologically , and from a worldview perspective . They simply aren ’ t yet equipped to engage in that battle effectively . And the fortyseven hours a year the average kid from a typical evangelical family spends in church is nowhere close to sufficient preparation to engage the hostile world we live in . To believe otherwise is naïve and dangerous .
The time has come when we must rethink how best to accomplish the task of making disciples of the children entrusted to our care . And here is the key question : Is it best to place our children under the guidance of those who embrace our Lord and systematically teach truth or those who embrace a fallen view of the world and thus systematically teach error ?
Given what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 18 , how do you think He would answer that question ? ■
Dr . Alan Pue serves as president of The Barnabas Group , Inc , drawing on over fifty years of experience working in and with faith-based schools to assist schools in strategic / scenario planning , mission clarification / delivery , and governance . He is the author of three books , Rethinking Sustainability : A Strategic Finance Guide for Christian Schools , Rethinking Strategic Planning for Christian Schools , and Rethinking Discipleship : Why Christian Schooling Matters , along with numerous articles and book reviews . Alan lives with his wife , Linda , in beautiful Castle Pines , Colorado .
ENDNOTES 1 . Matthew 18:6 ( English Standard Version ) 2 . John MacArthur , The MacArthur New Testament Commentary , Vol 3 ( Chicago : Moody Press , 1988 ), 104 .
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