AdamL

On 2/25/2019 at 7:39 PM, BobbyH said:

My seven grandchildren are all millennials. None of them go to church. Their reason is they all grew up in public school and are evolutionists. They were not taught the Word in school. They believe in the science they were taught. After 12-16 years of school their "truth" is based on this science. I keep trying, but it is hard to overcome this situation.

Unfortunately that is what happens when parents do not take the education of their children seriously. When our children are turned over to the state for indoctrination what else do we expect?

I went to public school. I didn't get saved until I was an adult. Evolution was ingrained in my mind as a fact. Even though I didn't really understand it I just accepted it as true. After I got saved the first time I heard a pastor preach about young earth creationism I was looking around the auditorium wondering if anyone else was as confused and shocked as I was. It took a lot of time for the Word to sink in and break down those strongholds. 

1 hour ago, Pastor Scott Markle said:

Brother AdamL,

I am glad that you chose to present your response.  It is well presented; however, it appears to have one underlying assumption that is wrong in relation to my own response above.  I myself would NOT limit my response above just unto the present generation.  I would have given the same answer for any generation.  In fact, I believe that it is the same problem that is reported throughout Scripture for multiple different generations of Israel in the Old Testament and for various believers in the New Testament.  (Note: If you will take notice, you will find in my above response various allusions to the very teaching of God's Holy Word on the matter.)

On the other hand, I would agree that the scenario which you present above represents a way of falsehood within the Independent Baptist movement.  Certainly this way of falsehood should be rejected.  I myself have rejected it and find it spiritually offensive.  However, in my own ministry experience the "Millenials" (and, for that matter, older generations as well) that have fallen away from faithfulness have done so because they are instead pursuing video games, social media, money accumulation, personal recreation, and other things of the world, not because they could not acquire Biblical answers to their questions.  (Note: Since you do not know me personally, I really cannot prove whether I am a "shallow" or a sound teacher and leader.  I can only refer you to that which I have posted here on Online Baptist.  I suppose that is the only evidence that I can provide to you for whether I am able to give genuine Biblical answers to genuine questions.)  

I appreciate your response Pastor Markle. I agree with what you said and as you continue to point out that those issues are not exclusive to Millennials but have been an issue for humanity for generations. Men have been leaving God in pursuit of the world for as long as we have existed. I was trying to share something from my personal experience that may effect Millennials specifically as opposed to everyone.

As you stated I do not know you personally and no very very little about the ministry Christ has given you. All I can ask of each of us, myself included, is that we live for the Lord not in word and deed only but with our whole hearts. That is the only way our love and faith can be expressed genuinely, if our whole heart is turned over to the Lord. I believe that our true pursuit of the Lord and holiness will lead to dealing with true matters of the heart and less on cheap exterior window dressing.

7 hours ago, Pastor Scott Markle said:

Proverbs 1:7 -- "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

In my opinion, they are leaving because they lack the foundational motivation of heart to stay.  They are more concerned about what pleases them than they are about what pleases God.  They do not possess the fear and love of the Lord in their hearts.  Rather, they possess the love of self and the world in their hearts.  They are dull of hearing toward the teaching and preaching of God's Word because they do not possess a foundational fellowship with the God of the Word.  They have entangled themselves with the riches, pleasures, and social connections of this life and world; and those things are choking out their desire for the Lord their God and His Holy Word.  It is ALL about the priority of their hearts.

I have thought about if/how I should respond to this post. I have decided that I will.

I have to respectfully disagree with what you have said here Pastor Markle. While what you say is true it is not exclusive to the Millennial generation. Christian's of all ages groups act this way, senior citizens to children.

Although I hate to admit it but depending on what source you consult I am often found belonging to the Millennial generation. I was born in 1984. My answer is my opinion so you can take it or leave it but this is what I believe...

This generation is one of the first generations to have access to almost unlimited information at the drop of a hat. Any question they have or any issue they want to research can be done so at anytime. With that being said when they ask a question a canned, surface level response often times will not suffice for them. When they press the issue and try to get a more thorough response they are accused of questioning authority. So they get shut down, mad, and offended. What often times began as sincere questioning turns into anger and frustration and a belief that their elders and church leadership don't know what they are talking about.

I believe easy believism has played a big role in this because many of our churches are full of these types of people that don't have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, they are followers of men. Followers of men can't answer spiritual questions. Those people don't study the Scriptures and don't know how to study the Scriptures and sadly many of our churches don't teach people how to study the Scriptures. Many sermons preached are a verse or a part of a verse taken out of context and then 3-5 ideas the preacher came up with to support their removed from context launching point. That is shallow amateurism at best and fraudulent and deceptive at worst. 

I have heard this type of thing defended and justified many times. When the goal of the door to door "soulwinner" is the same as a Kirby vaccum salesman we have a serious problem. They only thing they are after is getting someone to repeat the sinner's prayer. Then declare the person saved to the church. If it is then questioned why that person never comes to church and doesn't want follow up visits the normal response is "well they were just after fire insurance". There is no such thing as fire insurance. When a person is born again they receive the gift of eternal life by grace through faith, the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and a new heart, all of which results in a drastically changed life. When these things don't happen and repeated excuses are made to down play it people will take note and question it, then the cycle from above repeats.

To sum it all up I believe many Millennials want to see genuine people and be able to ask genuine questions and get genuine answers. I believe that often times we fail to be able to do that. It is easy to point the finger at Millennials and say they are the problem and all they are interested in is deifying themselves. It is much harder to look in the mirror and say I have failed to share the message of Christ in a genuine way and make myself available to those that need Christ and need to grow in His grace. The deification of man has been happening for thousands of years, it is not something new...