The hypocritical influence
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Many years ago, a small Jewish boy asked his father, “Why must we surrender our Jewish faith and start to attend Lutheran services here in Germany?”
The boy’s father replied, “Son, we must abandon our faith so that people will accept us and support our business ventures!”
That young boy held on to his disappointment and bitterness for the rest of his life because his family abandoned their faith.
His faith in both his father and religion were crushed.
When this boy left Germany, he went to England to study where he formed unique philosophies for his own life.
From those theories, he wrote a book that changed the world:
The Communist Manifesto.
That boy was Karl Marx.
For 70 years, billions of people fell under the spell of his Marxist ideology.
The hypocritical influence of that little boy’s father produced tragic consequences!
If the young people of our world do not receive godly faith and training from older believers-
– then they will develop distorted perspectives as well.
As a believer, you and I have the responsibility of spiritually parenting others to follow Christ, serve Him faithfully, and do great things for His Kingdom.
Paul referred to Titus as “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4) and Timothy as “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2).
Though they were not flesh and blood, they bonded together as family and Paul raised them up to follow the Lord.
If you know a young person who needs a faith-filled believer in his or her life-
– then pray with and for them,
– and seek to teach them a love for Scripture,
– a commitment to Jesus Christ,
– and to fellowship and worship with the church.
Ask the Lord to bring a young person into your life who you can spiritually mentor and parent.