December 2015

Romans 3:24-26
6. They believe everyone has
the potential to become perfect
and enter their view of heaven.
For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. Romans
3:23 We must accept Jesus as
Savior. Romans 10:9
7. The Holy Spirit is not recognized
in these religions. The closest
reference is “the spark of the
divine,” but this is not referring to
the Holy Spirit, rather suggesting
that each person is a god. All
three Persons of the Trinity are
present at Jesus’ baptism. Matthew
3:13-17, John 1:33 Holy
Spirit’s indwelling. Acts 1:8, Acts
5:32, 1 Corinthians 6:19
8. They deny His resurrection.
Jesus rose from the dead. John
11:25, Luke 24:1-7, Mark 16:14-
20
Staying on Course as a Family
People readily accept and
follow these beliefs because it is
mainstream, it feels like a neutral
zone, even trendy. Yet they
run against your Christian faith.
Keeping your family’s faith on
course is possible and challenging
at the same time. Jesus said,
“Narrow is the path that leads to
life, wide is the road that leads to
destruction “(Matthew 7:13 NIV).
Here is how to safeguard your
family:
1. Be sure you as a parent have
cleared out any of these beliefs
and their practices that may
have seeped into your own life.
2. Know God’s word on key
Christian doctrines. Teach
them to your children. Use your
church’s doctrine statement as
a guide to learn them. Ask your
pastor if you need help with this.
3. Talk as a family when someone
encounters people with
these beliefs or are confronted
by them in a respectful manner
of the individuals involved.
4. Teach your children how to
politely stand firm in their faith
with classmates, teachers, and
coaches.
5. Pray together as a family to
war against the “principalities of
this dark world.”
6. Keep a prayer list of people
your family knows trapped in
these religions, praying for their
salvation and deliverance from
false teachings.
7. Help your children learn about
these religious beliefs in an age
appropriate manner. Find examples
when you are watching television,
shopping, or anywhere
you and your family go together.
Explain the differences between
what they see and hear with
what you believe as a family.
Safely Drawing People Out of
the Dangerous Waters
Just as lifeguards must protect
themselves from drowning when
rescuing a distressed swimmer,
we must safeguard ourselves so
we do not fall into the same sin as
those we attempt to reach (Galatians
6:1). You may find yourself
talking with parents at karate
lessons or soccer practice when
topics like yoga, meditation, or
essential oils are suddenly the
center of discussion. Maybe
you are shopping at your local
natural foods store and the store
clerk tells you about an exciting
meditation class, inviting you to
come. Laurette Willis says this,
“If you feel a check in your spirit
that something is wrong, it probably
is.” (Willis, 2014) This is your
cue to politely decline because
of your faith in Christ and you
would not want to dishonor God.
Judgment will come. One blogger,
Robin Schumacher in her
post “Why All Roads Lead to
God” of The Confident Christian,
said all roads lead to God
because we will all stand before
Him at judgment. Those who
know Christ will spend eternity in
the presence of God; whereas,
those who do not believe on
Christ for salvation will be condemned
to eternal separation
from God where there is
weeping and gnashing of teeth
(Schumacher, 2013) In Matthew
7:22-24, “Many will say to me
on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name and
in your name drive out demons
and in your name perform many
miracles?’ Then I will tell them
plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!’” (NIV)
No one is excluded from judgment.
How can we protect our families’
faith while reaching people
caught in this riptide?
Ajith Fernando, a national missionary
with YFC in Sri Lanka,
says in his book, Sharing the
Truth in Love, reaching New
Age believers is easier than
most people think. We have the
uniqueness of Jesus Christ with
His complete work on the cross
offering us as salvation, none of
which the Hindu gods offer. The
shallowness of holistic spirituality
does not bring a true oneness
with the personal God of the
Universe. The Apostle Paul sets
a great example for us when he
came across the tribute to the
Unknown God in the Aeropagus.
He found something in their
search for God to show them the
one true God. Our time and circumstances
are very similar.