A mountain’s summit provides clarifying views.

Transcribed with OpenAI Whisper (base.en). Timestamps are approximate. Lightly cleaned for readability; quotations from on-air callers may include filler words. Use the audio player above for the authoritative recording.

1. 0:00Darkness is not an affirmative force.
2. 0:03It simply reoccupies the space vacated by the light.
3. 0:07This is the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.
4. 0:11It should be uncomfortable for a believer to live as a hypocrite.
5. 0:15Delivering people out of the bondage of mainstream media.
6. 0:18And the philosophies of this world.
7. 0:20God has called you and me to be His ambassador.
8. 0:24Even in this dark moment.
9. 0:26Let's not miss our moment.
10. 0:29And now the Hamilton Corner. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Hamilton Corner. My name is Abraham
11. 0:36Hamilton the third broadcasting yet again from beautiful Greenville South Carolina.
12. 0:43My main man Bobby Arrosa is not here in South Carolina. My man 100 grand but produce extraordinaire
13. 0:50often imitating never duplicated the real J. Mac is here. We are ready to rock and roll
14. 0:56with today's edition of the program, ending our time here in South Carolina for this week at the
15. 1:03BJU Press homeschool Foundations Summit. It's a lot of words, but you get a lot of clarity when you're
16. 1:14able to mount a mountain or traverse a mountain to its summit. You're able to get a lot of clarity
17. 1:22as a result of doing so. And this has been an amazing time here these last few days, getting
18. 1:29a bit more clarity really, what's happening in our country and around the world. We'll
19. 1:35probably talk more about that as we go forward in additional programs. But at this very moment,
20. 1:42many of you, if not most of you are making your transition from your part-time jobs where you
21. 1:46generate an income to your full-time jobs where you cultivate an outcome. And as you do so,
22. 1:51So I want to remind you to do so with intentionality understanding the primacy that God places on family guys
23. 2:00We will never we will never outpace the deficiencies that abounded our homes and when I'm talking about the deficiencies
24. 2:07I'm talking primarily about the refusal of Christian parents to take the leadership and discipling our own children
25. 2:14The deficiency of Christian grandparents taking the leadership to make disciples starting first in our own homes great grandparents
26. 2:22We've got to get out of this mindset what we think a ministry is confined to people who
27. 2:29have positions within the church.
28. 2:32Every believer is called to ministry.
29. 2:34Every single one of us is called to ministry.
30. 2:36The Lord's will is for every member of his bride to seek him diligently and fervently as
31. 2:42to how God would have us to engage in the execution of his commission.
32. 2:46I love hearing the stories of brothers and sisters who reached retirement years and they take
33. 2:52the time to go to the local malls to evangelize.
34. 2:55You know, I've been saying often that we as Christians shouldn't have neighbors that we don't
35. 3:00know, you know, if you're blessed with neighbors, let's go knock on their doors, man.
36. 3:10Like the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witness don't have a corner of the market on knocking
37. 3:14on people's doors.
38. 3:16You know, it actually is an indictment that usually that's who that is associated with.
39. 3:23You know, I'm mentioning that I'm out.
40. 3:25I guess I was gonna mention this later, right? I mentioned it now
41. 3:28Later next month March 27 through 29th
42. 3:31I'll be ministering at the Kingdom come conference at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and Fort Lauderdale, Florida
43. 3:40which is the church that was founded by the late de James Kennedy and
44. 3:44Among the speakers there. I mentioned Oz Guinness will be there Eric Metaxis will be there bill Federer will be there
45. 3:50there. David Bonson will be there, but one of the other people who will be there is Rosaria
46. 3:56Butterfield, you know. And I'm looking forward to hear her. I've heard portions of her testimony.
47. 4:02Some of you are familiar with her testimony, but she was the poster child for Regressive
48. 4:09ism as it applies to sexuality. She was that liberal, lesbian, intellectual, you know,
49. 4:17committed lesbian relationship and she was asked, well, how did the Lord break in upon
50. 4:23you? And she said several hundred meals with a Christian neighbor, that she had a neighbor
51. 4:30who refused to let her die in her sin in the gift of hospitality is what drew her. She said that her
52. 4:39neighbor, a husband and wife, more chronologically seasoned than herself and her lesbian,
53. 4:49and so-called partner at the time, and loved them,
54. 4:55that she got to first witness with Christian love look like,
55. 4:59and the husband's interactions with his wife.
56. 5:03And then within the environment that had become comfortable
57. 5:07for her, Rosario Butterfield,
58. 5:10that the husband led in preaching the gospel to her.
59. 5:14So she got to see what the impact of the gospel is
60. 5:17in their lifestyle, what the impact of the gospel was
61. 5:19in their lifestyles first,
62. 5:20and then she heard the gospel proclaimed,
63. 5:22and God drew her ever so slowly through that hospitality,
64. 5:26that neighborly hospitality.
65. 5:29And now you know the rest of the story,
66. 5:30Rosaria Butterfield is one of the foremost profound speakers
67. 5:35who condemn all of the regressive sexual identitarian
68. 5:41offerings in our society.
69. 5:43She argues passionately about the fact that there's no such
70. 5:46thing really as a homosexual person.
71. 5:49There's no such thing really as a transgender person
72. 5:52because every person is either male or female, you know,
73. 5:57but that started for her with her neighbor
74. 6:03in welcoming, inviting her to her into their home.
75. 6:07Her neighbors inviting her into their home.
76. 6:13Guys, the time has far spent, man.
77. 6:16What are we really living for?
78. 6:18What are we really living for?
79. 6:21And we will welcome the Lord to capture us,
80. 6:23to get ahold of us in our homes.
81. 6:24There's no question that's what can happen in our societies.
82. 6:27The gospel will go forth in power and do in our day and our time what it has done
83. 6:32throughout all of human history.
84. 6:37God is still in the business of saving men and women.
85. 6:43We must be about our Father's business. To the word of God we go Luke chapter 6 is where we're going to begin this program.
86. 6:49And I want to set this up Luke chapter 6. I'm just going to zoom in on verse 40 to get right to it.
87. 6:55As we read this scripture,
88. 6:57I want you to welcome the Lord
89. 7:00to age you in assessing within your own minds and hearts.
90. 7:03If this is true, how should I respond to it?
91. 7:10What am I about to read if this is true?
92. 7:11Now I'll tell you it is true
93. 7:14because Dr. Luke is quoting Jesus.
94. 7:16So this is Jesus saying these words, all right?
95. 7:20If this is true, how should this impact me?
96. 7:23How should I respond to it?
97. 7:25And this is what the Lord says.
98. 7:27And Dr. Luke recorded it for our benefit.
99. 7:30A pupil, this is Luke chapter six verse 40.
100. 7:33A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone.
101. 7:41But everyone after he has been fully trained
102. 7:48will be like his teacher.
103. 7:50I wanna read it again.
104. 7:52A pupil is not above his teacher,
105. 7:55but everyone after he has been fully trained
106. 7:58will be like his teacher.
107. 8:02That's what Jesus said, guys.
108. 8:06Now, if this is true, and I'll just tell you it is true, Jesus said it is true.
109. 8:11This is the word of the incarnate word.
110. 8:14You know what I'm saying?
111. 8:16If this is true, how should this impact you and me?
112. 8:22Let me give a couple of examples.
113. 8:26If it's true that a pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone
114. 8:31after he's been fully trained will be like his teacher.
115. 8:34Do you think it's important to understand the quality of the person who teaches
116. 8:42you and me if this is true. If every student in the scripture,
117. 8:46Jesus said it, everyone, when they're the students of a teacher,
118. 8:51when that student is fully trained, everyone will be like the teacher who trained
119. 8:55them. Do you think it's important we attend to pay attention to who it is that
120. 8:59teaches us? I ask the next question. If this is true and it is true,
121. 9:07do you think it is important to understand who it is,
122. 9:12to know intimately well who it is we allow to teach our children because the student when fully trained
123. 9:23and not just some students all students when fully trained will be like their teacher.
124. 9:33Do you think it's important for us to know who's teaching our children?
125. 9:37When you say teaching, what do you mean? I want to be clear about something and I've said this before
126. 9:40when the Bible talks about false doctrine don't allow your mind to immediately go to someone
127. 9:45behind a lectern or behind a pulpit. Our world is full of false offerings of doctrine.
128. 9:51Disney offers false doctrine. PBS offers false doctrine. Peanut and Junebug offer false doctrine.
129. 10:00Advertisers offers false doctrine. False teachers offer false doctrine. Politicians offer false
130. 10:07doctrine. I'm not saying categorically, but I'm saying these are all sources of false doctrine.
131. 10:13We have a duty brothers and sisters, a biblical mandate to know who it is that is teaching us.
132. 10:23We have a duty brothers and sisters to know who it is that's teaching our children.
133. 10:32My heart breaks for the number of times I have heard
134. 10:38Christian parents say things like this. I
135. 10:41Did not raise them like that. I don't know where they got that from.
136. 10:51have y'all heard expressions like that to which the very simple answer is they
137. 10:59got that from whoever's been teaching them the late dr. Vody Bockum we should say
138. 11:09used to say all the time that we have for generations sent our children to
139. 11:15Caesar I'll say it my way for discipleship and then he says and then we are
140. 11:24surprised when they come home as Romans guys that's a cognitive dissonance that
141. 11:34that should not be in the life of a believer who was indwell by the Spirit of God.
142. 11:42But I'm gravely concerned that the reason why a phenomenon like that transpires is because we've been sending people to teachers,
143. 11:49and we have not attended to the quality of teacher they were.
144. 11:53Now when I say quality of teacher, I'm not talking about whether or not they do a good job with the physical sciences.
145. 11:58I am talking about what are the worldview notions and presumptions and assumptions
146. 12:07that permeate the instruction, that permeate the offerings.
147. 12:12What are the worldview presumptions and assumptions
148. 12:17that cause the elimination of certain offerings?
149. 12:20I've said and I use this example because it's a
150. 12:23popularly provocative example, but can you imagine
151. 12:29how radically impactful it would be for every child
152. 12:34who learns about Newton's or Isaac Newton's laws of motion
153. 12:37to know that Sir Isaac Newton was a theologian?
154. 12:39Can you imagine how impactful that would be for Christian children to know that the Christ that we follow
155. 12:45illuminates our hearts and minds so much so that a man who's made such enduring contributions to our society to the world as
156. 12:53Newton's laws of motion that he did so because of his diligent study of God's word
157. 12:58Can you imagine how impactful that would be?
158. 13:01I'm I'm gravely concerned that we that we're playing paddy cake
159. 13:10with serpents
160. 13:12But we're not identifying them as serpents. So we patty cake patty cake baked cuz man oh
161. 13:20Got your mommy in the shoe through in the can. I don't know how those things go
162. 13:23But y'all know what I'm saying and we playing games and the enemy is capturing souls
163. 13:30We're playing games. It's kind of like you know when you have a
164. 13:35An official that's been bought off that's been bribed a judge knows the verdict should be
165. 13:43guilty but the judge says not guilty why could they've been bribed. I feel like in
166. 13:48some ways man our society we've accepted the material bribe of our society that
167. 13:55has made us comfortable in outsourcing the hearts and minds of the generations of
168. 14:00Americans to make us feel okay with not being aware of who is actually doing
169. 14:05the instruction and then when the full instruction is realized we're surprised
170. 14:13I didn't raise and to be like that.
171. 14:19But somebody else did.
172. 14:22Where I came from people would say things like this.
173. 14:24You know the streets raised me.
174. 14:27Every student when fully trained will be like his teacher.
175. 14:33I think it's important we know what kind type and quality of teacher
176. 14:37we yield ourselves to and that we yield our children
177. 14:42if God could get a hold of us in our homes man.
178. 14:47That's what could happen in our society.
179. 14:50is a scientist.
180. 15:00Heavenbound Ministries presents a live 2026, March 9th through the 11th in Houston, Mississippi.
181. 15:06Laugh with comedian JD Long. Enjoy great gospel singing with the hoppers.
182. 15:13Gold City, and more. Enrich your walk with God with speakers like Dr. Fred Luder and Pastor
183. 15:20Alan Simpson to name a few. Two meals are included and lodging is available. Go to
184. 15:24to senioradultretreats.com for more information on a live 2026.
185. 15:35Shining, live into the darkness.
186. 15:37This is the Hamilton Corner, an American family radio.
187. 15:41Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner,
188. 15:42Abraham Hamilton III here.
189. 15:45I am joined by my lovely bride, Mrs. Maria Hamilton.
190. 15:49She has been with me this whole week
191. 15:52at the BJU Press Home School Foundations Summit.
192. 15:57and I've been just reflecting on what a summit is
193. 16:01and if you ever have the opportunity
194. 16:04to traverse a mountaintop, when you get to a summit,
195. 16:07you get a bit more clarity concerning perspective,
196. 16:09a bit more range in terms of what you're able to view
197. 16:14and to see.
198. 16:14And so I wanted to have you on the show
199. 16:17because you've been with me in the various sessions
200. 16:19and seeing the really the tremendous production
201. 16:24production that they have here at BJU, which I was unaware of all the various
202. 16:29details that are involved and the different branches of the ministry, the
203. 16:35publishing house, the mechanism, it really is a top-rate press operation that they
204. 16:43have here. Two million people they serve worldwide, but I wanted to invite you to
205. 16:48reflect on some of the things you've seen and you've witnessed and obviously
206. 16:53you know, we've been on our own journey, but just learning from being here.
207. 16:58What are some of the things that have stood out to you?
208. 17:01For philosophically, principally, typically, whatever you want to take it as
209. 17:06a result of being here just last few days.
210. 17:07Yeah.
211. 17:07So one of the things that's very exciting and I'm very, very appreciative of them
212. 17:13for doing is that they are intentional about making sure that every subject that
213. 17:19of the materials that they produce, every subject is filtered through the lens of scripture.
214. 17:24So it is not that they teach, because some curriculum we need to admit, right? Teach science, history,
215. 17:31grammar, greeting, whatever, just kind of secularly really, and then the out of Bible, of course.
216. 17:38But B.J.U. is very intentional at making sure that the biblical worldview is foundationally,
217. 17:46and it foundational to the lessons, to the chapters and the books and the subjects, but
218. 17:52it's very, it's very kid friendly and it is very engaging and the purpose of it is to
219. 18:00be able to form that worldview in the child.
220. 18:03So I think that's incredibly important when we're talking about curriculum, right?
221. 18:06Because we can do it many different ways and there are so many different curriculum out
222. 18:09there, but the ones for believers, we should want those that are filtered through the lens
223. 18:15Now, I want to take you back a few steps because you'll remember a little while ago, about
224. 18:2315 years ago, when I broached the topic with you about homeschooling, and I asked you,
225. 18:31babe, what do you think about homeschooling?
226. 18:33And what was your response?
227. 18:34I don't think about homeschooling.
228. 18:36Yes.
229. 18:37Did you think I was crazy or something?
230. 18:40Do you know, because of course, I knew your experience with homeschooling, and I knew you
231. 18:44had a minimal experience with homeschoolers, I had zero, I had never met a homeschooler
232. 18:48in my entire life, I had barely heard about it. And when I heard about it, it was just
233. 18:52weird. Like who does that, you know? And so and that you have to add to that my trajectory
234. 19:00through public schools, private and public schools, I was never an academic. I was never
235. 19:05the student that had the straight A's. So I didn't think I could teach anybody anything,
236. 19:09you know? And of course, I bought into the lie that the world says that you have to have
237. 19:12of an education degree to be able to teach.
238. 19:14And so, no, I never thought about it.
239. 19:17I didn't think you were crazy, but I was like,
240. 19:18sir, that was not part of our contact
241. 19:20when we signed it and when we got married.
242. 19:22So I don't know what you're thinking.
243. 19:24You didn't read the fine prep because the contract said
244. 19:27that we were gonna live for the Lord of the King.
245. 19:29So you didn't see the fine print as a reply to the truth.
246. 19:32I did sign up for that.
247. 19:33You did sign up for it.
248. 19:35And we had the by guys grace away, the Lord led us
249. 19:36with the conversation before we ever had children.
250. 19:39And I know you come across people, moms in particular,
251. 19:45all over our country who were really the way you were
252. 19:48before, I mean, I think it would be fair to describe you
253. 19:50as being completely unfamiliar with the concept,
254. 19:56interpreting the question through your own experiences,
255. 19:58and feeling inadequate to the task.
256. 20:02What would you say to a family who may be listening
257. 20:05to us right now, watching us right now,
258. 20:07who would say, that's me, that's me.
259. 20:09Like I heard Abe say this stuff all the time, but man, I can't do it.
260. 20:11There's no way I could do that.
261. 20:13What would you say?
262. 20:13And we all have different reasons why we feel like at first we can't do it, but ultimately,
263. 20:19um, we are called to obey Christ in all things, right?
264. 20:22So when the Lord reveals anything to us, whether it's homeschooling or anything
265. 20:26else in our, in our walks with God, our duty is to submit to God who knows all
266. 20:30things and who loves us perfectly.
267. 20:32And so that's what I did.
268. 20:33And that's what I encourage all moms to do is to pray about it.
269. 20:36If God is presenting this to you through whoever it is,
270. 20:40and you feel afraid, intimidated, it's not for you,
271. 20:43I can't do it, I don't even see how we can do it
272. 20:45with the one income, all the reasons that we have,
273. 20:47which are many, and are legitimate,
274. 20:49because we're living this life, and so I understand,
275. 20:54we have to pray and ask God, Lord,
276. 20:55is this what you're calling me to do?
277. 20:57Or are you telling me this is what I'm supposed to do?
278. 20:59And biblically, we can support that God calls us
279. 21:03to disciple our children.
280. 21:05the Lord is clear about that in his word.
281. 21:07So that would be the main thing is Lord,
282. 21:09if you're calling me to do this,
283. 21:11equip me to do it.
284. 21:12And we know that he will equip us when he calls us to something.
285. 21:15So that's what we did, you know?
286. 21:16I was like, Lord, if this is what you want us to do,
287. 21:19show me how, train me to do it.
288. 21:21Like lead me to the resources, the people,
289. 21:23the wisdom, the insight, the intellect, the patience,
290. 21:25everything I need so that I can disciple these children
291. 21:29for your glory so they can know you.
292. 21:31You know, I often say in response to the question the very question I post to you people tell me able there's no way I could do that
293. 21:39I often offer a little bit of pushback
294. 21:42because
295. 21:43For someone to tell me that I can't do that my initial pushback is simply
296. 21:48Are you sure you can't have you examined whether or not you really can and sometimes this is just a reality?
297. 21:55When people have said I can't do that what they really mean is I won't do that because
298. 22:01because this is our lifestyle, this is where we're comfortable, we need these, you know,
299. 22:08if you have a dual income family, we have a father and a mother and they have to have
300. 22:12this type of money and sometimes I'll drill down a little deeper and say, are you sure?
301. 22:17You know, do you and your, do you have a budget? Have your family ever put together a budget?
302. 22:20And sometimes people haven't put together budgets. Sometimes you may have single parents,
303. 22:27you know, and I know we know single parents who are doing it.
304. 22:31So when you hear the various iterations, and I don't want to diminish anybody,
305. 22:36because there are real circumstances where the circumstances are such that,
306. 22:41that it's not possible, but I have found in my experience that that's a minority
307. 22:46of the circumstances.
308. 22:47Is that something you've experienced?
309. 22:49Yeah.
310. 22:50So one of the things that I always think of, man, and I'm blessed to have you
311. 22:55in this journey in discipling our children,
312. 22:58but they're moms who are single moms, you know?
313. 23:01But I know single moms who are homeschooling.
314. 23:03I know single moms who have full-time work
315. 23:06providing for their homes, sustaining their households
316. 23:08and homeschooling their kids.
317. 23:09So is it possible, we know it's possible.
318. 23:11I think the conversation though,
319. 23:14needs to be, do we understand the magnitude
320. 23:20of what education is and does to our children?
321. 23:24say does to our children because when we think of academia, yeah, when we think about academia or the
322. 23:30the process of learning, all the disciplines that we have access to learning these days,
323. 23:37we have to come to the realization that that is a formation process. Like the knowledge that we
324. 23:44receive academically impacts and forms the child. The experiences that they are placed under form the
325. 23:52child. The authorities that they're placed under, they form the child. When I say form, I'm talking
326. 23:58about the building the human from a child all the way to teenage years in adulthood, it
327. 24:07is a formation process. All of the stimuli that we surround ourselves in our formative
328. 24:12years make who we become and contribute to who we become. And so when we as parents,
329. 24:18parents. Most parents want the best for their children. No parent is out there. Very few
330. 24:24parents are out there really doing evil. It exists. Well, it exists, but they're few. They're
331. 24:30the minority. The majority of parents want what is best for their children. So then the
332. 24:35question then is if we all want what is best for our children, what is actually best for
333. 24:40our children? Right? And as believers, we don't have to guess. We don't have to try
334. 24:46try to figure it out. We don't have to go to the world to see what is best for our children.
335. 24:51We have the manual for life, the word of God, the supernaturally written word of God right
336. 24:57in front of us. And it's a guide for us. And I know we're going to go there later, but just
337. 25:02to say it right now briefly, it is the same manual that we need to be Christians. It's
338. 25:07the same manual that our kids need to be believers. And then what is the chief and of mankind?
339. 25:12Is it to be happy?
340. 25:13Is it to have the money?
341. 25:14Is it to have the luxury?
342. 25:15The chief end of mankind is to know God and glorify him forever.
343. 25:19Amen. And so it just goes down to,
344. 25:21is that, do we agree with that?
345. 25:22Do we believe it?
346. 25:23Yeah. Do we want that?
347. 25:24Man, I started out the show today in Luke chapter six verse 40.
348. 25:28And this is a scripture that resonates in my heart repeatedly.
349. 25:35I meditate on it, going to bed when I awake in the morning.
350. 25:38I think about the scores of people who invite me
351. 25:42to their homes through this program, you know.
352. 25:45And the text reads,
353. 25:47a pupil is not above his teacher,
354. 25:49but everyone after he has been fully trained
355. 25:53will be like his teacher.
356. 25:54When you consider that text and reflect on it,
357. 25:57what are some of the things that immediately resonate
358. 25:59within you when you see and recognize,
359. 26:01this is what Jesus said.
360. 26:02This is not some educator at some international conference
361. 26:06given the speech.
362. 26:06This is what Jesus said about the formation process
363. 26:09you just described.
364. 26:10Yeah, you know, when we have the proper perspective and the proper foundation, the original understanding has to be who was God.
365. 26:16So when we answer the question, who is God based on who he revealed himself to be, then the next thought then has to be.
366. 26:24Since he carries all truth, since he is who he says that he is in his word, since everything that is true comes from him,
367. 26:30then therefore he by creation rights has the authority to determine who man is.
368. 26:35Man is formed.
369. 26:37Man grows from a baby into adulthood.
370. 26:40and all the, like I said earlier, all the stimuli,
371. 26:42all everything, their environment,
372. 26:44the authority figures, their learning process,
373. 26:46everything is going to form the human, right?
374. 26:50Well, Jesus, knowing that because he made humans,
375. 26:52he says, hey, that student is gonna become a great student
376. 26:57after the authority figure, after the master,
377. 27:00after the teacher, after that child is learned,
378. 27:03the child is capable of learning well
379. 27:05because he is made an image and likeness of God.
380. 27:08So he's able to learn well, what is he gonna learn well?
381. 27:09what the teacher is pouring into that child.
382. 27:12So then who is going, like you said earlier
383. 27:14in the first segment, who is going to teach our children?
384. 27:17But here's the thing that we also need to think about.
385. 27:21There are situations where the parents really feel
386. 27:26like there are better teachers,
387. 27:28because if they want-
388. 27:29Better than whom?
389. 27:30Than themselves, thank you for the clarity.
390. 27:32Than themselves.
391. 27:33So, and I remember that feeling, feeling like,
392. 27:36if I want, let me use this example.
393. 27:38I remember when I met you
394. 27:39and I always make fun of you for this.
395. 27:40But when I met you, I was like.
396. 27:42She always makes fun of me for this.
397. 27:44Always, always sometimes.
398. 27:45Like I said, always sometimes.
399. 27:47Yeah, Jeff's going like this one.
400. 27:49Listen, so this man was a walking Bible, like super holy,
401. 27:54right? Like floating on clouds, noting all script,
402. 27:56knowing all scriptures back when it forwards and all that.
403. 27:58And I was like, sir, sir, I'm just now just starting to read
404. 28:02the Bible for myself.
405. 28:03Like I love Jesus, but I don't know the word like you do.
406. 28:05And I remember when you talked about homeschooling or when
407. 28:08And you said, man, I want a wife that can run hard after me
408. 28:10and the things of God.
409. 28:11I was like, run after me.
410. 28:12I run after me.
411. 28:13No, run with me.
412. 28:14Excuse me.
413. 28:15Sorry.
414. 28:16Thank you.
415. 28:17See, you're so good to clarify.
416. 28:18Run with me after the things of God.
417. 28:19I was like, ooh, intimidation, intimidation because I'm like, I'm like brand new to this.
418. 28:23I had the hunger, but I didn't have the knowledge of the wisdom yet.
419. 28:27Anyway, so long story short, that feeling of inadequacy or feeling like there may be,
420. 28:33if I want my child to know, let's just say that there's a family out there that wants their
421. 28:36children to know Christ.
422. 28:37They really do.
423. 28:38the leavers are in church, they really feel like
424. 28:40they don't have what it takes to impart into their child
425. 28:44a biblical worldview.
426. 28:45They don't have the ability to rightly divide
427. 28:48the word of truth, right?
428. 28:50That is scripture.
429. 28:51And so they feel like, man, maybe if I put them
430. 28:53into Christian school, it'd be better.
431. 28:54I understand that.
432. 28:55And I understand that God is so good and so sovereign
433. 28:59that if you get on your knees as a parent,
434. 29:02I'm speaking of parents now, and you pray,
435. 29:04and you ask the Lord to show you which way to go.
436. 29:08And if he reveals to you to homeschool,
437. 29:11he will make you a theologian,
438. 29:13because he did it with me.
439. 29:15And I'm not talking about,
440. 29:16I'm not saying that I'm a theologian,
441. 29:17I'm just saying that I can rightly divide the word of truth
442. 29:20because the Holy Spirit is alive
443. 29:22and he teaches us when we read this word
444. 29:24and he trains us and he transforms us.
445. 29:26And we have to embrace the reality that God wants us
446. 29:31to be like him.
447. 29:33So if we are being formed as disciples
448. 29:37when we are growing, becoming disciples,
449. 29:40then we can make disciples of our children.
450. 29:42We can, we have the ability to do that
451. 29:43because we have the Holy Spirit in us.
452. 29:44And so to the parent that is concerned,
453. 29:47that is feels inadequate, I understand that.
454. 29:50And I understand that you feel like,
455. 29:51man, somebody else can do it better than me.
456. 29:53And that can be true to one extent
457. 29:55in the sense that there can be other people
458. 29:57that are able to like teach them the word, right?
459. 29:59Like we all come together to pour into children.
460. 30:01And I understand that, but do not remove yourself
461. 30:05the game because what you're doing is you are saying that God is not able to give you the
462. 30:11anointing that he put in you because he birthed these children through you.
463. 30:16And so you are in other words saying God you gave me these children but I'm not good enough
464. 30:21for them.
465. 30:22And so then you make a mistake because you made a mistake because others are better to
466. 30:26pour into them than me.
467. 30:27You made a mistake by putting them in my care and making me responsible for them primarily.
468. 30:34right. And so what is the primary job of the parent and it's all through scriptures, guys,
469. 30:39the Lord says, remember me, tell the next generation who I am, tell them about me. So
470. 30:44what we are responsible for doing is to dig into this word, become disciples of Christ, and
471. 30:49then pour everything we're learning into our children. And if we're learning it alongside
472. 30:54them and glory to God, run, run hard after things like God, and you can pour into them.
473. 30:59So I understand the hesitation, but there is a God who is more powerful than our insecurities
474. 31:05and more powerful than what we don't know about the Word of God.
475. 31:08I am telling you, one of my fears, I'm sorry I'm talking too long, but real quick, one of
476. 31:11my fears was Lord, what if my kids asked me questions about the Bible that I can't answer?
477. 31:15And you know what I started doing?
478. 31:16I started asking the questions that I thought maybe they would ask.
479. 31:19I started asking the questions that I had about the Word of God.
480. 31:22Lord, what about suffering?
481. 31:23You know, there's so much suffering in the world.
482. 31:24Where are you?
483. 31:25Why is this continuing?
484. 31:26You down on the cross?
485. 31:27You said it's over.
486. 31:28But why is it still happening?
487. 31:30Lord, what about the dinosaurs?
488. 31:31Did they really fit in the ark?
489. 31:32Are they real?
490. 31:33What do you mean?
491. 31:34How does this work with Genesis 1?
492. 31:35All these questions that I had, I started answering, got answered.
493. 31:39Yeah, oh man, the music is disrespectful.
494. 31:43But I want to pick up right there because the word theologian is a big word and it can
495. 31:48be intimidating to some people.
496. 31:50But God calls every believer to be theologians.
497. 31:53Every one of us are supposed to be theologians.
498. 31:55Every believer is supposed to be able to rightly divide the word of truth.
499. 31:57It's a big word, but you break it down.
500. 31:59It's a compound word.
501. 32:00Theo means God.
502. 32:01Logan is from the word logic.
503. 32:03We have to we every believer is called to have logic about God, knowledge about God.
504. 32:09We all should be able to read the Bible as theologians.
505. 32:13And one of the things that's one of the things you pointed out is that feeling the
506. 32:17pressure of being responsible for the children aided you in becoming a discipline
507. 32:24learner of the Lord's way in his word.
508. 32:26Okay, this is crazy and I can't believe it even has to be said, but only U.S. citizens
509. 32:35should vote in U.S. elections.
510. 32:37It's common sense, but Republican Senator John Foon and some of his fellow senators aren't
511. 32:42sure if they want to vote to pass H.R. 22, also known as the SAVE Act.
512. 32:47It requires proof of U.S. citizenship and a valid voter ID to register and vote in federal
513. 32:53elections.
514. 32:54Join us in calling on our senators to support and pass the SAVE Act.
515. 32:57at AFA.net today.
516. 33:33Downtown these last few days has been pretty enjoyable as we're being challenged and learning different things
517. 33:41Before we went to the break you were saying something babe, and it was just so profound
518. 33:45I often have talked about on this show how about the reality that
519. 33:50God has internal mechanisms to grow us as he desires us to grow one of the things that happens
520. 33:57I don't know you experienced this from the mother standpoint
521. 34:00I remember when we had our first child and we'd been married.
522. 34:04He was born and we'd been married about two years.
523. 34:09But you entered this mode of cleaning at the time we were living in our small apartment
524. 34:13in Houston and it was a mode that you hadn't been in before.
525. 34:18And it was one of the ways I knew I was saying, the baby's coming soon.
526. 34:24It was like just something that just happened.
527. 34:26One day you just started being super detailed.
528. 34:29You just cleaning everything.
529. 34:31And sure enough, Christian was born soon after that.
530. 34:36And from the father standpoint, I've explained that becoming a husband and a father is one
531. 34:42of the things that God has designed to catapult males into manhood to where that catapotion
532. 34:51forces us who desire to be godly, be responsible husbands and fathers, that we become primarily
533. 34:58selfless to where the first thought in any circumstances, how does this affect my wife?
534. 35:04How does this affect my child? How does this affect my wife? How does this affect my child?
535. 35:08How will this impact my family? It's very similar to how we know now it would be the nesting phenomenon
536. 35:15thing phenomenon in moms that are pregnant and preparing for their babies to be born,
537. 35:20that it is a it is a propulsion.
538. 35:22It's like jet fuel for us men to become selfless that prior to, you know, we're not married.
539. 35:29We just really thinking about ourselves.
540. 35:31But when we take upon the responsibility of being husbands and fathers and especially in
541. 35:35endeavoring to do so in the God honoring manner that it catapults us into this quality of manhood
542. 35:41that I believe is a part of that when I was a child, I thought I was a child, but now
543. 35:44I put childless ways behind me that as men we don't have the authority to be self-absorbed
544. 35:49and self-centered, I mean without authority, we don't have the luxury to be self-absorbed
545. 35:53and self-centered if we're going to be godly men.
546. 35:55And it's a similar phenomenon in which you just described.
547. 35:58I believe there's a similar thing that God does when we as Christian parents take on the
548. 36:03responsibility of discipling our children where we recognize we are accountable to God for
549. 36:09what we do with these image bearers.
550. 36:12And we also want to do it well.
551. 36:14Like we don't want to fall down on the job, so to speak.
552. 36:18So in the example that you share from our lives
553. 36:20and your own experience,
554. 36:22that stepping up to the plate if you were to say,
555. 36:24you know what, God has entrusted me to them.
556. 36:28I need to be a more diligent student of his words
557. 36:31so that I can be a more effective and diligent conveyor
558. 36:34of the truth of his word to my children.
559. 36:38Do you see, it's kind of a leading question,
560. 36:41but I'm asking it anyway,
561. 36:42do you see the refusal of parents sometimes
562. 36:46to take that responsibility,
563. 36:49to be a contributing factor to a delayed
564. 36:53or diminished sanctification journey
565. 36:55on the part of the parents?
566. 36:57Yeah, so one of the things that I think of
567. 36:59is that reality,
568. 37:01that if Christ is not our treasure,
569. 37:06Like if Christ is not the lover of our souls,
570. 37:10and we have not like truly fallen in love with him
571. 37:15for the lack of better word, I hate using that term
572. 37:16because so worldly, but we love him.
573. 37:19Well, it's just falling in love, it seems,
574. 37:22it communicates this like, I don't know,
575. 37:24we're meant to come and eat this.
576. 37:25Deepening in our resolve and love.
577. 37:26Yes, like deepening our love for him
578. 37:28is what I really wanna convey, right.
579. 37:29And so if we haven't done that yet,
580. 37:32like if our walk with the Lord,
581. 37:35because it's a journey and everybody's on a journey,
582. 37:36I understand that.
583. 37:38I remember once upon a time I knew about God
584. 37:39and then I loved him.
585. 37:40You know what I mean?
586. 37:41Like I understand the process that God brought me through.
587. 37:43So I understand we're all on our journey.
588. 37:45But if we're not there yet,
589. 37:47then we can think little of our responsibility
590. 37:51to our children and think little of their salvation, right?
591. 37:55Because when I realized,
592. 37:57and again, I understand that this is my walk,
593. 37:59but I realized that the Lord entrusted those children to me
594. 38:04that I have to respond to him or answer to him for them,
595. 38:08but also the reality that I want above all things
596. 38:14for them to love him and to glorify him
597. 38:17and to know him deeply and intimately
598. 38:20and to believe what the Bible says because I know it's true
599. 38:24and he has revealed himself to humanity.
600. 38:26I want them to know him and love him glorify him forever.
601. 38:29That's what I want most.
602. 38:30I'm not saying that because I'm super holy.
603. 38:32I'm saying that because God has shown me
604. 38:34that he is the greatest treasure.
605. 38:35And he has transformed my heart and my life.
606. 38:37So I understand we're on a different journey
607. 38:39and not a different journey, the same journey,
608. 38:41but at different points of the journey.
609. 38:42So if we analyze ourselves truthfully and honestly,
610. 38:46and we prefer for our children to have a good academic journey
611. 38:51to arrive at a good career so they can have
612. 38:54a good financial stable life, and that is our chief end,
613. 38:58I understand that.
614. 39:00But if we are Christians, there should be something
615. 39:03that it supersedes that.
616. 39:04And that is that we want our children to love Christ,
617. 39:08to have Jesus on the throne of their hearts,
618. 39:11to passionately pursue Him and desire to obey Him.
619. 39:14And if we are able, if we have that within ourselves,
620. 39:19and then we're able to convey that to our children,
621. 39:20and we're able to disciple them by the Spirit of God,
622. 39:23because none of this is in our own strength,
623. 39:24by the Spirit of God, then they will be able to succeed
624. 39:28in what God has called them to,
625. 39:30and they will be warriors for the kingdom of God,
626. 39:32impact the darkness and advancing the kingdom.
627. 39:36That's what I want most, that's what you want most, I know.
628. 39:39But I understand people are in different journeys
629. 39:40in the different portions of the journey.
630. 39:42Here's the bottom line.
631. 39:44The second component that I think of is that we as believers
632. 39:48must always want to be purified.
633. 39:50We want to be transformed, we want to be more like Christ.
634. 39:53So the more that we are aware that we like patience,
635. 39:57the more we should desire to be patient.
636. 39:58The more that we are aware that we desire,
637. 40:00that we lack self-control, the more that we should want
638. 40:03to grow and self-control, the foot of the Spirit,
639. 40:04we should want to submit the Spirit of God.
640. 40:06Our children and raising them daily
641. 40:10is going to show those areas where we are lacking.
642. 40:14And so that exercise, that anointing that God gives you,
643. 40:19because I will say this and please listen carefully,
644. 40:21the Lord has given us as parents
645. 40:23an anointing over our own children,
646. 40:25that a stranger does not have, they have knowledge,
647. 40:28they may even have wisdom,
648. 40:29and they may have a relationship with the Lord,
649. 40:30but they don't have an anointing supernaturally
650. 40:32from God for your children.
651. 40:34And so we do, you have that for your children,
652. 40:37we have that for our children.
653. 40:38And with that comes a sharpening, a refinement, a growing,
654. 40:44not only do they grow in Christ-likeness,
655. 40:46but we grow in Christ-likeness.
656. 40:48And so, and I know you've talked about this in other shows.
657. 40:50So at the end of the day, bottom line is that
658. 40:52when we refuse to follow God,
659. 40:55if the Lord is calling in this way,
660. 40:56We are leaving on the table, those aspects of refinement.
661. 41:02What you just described, it's the parental equivalent
662. 41:05to what we've discussed about the covenantal context
663. 41:09of the biblical mandate of headship within a family
664. 41:12and submission.
665. 41:14The scripture says that wives are to submit themselves
666. 41:17to their own husbands.
667. 41:19It's not a generalized call to obeisance to maleness.
668. 41:24It is a covenantal context that God has called to very similarly that God provides a particular
669. 41:32grace and anointing to parents for our own children.
670. 41:37I would add into that a particular discernment quality that those who are not the parents
671. 41:42of the children do not have.
672. 41:45And I asked the question that I asked you earlier simply because I know it's true.
673. 41:52We've been talking about, you know, I don't even like to say homeschool because really it's
674. 41:54Cultivation of the mind and the development of academic matriculation and academic discipline.
675. 42:01It's just a portion of our investment in discipling our children in this context because it's like
676. 42:08you said forming a whole person for the glory of God.
677. 42:15But when you consider taking the responsibility to lead in discipling our own children, sorry,
678. 42:27We take the lead in discipling our own children.
679. 42:32It is not, and I want to say this as loudly as I can for the rooftops, it is not something
680. 42:38that is exclusively beneficial for our children.
681. 42:41Right.
682. 42:42It's something that is beneficial to us that within the confines, and it's not identical
683. 42:48because there's no relationship, familiar relationship, like the marital relationship,
684. 42:52husband and wife.
685. 42:53But the second closest relationship is the parent-child relationship.
686. 42:56as and many of you listening and watching, you understand that marriage is a mirror that
687. 43:01within the intimate confines of that husband and wife relationship, God reveals areas of
688. 43:08our walk that require ironing.
689. 43:10He reveals wrinkles that require ironing.
690. 43:14Guess what?
691. 43:15The same thing happens in our relationship with our own children.
692. 43:18Yeah.
693. 43:19When we take the leadership in discipling them that God uses that relationship to reveal
694. 43:25ours, how many times have we in our own lives, we're experiencing
695. 43:30in the area, we call it a discipleship issue with our
696. 43:32children, and we retreat to the inner sanctuaries of our bedroom
697. 43:38and say, babe, God just showed me myself through that.
698. 43:43Yep. This issue that we're dealing with that requires
699. 43:45discipline, how God's correction, man, I almost laughed, because
700. 43:49as I'm listening to this child, God is showing me that's you.
701. 43:54When you see your son do ABC and E, your son is reflecting to you.
702. 44:02What you have reflected to me.
703. 44:04This is what God shows us.
704. 44:05And that's God ordained.
705. 44:06And it's God ordained.
706. 44:07Because God has made our children to learn how to imitate and how to live in accordance
707. 44:14with what they see.
708. 44:15And so if we are keeping our children home from a traditional school and we are discipling
709. 44:19them from our home, they are going to see and learn and be formed by us.
710. 44:23good, bad and ugly, good, bad and ugly.
711. 44:26So I remember once I was venting to one of my friends
712. 44:29and I was like, and she, my daughter, she does this
713. 44:31and she, I don't know how to get through to her
714. 44:33and my friend very gently, very lovingly said,
715. 44:36ooh, that sounds like you though.
716. 44:38And I was like, oh, thank you for loving me, my friend.
717. 44:42And she was right, and she was right.
718. 44:44And what was frustrating for me was that
719. 44:47when I admitted that I had it within me
720. 44:50and I knew that only the Holy Spirit could purify me,
721. 44:52or move that field from me,
722. 44:53I didn't know how to get out of my child.
723. 44:55And I was like, how do I get that out of her?
724. 44:57But it's a power of the Lord.
725. 44:58But I'm saying that it refines us
726. 45:01because we have to look at ourselves in the mirror
727. 45:03and say, man, I don't wanna pass this down to my child.
728. 45:05So any areas that I have that are not yet Christ-like,
729. 45:08Lord, help me, you know?
730. 45:10And so those moments are critical for our own walk.
731. 45:13They're pivotal.
732. 45:14Yeah.
733. 45:15They're pivotal.
734. 45:16And God knows, man, God knows there's certain things
735. 45:19that we would never see within ourselves
736. 45:21unless he shows him to us in the ways that he shows him to us.
737. 45:25And I am saying that God has ordained the family
738. 45:28as the primary vehicle for intergenerational discipleship.
739. 45:33And one of the major reasons, or should I say,
740. 45:36one of the major mechanisms for him doing so
741. 45:39is that the intimate relational connectivity causes
742. 45:43that draws to come to the surface.
743. 45:46In a more precise, more ponion,
744. 45:48and sometimes more potent manner.
745. 45:51Like it's undeniable that when we're having these moments
746. 45:54with our own children and under each year,
747. 45:55something that they model from what they've seen,
748. 45:59even sometimes some things that, you know,
749. 46:01they're similar because we have the same DNA, you know?
750. 46:04Yes.
751. 46:05That God shows these things to us,
752. 46:07and it aids us in being better followers of Christ.
753. 46:10As we, like in instances you just shared,
754. 46:13ooh, I see me and my child.
755. 46:15So now I'm not only seeking how to help my child,
756. 46:18I'm asking God, change me.
757. 46:21God, change me, shape me, mold me.
758. 46:24And we engage in our seminar ourselves to the Lord.
759. 46:29Then through that, the Lord gives us more wisdom and insight
760. 46:31as to how to minister to our children appropriately
761. 46:34as those issues come to the fore.
762. 46:35Yeah, it's incredibly important.
763. 46:37And so the more that we submit to the Lord
764. 46:41in our walk with God and we grow and mature,
765. 46:43and he becomes more and more our treasure,
766. 46:46the more we realize that the same hunger that we have
767. 46:51and the same desire to follow him and to do his will
768. 46:55is the same that we should want for our children.
769. 46:58So our children are gonna grow up
770. 46:59and our children are gonna be formed
771. 47:00and they're gonna become the people
772. 47:03that they're gonna become based on the Lord's sovereignty.
773. 47:07Well, let's not ignore that
774. 47:09because you and I were not discipling in the home
775. 47:11and the Lord by His sovereign grace formed us
776. 47:14and had to undo a lot and we came with a lot of baggage
777. 47:16a lot of scars and we still have them, but the Lord has healed us and made us.
778. 47:19So it's not like it is, the story is done, but if we are, if we have them little in the
779. 47:27home, why?
780. 47:28Why would we not submit to the Lord, be transformed, pour into them, disciple them so that they
781. 47:36can have, because we are human, less scars and the Holy Spirit can come in and capture
782. 47:41their hearts.
783. 47:42And you always say it, we want to be a runway for them.
784. 47:46We don't want to be obstacles in their way to come to Christ.
785. 47:48We want to be a runway.
786. 47:49Amen.
787. 47:51Oh, man.
788. 47:54In this time in our nation's history, man, I think more than ever before.
789. 47:59The necessity of giving ourselves wholeheartedly to obey the Lord's
790. 48:04call to execute his commission and make disciples is job numbers.
791. 48:08One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten.
792. 48:12Yes.
793. 48:12And if we would respond to the Lord with you, militant obedience, with
794. 48:16firm reliance upon him trusting him to remedy any perception of deficiency that we have and say
795. 48:23Lord is by your grace only by your grace that I will be able to follow you that we would do that
796. 48:28starting in our own home man there's no question that we would literally see a revolutionized
797. 48:34society for the glory of the king that's right the views and opinions expressed in this broadcast
798. 48:42may not necessarily reflect those of the american family association or american family radio