Family—the very word incites strong emotion (and even debate).  We have designated February as “Family Emphasis Month” here at Heritage.  I do not believe that this could come at a better time.  At this very moment, unlike any other time in human history, the enemies of decency and morality are at work trying to redefine and destroy what we have for centuries considered the family to be. We see divorce continue to be on the rise.  We are witnessing homosexuality go from the “closet” to the mainstream, from the viewpoint of gross immorality to a “normal and healthy lifestyle alternative.”

 

Caught in the crossfire of this cultural war are our children.  I could list a plethora of statistics concerning our children, but you have heard all of that before. We are all aware of the drug and alcohol problems in our schools.  We have all heard the horror-stories on the news and other places about the sexual sin pervading our youth culture.  Yet, we continue to ignore these growing epidemics.  But one factor that we cannot ignore is the number of children with diagnosed psychological and emotional problems, which is on the rise.  We are witnessing more and more children, from toddlers to teens, being prescribed mood-altering drugs, such as Ritalin, Prozac, and Zoloft, to help them deal with the effects of being raised in this culture; which in turn produces a breed of adults unable to cope civilly in a real world with discipline and self-control, because the drugs that they were taking to control their behavior did not teach them how to behave. 

 

Just like the children caught up in crime, drugs, and sex, these children come from homes with over-protective or inattentive parents. Many of them come from homes ravaged by divorce and sometimes remarriage by one or both parents, and/or homes in which they are raised by a single parent or forced to cope within a “blended” (step) family.  Each of these scenarios, or combinations of them, is contrary to God’s plan for the family.  However, they are a growing reality.

 

This is just another reason why our student ministries are so important.  However, all of us in this church have a responsibility to our children.  Our church should be a place where these children can come and learn about a Heavenly Father who does not disappoint, abandon, or abuse them.  Our church should be a place where they can come and learn about a Heavenly Father who loves them so much that He sent his Son to die, so that they may be forgiven.  Our church should be a place where they can come and learn how to properly behave and interact with others.  Our church should be a place where these children can come and see Godly families on display.

 

Do you have a Godly family?  Parents, are you making sure that your children have a growing relationship with the Lord?  Fathers, are you being the head of your household in all areas? Most importantly, are you the spiritual head, or do you leave that “stuff” to your wife?  Mothers, do you display the love and affection of Christ to your husband and children as God intended?  Grandparents, do you display the wisdom that a lifetime of experience and a growing relationship with Christ should demonstrate?

 

Yes, February is “Family Emphasis Month.”  In our various ministries we will be preaching and teaching on topics concerning God’s will for the family.  However, the most important sermon that will be preached, the most effective lesson that will be taught will be the example that your family leaves on the children of this church (especially your own children).  What does your family’s example teach?  What qualities does your family emphasize?  Let me encourage you to be faithful to church this month.  Allow God to speak to your heart, and let us see the families of our church become the families that God intended them to be.