“Committed to the Absolute Truth of the Word of God”

Friend of the Family is a newsletter that is published quarterly by Biblical Family Ministries.  You will find articles on the family and other topics, as well as prayer requests and praises.  We hope you enjoy reading our latest edition of Friend of the Family!

**Please note:  If you would like to receive notification by email of our

latest edition of FOF online, please sign up below  on our email list!**

      There are a lot of terms used to describe what people are and what people believe. The term Fundamentalism is a wonderful descriptive term for my kind of Christianity, but the media and various religious groups have hijacked the term and redefined it. “Conservative” has fallen into disrepute among many Christians, because some groups claimed the term and have been anything but conservative. The term Evangelical used to describe one as evangelistic, but few would use it that way today. In a day when Liberalism reigns in many political and religious circles, we need to think about who we are and we need to teach our children who we are. How would you describe yourself? Would you call yourself a Fundamentalist?  Fundamentalism is a wonderful term that takes us to the very heart of Christianity. It suggests there are some fundamental truths that form the essence of true Christianity. In other words there are some fundamental things that one must believe in order to be a Christian. The media has taken the term and abused it so badly that one wonders if it can still be used to distinguish true Christianity from the Apostasy. Some Christian groups have added to the confusion by naming some denominational distinctives, such as their mode of baptism, as being part and parcel of Fundamentalism. Still others are opening the door to a Fundamentalism that has no standards of living to accompany it. They claim that many standards for godly living are just cultural and need to be cast aside. They warn of what they call Cultural Fundamentalism. I would warn them of “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness”. If they want to restrict the term Fundamentalism to a strict doctrinal position that is fine, but the Bible also teaches us how to live without being conformed to the world. What about the term Conservative. It too is a wonderful term that has been misused and redefined. Would you call yourself a Conservative? The term Conservative refers to one who conserves, keeps or preserves. Few people have thought it through and usually only think of a conservative as one who stands against Liberals. If you are a conservative, what are you trying to conserve, keep or preserve? Is there a body of truth, a set of values, a list of convictions that are so important to you that you will not let them go or even let them be compromised? Have you thought them through? Have you taught them to your family? Does it matter?

                                 Parents have the authority to make children do right, but influence can steal the heart. As we conclude this series, I want to emphasize this point. When I started this series, some people thought I was being too hard on parents, but reaching our children for God and godliness is serious business and there is a lot to it. With sorrow in my heart, I remember a couple who served in ministry, and their one child showed up to a church service under the influence of alcohol. During counseling, the dad, a tender hearted, devoted servant of the Lord, shared how he thought living a consistent testimony in front of his children would be enough to win them. Without a doubt, those parents who do not live a godly testimony before their children may lose them, but there is more to parenting. An incredible investment of time and energy is required. Consistent training and discipline is needed. Faithful worship and prayer is indispensable. An undying, enduring and undeniable love is imperative.  Lots of communication and companionship is necessary. In the midst of it all you will exercise your parental authority. The way you handle that authority will be very significant in determining your degree of parental success. Finally, there is influence. Remember, Webster calls it, “The power to sway” There are hundreds of forces at work in every child’s life endeavoring to sway his thinking and steal his heart. The parent needs wisdom and courage to guard and protect his child. There will be times when permission cannot be granted for certain activities or companionship with certain people. There will be times when thoughts and ideas gained from others will have to be corrected. There will need to be plans to get our children under the best supportive influences possible. Along the way, dad and mom must seek every opportunity to be the greatest human influence in the child’s life. Success, even in today’s wicked world, is achievable, while failure is unthinkable. There is too much at stake – our children – for time and eternity. Never give up – never stop praying!

We are in the midst of our fall schedule; going from place to place to encourage and, perhaps, prod Christians to get serious about living for our precious Savior. My frustration is going to show in this article, I’m sorry! What are we doing for our Savior?  He bled and died for us on the cross of Calvary, so we could spend eternity with Him, if we accept so great a gift of salvation.

Our hearts are so burdened for Christians who have become so complacent in their lives. Not only are Christians apathetic in their service for the Lord, the country we are privileged to live in, is so apathetic as well! We have dropped the ball in our country and in our lives. We are fast losing our freedom in this country – the church is going to lose its freedom, as well! Why don’t folks see this? Okay, I’ll try to straighten up and try to be an encouragement to all of us.

II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” Won’t you join me in drawing close to our Savior and be that new creature? There is so much to do and I believe, so little time left. Don’t we want to see all our loved ones and neighbors in Heaven someday? How will they ever know Him, if we continue to just live our little lives pleasing ourselves and not our Heavenly Father?

Mailing or handing out the Pure and Simple Cards is a great way to reach people for Christ.. How many may we send to you? No charge.

If you have a question and/or comment about Friend of the Family, please feel free to email us.  We look forward to hearing from you!

*For general e-mail correspondence please contact us at  EAGBFM@Comcast.net.

  If you would like to be notified by email of FOF online, please fill out the form below.

Please Note:  If you have already filled out this form, there is no need to do this again.

Previous Issues of FOF

                                        In our last article we concluded by asking, what does the term fornication mean in Matthew 19:9? The answer to that question will help us in forming a biblical view of marriage and divorce.                 

     Basically we discover the meaning of terms by their etymology. Etymology means the true sense of a word, by finding its origin and earliest use. Secondly, though technically part of etymology, we focus on how it was used historically and comparatively with other terms, and in translation into various languages.  We are not going to go very far into those things in this article. To make it easy on both of us, I am going to quote from the book, The Divorce Myth, by J. Carl Laney. On page 66 he discusses the Greek  term porneia, which is the term translated “fornication” in Matthew 19:9. You would profit from obtaining and reading his book., published by Bethany House. Laney writes, Porneia is related to the noun porne which is derived from the root “to sell”. The original concept was to offer one’s body for a price. The word porne was especially used of slaves and meant “a harlot for hire.” From this comes the Greek word porneia, found in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, which basically refers to unlawful sexual intercourse- “prostitution, unchastity”, and “fornication”. It may also refer to sexual aberrations, for it is used in the contexts of homosexuality (cf. Rom. 1:29) and incest (cf. I Cor. 5:1).   Our concern, in light of this information, is to determine what porneia means in Matthew 19:9.  As we pointed out previously, some commentators interpret the term to mean adultery. Some believe the term is addressing the unique betrothal period of Jewish marriage, saying unfaithfulness by one partner during bethrothal would justify divorce by the other. This view is very valid. The main weakness would be that the discussion of the text was about marriage itself, not the betrothal period. Other views abound, but we want to focus on the view that seems most in harmony with all of Scripture and with the clear statement of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:6, that what God has joined together, no man should put asunder. One concept on which I have always found agreement with others, is that while porneia can have a rather general use to describe all forms of unchastity; that is not the meaning in Matthew 19:9. Our Lord was not teaching that a couple could end their marriage if one or both participated in any form of impurity.  The term here was of a more technical nature. An extremely interesting and helpful study of the churches restrictions on newly saved Gentiles, as found in Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25, would be profitable. We’ll consider those and other texts next time.

*We are pleased to announce:

Jeffrey Griffith now represents BFM and Standpoint, as well as continuing labors at Open Door Baptist Church. He will be doing research, writing and speaking for both ministries. His emphases will be on current religious and government trends. He will speak to both educate and inspire the believer regarding our obligations and opportunities to stand for Christ in these uncertain days. You may contact Jeff through the BFM office to arrange for meetings for your church or organization. Please pray for Jeff and Heidi as they seek additional financial support to underwrite their new ministry endeavors.

Print Current FOF