Day 1!

If yesterday had been the only day of the conference, I believe I would have left satisfied. Paul Renfro opened up by asking the Lord to feed us until we want no more. I told my mom on the web cam last night that the Lord certainly accomplished that! Last night, there were two keynote sessions, one by Dr. Timothy Jones (Professor at Southern Seminary) and the other by Paul Renfro (Elder at Grace Family Baptist). I’m going to do my best to give a summary of both, though I can promise you I will NOT DO THEM JUSTICE!! Both of these men presented a powerful message stirred the hearts of everyone in the room!


Dr. Jones’ presentation was The History of Age Segregation: How Did We Get Here? Dr. Jones began with a comical introduction, speaking of the scene in the movie the Incredibles. He mentioned how in this particular scene, the family is sitting down having dinner except, everyone is disengaged, including the father, who is working in his office. And when things get really out of control, and the kids are going wild, the mother calls for her husband’s intervention and his response is, “Kids, listen to your mother!”


The point he drove at with this example was that fathers are not engaged in the lives of their families. Scripture commands fathers to teach their children, and they cannot teach their children when they aren’t even engaged in their lives. He pointed out that Martin Luther’s reformation of the family was even greater than his theological reformation! In his time, Luther saw the loss of father’s discipling their children and encouraged fathers to accept their God-given roles. Even Jonathan Edwards believed that the father was primarily responsible for the education and discipling of children. But there was a problem, and it all began with:

1) Individualism – Foundation of theological liberalism

2) Universalism –Industrial revolution and American Frontier life


In the case of universalism, both the industrial revolution and the American Frontier life pulled fathers away from their families. Prior to this, fathers led family businesses, but with the Industrial revolution came factories and other such places where the family was split apart for the day. And so, this created a problem, because now families weren’t involved in working together. Some were in one place while others were in another, and even some weren’t old enough to work. Thus, to answer this problem, Horace Mann proposed a “solution” to the problem: State run elementary schools! He decided that now, instead of the family discipling and training their children, the state would assume that role.


But even then there was opposition. For example, A.A. Hodge warned that government run education would ultimately lead to atheism. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but is that not where we are today? How does the church respond to all of this? Glad you asked! Instead of rejecting this fragmentation of secular culture, they try and make themselves acceptable to this new idea by making young people societies! All of a sudden your social standing was no longer based on your ability to relate well to multiple age groups, it was “can you relate to your peers?” Keep moving forward through history and we get to a man named G. Stanly Hall who, in response to the invention of government education, invented the term “adolescence.”


But, oh, this brings us to the cream of the pie! This brings us to where we are now! The next step in this fragmented process was the efficiency movement, which is best described as an assembly line. Church becomes centralized, professionalized (only trained professionals here), and segregated (each person has a certain role to play and they only deal with their segment). You have professionals working in various functions, but each is only responsible for ensuring that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing in their area.


As a result of this, the early 1900’s brought about further disengagement of fathers, idolatry, and efficiency. From that point on, it only gets worse. The market suddenly starts advertising to this “new” age group, churches create youth groups and Sunday schools which are professional, centralized, and segregated. Adolescence becomes the preferred state of life; Get in as soon as you can, stay in as long as you can, and when you get out, reminisce about how good it was. That is the mentality of our youth crazed culture folks!


Yet in the midst of all this, Dr. Jones gave an insightful, biblical caution; family integration is not the answer to the problem, it is a byproduct to the answer; repentance. In order for this to work, the people of Christ must repent and come to Christ on our knees, open and bare, we must plead with Him to direct us in how the church is to function biblically.


So, in the context of Dr. Jones’ presentation, Paul Renfro begs the question, “Where Do We Go From Here?” How do we bring about this reformation we so desperately need in our churches? He began by saying that no reformation comes without regeneration. He supported his point with 2 Chronicles 34 which tells the story of King Josiah, who by the way reformed Judah as an “adolescent.” I encourage you to read through 2 Chronicles 34-36. You want to know how to bring reformation? Read these three chapters.


Anyway, after the Israelites had purged the land of idolatry (2 Chronicles 34:4), they went back and began searching the temple and rediscovered the Law of Moses (vs. 14)! Therefore, not only had Josiah brought about this reformation without having any scripture to go guide him through the process, but the Israelites had drifted so far from God that they had even lost His Word! Mr. Renfro made a point to say that this is where the church is today. In his own words, “We need to stop thinking outside the box and start thinking and living inside the Book!” Our churches must be driven by the Holy Word of God if they are to survive to bring about reformation.
Scripture must be our source of authority, not traditions! In so many ways, our traditions (i.e. Sunday school) have become the gospel to the church and we risk offending and hurting someone if we reject traditions that are clearly unbiblical! Yet in the midst of this, Mr. Renfro gives us a wise caution, “So as we reform, we have to be careful not to create other traditions that people will later have to undo.” With the family integrated church (FIC), it has to be careful not to create its own “authoritative” traditions.


I could keep going, but I will move on =) Mr. Renfro’s final point was Reformation requires brokenness and repentance. Under this point, he provided 14 essentials for broken and repentant reformation: (I’m just going to list these and I leave it up to you to do the digging ;) )

1) We must reform to a biblical view of who does what in salvation (man is not sovereign, God is).

2) We must return to preaching the whole gospel (not just what will save someone or make someone think God is somehow a genie who answers all their desires and wishes).
• We must return to a Biblical approach to evangelism (God is not pleading people to come to Him, He is commanding)

3) We need a plurality of Elders – Acts 14:23.

4) We need Biblically qualified men to lead the church (must have his home life in order – Titus 1).

5) We must return to Biblical manhood and womanhood (both created equal in the site of God but the man assumes the role as leader and head of his home while the woman submits).

6) Age-integrated Titus 2 ministry (the people teaching must be mature believers).

7) We must view children as a blessing not a burden.

8) Women are to be keepers at home (reject feminism and careerism).

9) Church is a community of faith – Acts 2.

10) We must return to children honoring and obeying their parents – Ephesians 6, Proverbs 13:24

11) Parents must be the primary disciplers, not the church (not the only disciplers, but the primary).

12) We must provide children with a Biblical worldview education [85% of Christian children are in government schools. Can someone tell me how you get a Biblical worldview out of something that is secular, humanistic, individualistic, atheistic, and evolutionistic (I don’t know if that’s a word, but you get the point)?].

13) We must return to loving Biblical church discipline

14) We must return to Biblical discipleship – Matthew 28
Mr. Renfro noted that this is by no means an all inclusive list, but these are the major things that MUST occur for reformation to come to pass properly.


Are you still there? If so, that is what Dad and I were blessed to hear Friday night. Let me just say that there is no way I can do it justice here, but I want you to know that there is a strong movement in place for reformation, and it’s only beginning! The only thing I can say is, come next year :) I say that half joking, but at the same time, if you want to know how the church is to REALLY function Biblically, it don’t get better than this!


Anyway, hopefully tomorrow I will have a summary of today’s sessions. Right now though, I can tell you my brain is fried from all the information! I have literally been fed until I want no more; that is, until I wake up tomorrow ;) Dad and I are blessed to be able to attend Grace Family Baptist Church tomorrow. After hearing this all weekend, it is going to be amazing to see it in action!


I’ll be in touch!

Soli Deo Gloria!
Josh