INHERITANCE

There are many people that grow up without their biological parents.  The statistics for children being raised by a single parent or people other than their biological parent seem to be increasing more and more.  It also seems as though more fathers are stepping up to the plate in taking care of their children.  There are more people adopting.  People are becoming foster parents.  Stepparents are taking charge and raising children who are not biologically theirs.  There are also more children being raised by their grandparents and other relatives for one reason or another.  We, as parents, need to examine ourselves and ask, “In our children’s upbringing, are we laying a foundation and leaving a rich inheritance for them? Are we leading our children to Jesus while trying to raise them up in the admonition and fear of God?  Are we teaching them that Jesus is needed in order to be saved or that a certain denomination or religion can save them?”

I don’t want to seem like I am being critical of denominational churches, but it’s important where we and our children fellowship and make covenant. Many people in the body of Christ think that their denomination can save them or put them in a closer relationship with Christ.  When we look at Sunday morning between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., some people say that this seems to be the most segregated time of the week and we can even include Wednesday night Bible study.  This is when the African Americans go to their churches, the Caucasians go to their churches, the Hispanics go to their churches, and etc.  It even goes deeper than the color barrier.  The Baptists go to their churches. The Full Gospels go to their churches. The AME, Pentecostal, CME, and etc. all go to their separate churches, but yet the body of Christ is one.

The body of Christ is only one body with many members.  This word or belief, called denomination, has caused the body of Christ to split.  You have Apostolics that don’t fellowship with Baptists.  You have the Baptists criticizing the Full Gospel Baptists.  You have the AME who only fellowship with other AME churches.  I am not saying everyone does this, but the majority of people think that their denomination is better than another.  You have some denominations that believe in the whole Bible, the five-fold ministry is activated, women are allowed to preach, and deliverance services are going on.  Then you have other denominations that think women should sit around asking their husband questions (whether they are in the word of God or not) and are lead to walk around looking holy on the outside yet on the inside they are raging like a storm.