Hugh's News & Commentary

“DON’T GIVE UP”
ON YOUR CHILDREN OR FAMILY.

“For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).

Some time ago I was sitting outside on the deck, with my Bible and morning cup of coffee, preparing for a special preaching appointment. I was thinking and praying, just waiting in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit visited me that morning with strong impressions about the children and families of the saints. The message was so strong and I was not prepared for it. I asked the Spirit of God to please clear my mind and let me know it was the voice of God, not just my wandering thoughts. Clear and strong the word came to me again “Let the church know they have My promise for their families and My call has gone out, Don’t Give Up!”

The Word from God was so strong! It seemed I was ordered to deliver this message to an army about to engage the enemy in battle; that I must deliver the message everywhere I would go, wherever there were ears to hear, “Don’t give up on your children!” I reviewed the message for a moment, testing and judging to be sure it was the voice of God; not just my own thoughts. The impression of the Holy Spirit was strong, clear, and sure, “Don’t give up on your children or families!”

You see, our family had just learned that a dear loved one had somehow gotten hooked on street drugs, been arrested with time in jail, and was about to lose all the blessings God had given Him. He was even losing his own family. Most families have a loved one, child, or brother who has gotten off-track, into drugs, drink or sinful sex. When you have done all you know to do, and when you have given time, money, love and support and nothing changes, you feel hopeless and helpless. You just do not know what else to do. I know it is hard to believe such a thing could happen to an intelligent and blessed person who knows what sin can do. How could they go so deep and so far in sin? Sometimes we do not know what to do but we must remember what not to do. We must never give up.

My thoughts took me back over fifty years when as a teenage boy I was enrolled in a Christian boarding school sponsored by our church. This Bible school had both high school and college age students. It was operated by faith, very conservative, and controlled by strict rules of conduct. From time to time students were sent home for breaking the rules. In time, I was one of those who broke the rules. Sadly, they just gave up on me and sent me home. Of course, this action broke my mother’s heart with disappointment. I got out of church and into sin, and caused my parents a lot of pain. Other people and family gave up on me because they did not know what to do with me.

My mother was a faithful member of the group of women at our local church who were prayer warriors. These ladies had prayed sons home from World War II and Korea, and knew I was in a war. So they prayed for me as well as their own families. Thank God they did not give up on me!

One morning after I had come back to Christ and recommitted my life to Him my mother took my pillow from my bed, pulled the pillow out of the case, and showed me a small piece of cloth pinned to the pillow. It was a prayer cloth the prayer group had anointed and prayed over. Mother had pinned it to my pillow. I had been sleeping on that prayer cloth without even knowing it! They did not know what to do, but they did know what NOT to do! Don’t give up on your children!

The Bible is filled with lessons on God's love and compassion for families and children. In I Kings 17:11-14, a mother is preparing a death meal for her son when God shows up just in time with the answer.

(11) And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
(12) And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
(13) And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
(14) For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

In II Kings 4:1-7, a father dies an untimely death and leaves a large debt. The sons are about to be sold as slaves to pay the family’s debt, but God shows up just in time with the answer.

(1) Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
(2) And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
(3) Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
(4) And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
(5) So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
(6) And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
(7) Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

The attitude of our heavenly Father toward an unfaithful and sinful loved one is best illustrated in the Book of Hosea 3:1-5:

(1)“Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
(2)“ So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
(3) And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.
(4) For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:
(5) Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.”

Hosea 14:4
(4) “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”

We can easily see God is showing His compassion and grace in this message of the Old Testament prophet. The man of God is married to an unfaithful and sinful wife. In Hosea 1:2 he calls her a wife of whoredoms. Hosea and Gomer have children. However, Gomer cannot stay home and be a faithful wife to this godly man. Again and again she goes out into sin and gets involved with sinful people and strange men. Hosea never gives up on unfaithful Gomer! After she has been gone for some time Hosea hears about a slave auction in the city. He goes into the city and learns his wife is to be sold at auction that day. Hosea waits for his chance to bid on this wasted women. The preacher offers his bid, still willing to pay a high price of silver and corn for his own wife. Then he cleans her up and takes her home to their children and restores her as his beloved wife.

Israel is the wife of our Father God. This nation is his chosen people and He loves them with an everlasting love. Through this chosen people, Israel, and by the Holy Spirit God brought forth His son Jesus into the world. Though Israel was an unfaithful wife, we know our Father God is the faithful husband ever married to a backslider.

Hosea 11:7
(7) “And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him���.

God has never given up on Israel, His wife, and has promised this in His word.

Hosea 11:8
(8) “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.”

God has never and will never give up on the Jews and we must never give up on our children or families. It sometimes appears the church of today is more interested in fame, fashion and finance; but we must be most interested and committed to our families. After all, the Church is the Family of God. We must remember that Jesus taught us that one soul will outweigh the whole world.

Matt. 16:26
(26) ”For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

No matter how far a loved one may have strayed from home and from God, the grace of the cross of Jesus and the power of His resurrection is still present. The Word of God tells us that the whole world is full of His glory.

Isaiah 6:3
(3) “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”

God wants us to believe that the clay is still on the potter’s wheel and still in the potter’s hands.

Jeremiah 18:1-6
(1) “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
(2) Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
(3) Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
(4) And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
(5) Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
(6) O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

God wants us to believe that the wheel is still in the middle of the wheel.

Ezekiel 1:15-16
(15) “Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
(16) The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.”

Our God has a mighty plan and His will is that none should perish and that all come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9
(9) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Let us take on a strong mountain-moving kind of faith; a God kind of faith and the kind of faith our heavenly Father has for the Jews. Our Father God never gave up on Jonah. Faith retrieved Jonah from the belly of Hell and restored him to his ministry again with great victory. God did not give up on Samson, Peter, or Saul who was called to be the great Apostle Paul.

Over 30 years ago I stood by the graveside of my dear old fashioned holiness mother on a cold and snowy Oklahoma day. I could not leave that place, although I knew she was not in that cold grave but rather was safe in the warm arms of Jesus. I made a promise to her, knowing the one thing in life she most wanted was to see her children and grandchildren saved. Our family was large with eight living children. I was the youngest and I promised mother on that day, “When I see you again I will bring the whole family with me!”

I now appeal to you with a strong confidence that the mighty God we serve has promised that nothing is too hard for God.

Matthew 19:26
(26) “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Join with me in prayer, that the God of all power will help us “NEVER TO GIVE UP ON OUR FAMILY.”

Dear heavenly Father, we agree this moment that You gave us our children and families. We believe You gave them to us forever, and as You have never given up on Israel You will give us faith and confidence  never to, or ever give up on our children. By faith, right now we see them coming from the east, west, north and south; down the low roads and the highways of life, coming in from the fields of sin. By faith we see them coming into the body of Christ and safety. At this moment we welcome them home. Thank you, Father God for Christ’s sake. Amen and amen.

[Editor's comment: I sense in my spirit that God wants me to publish once again this powerfully anointed message written by God's servant Leroy Baker. All of us who are parents and grandparents need this message today more than at any time before. It has touched my life once again as I have read it. The first time I heard Leroy Baker preach this sermon was when he was the camp meeting speaker at the Cornersone Conference, formerly Western North Carolina Conference, a few years ago at their camp grounds and conference offices at Brown Summit, north of Greensboro on U. S. Highway 29. It was powerful that night and it is equally potent today. May God use it to minister to you and your children and grandchildren. Never Give Up on them!