Living In Digital Babylon

Today we are living in what David Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Group (the largest Christian research group), calls a digital Babylon.

• There has been a huge increase in young adults leaving the church.

Today in America, according to a Barna study that involved over 50,000 participants, around 62-64% of 13-17 year olds participate in church/church activities in some fashion at least once a month. (This can be youth group, church, etc.)

However, this number rapidly decreases to around 30% attendance between 18-29 year olds.

Why the frightening drop?

Well David Kinnaman, in his book You Lost Me, relates today's American and digital culture to that of Babylon, the idolatrous and perverse nation that oppressed Israel in the Old Testament.

• Babylon used several methods and tactics to force Israelites to conform to their society.

So let's observe some of these tactics Babylon would use:

Characteristics of Forced Conformity

Daniel 1:3-7
"Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego."

How did Babylon attempt to make the Israelites conform to their culture:

1. Changing the way they spoke.

2. Changing what they read.

3. Changing what they consumed.

4. Changing their name.

5. And what we know later, Changing their God.

What do we know about Babylonian Culture:

1. It was highly Idolatrous.

2. It was sexually perverse.

3. It was self focused/indulgent.

Does that sound much different than America today?

We are living in Babylon, but I worry some of us may raise our kids like they are living in Jerusalem.

Living in Jerusalem

To be an Israelite living in Jerusalem, at least during the time where the kingdom did not fall to corruption, following the commandments of the Lord would have been much easier than following the commandments in Babylon.

• Why do I say this? Because the commandments were literal laws. Not obeying God's commandments could quickly follow with civil judgement. 

• Additionally, the temple is in the city. The Israelites were in close proximity with incredibly important aspects of their religious system.

To the Israelite who did not care to much for the law, how inclined will they be to follow it living in Babylon?

To the teenager who does not care much for the Word, how inclined will they be to follow it in college?

• Our nation is no longer like Jerusalem, culture does not reflect Christian values and is going in the opposite direction.

• We can make little Jerusalems through our own homes and through our churches, but outside of those walls, the world is vastly different.

Today, in this generation, we have two options:

1. We train our children to live in Babylon.

2. We don't.

We do not get to choose the world our child will go out into.

• We must train and prepare them for the world.

Now how and when we do that training is going to vary from family to family.

• But, it cannot be done in a year, it cannot be done in two years. There is not a crash course or a sparknotes to training a child to live a biblical life.

• It must be trained from to moment they are born, to the moment they leave the house.

  • I have seen childhood friend after childhood friend (and their parents) fight tooth and nail to get into these "great" public colleges where Christians are converted like it is a factory.

I am not saying don't send your kid to college, what I am saying is will they be shocked, will they no how to react, will they know what to do when the world acts like the world.

How do we prepare them?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

1. It starts with ourselves.

   1. "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."

2. Impress them on your children.

3. Tell them of the word and its instruction in every moment.

   1. Every morning, every night, every meal, every car ride, every time you sit with them.

4. Have God's word displayed around your house.

Students I hope you have been listening, this is not only on your parents.

• Ultimately the actions you take before and after you leave the house our your decisions.

• If you do not prepare yourself for battle, how can your expect to win any fights against the flesh or of Satan.

• It is not your parents responsibility to put the armor of God on you.

• At the same time, parents who are believers, it is your responsibility to tell them about the armor.

This is not meant to be a discouragement. I hope to encourage.

I have seen with these youth in particular a hunger and thirst for God and understanding the Word.

• I have spoken to so many of you parents that clearly care and prepare your children for the future.

• This is a crazy world, but the Gospel cannot be defeated.

At the end of the day this is not a culture battle we are fighting, but a sin battle.

Ephesians 6:12
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”