Emmanuel Hudson

The Arrogance of the Enemy

Every day we are in trouble because of the forces of evil that would disquiet us and take away our faith. This trouble often comes in the form of temptation. This is the idea that for reasons not completely understood individuals will have the notion or idea to do something that they know is wrong, that goes against their conscience, and violates the principles of scripture.

We are not alone in this matter. In the Bible there are many examples of individuals being tempted, and as they fell the consequences were ruinous. Eve in the Garden of Eden, King David and Bethsheba come to mind immediately. The most outstanding, however, is the arrogant attempt on the part of satan to dissuade Jesus from his task of salvation. Why this is so important has to do with the fact that the narrative holds in its details an antidote for the sickness of temptation.

 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" {Deut. 8:3} 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {6 Psalm 91:11,12} 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {7 Deut. 6:16} 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" {Deut. 6:13} 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

In each case the Lord turned away the arrogant temptations by using the power of the inspired word. The devil is powerless in the presence of the Word of God. Try as he may to disquiet, destroy, and tear down the hope of God's children he is no longer able to do so when confronted with the fact of his being overpowered by the righteousness of Jesus.

This is a great comfort and encouragement for me, and for everyone else, as each day passes with its many and various temptations. To stay the course, to stand up under the pressure of the temptations of the devil, we may take refuge in the word of God and find complete solace and sanctuary in what has been written in the Bible for our learning. May you be encouraged to get to know the Word of God better.

Words to guide Young parents

As a pastor I see some pretty awful things being done to some of the little ones that I come to know. When I say "awful" I mean just that. These are the jaw dropping, head scratching things that parents do to the most innocent creatures on earth.

These are the things that I call the "withholding statements" that are a part of the child's training. Let me explain.

Almost every parent I know loves and cherishes his or her child(ren). This is the way it should be because parents have been given the privileged opportunity to have and to raise children and to guide them the way that they should go. Without training the most innocent child will follow the examples of those around him who are less interested in their physical and spiritual well being than their parents.

Even though most parents understand the importance of early childhood development and training, there are so many who neglect the most important part of their child's education. They withhold from them the truth about God, Jesus and the forgiveness of sins!

In the Bible book of Proverbs there is a very short but powerful guideline expressed: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Prov. 22:6)

Knowing and understanding this passage helps when it comes to young parents asking how to go about the business of raising their children. You see after birthing classes there are very few young parents who take advantage of attending courses on how to raise children. This passage clearly states that there is a relationship between the different stages of one's life and how one lives and the way we were trained or started out.

For example there are some parents who know in their heart of hearts that their little ones are truly spiritual beings, but they refuse to teach them about the Savior Jesus. This in the face of knowing and having had heard that this is one of the things that the Almighty wants to be done:  Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Even if they teach them to pray, they undo everything that is implied by that activity when they refuse to take them to church, do not have them baptised and/or continue to set an example of unChristian activities in their lives and homes.

The bible is filled with guidelines for systematic training and effective parenting. That's why we maintain a Christian preschool at Emmanuel in Hudson Wisconsin. It's a lot more than a social adjustment phase for 3's, 4's and 5's... and it is certainly not to be considered a baby sitting business offering a structured time in the care of specially trained educators and teachers. Our school is here to assist parents as they begin to carry out the will of God as His representatives in the lives of their children.

If you want help in this regard give us a call (651-283-9876) or stop by for a visit.

The Courage of young Parents

The other day I was keeping an eye on my youngest daughters 3 beauties. Grandma was there with me, and the five of us had a ball. No kidding! We watched some TV, played some Jr. Monopoly, read a couple of books, had a snack, cried when we lost, had a fashion show with some dollies (that's when I took my nap), and answered several questions about life. "Grandma, why do people say I'm wrong when I tell them I read the Bible?" "Grandpa, why don't people believe in God?" We answered them honestly. After everyone brushed their teeth, went to the potty and got in their pj's it was off to good night prayers and dream land. Grandma picked a few things, and I put a few chairs in place.

Soon after mom and dad got back from a preseason Wild game, we then got hugs, thanks, and were on our way home.

Now that's what my wife and I call a great date!

Oh yes, we split a bottle of beer grandma filched from the garage refrigerator and I dug out some nachos and salsa that had been squirreled away.

After knoodling about our kids and their kids, it came to me that young parents really need a lot of courage these days. Not only do they have the pressure of getting and keeping jobs to make a living and to provide for their kids, but they have to be aware of so many more dangers that threaten them and their children on a day to day basis. Let me explain what I mean.

When we were kids our parents may have worried, yes, but it was about me climbing in a tree, going to the lake for a swim, and/or learning a few unsavory words from the older neighbor boys.

There was no such thing as porn, pot, or promiscuous parties. If my mom wanted us to come home, she would have my dad step outside the back door, give a neighborhood piercing whistle and we would come running.

To check it out I asked my middle daughter who is the mother of 3 more beautiful youngsters and I asked, "Honey, tell me what you fear most on a daily basis with regard to your kids?" Her response: "I worry about them being drawn into a bad circumstance where someone can mess with them and violate them in several different ways." "I hate what they have to watch on TV as well."

We have a church family in Hudson, its called Emmanuel. The name means: "God with us." We have a preschool and a Sunday school, a play area for little ones and colorful bulletin boards all over the place. We have several young families that are members. We also have a bunch of grandmas and grandpas in our church. As a group the seniors often talk about how they pray for the young families and how they see how hard it is for the young parents to make a go of it these days. They add that if the young parents want to come to our church they are thrilled, and because they know that finances are tight these days, they are willing to keep things going at church so that the young parents can have a place of sanctuary for them and their kids. 

The seniors will even move forward in church so the kids can sit in the back, (closer to the rest rooms), we let the kids get in line first for treats so being there is a fun thing, we offer to help the parents of youngsters so they can have night out, or a shopping break... We want young families, because we love them and realize how hard it is to be a parent today.

Besides all this, we know that it is the good and gracious will of Jesus that little ones are to be brought to him. We know it takes courage for young parents to do that when so many of their friends don't think its a big deal.

Stop by on Sunday and I'll introduce you to some young parents like you, so that you can get to know them and become part of our church family.