Scott Brown

Scott T. Brown is the president of @churchandfam and pastor at Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

I'd love for you to check out my new book, "What is a Family? - A Catechism for Diagnosing and Restoring the Christian Home" https://t.co/EaV3QOLpFj

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Yes, kids were there for Jonathan Edwards Farewell Sermon, “I have not neglected you: I have endeavored to do the part of a faithful shepherd, in feeding the lambs as well as the sheep. Christ did once commit the care of your souls to me as your minister; and you know, dear children, how I have instructed you, and warned you from time to time.” 

Read "The Family at Church" for more about family-integrated worship:

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Yes, the kids were in Church for “Sinners in the Angry Heart of God": “And you children that are unconverted, don’t you know that you are going down to hell to bear the dreadful wrath of that God that is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the land are converted and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings?”...“And let every one that is yet out of Christ and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women or middle-aged or young people or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God’s word and providence.” - Jonathan Edwards

In Northampton Church where Jonathan Edwards was pastor for twenty-three years, the children were always present to hear his sermons.

Notes Edwards' biographer, Iain Murray: "No one in those days doubted whether children should be attenders throughout public worship."

Source: Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, p188

Read "The Family at Church" for more about family-integrated worship:

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Check these great books @founderspressfl

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

John Bunyan: bring the whole household under public preaching, “You should also labor to draw them out to God’s public worship.”

His reason was evangelistic: “if perhaps God may convert their souls.”

Children were brought to hear the same gospel as adults.

The child’s inability to understand everything was not considered a reason for absence.

Bunyan’s expectation was that children would grow into the language, doctrines, prayers, and habits of the gathered church. 

Read my book "The Family at Church" for more on this:

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Jonathan Edwards was a great family-integrated pastor who directly addressed children within a congregation-wide sermon.

In his Farewell Sermon to Northampton, Edwards moved through different classes of hearers.

He first announced: “I would apply myself to the young people of the congregation.”

After addressing them, he continued: “I would apply myself to the children of the congregation, the lambs of this flock.”

He then spoke directly to the children about their souls, the instruction they had received, their opportunities, their accountability to God, and the coming judgment.

This is important because Edwards did not remove the children in order to address them. He addressed them directly while they remained part of the same congregation.

His sermon method commonly followed this pattern:
- Explain the biblical text.
- Establish the doctrine. 
- Reason carefully about its truth. 
- Apply it to different spiritual conditions and ages. 
- Address older people, young adults, children, converted hearers, awakened hearers, and careless hearers within the same sermon.

Read my book "The Family at Church" for more on this:

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

One of My Favorite Family Integrated Pastors, Matthew Henry, "Little children should learn betimes to worship God. Their parents should instruct them in his worship and bring them to it, put them upon engaging in it as well as they can, and God will graciously accept them and teach them to do better" (Commentary.on 1 Samuel 1:19)

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

No partiality for people or nationalities in the Gospel, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Acts 10:35

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

In this sense, patriarchy frees women from the burdens men are meant to bear.

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

There is a cruelty built into complementarianism that denies patriarchal authority in the civil sphere. Rather than protecting women from war, politics, law enforcement and authority in industry, it diverts them to things that deprive them of focus on the beautiful expressions of their nature to dedicate their energies to the beautification of their homes, the nurture of their children the caring for their husbands... Beauty suffers. Fast food becomes the norm. This is just one reason we ought to recover male headship over all three spheres - the church, the home and the civil realm.

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

The wisdom of God belittles the opinions of man, “If one wished to contend with him, he could not answer him one time out of 1000.“ Job 9:3

[Tom Ascol @tomascol @tomascol]

Fellow pastor, Graham Gunden, received the proclamation declaring June to be "Faith, Family, & Responsible Fatherhood" month in Lee County, FL. Thank you, Lee Co. Commissioners! Listen to the proclamation & to Graham's excellent speech.

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Check out the singing in Ezra and Nehemiah, “Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps.  And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,  from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem.” Meh 12:27-30

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“Now therefore, oh God, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiahs short prayer, Neh 6:9

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The greatest danger to the church, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.” Ezra 9:1

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They separated from the filth of the nations and the Lord made them joyful, “Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.  And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the Lord made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. Ezra 6:21-22

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“The gate keepers were assigned to four directions…” 1 Chron 9:17-27. Matthew Henry describes, “To open the doors of God's house every morning (v. 27) and shut them at night. 2. To keep off the unclean, and hinder those from thrusting in that were forbidden by the law. 3. To direct and introduce into the courts of the Lord those that came thither to worship, and to show them where to go and what to do, that they might not incur punishment. This required care, and diligence, and constant attendance.”

[Eschatology Matters @Eschatology22]

"Children's Church" Is Hurting Families?
Full Episode Up Now W/@james_d_baird and @SBrownOnline 👇

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Matthew Henry’s final sermon, Prov 31:18, 18She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

Caution for prophets and their hearers, the Lord “said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’

[Scott Brown @SBrownOnline]

A great danger for pastors, “and for a pretense make long prayers…” Luke 20:47