Here is a sobering thought.
Take a moment to hold the "yes, but..." and consider this perspective?
A close friend and missionary to the USA says this is the plague of the Western Church and Evangelicalism in particular:
There has been such a focus on people praying prayers of Salvation where we then consider the person saved or born again immediately.
Why a plague?
Because we have not heeded the examples of previous generations on how to deal with those who have an initial confession of faith.
We have not followed their pattern of watching for real God inspired change over a year or more before announcing someone is truly a believer (the way it was done during the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings).
Additionally, we invited into our Youth Programs the Cubs of actual Wolves and unbelievers, often bypassing the ancient world's culture of respect for authority, which by the way, is the Bible's example of respect for authority. What is meant by this statement?
Here is an example: in ancient cultures, and in mainy today that maintain a culture of respect, such as Islam, it is outrageous to go after children to convert them to another religion. Many of these ancient cultures of respect still respect God's order for a nation, tribe, language, people, family and home.
Back to Islam again as our example (The same applied to any ancient Middle Eastern cultures many of which still have offshoots existing today):
When you go after a child you offend the father by not showing him due respect he deserves. You may indeed win a child, but risk alienating and destroying the Godly order of the family.
When you go after a wife, you offend the office and respect of her husband, but you may win the wife.
When you honor the father and win him, you win a family and impact the men he is in relationships with.
When you win the men, you win the culture.
Even the Jewish Community expects this kind of honor. Evangelicalism, with this dishonor of the role of Daddy, is affected at every level of relationship. It substitutes zeal for souls by sacrificing love and respect.
And we wonder why so many of our "Sheep Cubs" walk away after leaving home? We have taught them how to be disrespectful and rebellious.
Back to Wolf Cubs. There are two kinds.
1) unbelievers who have a confession of faith with new life changes, whom we accept as "new believers."
2) children and youth of Unbelievers
Many "Wolf Cubs" have been LET IN and allowed to grow up in the Body. They didn't have to sneak in at all!
They are trained in the culture of Chistianity, but have no fruit of changed lives.
They are truly wearing Sheep's Clothing.
We put it on them ourselves.
