Greetings;
We live in societies and cultures that have been for a large degree become fatherless. There is a curse in the earth for lack of fathers. The prophet Malachi declared that God would come to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers to remove the curse in the earth. The apostle Paul wrote that the earth is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God who know that God is their Father. This is what will liberate the earth from its futility.
Romans 8: 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
As leaders in the church we are faced with leading to transform people from a fatherless society to a kingdom culture that knows God as the Father of each and everyone. Because the church is made of people who come from the societies and cultures of the world, we often take on the attributes of the world. We must become the church that transforms the world. We are sent by God to submerge nations into the identity of Christ and to disciple nations.
The fatherless societies of the world have for a great measure affected the church and the church has functioned as a single parent home. When we hear the word “father” we think of someone who meets our needs, but this is the mindset of mothers. Mothers are nurtures, but fathers are overcomers. What do we see? The vision of true fathers is a vision that extends to the generations. Just as God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, the vision of a father extends to the third and the fourth generation. This is why Paul told his spiritual son Timothy to commit what had been given to him to faithful men who would be able to teach others also. Father’s look to the future; because their hearts are set on inheritance, destiny, and legacy. They know that there is a purpose before them and it is attached to accomplishing something in the earth.
2 Timothy 2:1, 2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Adam was formed from the dust of the earth and therefore His purpose is attached to accomplishing something in the earth. Eve came from the rib of Adam and therefore women are concerned with making sure everything is healthy in the body. We need a healthy body that strives to accomplish great things in the earth! It is not an either/or reality. The church must be a healthy family unit, fulfilling destiny in the earth. We are not here for our will to be done. We are here for the will of the Father to be done. We were born as nobility in Christ!
Our vision must be more than one of healed wounds. It must be a vision of a future and a hope. Mothers are concerned with the wounds, the needs, and the environment of the family. This is good, but it is a vision of mothers. There must be a marriage of the spirit of the mother and the spirit of the father in the church in order to see a healthy family that lives for purposes of God in the earth for the future generations. We must have a kingdom vision. If our main focus is the healing of wounds, it is only dealing with the pain of the past. If we only fix the past, we will live in the past. It is time to fix the foundation and build a new house!
Mothers seek to heal wounds, while fathers seek to cross finish lines. A father knows that sometimes it is necessary to strive for the finish even if we are hurt. In sports, the team that is filled with players who are willing to play hurt wins the game. The role of the church is not meant to be easy, it is meant to cross finish lines. We are to press on toward the goal set for us in Christ.
Philippians 3:11-15 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Fathers seek release, while mothers seek comfort. A comforting church only, will not fulfill destiny. We must press on toward the mark given to us in Christ! We must compete for the prize set before us in Christ! We must finish the race! Christianity is often soft and is not much different than the fatherless cultures of the world. It is time to rise up and become a people who know the comfort of mothers while running the race set before them by fathers in the faith.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
Great read Ted! Thanks