FEATURE ARTICLE

Bishop David IbelemeSunday, June 19, 2016
[email protected]
St. Ann's, Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies

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TO YOUR FRIENDS

RESPONSIBLE FATHERS

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Eph. 6:4ff; Gen. 18:17ff

hat does it really mean to be responsible? - Gen. 18:17; Prov. 22:6-7.

  • In one word being responsible simply means to be answerable.

  • It speaks of being answerable to another for something or someone.

  • This gives the impression that one has delegated authority.

  • Hence, it carries a sense of obligation.

  • It speaks of being answerable for something within one's power, control or management or stewardship to God who gave or delegated the authority.

  • The authority => ability => a response to the ability => manifested in one giving an account regarding the ability and one's response.

  • Hence, it also encompasses the sense of being morally accountable - Heb. 13:17ff.

  • Fatherhood is therefore a position of authority for which one must be responsible and accountable - Matt. 25:14ff; 1 Sam. 2:22-24, 27-36.

1) Receive Their Children As Gifts From God - Ps.127; Prov. 17:8.

  • Children come from God and belong to Him; natural parents are simply care-takers.

  • Hannah spoke about God giving her a son; she understood and saw her child as a gift from God - 1 Sam. 1:10ff.

  • You will not be properly answerable unless you see your children as belonging primarily to God and as gifts from Him to you.

  • Zachariah saw John as a gift from God - Lk. 1:67ff, 76ff.

    2) Recognize The Grace/Gifts On Their Lives - 1 Tim. 4:12-16; 2 Tim. 1:5-7.

    • Fatherhood involves the ability to recognize the grace of God on one's children.

    • This has to do with you not simply seeing your children as mere products of our acts of passion but as products of divine destiny - Jn. 1:12ff.

    • Joseph and Zachariah recognized the grace on their God given sons and saw them as sons of divine destiny - Matt. 1:19-21; Lk. 1:76ff.

    • This is how the patriarchs of old saw their children.

    • This is the essence of being able to train up children in the way that they should go - Prov. 22:6.

    • Abraham understood this - Gen. 18:17ff.

    3) Rule Their Households Well With Shepherd-like Guidance - Gen 18:17ff.

    • Once you understand destiny and purpose you are in a place to rule (command or order) your household properly.

    • To command here also means to ordain or appoint or give charge to; this can only happen when purpose is known.

    • You will not function by "guess" 'cos your expectations will be right - Prov. 23:17; Ps. 62:5.

    • You will be focused and your prayers will be decisive - Phil. 4:6-7.

    • This has the effect of keeping you at peace - Phil. 4:8-9; Is. 26:3.

    4) Raise Their Children In The Nurture And Admonition Of The Lord - Prov. 22:6ff; Deut. 6:9.

    • Responsible fathers understand based on their relationship with God that only His precepts are right - Ps. 37:25; 119:128.

    • They know that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord - Ps. 37:23.

    • This will cause them to lead their children in this "right" way - Prov. 4:18-22.

    • Train them to be part of the local church - Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor. 11:29.

    5) Relate To Their Children And Reason Through Things With Them - Eph. 6:4.

    • God, our ultimate Father, calls us to reason with Him - Is. 1:18.

    • He actually did this when His people were not doing well.

    • As responsible fathers we must do the same for our children.

    • Son-ship entitles one to an inheritance and this qualifies the son to be at the decision table.

    • The Holy Spirit who leads us as sons of God is called our helper, this means He regards our input as important in heaven's mission to establish God's rule on earth - Rom. 8:14ff.

    • This is why our counsel and words as servants of God are confirmed by Him - Is. 44:26.

    • Fatherhood involves teaching, training and helping our children in the process of proper decision making.

    • When we do not recognize our children in this way we often end up provoking them to wrath - Eph. 6:4.

    6) Release Their Children To Fulfill Purpose - Num. 27:18ff; Deut. 34:9ff.

    • Children are designed "to go" not "to stay" - Prov. 22:6ff.

    • They are designed by God for extension and expansion of purpose and vision.

    • The ultimate release of a child to fulfill their purpose, comes from their parents (especially their fathers).

    • Many have never been able to fulfill their God ordained mandate because their parents (especially their fathers) have never accepted and released them to do so.

    • The release of spiritual "sons" into ministry e.g. Moses & Joshua, Elijah & Elisha, Paul & Timothy, is really supposed to be a pattern following the way we are to release our natural children e.g. Abraham & Isaac, Isaac & Jacob, Jacob & his sons etc.

    7) Restore Them Lovingly If And Or When They Fail And Help Them Through The Path Of Renewed Vision - 1 Jn. 1:9ff; 4:17ff.

    • Our children are not perfect so they will make mistakes just like we did.

    • We cannot afford to abandon and disown them when they are wrong.

    • Our primary ministry at this time is to restore not to reject and destroy them.

    • A wrong behavior by our children does not disqualify them from being our children.

    • Remember the prodigal son - Lk. 15:11ff.

    • Never disinherit your children because they did something wrong.

    • Correct and restore them so they won't die like the sons of Aaron - Lev. 10:1ff.

    • Restoration of children is primarily the role of their parents.

    • This is partly the reason for the spirit of mercy that connects us to our children when they are wrong.

    • It is also the reason we are disappointed when they fail. This feeling of disappointment is not designed for us to give up on them but to restore them.

    • God, our Father, always tempers judgment with mercy, hence, his wrath is for a moment but His mercies endure forever - Ps. 103:8-14.

    • If God didn't love us unconditionally and release His mercies unto us, we would be destroyed - Lam. 3:20-22.

    • He stays the same to ensure that we are eternally preserved - Mal. 3:6.

    8) Replicate Spiritual Rites To Their Children - Jn. 17:18; 20:21.

    • Our primary spiritual rites are prayer and the ministry of the Word - Acts 6:3-4.

    • All the roles stated above can only be properly performed through Prayer.

    • We must pray regularly and consistently for our children - Gal. 4:19.

    • Speak the Word continually over your children - 2 Cor. 4:13; Mk. 11:23.

    Be A Responsible Father

    • The world is waiting for your manifestation - Rom. 8:19, 29ff.

    • The destinies of our children are waiting for us to rise to the plate and take our place.

    • They are waiting for us to purposefully become answerable for the lives of our children.

    • We can no longer say "I made the child, not his/her mind"; Eli was held responsible for his children's misbehaviour - 1 Sam. 2:27-36.

    • We are now partners with God in shaping the minds of our children and consequently shaping the societies and communities we live in => transforming our global village to the glory of God - 1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1-2.

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