Fatherhood

Ryan McClure suggests that Charles Dickens' "best of times and worst of times" turn of phrase seems to describe parenting skills to a tee. When we were single, we had all the answers to the art of parenting, but actual practice humbles us as to how little we know and how ill-equipped we are for this daunting, yet enjoyable task. We learn what God the Father has to put up with us in our spiritual childhood sanctification process. Every father has been given the responsibility of leading his family, loving his wife as Christ loved the Church, willing to protect, to sacrifice, and even to die for the sake of his family. According to Theodore Hesberg, the most important thing a dad can do is to love the child's mother. As God protected His people from harm, fathers are commissioned to protect their families, placing a metaphorical hedge around their children, filtering them from the Internet and other worldly influences until they are wary enough to be on their own. As we approach Father's Day, we need to remember that God the Father is the greatest example of Fatherhood we can emulate.

Martin Collins, realizing that most people, both outside and inside the church, crave assurance , avers that we can have assurance that we are God's heirs and offspring if we are led by the spirit, remaining on the sanctified path of fellowship, growing continually in grace and knowledge. When we receive God's calling, God's Spirit bears witness that we are God's children. God has adopted us from the family of Adam (in which we had become bond-slaves to Satan) into His own family as adopted offspring, sealing us with a down-payment, (that is, the earnest-payment, or pledge) of His Holy Spirit, the means by which we replace our carnal nature with God's character on a kind of installment plan. In this new relationship, we are invited to view God the Father as Jesus Christ did—-Abba, which means Father or Daddy. We are, in God's sight, small, mistake-prone, but pliable children, encouraged to grow in grace and knowledge into the exact character of God as we bear the fruits of His Holy Spirit. At times, we are required to suffer as Christ did, in order to learn and to endure discipline, as God steers us away from deadly obstacles. Through much intense fire is precious metal refined. If we partake in Christ's suffering, we will be assured also to partake in His glorification. Trials often have the peculiar effect of making our testimony or witness more powerful.

Martin Collins, cuing in on an article which poses the question, "Why does not mainstream Christianity attract more men?" affirms that most mainstream churches have become feminized, with many men who may call themselves "Christian" feeling bored and disengaged from the component they really need—namely, real masculine leadership. Their malaise is a result of suave metro-sexual pastors who are "ripping women off" by making the church too much about nurturing and caring and relationships. Every nation which has descended from Israel has experienced a steady decline of lack of masculinity in leaders. Biblical examples reveal that even our patriarchs, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had serious deficits in masculine leadership regarding child-rearing practices. David, a man after God's own heart, for the most part, was a flop at child-rearing, being far too lenient and indulgent, but finally coming to his senses when he gave Solomon instructions for leading Israel. Masculine leadership has little to do with marriage and fathering children. Rather it is most clearly demonstrated by men who embrace God's commandments, love and protect their wives rather than abnegating authority to them and, finally, point their children to a love of God's truth. David's final words to Solomon, mirroring Moses' final words to Joshua, were to be strong and courageous, walking perpetually in God's laws and statutes, promising that, if he would do so, there would never lack a man on the throne of Israel. Manhood is defined by God, not by some kind of macho rite of passage established by man's culture. If men in God's church cannot love their wives and take charge of the education of their offspring, instructing them to fear and respect God, leading by example rather than mere words, they are not qualified to be leaders or overseers in the church nor kings and priests in God's Kingdom. As the world degenerates, true masculine leadership as defined by God will be increasingly needed.

Martin Collins, reflecting upon Paul's confrontation with a recalcitrant minority in Corinth, warns that we cannot fight spiritual battles with physical or worldly weapons. Gentleness and meekness were Paul's preferred approaches in dealing with people. Meekness (strength under control, maintaining peace in the midst of confrontations) is practiced when one restores a badly behaving Christian or in dealing with a newly called individual. Jesus demonstrated His meekness in His treatment of many with whom He interacted. In contrast to James and John, Jesus, balancing firmness and gentleness, seeks to save rather than destroy. In childrearing, we must learn to guide our children rather than to break their spirits, and in our marriages, to control our tongues. Aubrey Andlin in Man of Steel and Velvet advocates that we work to have restraint and self-control, develop gentle character, and develop humility.

The frenzied pace at which we live takes its toll. Stress, anxiety, pressure, and busyness are the norm in our Western, civilized nations. The demands of life leave most adults gasping for breath and struggling to shoulder the load. But what effect is this pace having on the next generation?

Martin Collins maintains that mainstream Christianity does not know who God the Father really is, seeing Him as a relatively ineffectual third Member of a closed Trinity, largely responsible for harnessing mankind with a harsh oppressive law that Jesus later annulled. Jesus Christ, designated as the logos, Spokesman or Word, reveals that the Father (the Creator and Sustainer of the universe) has always had supreme authority, and that He and His Father are absolutely at one in purpose. The Father is totally composed of spirit, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. His purpose or plan is to call individuals, regenerating them with His Spirit and instilling His changeless statutes into their minds, to transform them into members of His Family. We need to conform to the image of the Father Jesus revealed to us.

In this message directed to fathers, Martin Collins paints a dismal picture of fathers abdicating their leadership responsibilities, becoming addicted to workaholism, television, and in some tragic cases, internet pornography. Because so many fathers have done this, the entire civilization teeters on destruction (Malachi 4:6). The sermon explores (1) Fatherhood as an ideal, explemplified by biblical instructions and commands; (2) Failure of human fatherhood, caused by men giving in to temptation, including the biblical patriarchs; and (3) The portrayal of God as the perfect Father, neither indulgent, indifferent, nor harsh, but exercising perfect love. His trustworthiness provides an example all can follow.

Negative role models and failure to take responsibility characterize more and more fathers today. Mike Ford takes a hard look at why this is happening and what to do about it.