The Church & Fathers

#Fatherhood #Family #Church #Discipleship #Christianity #Calling

The church is part of the public square where humanity interconnects with the divine. While we can appreciate the handiwork of God in creation (Rivers, Mountains, Lakes, Seas, Oceans, etc.) The intimate personal revelation of Jesus Christ is given to the world through the ministry of the ones God has called out to serve in the world (The Church). Even more so than ever before, the church needs manly men to lead as Jesus led. The local church needs the example of godly men showing humility, grace, mercy, kindness, meekness, and honor.

From a biblical perspective, fatherhood has a simple yet poignant definition, "The position and authority of the father as the head of the family are expressly assumed and sanctioned in Scripture, as a likeness of that of the Almighty over his creatures."[1] While the role and calling of a father may be subject to cultural shifts and other societal accommodations, for Christian men, the call to fatherhood should remain as an expression of the ultimate Father—YHWH himself.

Fathers lead because they love and care. The charge for Christian men is to lead and love because God first loved us. Fathers love differently than moms, and that is a good thing. That is why healthy families are designed after the covenant given in Genesis 2:24. Fathers are a constant show of strength, dignity, diligence, stern resilience, strong compassion, and iron-clad love. The example of leadership and love that each father leads before their family leads the family to understand God's kind of love for the Church through Jesus Christ.

Fathers protect as God protects. No, you may not need to die to secure your wife, children, and grandchildren. Still, fathers are called to display an example of God's protection over the family. That encompasses the family's physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11:3, we see that God is the head of the Church, so the man is the head of the family. With the headship comes the noble and arduous task of protecting that which God has gifted to us (Our wives, children, grandchildren, etc.). This means so much more when we consider that the home is the epicenter of the discipleship journey. Fathers are the pastors of their homes.

Fathers point to the Father of All. Exodus 20:12 gives readers a clear indication of God's order for the home in covenant with his people (Israel). "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you"[2] While the specifics of the land apply aptly to the people of Israel, for readers today, the hope of God's provision for His children. God promises his people that when the upcoming generations honor those that have preceded them, there is a blessing. This is important as fathers come to share the work of God in their lives, the love of the marriage with the children's mother, and how even in the difficulties of life, God proves himself a faithful supplier of the family's needs. Fathers that follow Jesus Christ simply give God honor and glory by leading their family in all areas of life to the awareness that God alone holds the family together.

The local church needs faithful, strong, humble, meek men to lead; the children and youth of the communities where the local church works and lives need these men to show that biblical manhood, as exemplified by Christ, is far better than any other model the world has to offer.

Dads, what is your response?

[1] Smith’s Bible Dictionary, “Father.” [2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Ex 20:12). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.