God's Mandate for Fathers

Many Local Churches have recently celebrated Fathers Day and Mothers Day. I am prompted to post a message, written Biblically from God's perspective, to Christian fathers. It is good to remind Christian fathers their God-given mandate (role and responsibilities) in Christian families. I believe many fathers take their fatherhood too lightly and many failed to fulfill their role and responsibilities toward their families. As you read on you'll discover that it is not easy to be a father if you are going to take God's mandate seriously. Someone said, to become a father is easy but to be a father is almost impossible.

Fatherhood on earth is an extension of Fatherhood in Heaven

Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus, "For this reason (seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ), I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named - (that Father) from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name" (Eph. 3:14, 15, The Amplified Bible, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Every fatherhood on earth is named after the Fatherhood of God in heaven. In other words, fatherhood is a projection on earth, the divine and eternal Fatherhood of God in heaven.

2. Before creation ever took place God was already a Father - the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The relationship of Fatherhood and Son-ship within the Godhead is eternal. Therefore fatherhood on earth is also eternally ordained. This revelation is of tremendous sanctity and importance.

Family on earth is an extension of the Family in Heaven

Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions; ..." (John 14:2, NKJV).

The word "house" in Scripture is never used to indicate a physical or material building. In Greek the word is "oikia" - means a home or a family. Jesus was telling us God has a heavenly Family.

Therefore from eternity two things are always true - God is a Father and Heaven is a Home. Our home-life on earth is an extension of the Family in Heaven. In fact our home-life is derived from the eternal being and nature of the Godhead.

The concept of headship and authority

Together with the concept of fatherhood there is another concept that is also eternal - the concept of headship.

Paul said, "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3).

Note the descending chain of authority - from God to woman and from eternity into time. God the Father is the Head of Christ eternally, Christ is the Head of the husband (male) and the husband is the head of the wife (female). Therefore the husband-wife relationship transcends time in this world. It is a projection in the Family Life of eternal relationship of God and Christ. This also gives us the pattern of authority.

Chain of authority in a family (home)

We all have authority by taking our right relationship in the above chain. Every chain of authority in the universe goes back to one source - God the Father.

In a home there will be God-ordained chain of authority when the husband is subject to Christ and the wife is subject to the husband. If either of these relationships is broken down the authority of the home is also broken down. If the husband is not subject to Christ he does not have the authority he should have; and if the wife is not subject to the husband she does not have the authority she should have.

The secret of authority is summed up by the Centurion whose servant was sick:

"For I also am a man placed under authority, having solders under me" (Luke 7:8, emphasis added).

The centurion didn't say he had authority, but said he was under authority. He knew that because he was under authority he had authority. He took his right place in the chain of authority. By saying the word "also" he revealed that he knew the concept of authority; and more importantly, Jesus was under the authority and headship of the Father!

When the husband is under the authority of Christ he has behind him the authority of Christ. Similarly when the wife is subject to her husband she has behind her the authority of the husband, which is the authority of Christ, which is the authority of God the Father. If the chain is broken at any point then authority in the family is broken down.

I believe this happens in majority of Christian homes today. This could be one of the reasons why Rick Warren wrote in his book "The Purpose Driven Life" - "Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, ofter broken by divorce, distance, ..." (Pg. 118).

Paradox in the husband-wife relationship

Many women object being told they should be in subjection to their husbands. They feel that this put them in a position of inferiority. But the truth is, subjection is not inferiority.

Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30).

There is complete unity between Jesus and the Father; He is equal to the Father. On the basis of what we are discussing, there is also complete unity between the wife and the husband - they are equal and they are one.

Later on Jesus said, "I am going to the Father for My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28, emphasis added).

So, there is an apparent paradox here; Jesus is equal to the Father and yet the Father is greater than Him! This paradox is resolved if we read what Paul said:

"Who (Jesus) being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:6, 7, emphasis added).

Exactly the same is true in the relationship between husband and wife - they are one and yet the wife is subject to the husband. Just like Jesus who is not inferior to the Father, the wife is also not inferior to her husband. If the wife loses the subjection she loses the unity; you can't have it both ways! This is the divine pattern of headship and subjection and it never changes.

Divine pattern for home-life

Paul said, "Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28).

Paul was talking about the "fullness of time" (time to the end). The Father through His eternal relationship with Christ has put everything under Christ. Then in the fullness of time, Christ will then turn around and put Himself again under the Father, so that in their relationship, God through Christ will be all in all throughout eternity.

This is a divine pattern for home-life. The husband should delight to honor his wife. He should do everything possible to "lift up" his wife, and make her feel respected and honored and esteemed. Likewise, the wife when she is treated that way should in turn gladly and willingly honor her husband's headship. The Christian home should be the closest thing to heaven made heavenly available on earth by God so that every home on earth should be a reproduction of the Father's Home in heaven.

The responsibilities and ministries of fathers

In every home, in every dispensation, every father by virtue of his fatherhood, has three specific ministries delegated by divine authority from which he cannot abnegate in the sight of God.

These three ministries are: Priest, prophet and king in this divine order.

1. Priest of his home. As priest he represents his family to God. His primary job is to pray and intercede for his family.

2. Prophet of his home. As prophet he does it the other way round - he represents God to his family. In other words, he stands between his family and God.

3. King of his home. As king he governs his family on behalf of God. He also provides for hie family.

No father can ever delegate the above responsibilities to the mother, to a pastor, a Sunder school teacher, a counselor, a youth worker or any other such persons.

Renegade and delinquent fathers

Today there are many renegade fathers. A renegade father is one who reneges from the three primary responsibilities ordained by God as head of his family - husband, father and a spiritual leader.

These three responsibilities may be seen in the life of Noah (Gen. 7) and Abraham (Gen. 18:17 - 19).

Someone said there is no such thing as delinquent children, but many delinquent fathers - delinquent fathers produce delinquent children. If your children fail you fail. You can be very successful in you job, you can be a senior Pastor, a president of many Banks, a sports star, but if you are not successful as a husband and a father in your home you are a failure in the sight of God. I believe both wife and children, in their hearts know a man ought to lead. Most women if they have to lead, they are forced to do so by default because men fail to fulfill their functions.

Result of the father's failure

When a father fails to fulfill his function ordained by God the result is a curse.

1. "You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity" (Deut. 28:41).

Because of a curse your children shall go into captivity and bondage of the occult and drugs.

2. "Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (Hosea 4:6).

Surely it is a terrible and dreadful thing if God forgets your children!

3. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4, 5).

Notice that the last word of the Old Testament is a curse. If God had not given us the New Testament His last word to the human race would be a curse. What will bring a curse? Failure of the father to maintain right family relationship! God demands the fathers to repent and turn their hearts back to their children.

God is merciful:

"And he (John the baptist) will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:16, 17).

Please also read my earlier posting "The Elijah Ministry" (1st. March 2005).

Promise of restoration foretold

Says the Lord, "As for Me, this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants, from this time and forevermore" (Isaiah 59:21, NKJV).

The Lord demands that Christian fathers filled with the Holy Spirit and heed His Word and submit to the Lordship of Christ.