Monday, July 9, 2012

The Forerunner Generation (Part 4)

Spiritual fathers have a burden to IMPART before they DEPART.  The relationship between a father and son goes beyond just submitting to counsel and correction or simply receiving encouragement and strength from a father.  Sons honor their father.  But honor goes beyond gifts or even submission to include a MEASURE OF DEPENDENCE.


Fathers have an urgency to make a deposit
in their sons' lives so they win the battle.


Just as we honor God by asking him to help us with every day challenges, spiritual sons honor their spiritual fathers by asking them for insight. We see this played out in 2 Kings 6 when the sons of the prophets came to Elisha looking for his blessing to go build their own place, but they wanted their spiritual father to go with them in case they needed him.  Indeed, when the young prophets lost their axe head in the river they turned to Elisha for some insight.  Elisha was able to help the young prophets retrieve what was lost.


In the development of the father/son relationship, a father will encourage a son to find their passion, creativity, and their sense of destiny and purpose.  A father will offer wisdom and encouragement to keep them moving forward because they are full of vision and anointing.  Father's simply provide a COMPASS.


Simply put...fathers lay FOUNDATIONS.  Fathers don't lord a title or office over their son, they GET UNDER them to push them to a higher dimension.  How do you ultimately honor your father?  You honor them by being a success!  Your success is their honor!  The greatest thing a son can do is to take what has been imparted to them and use it to EXPAND the KINGDOM.


The father/son model is an apostolic multi-generational movement.  In order for this Kingdom model to work, spiritual fathers must be willing to PROPEL their spiritual sons to greater heights!


One of two things will happen...

  1. We will either be like Elizabeth rejoicing over the birthing of a forerunner generation or...
  2. We will be like Rachael weeping over the loss of a whole generation.
If we're going to reach a FATHERLESS GENERATION, the church must carry a RELATIONAL CHRIST and represent the Father!