31.  FOUNDATIONAL TEACHINGS BASED  ON  HEBREWS   6: 1-2

1. The writer of Hebrews was disgusted with milk drinking Christians: He wanted them to be meat eating mature ‘teachers’. Meat does not mean mutton, it means solid food, which needs chewing. We need to discuss and dialogue the Scriptures for better understanding and not just swallow it like milk. There are six foundational principles, which are launching pad for further maturity. Jesus Himself being the foundation. (Heb 5:12, Acts 17:11, 1Cor 3:10-17, Eph 2:20)

2. Repentance from dead works: Jews and gentiles sought salvation by offering dead sacrificial animals and fulfilling other religious rituals. Both John and Jesus preached “repent for the kingdom of God is nigh”. Idols are not just statues and images but everything that takes precedence over God. Idols reside in our hearts. Being sorry and cutting all umbilical connection with our past sins is the first foundational principle of Christianity. (Matt 3:2, 4:17, Ez 14:3-11, Luke 24:47,  1John 1:7-9)

3. Faith in the living God: Repentance must be followed by converting our hearts from the temple of the idols, to the temple of the living God. Our hearts and our mouths must resonate our faith to secure our salvation. Faith is believing in the promises of God. Professing and acting on them affirms our loyalty. (Act 20:21, Eph 2:5,  Rom 10:9-10)

4. Doctrine of baptisms: Jews and Gentiles practiced many forms of purifications, ablutions, sprinkling and washings etc.

5. The Hebrew word ‘Tabal’ for baptism is neither total immersion nor sprinkling but ‘dipping’, just as the priest dipped his finger in the bowl to sprinkle blood to sanctify others. Unlike the foundational principles of repentance and confession of faith, baptism is not obligatory as “salvation is by grace through faith and not by any works and the just shall live by faith “. Like the first convert on the cross, millions of un-baptized believers will be in heaven, hence the church must not be legalistic and reduce it to a ritual. But whenever possible, like Jesus, we should be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. (Rom 1:17, Eph 2:8, Gal 2:16)

6. Laying on of hands began with the sinner laying hands on the sacrificial animal. It is transferring: 1. Blessing (Matt 19:13), 2. Healing (Mark 7:32), 3. Impartation (Acts 8:16-17, 19:6), 4. Ordination (Acts 6:6, 1Tim 4:14), 5. Sending apostolic ministers (Acts 13:3), 6. Stirring up gifts (2Tim 1:6)

7. Resurrection: The assurance of life after death separated the Christians from the heathen, who had no hope and no future. The Sadduccees and the Athenian intellectuals rejected it. Christian foundational doctrine clearly teaches that those in Christ will rise up to eternal life, while the sinners will go to eternal damnation. (Acts 24:15, John 5:29)

8. Eternal Judgment: We will judge others based on our faithfulness and fruitfulness. Unprofitable Christians will also be condemned. The consequences are eternal. (Matt 25:29-30, Dan7:22, 1Cor 6:2,3, Rev 24:4)

32.  ATTRITION TO ACCRETION

1. Research shows that western churches suffer high attrition rate: Event oriented ministries like crusades, film, radio/TV and literature distribution, have a dismal track record due to poor mentoring. Inflated figures are not attrition but pure dishonesty.

2. But NT church planting movements are led by type l & II grassroots level leaders: Type III are Master trainers. Type  IV are regional leaders and Type V are national & international leaders.

3. Church planting movement (CPM’s) depends mainly on the leadership qualities of the Type I who leads a house church and the Type II who is a cluster leader. (Acts 4:13)

4. There is poor communication linkage between top western church leaders who acquire ‘book culture’ in the comfort of classrooms. But non/semi-literate church planters belong to the oral tradition who get practical experience in the school of hard knocks. Ill-equipped arrogant leaders especially at the top cause severe attrition. (1Tim 3:6)

5. The church commits violence to the local culture by asking new believers to discard cultural symbols of marriage, clothes, food, and even names and does not utilize all the noble things of their religions. This is a major cause of attrition. (Acts 21:25, Phil. 4:8)

6. Jews heard the Pentecostal message in their native language: Communicating in ‘market language’ and not in ‘heart language’, causes attrition. Non-literates need to be converted into ‘Oral Bibles’ in their dialect. (Acts2:11)

7. Jesus did not teach anything without parables: Instead of reproducing interesting stories from the Bible, we expound theology through non-reproducible sermons. (Matt 13:34-35)

8. Process orientation: Processing disciples through focused intercession, spiritual warfare, abundant gospel sowing, baptizing, equipping, sending, continued monitoring and mentoring have better accretion of churches than event oriented ministries. (1Cor 9:24)

9. The modern church is busy milking the old goats: However, the NT church is busy feeding the new lambs, until they are mature and ready to multiply. Conversions result in persecution, unless churches go under the radar screen to avoid attrition. (1Cor 14:23-25)

10. Non-participatory churches with a dominant male leadership style, hinder the maturing of sheep to reproduce. Flocking new sheep into old wineskins causes attrition. (Matt 9:17)

11. Attrition is a self-inflicted disease: Lack of research leads to ignorance of the true attrition rate. Course correction includes capacity building of all game players in the CPM. (Acts 20:20)

12. When all believers, including the newcomers come together and participate in apostolic teaching, koinonia or fellowship and pray together with one accord, then signs and wonders take place. They give joyfully to the needy and support the apostles and break bread from house to house. Then the Lord adds to their numbers daily, resulting in the church transiting from attrition into daily addition. (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35, 16:5)

33.  PERSECUTION

1. Martyrs go to heaven: John saw a huge crowd from every tribe and tongue in front of the throne, worshipping God who were killed in the tribulations. They did not belong to any denominational church structure and many were not even baptized. (Rev 7:14)

2. Jesus was the most persecuted: He was a man of sorrows, rejected and acquainted with grief. He was bruised and afflicted so badly that people could not bear to his face. He suffered all this for our transgressions. We are healed by his stripes. (Is 53:2-5)

3. Persecution guaranteed: Jesus said if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. Peter says that the very appellation of a Christian should attract persecution. Paul said – all who serve Christ will suffer persecution. (John l5:20, 2Tim 3:12, 1Pet 4:l-2, 12-19)

4. Persecution leads to multiplication: The killing of Stephen, the first Christian martyr and the resulting outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem resulted in the believers fleeing and planting hundreds of churches in many cities. (Acts 8:1, 11:19-20)

5. All Apostles died martyrs’ death: Philip was hanged in Phrygia. Mathew was killed in Ethiopia. James was thrown down from the pinnacle of the temple. Mathias was beheaded. Andrew was crucified. Paul was killed in Rome and Peter was crucified upside down. John died in prison in the Island of Patmos, aged 92 years old. Millions of saints have become martyrs since then and still dying at the rate 160,000 every year.

6. There are many kinds of persecution: 1. by hostile governments, media and fundamentalists. 2. By other Christians who think their doctrines & traditions are superior to others (Mark 7:8). 3. “self-inflicted” – caused by open air crusades, noisy worship and publicizing exaggerated reports leading to violence. 4. no persecution, because the compromised church has lost its salt and light and the Devil does not think it worth his while to bother it.

7. Persecution precipitates prayer: When disciples were tortured by the temple authorities, they prayed for boldness, power, signs and wonders. (Acts 4:29-31)

8. Advocacy: Paul and Silas were brutally beaten and unlawfully imprisoned. Their prayer resulted in the conversion of the jailor. They also claimed their citizens rights. Our advocacy, includes prayer and help for the persecuted but we should also use our constitutional rights to get justice. (Act 16:23-40, 2Tim 2:l2)

9. Persecution proofing: Sporadic violence is steadily increasing but real persecution is yet to come. Persecution proofing should be part of training of every Christian. (Matt 24:2-30)

10.Lack of persecution stagnates the church: The Devil is not going to give away on a platter the kingdom he has usurped by deception. However, the gates of hell cannot stop the advance of the kingdom of Jesus. Rather it launches the kingdom further into enemy territory. (Matt 16:18, Dan 2:25-27)

34. PAUL’S 5 – FOLD  STRATEGY FOR  WORLD EVANGELISM

1. Research: (Acts 17:16-34) Paul acted on strategic information resulting in systematic, and rapid expansion of the church. In Athens he collected 1.Harvest field data (v18) about the demographic structure of Jews, Greeks, Stoics and Epicureans. 2. He collected the  harvest force data (v17) about Messianic Jews and the proselytes.  3. He visited heathen temples and conducted spiritual mapping (v23) of the idolatrous city. 4. He studied their worldview (v22&28), culture, scriptures. 5. He also studied their redemptive history (v23) and found out about the unknown god. His talk at the Mars Hill was a masterpiece of research-based contextualized preaching. He left Athens only after planting a church (v34).

2. Spiritual warfare: Wherever Paul went he was confronted with the strongholds, which he assaulted. He invaded the synagogues and released Jews to build his harvest force. In Cyprus he blinded Elymas the sorcerer. In Ephesus it was the spirit of Diana. In Philippi it was the Python spirit and so on. Plundering the house of the strongman, helped in finding the ‘persons of peace’ and churches being planted in their homes. (Acts 13:6-12&43, 19:24-41, 16:16-34, Matt 12:29-30)

3. Prayer saturation: Paul prayed in spirit but also ‘informed prayer’ with his mind, relentlessly night and day, often with tears, for his disciples and the gentiles. He solicited prayers for effective doors to be opened. (1Cor 14:14-15, Col 1:9, 4:3, 1Thes 5:17,)

4. Discipleship chain: This was a passion within Paul, a seminary trained pastor. He set up a discipleship chain and asked Timothy “the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2Tim 2:2). Here Paul set up a four level discipleship chain: Paul being the first, Timothy second, ‘faithful men’ being the third and ‘others’ being the fourth. Through this formula of small group dynamics and free flowing interaction with the leaders, Paul turned the world upside down. (Acts 17:6)

5. Saturation church planting: Chain discipling resulted in rapid penetration of the gospel. Paul’s disciples became instant preachers who could preach in and out of season, exhort and rebuke. They were willing to endure persecution. He himself made it his aim to preach where the gospel had not been preached before, thus reaching three continents, from Jerusalem in Asia to lllyricum in Europe and to Melita in the vicinity of Africa. (2 Tim 4:2, Acts 15:19, 28:1-10)

6. Paul and his disciples went from house to house and shared the whole wisdom of God resulting in the whole Mediterranean area being saturated with house churches. He along with his disciples appointed elders, bishops and deacons in the church. His ministry resulted in the churches being strengthened in faith and grew in numbers daily i.e. there was both qualitative and quantitative growth of the churches daily. (Tit 1:5, 1Thes 1:8, Acts 16:5, 20:20, 27-28)

35.   JESUS : PROCESS PERSON AND NOT EVENT ORIENTED

1. The Mission: Jesus had a specific agenda to fulfill, which was to demolish the gates of Hell and establish the kingdom of God, here on earth. He created the church to fulfill this agenda. (Matt 16:18,19, John 10:10)

2. Strategic Recruitment: is the key for success in any enterprise. Jesus needed people willing to work hard under harsh and hostile situations. He rejected the soft, scholarly, Temple generation and instead chose the hard working, risk taking, non-iterate fishermen. (Matt 4:18-22, Mk 3:13-19)

3. Catching Fish is a Skill: Jesus promised to make His disciples fishers of men and not cognitive, systematic, analytical theologians, who suffer from a huge skills deficit, when it comes to converting a sinner into a saint. He taught them practical skills directly in the harvest field, in the school of hard knocks rather than in the comforts of a class room. Jesus sent His disciples 2 by 2 to find the persons of peace and start a church planting movement through miracles. (Luke 10:1 -9)

4. Effective Discipling: Discipling is not a set of lectures. It is mentoring and modeling. It is life driven and relational. Jesus went with His disciples and shared a common lifestyle with them. He called His disciples His brothers and sisters. Paul says, you may have many teachers but I am your spiritual father. Discipling is imitating a mentor who imitates Jesus. (1Cor 4:15, 11:1, Matt 12:49-50)

5. Instant Baptism: The Pharisees accused Jesus of baptizing more than John the Baptist (John 4:1). All baptisms in the NT took place on the same day The only conditions required are that they repent of their sins and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Not baptizing immediately can lead to a huge loss of harvest. (Acts 2:37-41 , Rom 10:9-10, 1John 1:7-9)

6. Mandatory Flocking: Jesus clearly defined that church planting is a process. Preaching, teaching, baptizing, equipping and sending, appointing elders and reporting, must be done sequentially. Otherwise there will be arrested growth and even attrition. He said that, he who gathers is with me and he who scatters is against me. Finally, Jesus will send forth His angels, to gather His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth. (Luke 10:1-9, John 10:l6, Matt 12:28-30, Acts 14:23, 26, Mark 13:27)

7. Evaluation: Any enterprise established to accomplish a specific purpose must periodically undergo a process of evaluation, to see its effectiveness and the quality of its product. A fisherman who is not catching any fish will lose his livelihood and a sheep that is not reproducing, will be sold to the butcher. Jesus was evaluated by John on the basis of His mission statement in the Nazarine manifesto. (Luke 4:18-19, Matt 11:1-6)

8. Church planting is not a series of haphazard events, but a well-planned process, requiring multitasking skills. Effective discipling should lead to numerical growth of the church and geographical expansion of the kingdom.

36. WHAT JESUS SAID AND DIDN’T SAY

1. Sunday worship: Jesus did not say that you worship only on Sundays. Everyday his disciples went two by two, planted churches, broke bread and shared the whole wisdom of God, from house to house and the Lord added to the church daily those being saved. (Acts 2:46-47, 20:20, Heb 3:13)

2. Professional priest: Jesus did not ask you appoint qualified professional pastors. He ordained priesthood of all believers. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to equip his church. (John 10:12-13, 1Pet 2:5, 9, Eph 4:11-12)

3. Holy communion: Jesus never said that only the pastors can serve bread and wine. He served roast lamb, bread, bitter herbs and wine for the last supper. His disciples shared community meals whenever they met in his remembrance. (Ex 12:8, 1Cor 11:20-26)

 

4. Tithing: Jesus did not say that you should tithe. His disciples opened their homes and brought their possessions to the feet of apostles so that no one lacked anything. (Matt 23:23, Acts 4:32-34, Deut 8:17-18)

5. Buildings: Jesus did not say that you should build churches. He said God does not live in houses made with human hands because heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool. Jesus said you are the temple of the living God. (Acts7:48-49, 2Cor 6:16)

6. Baptism: Jesus did not say that only pastors can baptize. Jesus said you go and make disciples and baptize them. (Matt 28:19)

7. Marry and bury: Jesus did not say that the pastor should marry and bury. He said let the dead bury the dead, you go and raise the dead. (Luke 9:60, Matt 10:8, Eph 5:25)

8. Church program: Jesus did not say follow your church program and become a member. Jesus said follow me and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt 4:19, 1Cor 11:1)

9. Revival meetings: Jesus did not ask you to organize crusades and conventions. He will not judge you on the basis of large crowds or the wonderful worship and beautiful music. You will be judged on your fruitfulness and what you did for the least of the world. (Matt 25:3-46, 18:3-6,  Is 58:6-9)

10. Women: Jesus did not say that only men can talk in the church and the women should cover their head and keep quiet. He discussed the theology of worship with the Samaritan woman, let Martha interrupt his teaching, the bent woman to stand in front in the synagogue and the Syro-phoenician woman to argue with him in public. (1Cor. 14:29-31 , Luke 10:40, Mark 7:24-30)

11.Ordination: Jesus did not say that you are just a layperson. He bought you with his blood and ‘ordained’ you priest and king. As a royal priest, you are to make disciples, baptize, equip fishers of men and reign on earth. (John 15:16, Rev 5:9-10, 1Pet 2:9)

37.  FROM MODERN CHURCH  TO THE N.T. MODEL

1. Replace professional clergy with the priesthood of all believers with authority to baptize, break bread and equip fishers of men. Replace clergy domination by submitting to one another. Encourage, comfort, exhort, admonish, edify, serve, pray and love one another. Replace seminary training and accreditation by theologians and start church-based, hands-on training by practitioners in the harvest field like the Paul and Timothy model. (2Tim 2:2, Gal 5:13, Eph 4:2, 15, John 13:34-35, 1Pet 2:9)

2. Replace Church buildings with sharing the whole counsel of God from house to house. Replace barren churches with disciple making, multiplying house churches. The Bride must not remain barren, but reproduce and fill the earth. Replace all prayer cells, brothers & sisters’ meetings, Sunday schools etc. with house-churches. They must disciple, baptize, break bread & equip missionaries. (1Cor 16:19, Col 4:15, Acts 1:8, 1Cor 9:19-30, Acts 7:48-49, 20:20, 27, Mark 11:17)

3. Replace Sunday program with daily informal gatherings: The Bride must have intimacy with her Lord daily and not once a week lest she become unfaithful. (Acts 2:46-47, Heb 3:13)

4. Replace tithing with sharing the enormous financial resources and talents available in Christian homes. (Deut 8:17-18, Acts 5:32-34)

5. Replace the “crumb and sip” holy Communion with simple “agape meals” eaten together with gladness of heart from house to house. (Acts 2:46, 1Cor 11:20-23)

6. Replace loud temple music and professional musicians with speaking to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart. (Eph 5:19, Col 3:16)

7. Replace the sermon oriented spectator church to interactive church where everyone participates. (1Corl4:26-3l, Acts17:11)

8. Replace organizational and denominational head Quarters, which administer through remote control with citywide network of house churches.  (Rom 16:3-15)

9. Replace purposeless haphazard church with one which has well planned goal-driven strategy, resulting in saturation church planting movement. (Rom. 15:20, Acts 16:5)

10.Replace all reverends, CEOs, secretaries and other non-biblical titles with ‘master builders’ like apostles, prophets, elders etc. Change from a dead organization to a living organism. (1Cor 3:10, Eph 4:11, Titus 1:5-9)

11.Transform all selfish goats, who are members for hatching, matching and dispatching, into sheep who take care of the poor and the least of this world, who heal the sick, raise the dead and plunder the strongholds (Matt 11:12, 25:31 -46, 12:29, 1John 4:4,  Rev 21:8)

38.  THINGS TO KNOW. THINGS TO DO

1. You are separated from God:

2. I have sinned against God in thought, word and deed (action). Illustration: When I stand before the Holy God and he shows me the long list of wrong things I have done, what will he say? Guilty! And the punishment? Separation forever. (Rom 3:23, 6:23, Heb 9:27) But there is Good News for me: The Lord Jesus loves me so much that he died for me. (Gal 2:20, John 3:16)

3. Now there are just two things to do:

4. Be sorry for the wrong things you have done that with God’s help you will not do them again. Instead of living your own life, doing what you want to do, God now wants you to live a life that pleases him. It involves a change of mind, heart, will and lifestyle.

5. God commands all men everywhere to repent. He has promised that if you confess all your sins and repent, then he is able to wash all your sins with His own blood and make you a new creation. (1 John 1:7-9, 2 Cor. 5:17)

6. You have a choice: To obey or disobey God? (Acts17:30)

7. Receive Jesus Christ as your lord and savior: Jesus is at the door of your life. If you will open your heart, he will come in to live within you. Are you ready now to receive Jesus into your life? (John 1:12, Rev 3:20) In prayer, thank God and promise him, to love him, live for him, obey him and serve him all the days of your life in the fellowship of his Church. You must turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (1Thess 1:9-10, Rom 10:9-10)

8. Five things to help you grow in the lord:

9. Read my bible every day: Just as a baby needs milk, so I need to feed on God’s word, each day, asking the lord to help me to understand it and do what it says. Simple obedience to the lord and his word. (1Peter 2:2)

10. Pray every day: Jesus prayed all the time and teaches us to do the same. The prayer he taught his disciples is a good model. (Matt 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4)

11. Have fellowship with others who know and love the lord Jesus. It is best to do it in your own home with your family. Read the Bible together, each one pray and help each other to grow in the Lord. (Heb 10:24-25)

12. Tell others about Jesus: Start praying for your relatives, friends and neighbours. Ask the Lord to help you to tell them what he has done for you. Share with them “two things to know, two things to do”. Pray with them and help them to receive the Lord. (Matt 4:19-20, 28:19-20, 2Tim 2:2)

13. Keep a pure heart. “By guarding it according to your word I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. (Psalm 119:9&11)

39.  STEPS TO CHURCH PLANTING: LUKE  10

1. Goal: To reap the harvest. The problem: Laborers are few. Job description: Search and destroy the strongman, find the man of peace, plant a church, equip laborers and send.

2. Go two by two: Do not take excess baggage. You are going as lambs among the wolves. Go quietly and spy the land. Prayer-walk! Waste no time greeting others. (Luke 10:1-4)

3. Bind the strongman: Plunder all the strongholds, the centers of demonic activity and release those in bondage to the Devil’s agent, called the strongman. (Matt 12:28-30)

4. Find the house of peace: Finding the “shalom bayit,” or the “house of peace”, is central to the strategy of church planting. This house will become the “house of prayer” for all nations. (Mark 11:17)

5. Eating not meeting: Bless every family (Genesis 12:3) until the “person of peace” welcomes you. Eat and stay there. Do not go from house to house of non-believers but share the whole wisdom of God in Christian homes. (Matt 10:5, Luke 10:5-8, Acts 20:20)

6. Spiritual warfare: Like Cornelius and Lydia, the “persons of peace” will gather their ‘oikos’ (friends and relations). First, expel demons and pray for the sick and then preach. (Matt 10:8, Mark 16:17, Luke 10:17)

7. Now make disciples: Jesus modeled lifestyle discipling by living with his disciples. Jesus taught his disciples by casting out demons, healing the sick, helping the needy and laying down one’s life for the sinner.

8. Bring them to repentance: The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart, which he will not despise. All generational curses must be broken. (Psalm 51.17)

9. Baptize without delay: In the New Testament times, they took “bath of purification” anywhere, like the Ethiopian in a pond, Lydia in a river, and Cornelius at his home. No clergy is needed for this.

10.Teach obedience: Hebrews 6:1-2 gives the syllabus of six essential topics for foundational teaching, which includes, repentance from dead works, faith towards God, doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment. Teaching must lead to “Apostolic Conversion” challenging people to make disciples and plant churches. (Luke 24:47, Ps 51:17, Acts 1:8)

11.Share material blessings: New Believers must learn to share their material blessings from day one. Ask them to open their homes to be a blessing to others. Offerings should be brought at the feet of the apostles for distribution to the poor. (Acts 4:32-35, 5:2)

12. Start a house church with an open format based on 1Corinthians 14: 26-31. Start a Church planting movement. (Matt 18:18-20)

13.Equip and send: Equipping and sending the saints should result in strengthening, numerical growth and geographical expansion of the church. (John 7:l8, 2Tim 2:2)

40.  FATHERHOOD

1. God is holy, omniscient and omnipotent but Jesus introduced Him to us as a loving and caring Father who loves His children.

2. A Biblical father Loves his children, teaches them the laws and the statutes of God, rules over them, provides for them and nurtures them to maturity. God does not encourage rulership of women. (1Tim 3:4-5, 5:8, Prov 17:6, Isa. 3:12)

3. God only talks about fatherless children, not motherless children. There is a very special relationship between the father and his descendants. Jesus taught us to pray corporately to “Our Father “. (James 1:27)

4. Paul says that you may have ten thousand teachers but I am like your spiritual father. John addressed the believers as children, sons and fathers. (1Cor 4:15, 1John 2:12-14)

5. The Scripture says, ‘unto us a child is born, a son is given who is our everlasting Father’. Jesus was born a helpless baby. Lived a secular life of a son, providing for his family as a carpenter and fathered twelve apostles. (Is 9:6)

6. Jesus patterned His church on the family. The NT churches were ‘oikos’ or extended household churches that met in homes. Although the modern church is obsessed with ‘leaders’, the word does not exist in the NT, but fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and brethren. Compelling over-churched believers to go to church can make them religious but not necessarily spiritual. (Rom. 16 : all)

 

7. The seminaries produce leaders but no fathers. Fathers must teach their children all the Scriptures, while they are sitting down, walking or lying down. (2 Kings 2:12, Deut 6:4)

 

8. Children imitate their fathers. Jesus said, ‘I am about my Father’s business. As I see the Father, so I do’. Fathers are role models. (Luke 2:49, John 8:28, 38, 10:30, 1Cor. 11:1)

 

9. Family is the prime target of the enemy. Single parenting, an absentee father, busy at his job, hobby, even in ministry, results in dysfunctional families and rebellious children. (Heb 12:15)

10. God commands fathers to honor their own parents, love their wives, not to provoke their children and have a right relationship with their servants and masters. God takes relationships very seriously and has threatened to smite the earth with a curse for breaking relationships in our extended family. (Eph 5:28, 6:2-4, Mai 4:6)

 

11.Church leaders keep believers in perpetual bondage but apostolic fathers release their children to multiply as soon as they reach maturity. Jesus said, As the Father has sent me, so I send you ‘ (2 Tim 2:2, John 17:18)

 

12. Preachers/teachers, like uncles/aunties only bring good news but apostolic fathers come with authority to restructure communities and transform nations. (Eph 2:19-20, 1Cor 4:15-21)

 

13.  Father heart of God yearns for the return of the prodigal fathers but first they must confess, repent and reconcile with their prodigal sons. The healing of the nations depends on the healing of the families. (Jer 29:11, 2Chron7:l4)