Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Where Is Mine Honor?

May the Watchers Become Warriors

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a Father, where is mine honour? And if I be a Master, where is my fear?" Malachi 1:6a

I was reflecting last month how every spiritual problem we deal with has its roots in not knowing how to relate to God as our Father.  A number of recent conversations on fatherhood have only served to reinforce this observation.  Why do I say this?  Because the Father's remedy for man was to sacrifice His Son so that we could be reconciled to Him and know His ways (John 1:18; II Corinthians 5:19).  This is the answer for all mankind: to know the Father and be known by Him.

Last week, I was asked to speak on a blog talk radio show regarding the article "Biblical, Godly Authority", which caused a little stir amongst some Christians on Facebook.  What was the big deal?  Asserting that God's authority is patriarchal, stating that there is an order God has established for the home & church, and daring to contend that there is anything like "authority" in the Body of Christ to which we are called to submit.  Even some who said they heard and agreed with the talk show still contacted me to contest these same points again; demonstrating that they really didn't understand what was said at all.

There continues to be a blindness in man's heart as to what it means to know God as our Father and the key to this understanding is found in repentance.  It is not until we turn from sin (align our view of sin with God's) that we can know God in this way.  Unless we do, we will never be able to walk in God's perfect will for our lives.

God Himself wants to be honored as a Father.  Yet if we do not understand what this means, how can we offer Him the reverence He seeks from us?


God is a Patriarch

God is Our Father (Matthew 6:9).  He is the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6), the Father of lights (James 1:17), the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9), Father to the Fatherless (Psalms 68:5), the Father of mercies (II Corinthians 1:3), the Father of glory (Ephesians 1:17).   Jesus came to make the “Father” known (John 15:15). It is not until we are born again that we can recognize and receive God as our “Abba” (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).

God has set up the family in a particular order so as to reflect His character and authority as a Father.  Even the church of God is nothing more than a family; His family. This is why we call each other brother and sister.  All questions about order and authority in church fellowships are easily and only understood from that context.  Whether physical or spiritual, the family provides a living example whereby we can come to know God the Father more and understand how to relate to Him as His children.

All of the things we might associate with the role of a father, God fulfills. He loves us, sacrifices for us, takes us into His family and gives us His name, gives us an identity, protects us, provides for us, chastens us, raises us, gives us an inheritance...

There is significance in God revealing Himself to us in this way because this attribute of fatherhood reinforces the fact that He is the Originator of everything. The word "father" in the Greek is pater; it is the root for the word "patriarch" and even the word "family" (patria in the Greek). Pater means: "The generator, originator, transmitter, progenitor of anything". So every time we call God "Father", we are implicitly acknowledging Him as the Creator of all and over all.

Many will say, "I know God is my Father, so this doesn't apply to me." Yet, the fact that we do not honor God as a Father belies these proclamations.  How do we fail to honor Him?  By rebelling against His authority (Hebrews 12:5-10).

God's Authority is Patriarchal

authority:  Legal or rightful power; a right to command or act; dominion; jurisdiction.

The word "authority" has as its root the word author because what you author or create, you have authority over.  Since the Father is the Author of all, we know that He has authority over all. All authority belongs to Him.  Even Jesus came not in His own authority, but in that of the Father (Matthew 28:18).

This means:
  • The only type of authority which exists is that which is from God. Since God authors all, He has authority over all.  While there is such a thing as illegitimate authority, by definition such equates to being NO authority because it is unlawful. Satan for example operates in illegitimate authority. In essence he has no true authority; he is only able to do what God allows him to do.

  • This also means that all legitimate authority is patriarchal, because God is a Patriarch.

    patriarchal: of or pertaining to a patriarch, the male head of a family 

    The authority that comes from God will always bear His signature; it will reflect & reinforce His image as a Father.  We see this pattern throughout the Scriptures.  Adam was created first and Eve made a help meet for him.  In both in the Old & New Testaments, God raises up patriarchs to lead and forge His people.  Blessings and curses are passed down from the father; even man's sin nature is inherited from the first man.  The purpose for God doing this is not to glorify men, but as in all things, to bring our eyes back to Him.
All legitimate authority is patriarchal in nature because God is a Patriarch and all authority comes from Him as the Author of all.

Malachi Chapter 4 says that the spirit of Elijah will be sent with the express purpose of restoring patriarchy in the hearts of the people (the hearts of fathers & children being turned towards each other).  Why Elijah?  Because he is the one God used to confront the witchcrafts of Jezebel and her prophets when they turned the people's hearts away from God and sought to slay all those who were patriarchal in heart (I Kings 18:4, 13;  21:4-15). 

This prophecy about the spirit of Elijah was fulfilled in part when John the Baptist came.

"And he [John the Baptist] shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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 1:17

What is it that John the Baptist specifically did to restore patriarchy in the hearts of the people? He preached repentance.  This same message is the cry of the last days Church, because we are facing the same problems as then: a people enslaved by both unrighteous world systems and a harlot church ruled by leaders who hold back the truth in unrighteousness.  This is why the spirit of Elijah must be sent once more before the "great & dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5).

Repentance is the same thing as having a love for patriarchy (God's authority) restored in the heart. Repentance means to turn. When we repent, we are turning our hearts back to the Father; placing ourselves under His authority as Lord over our lives.

When Jesus & the disciples preached, "Repent!", they were commanding the people to turn their hearts back to the patriarchs - and in doing so to turn their hearts back to the supreme Patriarch, God the Father.

"Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Luke 3:8 

Examine the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). He initially rebelled against his fathers authority, rejecting it and preferring to live as he pleased. When he repented he "turned back" to the father and subjected himself to his father's authority. That is repentance; a turning of the heart back to the father.

Everything in regards to the faith which Jesus saw in the people - or which they lacked - He attributed to the presence (or lack thereof) of their love for, and knowledge of, the Father (John 5:23-47, John 8:27-55; John 14:9-20).

"They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." John 8:39-43

Do we see how God continues to equate honoring patriarchal authority in the earth as a barometer for whether we truly know God as we say we do? It is impossible for us to say we honor God, but then reject His authority and His order.

True Vs. False Authority

Any authority that is not from God - that is not patriarchal - is illegitimate.  This is a reason why a woman rides the beast!  It is not because women are evil or not spiritual.  It is because female headship is the exact opposite of God's authority.  The false church is matriarchal (whether represented visibly by female headship or by a castrated, effeminate man).

A patriarchal heart is endued by God with the desire & strength to fight, to protect, to lay down one's life, to serve, to stand for truth, to obey the Father, to see captives set free and reconciled to the Lord of Glory.

A matriarchal heart desires to be pampered, be told smooth things, live in "king's palaces", wear "soft clothes", be exalted, be served, use God for their own advantage, and bring people into bondage to themselves as lord's over His inheritance.

A major difference people noted about Jesus was that He spoke with authority, unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 7:29). One of the things this shows us is that it must be possible for people to recognize the difference between Godly authority and illegitimate authority. For a clear image of this, we can compare Jesus to the religious leaders of His day.

Patriarchal Authority False Authority
Jesus took no thought for His own life                     They sought to live a pampered life
Jesus glorified the Father They glorified themselves
Jesus came to serve The wanted to be served
Jesus was humble They were proud
Jesus was obedient to the Father They were hypocrites
Jesus honored the Scriptures They discounted or perverted them

While this list is not intended to be comprehensive, the model for patriarchal authority is seen in servanthood to others through giving one's life as a sacrifice to the Father.  Like the man in the home is called to lay down his life for his family, so are the elders in a church.  Responding to that authority is a faith issue, like it was for the Centurion who Jesus commended.  It’s not man-centered because patriarchal authority always brings our focus to the Father.  When we honor patriarchal authority, we are honoring God because He is at the root of all authority delegated to men.

Man and woman are equal before God and both made in His image,yet God created each for a different function & purpose. We are each by design given various talents and giftings which – when brought together (in an earthly family or the family of God) – manifest the glory of God. It doesn’t mean that women have no authority; it means that the authority a woman has comes from her being submitted to proper headship. Either man or woman being out of order not only perverts God’s image in the world, but it serves as spiritual cholesterol in blocking the flow of God’s Spirit to the people.

God has turned His heart to man by extending mercy through the preaching of repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ.  We turn our hearts back to Him when we repent from sin and believe/obey His words.  This is how we honor Him as our Father.

We cannot expect God's blessing while we are in rebellion and out of order in our homes and churches.  God is calling men after His own heart to rise up and take care of His people and He is also looking for Godly women who are able to undergird that authority

My family watched the movie Courageous last weekend and I was struck by how it built upon these principles.  Yet, it is a message few seemingly can hear.  I have included below some behind the scenes videos which discuss the motivation behind this movie, as well as specific quotes in that regard.

As stated in the lyrics to the song, "Courageous", may the watchers become warriors as the men of God arise.

"The issue of fatherhood transcends all classes and all races.  The importance of a father in the home is crucial to the health of the family structure."

"The reason that kids are like they are in school and the way they are in society is because the family unit is broken down and when the father is not there, everything else begins to crumble."

"What we need in our society today and in our churches are strong men who stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Courageous in many respects is calling to the part of men that want a battle to fight, a cause to stand for."

"Our hope is that this movie will result in kids in the next generation knowing the love of their earthly father, and in so doing discovering about the love of their Heavenly Father, but having a sense of identity, having a sense of security because they know who they are and they have the blessing of their father in their life."

"We want to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and that is why we are doing this movie."


7 comments:

  1. This was such a wonderful post!! My heart is filled with joy and thanksgiving as I think about our Father!!

    The truth is that women feel secure when a man is around and is standing up for what is right. When she can look to him for provision and protection. I discussed this not long ago about girls and the bad boy syndrome. A lot of girls go for the bad boy type, not because they like men who commit crimes, etc... But because these type of men exhibit confidence and exhibit something that seems like power. It's like you know that if push came to shove the bad boy would protect you. He is respected in the streets and he stands his ground(though it is the wrong ground)

    Women love men that are not afraid and that are COURAGEOUS!! It just does something to us!! :) We love men that are strong, not weak and effiminate. That is why I love God our Father, because He is strong and mighty and VICTORIOUS in battle!! I am in awe of His glory and majesty!!

    Sis I am getting happy just typing this!! May we all unite in prayer that the hearts be turned back to the Father and that we all get in our role and live out that which He has called us to!!

    Much Love!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Stephanie,

    That is so true! I had never thought of the whole "bad boy" thing in that light, but I do believe you are right. Women innately are looking for men to be men, to be courageous, to stand for something, to fight for something...and of course, the only thing that fits the bill is to have that "something" be the Lord.

    Contrarily, there is nothing sadder than to see a castrated man who is weak, unable to stand for truth, and kowtowing behind a woman.

    Being unsaved and in the world, that is exactly the type of man you look for; someone who you can control and who does your bidding. BUT IT IS TIME TO GET THAT SPIRIT OUT OF THE CHURCH!!! Both the whorish, manipulating woman and the lust-filled, weak man.

    I believe that as the spirit of Elijah comes forth to confront those wicked spirits of Jezebel & Ahab, God's holy fire will fall - just as it did in Elijah's day.

    Amen sister! May we submit to the Father of spirits and live & stop kicking against the pricks claiming to be doing God's work while being really in rebellion against Him.

    God's hand is not too short to save, but we must come to Him on His terms. He is not going to change to adopt to our opinions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hello sisters~
    amen to what you have said. ever since i saw that clip "bully boys" i've been renting little house on the prairie for my daughters to watch. i bring this up because when it comes to manly men, charles ingalls is the kind of man, husband, and father that made his family feel honored to have him in their lives. i contrast him with nells oleson, who was a henpecked, spineless, man who had unruly children and an odious wife.

    as a matter of fact i was considering doing a comparison about the two families on my own blog extolling the virtues of one and denouncing the vices of the other.

    may we continue in prayer and example before our husbands and children that they may be all that the Father created them to be in Christ Jesus.

    joyful saint

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Joyful Saint,

    I completely agree! That show exhibited pretty well the effects such has on the whole family (wife & children). Someone else brought up the same points about James Evans Sr. and Cliff Huxtable.

    It surely takes each individual to take their own walks with the Lord seriously. I join you in that prayer, that we would each commit to being a Godly example for our husbands and children.

    Also, I just got your message and will be calling you back in about 2 hours of that works for you.

    Much love in Christ sister!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Man and woman are equal before God and both made in His image,yet God created each for a different function & purpose. We are each by design given various talents and giftings which – when brought together (in an earthly family or the family of God) – manifest the glory of God. It doesn’t mean that women have no authority; it means that the authority a woman has comes from her being submitted to proper headship. Either man or woman being out of order not only perverts God’s image in the world, but it serves as spiritual cholesterol in blocking the flow of God’s Spirit to the people."

    I couldn't have worded it any better. As I continuously ask the Lord to purge me from all unclean spirits, I am forever grateful to see the spirit of Jezebel falling off like dead weight. So much beauty and honor comes from being submissive to the Father and then to His authority on earth. I am learning each day how refreshing it is to develop more and more into womanhood, the way He designed it to be.

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. i grew up reading harlequin and historical romance novels as a young girl, i dont recommend anyone doing that,and one of the main things i took away from those books were the strong alpha male characters especially in the black historical romance books i got into later on in life.i came away from those books "fantasy stricken" as pastor price would say but i also recognized that there were no men like that in my sphere of existence and i mean men with strong ethical,good moral character and good understanding and wisdom, a man who has honor and carries himself with respect and keeps his word even to his own hurt and knows and appreciates the true value/worth of a virtuous woman. at one time i would even pray that before i died i would like to at least set eyes on a godly man of strength and valor even if i would never have one for my husband because i knew that what i was seeing around me and especially in the church were not men as GOD intended. from study of the word and what the HOLY SPIRIT was teaching me on becoming a virtuous woman and what a man of valor, honor and godly strength is i didnt see the counter part to this proverbs 31 woman anywhere this really saddened me and left me feeling a little confused and "throwed off" if you know what i mean especially since i have a soon to be 16 year old daughter who one day hoped to marry a godly man.i agree with pastor price that there is nothing out there to marry (without divine intervention) i have been praying for her mate since her birth but i recently informed her that our LORD may return before marriage and if not it would definitely have to be HIS intervention for her to have a true husband.marriage for our daughter's aside i believe we as christian women need to hear the ancient call for the mourning women and answer. we need to stay before the throne of GOD with prayer, supplication and lamentation for godly male leadership and authority to be restored to the church. in my heart i so deeply desire this and believe to see a man as GOD intended is to see the face of GOD just as the apostles and ancient saints saw the face of GOD in the person of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.it would rejoice my heart to see men walk in the character of CHRIST what safety, peace, provision and strength etc. etc. would be had by the church at large and each sister who's blessed to be their wives and daughters.it does little good to ask males to become something they have no idea about, we need to pray effectually and fervently for them as well as for women that we become she whose value is far above rubies and posses the spirit that is of great price in the sight of GOD.if both male and female would become what was intended by GOD then our HEAVENLY FATHER would greatly recieve HIS honor. the old saints used to have a saying when only GOD could fix it and that is... it's praying time.. and i whole heartedly agree.may GOD help us all as none of us are as we should be and may we all hold the bride up before the highest and only true throne there is that we be found without spot, wrinkle, or blemish, may the Almighty arrange all aspects of our lives to achieve HIS will and recieve glory and honor unto HIMSELF. amen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow,wow,wow. Bless God for this blog.

    This message is so true, God indeed is our Father and we need to revere Him as such. His Love is unfailing and will never leave us. We keep thinking of God as our sugar daddy, one we can milk and use as we please, but He is nothing like that. God is Nurturing, Building, Compassinate, Strong and All Powerful, He corrects us and is involved in every Intricate detail of our lives so we can give Him and Him alone the Glory.

    I was taken aback at church when one of our pastors said "we should not confine God to being a male or female...." I was like What? God is our Father, He is a patriach and that will never change. Next thing they will be encouranging people to say our Father/Mother who art in Heaven,Hallowed be thy name (craziness).

    Thank you for your obedience, these blogs help to shape me to be a woman of God that He desires me to be.

    Stay blessed.

    ReplyDelete

In an effort to reduce the amount of spam received, Anonymous posts will no longer be accepted. Comments are still moderated and will appear once approved.

If you have a personal message to relay, please use the "Contact Us" form at the top of the blog. Thank you!