MESSAGE: THE MINISTRY OF A FATHER
MINISTERING: PST DR. RAF OTONO
Text: Gen 17:5-7
Date: 18th June 2023
Fatherhood is a calling and a ministry. Not every seed giver is a father.
It is a calling or graduation from manhood to husband-hood to fatherhood.
God created a man (Adam) and gave him a wife (Eve) before he became a father.
Why is fatherhood a ministry? A ministry is the vehicle through which you serve.
Ministry in Hebrew is – Sharath = Serve or service
God created the male to display fatherhood on earth and service the earth– that is why it is under severe attack!
The greatest attack on earth is the attack on fatherhood. The importance of fathers has been trivialized and downplayed by our generation and that is satan’s agenda.
Time magazine did an article titled “Father is destiny” – that means without a father a child’s destiny can be altered negatively.
In the article it was also stated that – the absence of fathers is linked to multiple social nightmares like boys with guns and girls with babies. – That means if the issue of fatherlessness is sorted crime and teenage pregnancy is sorted.
A great America author by the name David Blankenhorn wrote a book titled Fatherless America and in it he said and I quote “Fatherlessness is the most destructive trend of our generation”
It is the mother of drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and gang related crimes (These kids never had a father figure to look up to, to train, discipline, correct and love them so they are looking for love outside and fall into all manner of crimes.
So, the question is WHO IS A FATHER? and why is father so important?
The word father is derived from the Hebrew word ABBA and the Greek word PATER and it literally means source, progenitor
The highest honor God ever gave or placed on anything He created is the word Father! how? Because that is also who He (GOD) is. He is the Father of lights and everything that exist.
That means the male or man is created and designed by God to be the father of the human family.
God the Father – Ultimate source= out of Him came everything
Male/man the father – source = out of him came the female – 1 Cor 11:8NKJV
Watch this, in Gen 2:7 – God formed only one human (Adam) from the dust and never went back there! He didn’t go to the dust to form the female rather He went to her source (Adam) to form her.
Listen: A female is not looking for a lover, a husband or a sex champion. She is looking for a father! No where in the bible is it written that a woman shall leave her father – Gen 2:24 – You know why? She moved from one father to another – that is why on her wedding day, her biological father hands her over to the man (another father).
Satan knows this so what did he do he tried to change the order! (Illustrate – God – Man – Woman) – when she ate the fruit and gave the man the order changed!
WHO IS A FATHER?
A father is the root – the foundation – The mother is the building
God operates through the Patriarchal system (Father God not mother God) – church of England
satan operates through the feminine or matriarchal system (feminist agenda, jezebel) – The serpent didn’t go through Adam, he went to Eve – why? To change the order.
The Tree analogy – The seed is the father
So, when a seed is planted – A father is planted
But when you plant a seed, something happens. The seed opens in the ground and a tree comes out – That’s the woman (God opened Adam the seed in Genesis 2 for eve the woman to come).
The father is the seed
The mother is the tree
The children are the fruits (fruit of the womb)
What is under holding that tree when the wind is blowing and when storm comes is the father! The father is the foundation and the source of the family!
Now, in the realms of the spirit, there are 2 kinds of fathers, the Father of lights and the father of lies.
Father of lights – James 1:17 – God the father
Father of lies – John 8:14 – satan
In the physical realm, there are several kinds of fathers but for the sake of time I want to touch on 4 kinds of fathers and I will be using the alphabet A to describe them
- Absentee father – 2 Tim 1:5
Where was Timothy’s father and grandfather) – look at our churches today, filled with women- where are the fathers? Single mothers dragging the kids to church, even married woman coming alone with 5 kids, where is their father?
The absent father is never around for their family, it is either they are too busy working, away chasing money at the detriment of their family or absent because they are in the arms of another woman. If the first is the case there must be a balance. Don’t be too busy chasing the world and lose your family.
Story – one day a son asked the dad how much are you paid in your job that you are always away – he refused to answer but the son insisted. Finally, he answered and the boy took out some money from his pocket crying – dad can I buy an hour of your time?
- Abusive father – 1 Sam 20:30-33 NLT/AMP
- The abusive father has no regard for his wife and disregards her in front the children
- He abuses his children physically, spiritually and curses them verbally
- He gives negative prophecy and declaration over his children when he is angry
- He is a manipulator and tries to kill his children when manipulation doesn’t work
- Actionless father – 1 Sam 2:22-25
This is a weak father that cannot discipline and instill morals into his children.
Eli didn’t rebuke, discipline or correct his children even when he heard of their deeds. – 1 Sam 3:12-13
An actionless father is a passionless father towards his children. He cannot disciple them – Prov 13:24 AMP/MSG
The glory of children are their fathers – Prov 17:6B
- Abrahamic father -Gen 18:17-19
Let’s be inspired by father Abraham. God Himself praised Abraham because of his fatherly qualities.
Qualities:
- He taught his children & household righteousness & the ways of God – Gen 18:19
- He was a man of prayer – Gen 20:17
- He is a defender of his family – Gen 14:14–16
- He was a tither – Gen 14:18-20
- He love & respects his wife –
- He was a covenant keeper – Gen 17:1-5
- He was a sacrificial giver – Gen 22:1-4
In the spirit of fatherhood and giving, I have a few gifts that I want to give to the fathers in the house today.
- ALTAR CALL!!
- Anniversary announcement –
- New Comers Acknowledgment
- VGC Light declaration
- Grace
- VGC Slogan
