In Genesis 5:3 We have the records of our family history. Adam lived 130 years and had a son in his own likeness and image.
That is our history and point of origin. But now in the courts of heaven, what is being recorded about us? Is it recorded that we lived or that we lasted?
To be recorded that we lived, we have to father! We are created in the image and likeness of God. His nature is of multiplication and fathering. We haven’t lived until we have fulfilled our nature, our essence; to be conformed to be the image and likeness of the Father.
So what does it mean to father?
1. Gather under the covering of his wings. Isaiah 40:11 says He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and gently lead..He is the source, the protector, the provider, the mentor.
2. Teach us to walk worthy of God by exhorting, comforting and charging us 1Thess 2:11-12
3. Provide a model to follow. Titus 2:7-8; 1 Corinthians 11:1 a model for us to imitate
4. Discipline and train us to yield fruits of righteousness
5. Love: love is the primary motivation. I Corinthians 16:13
The purpose of fathering is so that Christ is formed in us; it requires labor. Unless we are fathering, we are just functioning: which means all we are doing is just lasting. In order for us to be recorded as fulfilling our destiny, we have to live and father the next generation!
Consider and discuss the following questions:
1. Who are you laboring in prayer to mature in Christ? Colossians 4:12 (spouse, children, small group members, church family)
2. Will you be a father that the prodigal feels comfortable returning to? If a person is caught up in addictions, anger, bitterness etc, can they come to you? What is their confidence, that will make them come to you? Do they remember that they were loved, treated right like the prodigal remembered ?
3. What aspects of the image and likeness of God are you developing in yourself to model so that your group can imitate?
Please remind your group about:
1. Summit at Tall Timbers November 19-20
2. 12 houses of Christmas lights, our evangelistic outreach to the community
