4 Duties of Christian Parents

J.C Ryle, the 19^th century Anglican Bishop, expounding on Proverbs 22:6, gives four directives for Christian parents to train up their child in the way of the Lord. Below are these four duties with an excerpt of what Ryle says about each of them. 

1. Train your children in the way they should go, and not in the way that they would.

Train them in the way they should go, and not in the way that they would. Remember children are born with a decided bias towards evil, and therefore if you let them choose for themselves, they are certain to choose wrong. Train him in the way that is scriptural and right, and not in the way that he fancies. If you cannot make up your mind to this first principle of Christian training, it is useless for you to read any further. Self-will is almost the first thing that appears in a child's mind; and it must be your first step to resist it.

2. Train up your child with all tenderness, affection, and patience.

I do not mean that you are to spoil him, but I do mean that you should let him see that you love him. Love should be the silver thread that runs through all your conduct. Kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearance, patience, sympathy, a willingness to enter into childish troubles, a readiness to take part in childish joys -- these are the cords by which a child may be led most easily -- these are the clues you must follow if you would find the way to his heart. Children are weak and tender creatures, and, as such, they need patient and considerate treatment.

3. Train with this thought continually before your eyes - that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered.

Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be so dear to you as that part which will never die.  This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, 'How will this effect their souls?' The time is short -- the fashion of this world passeth away. He that has trained his children for heaven, rather than for earth -- for God, rather than for man -- he is the parent that will be called wise at last.

4. Train your child to a knowledge of the Bible.

You cannot make your children love the Bible, I allow. None but the Holy Ghost can give us a heart to delight in the Word. But you can make your children acquainted with the Bible; and be sure they cannot be acquainted with that blessed book too soon, or too well. A thorough knowledge of the Bible is the foundation of all clear views of religion. He that is well-grounded in it will not generally be found a waverer, and carried about by every wind of new doctrine. Any system of training which does not make a knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound. See that your children read the Bible reverently. See that they read it regularly. See that they read it all. Tell them of sin, its guilt, its consequences, its power, its vileness. Tell them of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His work for our salvation- the Atonement, the cross, the Blood, the sacrifice, the intercession.  Tell them of the work of the Holy Spirit in man's heart, how He changes, and renews, and sanctifies, and purifies.

This excellent article can be read in its entirety here : The Duties of Christian Parents by J.C Ryle

The Gospel and Womanhood

In Ephesians 5: 23-33, apostle Paul makes explicit connections between the truth of the gospel and the institution of marriage. He shows how the roles of a husband and a wife are crucial in the display of the gospel in this world.  The truth of marriage and the biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood it entails, has been subject to much criticism from within and without the church. However what we believers need to keep in mind is that, this issue is not a mere cultural or gender role issue, it is a gospel issue as Paul reasons in the above passage.
  

This is exactly what Mary Kassian, author of the book Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild believes. She feels her book on biblical womanhood is important as “Manhood and womanhood are important, because men and women living according to Scripture display the Gospel. That is why there has been such an attack against gender, marriage, manhood and womanhood. If the evil one can pull those things apart, then we lose a display of who God is. When we get it right, we put the Gospel on display.” [1]

   

Girls Gone Wise In A World Gone Wild is study of contrasting the two kinds of women the book of Proverbs speaks of  - the wise Proverbs 31 woman  and the wild Proverbs 7 woman. Kassian aims to show what wise and biblical womanhood looks like in light of wildness, which characterizes much of our culture.  This book seems to be an essential one for pastors, spiritual mothers and moms in raising a younger generation of godly women who are passionate to not follow the wild and feminist culture of our day but seeks to display God’s glory in His gospel, by being radically biblical in their womanhood.

Courtney Reissig, who has written for The Council For Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, did a short interview with Mary Kassian on her latest book. It can be read at The Gospel Coalition Reviews website.

Girls Gone Wise: An Interview with Mary Kassian

Footnotes

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[1] Girls Gone Wise: An Interview with Mary Kassian, TGC Reviews

Sabbath : A Day of Holy Work

It is worthwhile to read what Matthew Henry, while commenting on Mark 2:27-28 says about the sabbath. Here is a good example of what the Puritans believed about the sabbath. 

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Whom the sabbath was made for (v. 27);

It was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. This we had not in Matthew. The sabbath is a sacred and divine institution; but we must receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery.

First, God never designed it to be an imposition upon us, and therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. Man was not made for the sabbath, for he was made a day before the sabbath was instituted. Man was made for God, and for his honour and service, and he just rather die than deny him; but he was not made for the sabbath, so as to be tied up by the law of it, from that which is necessary to the support of his life.

Secondly, God did design it to be an advantage to us, and so we must make it, and improve it. He made if for man.

1. He had some regard to our bodies in the institution, that they might rest, and not be tired out with the constant business of this world (Deu. 5:14); that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest. Now he that intended the sabbath-rest for the repose of our bodies, certainly never intended it should restrain us, in a case of necessity, from fetching in the necessary supports of the body; it must be construed so as not to contradict itself—for edification, and not for destruction.

 

2. He had much more regard to our souls. The sabbath was made a day of rest, only in order to its being a day of holy work, a day of communion with God, a day of praise and thanksgiving; and the rest from worldly business is therefore necessary, that we may closely apply ourselves to this work, and spend the whole time in it, in public and in private; but then time is allowed us for that which is necessary to the fitting of our bodies for the service of our souls in God’s service, and the enabling of them to keep pace with them in that work.

See here,

(1.) What a good Master we serve, all whose institutions are for our own benefit, and if we be so wise as to observe them, we are wise for ourselves; it is not he, but we, that are gainers by our service.

(2.) What we should aim at in our sabbath work, even the good of our own souls. If the sabbath was made for man, we should then ask ourselves at night, "What am I the better for this sabbath day?’’

(3.) What care we ought to take not to make those exercises of religion burthens to ourselves or others, which God ordained to be blessings; neither adding to the command by unreasonable strictness, nor indulging those corruptions which are adverse to the command, for thereby we make those devout exercises a penance to ourselves, which otherwise would be a pleasure.

Whom the sabbath was made by (v. 28); "The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath; and therefore he will not see the kind intentions of the institution of it frustrated by your impositions.’’

Note, The sabbath days are days of the Son of man; he is the Lord of the day, and to his honour it must be observed; by him God made the worlds, and so it was by him that the sabbath was first instituted; by him God gave the law at mount Sinai, and so the fourth commandment was his law; and that little alteration that was shortly to be made, by the shifting of it one day forward to the first day of the week, was to be in remembrance of his resurrection, and therefore the Christian sabbath was to be called the Lord’s day (Rev. 1:10), the Lord Christ’s day; and the Son of man, Christ, as Mediator, is always to be looked upon as Lord of the sabbath. This argument he largely insists upon in his own justification, when he was charged with having broken the sabbath, Jn. 5:16. [1]

  

Footnotes

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[1] Matthew Henry Commentary on the whole Bible, Mark 2:27-28.

Contending For Truth : The Hagee Heresy

It seems that Hollywood understands the Bible better than the popular preacher on TV, John Hagee. In his book, “In Defense of Israel”, he denies the elementary truth of Christianity that Jesus came as the Messiah. The following video will show first his blurb followed by the answer of Hollywood to his charges .

Being an old school Dispensationalist, Hagee interprets the word Messiah as some physical king who would rescue the Jewish nation from the tyranny of Gentiles. Thus he cannot see Jesus in His first advent as any way close to being a Messiah. Hence he reasons that Jesus did not come to be the Messiah and thus the Jews of his day cannot be charged with denial of the Lord. Hagee puts the blame on the church Fathers for these perversions of the truth regarding Jewish people. Hagee also believes that Jews do not have to believe the gospel to be saved, but the Messiah will save them when He appears in His second advent.  Hagee reasons as follows “Five major points must now be made that are crucial to understanding that the Jews did not reject Jesus as Messiah.

1.             Jesus had to live to be the Messiah

2.             If it was God’s will for Jesus to die from the beginning. . .

3.             If it was Jesus intention to be obedient unto death.

4.             If there is not one verse of Scripture in the New Testament that says Jesus came to be the Messiah..

5.             And if Jesus refused by his words or actions to claim to be the Messiah to the Jews, then how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered?" [1]

Pastor Kendall Adams has written a good review of this book, where he answers these objections raised by Hagee. It is available at his blog – Always Reforming To Scripture.

Adams also did a radio interview for Kevin Boling which can be heard or downloaded as follows :

Hagee Heresy  Listen| Download

Footnotes

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[1] In Defense of Israel, John Hagee, Pg. 135-136

The Gospel in Everyday Life

Evangelical author and speaker Jerry Bridges addresses the issue of gospel in our daily life. He expounds Galatians 2:15 – 20, to show how the apostle Paul relates on a daily basis to his justification in Christ. Bridges shows how every believer should live consciously in the present reality of their justification in Jesus Christ. 

 

Bridges first lays the foundation of what the Christian doctrine of justification by faith is. After laying this foundation and showing how this serves as the context for understanding Galatians 2:20,  he ventures into expounding it. Perhaps you have never heard verse 20 quoted in light of the meaning of its context.  Very often Christians quote verse 20 as an isolated verse and completely forget about its context. However Bridges shows how this verse when interpreted in light of its context, teaches the glorious truth of living in the present reality of our justification in Christ.

Like the Galatians, we are so easily persuaded by our flesh that we can gain favor before God through our spiritual performance rather than solely depend on the performance of our Lord Jesus Christ for us. However Bridges reminds us that we should always look outside of us for our justification and this we have to do daily. For we do not earn favor from God by doing our spiritual disciplines, rather we humbly receive the favor which Jesus has earned for us. The central thought of Bridges’ sermon is summarized in the following quote, which should humble us and make us radically Christ dependent and gospel centered.

“Through His death on the cross and His sinless life, Jesus Christ has earned every blessing and every answer to prayer that you will ever receive.”

In these days of resurgence of a gospel-centered theology and methodology, especially among Reformed Christians, Bridges offers an excellent, wise, exegetically sound and deeply practical sermon on living the gospel-centered life.  He shows how this is not a novel concept we are inventing in our day and age, but rather one believed in and taught by Christians of past centuries. Bridges specifically notes how the Puritan John Owen used to teach the same things in his day. However Bridges reasons that living the gospel-centered life is older than even the Puritans and goes back 2000 years into apostle Paul’s teaching in Galatians 2:20.

This message will make the hearer deeply grateful for the gospel of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and will constrain him to live in light of the gospel everyday.

Very highly recommended.

The Gospel in Everyday Life Listen | Download

Jerry Bridges (born December 4, 1929, Tyler, Texas, United States) is an evangelical Christian author, speaker and staff member of The Navigators. He is author of several books, including, the Pursuit of Holiness, the Gospel for Real Life, and the Discipline of Grace. He has been on the staff of The Navigators since 1955 and currently serves as a resource person to the Navigators University Students Ministry in the United States. Jerry and his wife Jane live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They have two married children and six grandchildren.

The Last Things According To Peter

Dr. Sam Waldron expounds the third chapter of 2 Peter to show what Peter, the apostle teaches about the last days. Waldron carefully works through this passage teaching 5 different aspects about the last days : Its Controversial Backdrop, Its Comprehensive Scheme, Its Major Apologetic, Its Awesome Prospect and Its Glorious Hope.

This series is recommended for the following reasons.

1. Expositionally, Waldron does a very good job of working patiently through the text and not bringing anything outside the text to assert any meaning. His exposition is thus very sound and commendable. Waldron does a very straight forward exegesis of this passage and is very consistent in this through out the series. Moreover he uses a language which can be understood even by children. In fact he sometimes pauses to specially address the children alone in the audience. In eschatological studies, preachers often get so caught up in theological jargons that common folks are quite confused. Though a scholar, Waldron preaches with a pastoral heart.
2. Devotionally, Waldron brings in a rare warmth and reverential gratitude in believers for the mercy and grace of Lord Jesus Christ.  In much eschatological studies, devotional aspect is found very little. Most of it gets caught up in some puzzle solving game that the gospel truth of the work of Jesus Christ to save believers from the coming wrath and judgment of God is strangely missing. However Waldron reminds the listeners regularly to ponder and wonder over what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. Waldron shows how eschatology is for life and not merely for some theologians to sit and debate. He exegetically reasons how the doctrine of the last things compels a true believer to live a life of holiness and earnestly long for the coming of the Lord.  
3. Evangelistically, Waldron reflects upon the teachings of 2 Peter 3 and makes solemn warnings to sinners, in a sober and not a sensational manner, to not delay their repentance. With holy fear of the Lord, he exhorts sinners to see that today is the day of salvation.  More than once in this series, he labored to stress the point that once the Lord Jesus Christ returns, it marks the end of the patience of God. 
4. Theologically, Waldron makes many applications of his straight forward exegesis to many systems of eschatology to test their validity. He focuses much on the problems of dispensational and premillennial understanding of eschatology and the teachings of 2 Peter. He makes a very convincing case that these systems can hold good, only if they mishandle the text of 2 Peter 3. In one of the sermons, he takes up the issue of hyper preterism. Waldron believes hyper preterism is heretical as it denies the second coming of the Lord.  Waldron is however charitable towards his dispensational and premillennial friends and does not consider it to be  heretical. Thus in this series, he makes an exegetical verification of these systems and makes a case for a more biblical eschatology.

The Last Things According To Peter

1. Its Controversial Backdrop  Listen | Download

2. Its Comprehensive Scheme Listen | Download

3. Its Major Apologetic  Listen | Download

4. Its Awesome Prospect  Listen | Download

5. Its Glorious Hope  Listen | Download

  

The Invitation System

Christians and especially Evangelicals are well known for their zeal to see the conversion of sinners through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelical history is full of men and women who sought to see the church succeed in getting a personal response to the preaching of the gospel. However in many Evangelical circles, there is this notion which is considered almost as a biblically warranted truth, that conversions occur when people who have never responded to the gospel comes to the front. This commitment to walk to the front during an evangelistic service is equated by many to be synonymous with one’s personal saving faith in Christ. This method is often called “The Invitation System” in modern evangelism.

It could be shown that this method has its historical roots in Charles Finney’s method of “anxious seat”, where a sinner came forward to addressed individually in an evangelistic meeting. There also it was assumed if someone did come to the anxious seat or also known as mourner’s bench, then it would guarantee instant conversion. Modifications to this method would give  us the invitation system or altar call system we see in many Evangelical churches. Coupled with the sub-biblical understanding of conversion through praying a simple prayer - the sinner’s prayer, churches have gone astray from the biblical model of evangelism.

Iain Murray offers a biblical criticism of this system of evangelism in his 1967 classic booklet “The Invitation System”. He analyzes the whole system in light of the teachings of the Scriptures. He shows how the theology of conversion as taught by the Bible is completely overthrown by this system. Murray offers the reader biblical reasons to consider this modern system as nothing but pragmatic evangelism where mere numbers are more important than authentic conversions wrought by the Holy Spirit of God. One of the things the reader cannot miss after reading this book is how intimately related theology and methodology are. It cannot be avoided, one’s theological convictions does spill over into forming one’s methodology. Thus every unbiblical methodology has at its root an unbiblical theology. Thus Murray's approach is one of  proving the flaws of this system of modern mass evangelism by unmasking its faulty theological presuppositions. Murray thus sees the problem essentially as a theological issue and thus endeavors to show what the Bible’s theology of conversion is. Murray’s insights  should alarm us to forsake man made techniques and depend on the efficacious means of evangelism prescribed in the Bible alone. May the Lord reform our evangelism for His own Name’s sake.

For those who have never read this booklet, it is possible to listen to its audio version in two mp3s of under 1 hour each.

The Invitation System 1 of 2  Listen | Download

The Invitation System 2 of 2  Listen | Download

 Iain H. Murray (b. 1931; Lancashire, England) was educated in the Isle of Man and at the University of Durham. He entered the Christian ministry in 1955. He served as assistant to Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel (1956-59) and subsequently at Grove Chapel, London (1961-69) and St. Giles Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Australia, (1981-84). In 1957 he and Jack Cullum founded the Reformed publishing house, the Banner of Truth Trust, where he has periodically worked full-time and remains the Editorial Director. 

Puritan Style of Preaching

In an introduction to one of his sermons preached in 1967, J.I Packer gives 5 essential characteristics of Puritan preaching as follows :

“What do you mean by preaching in the Puritan style? I would tell you what I take it to mean.

1. Preaching in the Puritan style is preaching that is expository. The Puritans sought to be expositors first and last. Opening texts was their phrase for it, bringing out the treasures hidden in the various texts of the Word of God.
2. Preaching in the Puritan style is preaching that is doctrinal. The Puritans believed that texts teach truths and the preacher’s business is to find those truths and display them so that people may learn them.
3. Preaching in the Puritan style is preaching that is contemporary.  There never were preachers more directly contemporary than the Puritans. One of them said this “it’s a cheap zeal that declaimeth against the errors of yesterday”. And it would be a cheap zeal on my part if I simply aped the Puritans when God has set me to preach the Word to you today.   
4. Preaching in the Puritan style is preaching that is applicatory.  The Puritans sought to get inside their hearers, they sought to use the Word of God in order to search their hearts. They believed that one reason why God has given us His truth was so that we might know ourselves as we are in His presence; as He knows us. The sought to apply the Word in such a way that their congregations would know themselves. Also in such a way that their congregations would feel the healing power of truth, of those particular places of need and trouble, the sore places, the bruised places in their own consciences and in their own hearts.
5. Preaching in the Puritan style is preaching that is (if I might try to reclaim an abused phrase) honest to God. Much preaching today, I believe is not honest to God. It is not honest to God in its matter. It does not declare God’s whole counsel. It soft peddles God’s holiness and His severity. That is abusing the Word of God. Much preaching today, I believe is equally failing to be honest to God in its manner.  Its sentimental and cheapening holy things.  Oh its brilliant and thereby calling attention to the preacher rather than to the Lord. The Puritans lead us out of these into honest preaching. The preaching of those who have sought to hear the Word of God and now stand before congregations to declare what they have heard.

This to be sure is what I mean by preaching in the Puritan style. You can see that it is only by the grace of God that anyone ever succeeds in preaching in the Puritan style. If a man ever does, he ought to be very thankful.” [1]

Amen, may God raise up such preachers in our day for His glory.

Footnotes

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[1] Sermon entitled “Romans 7&8” by J.I Packer

A Beautiful Hymn on the Law of God and Christians

The following is a very popular Lutheran hymn on the law of God and its relationship to us. Though there are many theological camps which reject the continuity of the law (viz. the moral law) for believers in the New Covenant, Reformed Christians have always affirmed the use of the law in the life of Christians. However they do not believe that Christians are to see law as a covenant of works by which we shall be justified, but rather as a rule of life. All of these truths are beautifully presented in this beautiful hymn. 

The Law of God Is Good and Wise

Words :  Matthias Loy, 1828-1915

Music : “Erhalt uns, Herr" | Download

Text : Ps. 19: 8

1. The Law of God is good and wise

And sets His will before our eyes,

Shows us the way of righteousness,

And dooms to death when we transgress.

2. Its light of holiness imparts

The knowledge of our sinful hearts

That we may see our lost estate

And seek deliverance ere too late.

3. To those who help in Christ have found

And would in works of love abound

It shows what deeds are His delight

And should be done as good and right.

4. When men the offered help disdain

And wilfully in sin remain,

Its terror in their ear resounds

And keeps their wickedness in bounds.

5. The Law is good; but since the Fall

Its holiness condemns us all;

It dooms us for our sin to die

And has no power to justify.

6. To Jesus we for refuge flee,

Who from the curse has set us free,

And humbly worship at His throne,

Saved by His grace through faith alone.

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Hymn #295 in The Lutheran Hymnal

Contending For Truth : Joyce Meyer Exposé

The Bible is very clear that one of the duties laid upon all true believers is to so love the truth of God that one is even willing to contend for it. In Jude 3, the apostle exhorts us to earnestly contend for the faith (not subjective believing, but rather in the objective sense, the body of truth we believe) which was once was for all given to the saints. It is interesting that the word used in Greek for contending is the same word from which we get the word “agonizing”. Thus the apostle is asking us to agonize for the truth. Yes to suffer acute and excruciating pain to safeguard the purity of God’s truth from being polluted by false prophets and false teachers. It is after this introduction in verse 3, that Jude spends the rest of the book in describing and warning against false prophets and teachers. 

In keeping with this end, we are to stand against heretics of our day and age. We should show no mercy in calling that which is error as error. Yes this does not give us any sanction to be bitter with them or air our own personal vendetta against them. Thus being humble yet making no compromises, we need to test every spirit and make sound judgments regarding every single preacher we listen to. 

At present there are many who are involved in what is called discernment ministries. They write and speak about popular preachers, examining and critiquing the teachings of these men and women. They are like watchmen giving warnings to the church. The main difficulty one encounters with these discernment ministries is that the vast majority of the materials, though has very accurate criticism of false preachers of our day, presents these in a very legalistic or elitist spirit. It does not seem to be presented primarily as a help for true believers, but rather as a gloating over the ignorance and falsehood of the false preachers. 

Fortunately there are exceptions and the following criticism is one which certainly is a humble, straight forward exposé of Joyce Meyer. The following link is shared out of two main reasons. First of all, as stated so far, it is difficult to find humble, straightforward criticisms. Secondly, it is rare to find clear criticisms of Joyce Meyer. Everyone seems to be saying things against her in broad terms, like she believes in Word of Faith theology or that she supports Prosperity Gospel etc. However in the following audio by Fran Sankey, you will hear a very clear articulation of the particular doctrines of Meyer which are to be deemed as rank heresy. 

The key areas where her understanding of the Bible is heretical are : the atonement of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the justification of sinners by God in Jesus Christ. At least those are the fundamental areas where she is wrong. Though there are many more things in her theology and ministry that could be questioned, the below exposé focuses only on these three core doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Like all Word of Faith (WOF) preachers, Joyce has a faulty understanding of the atonement, commonly known as the Spiritual Death of Jesus. In this whole theory it is the Devil and his sensational killing of Jesus in hell that somehow attained our salvation. God is just a weak spectator in this whole theory. It is not the wrath of God that Jesus bore, but the cruel torture of the devils in hell. Joyce then makes a really funny twisting of scriptures to get over some of the biblical obstacles to preach this theory. She also makes a really common Charismatic claim that she got all these information not from the Bible, but from special revelation. Thus she assaults the sufficiency of Scriptures and makes it plain that she indeed is preaching an extra biblical truth. 

When it comes to resurrection, she mistakes resurrection with the new birth and like all WOF teachers, she calls Jesus the first human to be born again. Fran Sankey shows how only humans born with the original sin need to be born again and Jesus being sinless need no such new birth. 

Finally there is another shocking audio clip of Meyer yelling about her sinlessness. She again goes wrong in her understanding of what justification means. She mistakes sin to be merely the external deeds and forgets that we still carry indwelling sin in our nature. Thus there is no category of imputed righteousness in her theology and this forces her to think, she is called righteous by God because she indeed is righteous. 

Thus her theology – whether it be regarding the atonement or the resurrection or her own justification, it is all built on faulty premises.

Fran Sankey uses actual audio clippings of Joyce Meyer and makes a clear case of heresy against her in a very straight forward manner without any ridicule or gloating over her. All these clippings are from the 90s. It seems most of today’s Christians are unaware of these convictions of Meyer as she now focuses much on practical things like managing emotions or having a healthy body etc.

It is easy to criticize people but let us go a step further and pray that people like Joyce Meyer will be spared of God’s wrath and be saved by Him. Let us pray for the illumination of her mind and for her repentance.

Highly recommend this for all women (and even some men) who listen to her.

Joyce Meyer’s Shocking Doctrines  Listen | Download

7 Marks of a True Christian Leader

Following is the summary of an exposition of Acts 20:18-35 by Jay.M.Nair, which he did for an upcoming eBook on Leadership. 

The Characteristics of a Spiritual Father

Lessons Learnt From Acts 20:18-35

1.     A spiritual father is an example to his children. (v.18)

2.     A spiritual father humbles himself before the Lord, by remaining faithful in his service to the children, accepting all trials he has to face in being their servant. (v.19)

3.     A spiritual father never shrinks the message of God, but faithfully proclaims that which is beneficial for his children. (v.20)

4.     A spiritual father does not show partiality by changing his message based on the crowd. (v.21)

5.     A spiritual father is innocent of the blood of all his children, for he shows no hesitation in declaring the whole counsel of God and in giving them prophetic warnings. (v.26,31)

6.     A spiritual father has a strong sense of God's calling in his life that he does not consider his life worthy, apart from finishing the race - his personal pilgrimage onto Christ-likeness, and completing the task given by the Lord – his ministry of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (v.24)

7.     A spiritual father works hard to help the weak and never covets anything from anyone- honour, gold, silver or clothing; but always proclaims with his life and service that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive'. (v.35)