When God made man, He told man: "...God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Man was to be fruitful and multiply his kind. Meaning he will reproduce himself. God expects that as man reproduces himself, he passes on not just his DNA; he also passes on what he has learnt.
This He repeated when He told the children of Israel (while they were in the wilderness) to bind His word in their hearts. To teach their children while they sat at home or they were walking along the road. As they do this, not only will they be blessed, but their days and that of their children may be long on earth (Deuteronomy 11: 18-21). This means parents, especially the fathers, must disciple their children, teaching them what they themselves had learnt.
To disciple them is to teach them first through actions, then words. No wonder the Bible told us about Jesus: "I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). Jesus did not just come to teach by mere words; He came to demonstrate the life He wants us to live. Thus, He came to disciple mankind. To make mankind like Him. Remember, He created man in His image and LIKENESS! And His final instruction to His Disciples and by extension to us before He ascended was: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT).
As a Father, whether you know it or not, your children, including your wife, are your disciples. What you do and teach is imprinted on their spiritual DNA. With this, fathers must seriously consider the spiritual (especially) growth of their children, as negligence on their part carries dire consequences.
Let's see an example from the Scriptures. Eli, a priest and a judge in Israel at the time, sat at the door of the House of God, vigilant, able to see and rebuke those that draw near to God without reverence. He saw and identified a woman weeping before the house of God. He thought she was drunk and rebuked her for it. When she refuted his assumption, he blessed her, and God honoured his prayers and blessed the woman with her heart's desire.
Question: If he could do this, what happened to his home? Why couldn't he exercise such authority in his home? His inaction left his home to rot, such that God passed a judgment of poverty and death on his children and the generations to come after him. When the child Samuel was placed in his care, he discipled him. Taught him how to revere and recognise the Voice of God. Eli was a discipler who discipled others but couldn't disciple members of his household. His call and gift were ineffective in his home (1Samuel 1:12-18; 1Samuel 2:18-35).
Beloved, how is your home? You pray, counsel, and through you many have listened and come to know the Lord, but your house is reeking with the smell of disobedience and rebellion, as we saw with Eli. A man can only reproduce after his kind. You cannot reproduce what you are not. The verdict of stagnation and destruction on Eli's family was not that he failed to know what was going on with his sons; rather, he failed to rebuke them correctly, and he profited from their disobedience and desecration of the service to God. The sons of Samuel did the same thing, but Samuel was not punished for their sins (1Samuel 8:1-3). This tells us that Samuel rebuked them and refused to profit from their wickedness.
How are you profiting, you may ask? You treat your rebellious and disobedient children as babies and protected ones. You refuse to discipline them for their misdeeds. You forgot the Scripture that says: "A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away" (Proverbs 22:15, NLT). Also read Hebrews 12:5-11.
You do not model the Jesus Christ you claim to be the head of your home. Hence, your Spouse has taken the role of headship from you. You shrug your shoulders and claim it is for the sake of peace that you have shirked your duties. You are alive, but your spouse is living as a widow because the space of headship is vacant. Sadly, you have become a crown on her head that carries no authority! Brother, wake up!
As the whole world awaits the return of Jesus Christ, the enemy is stepping up his assault on the home. The enemy knows if he can get the home, he has gotten the society. The war is not in the sphere of economies, technology, social media or the like. Do not be deceived, the war is in the hearts and minds of people.
Finally, Beloved, Jesus told us the battle is won on our behalf; we see the manifestation in our lives as we walk in obedience to Him. The LORD gave us the tool to combat the enemy and push the influences of hell far from our homes. The tool is discipleship. Starting with you, live and model the life of Christ. Let your actions and your words model the life of Christ for your family. As they see you live the life, they follow!
The grace to humbly look into the mirror of the Word of God and make amends is released upon you, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen! God Bless You!
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