“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works then these, that you may marvel.” (John 5:19,20)
Our first article for our June’s newsletter is dedicated to Father’s Day. Our fervent desire is to honor and encourage men in their roles as fathers. The more I live and serve the Lord, the more I realize how indispensable fatherhood is in the Kingdom of God. The Bible warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Similarly, if the father of households do not fulfill their roles as the God-ordained communicator of godly vision for the family, the family will fail. Consequently, without men with a commitment to Biblical patriarchy, faithfulness, service, sacrifice, fatherhood, and a multi-generational vision, there will be no strong families to support the mission of the Church in advancing the Kingdom of God in the earth. On the other hand, if we capture the fathers, the family will be won to the glory of God!
Before you feast your eyes on this choice poem for patriarchs, let us first investigate our opening Scripture. I’ve read, quoted, and preached this Scripture more times than I care to remember. Invariably, the main thrust of the message was, “If Jesus needed to behold the Father to perform His will, how much more do we? In other words, we must also see what the Father is doing in His word and join in the Family Business. The other day, as I was teaching from this same passage to my children, I became awestruck with the actual relationship that existed between Jesus and His Father. For the first time, it became apparent that Jesus enjoyed a tender relationship with His Dad and that He was absolutely dependent upon Heavenly Father for guidance, direction, and ultimately, a godly example for Jesus to emulate. The reality of that relationship within the Godhead convicted me that our Lord was seeking to demonstrate to us men an immensely valuable lesson for earthly fatherhood today. Our Lord’s life, love, faith, and obedience to His Father’s will shines forth the quality of relationship that every earthly child should seek to have with their Dad. Jesus was also showing us through this passage how vital an influence a father can have and how much of a godly example he needs to be for his children to follow.
There is a true story concerning Robert E. Lee and his son that beautifully sums up this Father’s Day message. One day the stately general was walking through the snow with one of his military aids discussing war strategy. When all of sudden, the great general noticed his son was trying to follow them by straining to stretch his short legs to place his smaller foot in the foot prints of his Dad. The military aid exclaimed, “Look General, your boy is following in your foot steps!” “In that case,” replied General Lee, “I’d better walk straight, true, and strong!”
There is an old saying in the area of child-rearing that goes something like this, “Do as I say, and not as I do.” Most of us at one time or another have been tempted to utter these foolish words or indeed have let them slip from vain lips. Unfortunately, children usually refuse to hear what we say, because our actions are speaking louder than our words. Inevitably, children will be more apt to emulate our actions than to heed our words. As you contemplate this poem consider these truths and by God’s grace and power walk straight, strong, and true. There are little ones counting on you, Dad!
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
The Patriarch
By Doug Phillips
More noble than the valiant deeds of shining knights of yore, More powerful than terran plights that make the rich man poor, More kingly than an earthly throne or a lion with his pride, Is he whose babes sleep well at night, sure Daddy will provide.
There is a spirit in this land, and Jezebel’s her name. She’s calling you to leave your home for power, fun, and fame, She wants your wife, your children, too; she’ll never compromise, Until your house is torn in two by listening to her lies.
But though a hundred thousand million men may fall prey to her lures, And wives en masse leave home in search of more fulfilling chores, Though preachers praise and friends embrace her pagan plan of death, Stand strong and quit you like a man with every blessed breath.
Stand strong and rise, O man of God to meet this noble call. The battle is not new you see, it’s been here since the Fall. Your wife is your helpmeet, my friend, not another man’s, So care for her and keep her far from Mistress Jezebel’s plans.
Protect, provide, and give to her your undivided life, This is the dear one of your youth, your precious bride, your wife. Rally to those tiny ones who trust you for their care,
For when they put their hand in yours and know a daddy’s love, You’re showing them a picture of the Father from above. So look not to worldly goals of gain or for your liberty. Look only into their sweet eyes to find your ministry.
Devote your heart and sacrifice and make your manly mark, There is none so great as he who finds his call as PATRIARCH!
MANDATE FOR HOMESCHOOL GRADUATES
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior. so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)
Just recently, I had the distinct privilege to communicate a mandate at a homeschool graduation ceremony. I had the wonderful opportunity to look four young champions in the eye and to challenge their hearts in the cause of Christ. The following is the brief message delivered on that glorious day.
Young people; I was invited here today specifically to give each of you a mandate, a holy charge in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is a weighty matter before the eyes of God and one that should not be treated lightly or considered trivial. Biblically, God at sundry times instituted different mandates, charges, and commissions to inspire and lead His people to accomplish His will in the earth. It is a sacred time where God places into your life a portion of His destiny, purpose, and a plan for each and every one of you to fulfill. It is a place of consecration where God entrusts to you something of immense worth and value that has far-reaching implications for the advancement of His Kingdom in the earth. Thus a mandate carries with it both temporal and eternal significance and how I pray that reality will grip your souls and lead you forth to hit the bulls eye for your lives.
Young people, “You have come into the Kingdom for such a time as this.” Your challenge is to honestly assess the condition of your generation (the gates as it were) and give your lives to reform it. According to the results of the Peers test, the majority of your Christian peers register on the scale of worldviews as Secular Humanists. In fact, over 60% of the modern-day Church rejects the notion of absolute truth. 1/3rd of your generation has been exterminated through the American Holocaust called abortion. Each day the homosexual agenda is becoming more and more successful in making the preaching of God’s word a Hate Crime. These and other abominations that are to numerous to count stand as a Goliath in your path. The only question that remains is, will you be of the number who through silent consent enable these Goliaths to continue to devour your generation or will you rise up with faith in God to see these giants fall? Through the sins of the Church, public education and through judicial activism, Satan and the enemies of the cross have captured the gates of our nation and have turned them into citadels of wickedness. Our nation desperately needs the next generation, your generation of Christians, to arise and march right back through that corrupt system to drive out that wickedness and to establish righteousness in our gates once again.
Jesus gave us a sobering principle in His word. He declared in Luke 12:48, “To much has been given, much more shall be required.” You have been the recipients of a Biblical home-education. Your parents went the extra mile and sacrificed to honor God in your education. You have been given much, and now much will be required from you. You have been entrusted with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that many of your peers have not received and the Lord fully expects you to apply what you have learned for His glory. Much has been sown into your life and God anticipates a mighty harvest as you make your way into this world to advance the cause and Kingdom of Christ.
Young people, you have probably studied the life of the early church fathers, the reformers, and the founding fathers of America. We honor their memory, as well we should, but the desperate need of our day is for you to emulate their lives. They faithfully ran their lap of the race and have passed a powerful heritage that has been greatly squandered in the last few generations. You must pick it back up and take the fallen torch of Christian liberty and run the race that is set before you. All the previous heroes of the faith are dead, and it’s your turn now. Rise up and take your place in the battle, rise up and take your place in history, and rise up and take your place in God’s Kingdom in Jesus’ Holy Name!
MESSAGE FOR THE WICHITA SAINTS
“Arise shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, for behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will rise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you!”(Isaiah 60:1,2)
It is great to be back in Wichita amongst the saints of God. Flip and I are well aware of the trials, tribulations, and persecutions that have befallen many of you here. The attacks have been severe and have come from within and from without. For many of you, your hands hang down, your knees are weak, your faith is frail, and your spirit vexed. We are here in the name of Jesus to say there is lifting up. If God be for you who can stand against you. The Lord is your helper, what can man do to you. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. You are more than conquerors through Christ who loved you and gave His life for you! You are overcomers, who overcome by the blood of the lamb, the word of your testimony, and loving not your lives so as to shrink back from death. Brothers and sisters, greater is He that is in you than he that is performing those dirty, despicable deeds through George Tiller on Kellogg and Bleckly.
The Enemy is full of fury for he knows his time is short. Tiller’s abortion mill days are numbered. Unfortunately, the enemy found an opening to exploit and the floodgates of hell have been unleashed against you. This is a perverse compliment coming from the Powers of Darkness. You’ve been effective and just like the Apostle Paul before you, “Because of the abundance of revelations, there has been given to me a thorn of the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” The degree of your calling, the degree of your anointing and revelation, and the degree of your effectiveness in God’s Kingdom determines the degree of the attack and assault by the Evil One against you. Satan is not concerned about the pagan and the lost soul. He is not threatened by the carnal, lukewarm Christians steeped in the Spirit of the Age and the idols of the land. No! But he trembles and roars against those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus Christ!
We must understand what the Enemy is after and I’ll give you a clue, it’s not just you. He wants to devour, neutralize, and destroy something far more precious and powerful, he wants your faith. If he can get your faith, he has you and everything worthwhile in the Kingdom of God concerning you. In fact, if he gets your faith, he robs you of your victory. For this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. This is the victory that will overcome abortion, even our faith! This is the victory that will overcome the perverse homosexual agenda, even our faith! This is the victory that will overcome every other sin and abomination, even our faith!
Ultimately, that is the strategy behind the torrents of assault that you have endured these past several months. Satan wants to demean your faith and make it inactive. We must stand strong and say to Satan and this perverse, sin-soaked, blood-stained world, “You can take my goods, you can take my position, you can take my fame, you can take my fortune, you can take my life, and you can take my freedom, but you will never get my faith. It’s not for sale, it’s not negotiable, you didn’t give it and I will not let you take it away.”
Besides, brothers and sisters, it’s not the attacks that matter much in God’s Kingdom. It is our response to them that determines victory or defeat. In fact, the word of God promises us that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver us out of them all. Paul said, “Through much tribulation we will enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus promised, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good courage I have overcome the world. Scriptures warn that we should not consider it strange concerning the fiery trials that are to try you as though something strange is happening to us.”
Brothers and sisters, every person in this world is going to suffer. We will all suffer for one of two reasons. We suffer for doing what’s right and we suffer for doing what is wrong. If we suffer for doing what is wrong that is a just recompense for our evil ways. But if we suffer for being a Christian, if we suffer for doing what is right, the Bible says that this is good and acceptable in the sight of God and that the spirit of God and His glory rests upon us! In fact, Jesus told us to rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great would be our reward in heaven!
Brothers and sisters, how many of you feel you’re in a howling wilderness and this message is striking home? I want to encourage you with this, God knows the temptations and trials you are suffering, and with them, He will provide a way of escape. But God also knows that Christians need their faith to be put on trial at times. It is in the wilderness that God has fashioned and formed His prophetic men and women who have changed the course of history and impacted this world in honor of the Lord they have faithfully served. Sometimes we forget Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God allowed him to see the glory of the burning bush, to hear the words of the living God, and to receive a commission from the Almighty that would bring down an evil empire and set an entire nation free. Brothers and sisters, there are no short cuts in our life and walk in Christ. It is through pressure and conflict that the character of Christ is being formed in us. Paul said in Romans 5:3,4, “And not only that, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character hope.”
It is when our faith is on trial that we come forth as gold. It is the pressure and conflict in this life that brings to the surface all the sinful dross that the Sprit of God scoops away, until God can see His reflection in our life clearly! Ultimately, this is the purpose of God and you thought it was to end abortion in Wichita. No! The by-product of Christ being formed in you is the end of abortion in Wichita!
Dare to believe, Dare to Act
William Carey, the great missionary to India once said, “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.”
Webster’s Dictionary 1828 Definition of Dare.
The definition of dare: The sense of boldness. Without question one of the central prayers of the early church was for God to grant them boldness to stay faithful to the Gospel of the Kingdom in the midst of threatenings, persecutions, and even martyrdom. In Acts 4:13,29-31, the Apostles prayed,“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word, by stretching out your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” The Apostle Paul recognizing his need for boldness solicited prayers from the Ephesian Church as well (Ephesians 6:18,19). The book of Acts records that their prayers were gloriously answered. As Peter and John stood before a hostile court in their day, the word of God records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
A sense of advancing. Christianity is never a faith that is to recede, retreat, or shrink back even in the day of adversity. Our marching orders are clear; disciple the nations, baptize them, and make sure they keep God’s commandments (Matthew 28:18-20). How many know it takes a little daring on our part to see this mission accomplished? Especially when the nations do not receive the Great Commission anon with joy. According to Psalm 2:1-3, “Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’” Regardless of their response, we are still called to place God’s loving yoke upon them. We are compelled to press in and press on to that high call of God in Christ. We are to put our hand to the plow of God’s Kingdom and not look back.
To have courage of purpose, the strength of spirit, mind, and hardihood to undertake anything. To be adventurous and not afraid. The Bible has volumes to say on those who have dared to believe God and then courageously acted on that belief and those who didn’t. The outcome covers the spectrum of human existence, from the ecstasy of victory all the way to the agony of defeat.
Dorothy Sayers, an English writer of detective stories, aptly describes our times as a time of incredible unbelief. Thus producing a passive generation that stands idly by while evil flourishes with its reign of terror. She stated that the sin of our age is, “The sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.”
The Bible on the other hand inspires man to believe in a great God, who can take ordinary people and perform extraordinary miracles through them, if we would just dare to believe Him and then act on that belief. Again, Moses serves as a great example of this truth. After being tested in the howling wilderness for forty years, the Lord visited Moses to reveal His plan to deliver Israel out of Egypt and to bring them into the Promised Land. Moses was completely broken and humbled by this time. His life consisted of ordinary duties as a shepherd on the backside of a desert. As a result of his common position in life, he offered every excuse why he was not qualified to obey the command of the Lord. Finally, the Lord asked him one simple question, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “A rod.” In essence, the Lord said give what you have to me, Moses, and I will take it and do extraordinary acts with what you have given to me. Jesus confirmed this principle in the New Testament by stating, “I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20b).”
I will leave you with a quote by one of my heroes, Theodore Roosevelt. He forthrightly declared, “It is not the critic who counts, (people make money and some derive a great source of pleasure in criticizing others) not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better (Monday quarterbacks). The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust, and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
They who know their God, shall be strong and do great exploits! Amen!
IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,
Rusty Lee Thomas