Spiritual Fatherhood & Sonship Revival
Copyright © 2002, Pastor Cephas Mangi
International President
Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries
Kitwe, Zambia
Main Text: Malachi 4:6
Copyright © 2002, Pastor Cephas Mangi
International President
Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries
Kitwe, Zambia
Introduction: Jesus always revealed His heavenly Father - He was so close to the Father, He only did what He saw His Father doing. He said what His Father told Him to say. He was found in the place that the Father wanted Him to be at that time - John 14:8-11; John 5:19. As a result the Lord Jesus Christ raised his Disciples after His Father's heart. "My Father and I are One" John 20:21. "Be in me and I in you. He spent much time with God - in prayer as well as in preaching God's word. "I must be about my Father's business. He sought not His own will, but that of His Father. John 5:30.
1. Why so many problems in the church today?
The lack of Spiritual Fathers is the main cause of the trouble in the church. Children raised without parental care are mostly the cause of the broken society. Such as many street children, broken marriages, children from broken families usually behave badly, often have no respect for parents or elders, these are often the ones involved in murders, fornication, fighting, smoking, drunkenness and much more.
To a greater extent the cause of the physical problems is a result of spiritual breakdowns. Whatever you see in the natural is what is in the spiritual. The church today lacks Spiritual Fathers, hence the church experiences splits, divisions, sheep-stealing, cults, lack of maturity and love, evangelisation retardation, lack of God's presence. Big churches often don't want to have anything to do with small churches, or boast about their size. But churches, big or small, are not ours - they belong to the Lord.
As the result of the absence of this spiritual cover, human being (moving in the flesh) have taken up the position of the Holy Spirit, and without Him they still operate, alas!
2. We Need Spiritual Fathers
The Heavenly Father imparts life and purpose in life. The spiritual fathers, like the heavenly Father, ...
African countries started with a fight for independence, and once they gained it, they soon realised that it was not enough. They again started another fight for unity. Unity is the missing jewels in the church as well as in society, and the cause of disunity is the lack of spiritual fathers. Fatherhood can be divided into three groupings:
(a) The Heavenly Fatherhood, (b) the Spiritual Fatherhood - this does not replace the Heavenly Fatherhood, such as in the Roman Catholic Church where the Pope and "Fathers" replace God. (One of the Pope's titles is "He who stands in the place of Christ").
The duty of the Spiritual Fathers is to teach every minister and church member how to hear the Father's voice, and by no means to stand between them and the Heavenly Father. Spiritual Fathers must represent the Heavenly Father, and not replace Him.
"Tekna" - Spiritual Fathers beget children through the seed of faith. "Sperma" where natural fathers beget children through sperm. The Abrahamic father hood was both biological and spiritual.
There is the physical covenant of which circumcision is a sign, (Genesis 17 - "Like the Sand" - the day covenant, earthly.
Like the stars" his Spiritual Fatherhood which is the heavenly or believers descendants - Genesis 15:5, Gal. 3:29.
(c) Natural fatherhood, national fathers as kings, presidents, elders in every nation, constitute the natural fathers but must emulate their heavenly father's kingdom life style in order to father their families and the nation.
3. Fatherhood is God's method for the End-time Church (a) The Spirit of Elijah must return to the church - Luke 1:17; Matthew 17:11, Matthew 11:14 - to bring order to the Body of Christ by turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers in reconciliation, unity and true Fatherhood. Elisha was calling Elijah "My Father, My Father - the chariots of Israel". This same spirit must be revived today. It is the only method of how to pass on the past generation's baton of authority.
(b) John the Baptist was the first type of this, but he couldn't restore everything. The Fatherhood spirit will be revived by the young men and daughters by building the bridge of reconciliation - 1 John 2:12-14; Joel 2:28.
(c) The characteristics of Elijah's spirit Recognise the heavenly Father and Sonship - Elisha calls Elijah "My Father".
The voice of no compromise to evil doers and demons.
Fight all false religions and do not accept them.
It puts its life on a death line for the truth.
It proves that other gods are dead, asleep or nothing.
It has the word of authority, because it operates under authority.
It hears the voice of God for every step, and moves as the Spirit directs (i.e. the widow of Zaraphath.
It gets rid of unnecessary company of human help (the fleshly) in favour of God's presence. When problems arise it seeks God.
It has faith to call things that are not as though they were. i.e. There is the sound of abundant rains, therefore run before the rain stops you.
It travails in prayer to birth a miracle, even when God says it. What is given is not yours until you possess it.
Makes crooked paths straight, a way in the mountains through the valleys.
It teaches or turns the hearts of children to their fathers, and the hearts of fathers towards their children.
It appears in glory together with Christ, i.e. at the Transfiguration. We need the spirit of Elijah as is evident in my Spiritual Father, Dr. Selwyn Stevens, to break the false spirits of religiousness like in cults, lukewarm churches, materialistic churches, false baptisms, and ignorant Christians.
4. What Sons must be in the Church, and to their Spiritual Fathers. A Son has his life invested in the house (in the father), but a hireling is only looking for payment at the end of the day.
You cannot build on hirelings. You cannot build a church with people who do not share the vision of their father.
Sons build the house, while servants simply serve in the house. Sons are concerned about the house (church) growing in the right way; but servants/hirelings have no attachment to the house. Sons see new people surrounding their father as brothers, but hirelings have a sense of failure, competition and insecurity.
Sons hold their father's heart and the success of their father's work as their own - Luke 16:12. Sons inherit - servants take.
Sons are family-oriented; servants are ministry or issue-oriented. The son will not let issues divide the church (relationships are important); but hirelings focus on issues as their rights. i.e. Martha, a servant, complains; Mary, a daughter appreciates.
Sons use the language of the family, but hirelings use individual terminology - they say they and them; not we or us.
A son identifies with the needs of his father, but servants always says "they are doing this..." (Absalom's example).
Sons honour headship and cover the nakedness of their father, but servants expose the father's nakedness - when a father is under attack, a son defends him, (Psalm 127:5).
Sons honour the chain of command, but hirelings question the chain of command. The test that separates hirelings from sons is, can I submit to someone I make not like personally?
Sons want to share their lives with the father to the third generation. In a son, the father's vision comes first; in a hireling, the father's provision comes first.
Sons birth new people into the family; hirelings birth new people to themselves. Sons birth people into their father.
Sons focus on the welfare of the people; hirelings focus on their own appearance and welfare.
Sons will not inflate church numbers; but hirelings will inflate numbers to gain the praise of men.
Sons share their inner thoughts and conversations; servants only share what they want.
I now conclude with the role of the Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries, and how it fits into the Body of Christ in helping restore the missing jewels.
If there is one irrefutable message God the Father is speaking to the Body of Christ today, it is Reconciliation. We are to be reconciled across denominational, racial, gender and national barriers, demonstrating the true spiritual unity for which Jesus so passionately prayed in John 17.
Our role is to affirm, undergird, encourage and partner with indigenous churches and ministries around Africa. It is our prayer that the threefold cord of churches, mainline denominations, traditional Evangelicals, and Pentecostals/Charismatics entwine through this Godly move of the Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries, and help restore the much-needed Spiritual Fatherhood and Sonship.
The key to church growth, evangelisation, unity and corporate worship is the revival of Spiritual Fatherhood in the Body of Christ.
1. Why so many problems in the church today?
The lack of Spiritual Fathers is the main cause of the trouble in the church. Children raised without parental care are mostly the cause of the broken society. Such as many street children, broken marriages, children from broken families usually behave badly, often have no respect for parents or elders, these are often the ones involved in murders, fornication, fighting, smoking, drunkenness and much more.
To a greater extent the cause of the physical problems is a result of spiritual breakdowns. Whatever you see in the natural is what is in the spiritual. The church today lacks Spiritual Fathers, hence the church experiences splits, divisions, sheep-stealing, cults, lack of maturity and love, evangelisation retardation, lack of God's presence. Big churches often don't want to have anything to do with small churches, or boast about their size. But churches, big or small, are not ours - they belong to the Lord.
As the result of the absence of this spiritual cover, human being (moving in the flesh) have taken up the position of the Holy Spirit, and without Him they still operate, alas!
2. We Need Spiritual Fathers
The Heavenly Father imparts life and purpose in life. The spiritual fathers, like the heavenly Father, ...
- impart love for other people,
- supply for needs,
- breed character in his children,
- instill values to life,
- bring peace and stability,
- guide, train and give instruction,
- give commands, punishment and discipline to their children,
- instill a family spirit (Oikos), and
- teach team principles - independence is not from the Father.
African countries started with a fight for independence, and once they gained it, they soon realised that it was not enough. They again started another fight for unity. Unity is the missing jewels in the church as well as in society, and the cause of disunity is the lack of spiritual fathers. Fatherhood can be divided into three groupings:
(a) The Heavenly Fatherhood, (b) the Spiritual Fatherhood - this does not replace the Heavenly Fatherhood, such as in the Roman Catholic Church where the Pope and "Fathers" replace God. (One of the Pope's titles is "He who stands in the place of Christ").
The duty of the Spiritual Fathers is to teach every minister and church member how to hear the Father's voice, and by no means to stand between them and the Heavenly Father. Spiritual Fathers must represent the Heavenly Father, and not replace Him.
"Tekna" - Spiritual Fathers beget children through the seed of faith. "Sperma" where natural fathers beget children through sperm. The Abrahamic father hood was both biological and spiritual.
There is the physical covenant of which circumcision is a sign, (Genesis 17 - "Like the Sand" - the day covenant, earthly.
Like the stars" his Spiritual Fatherhood which is the heavenly or believers descendants - Genesis 15:5, Gal. 3:29.
(c) Natural fatherhood, national fathers as kings, presidents, elders in every nation, constitute the natural fathers but must emulate their heavenly father's kingdom life style in order to father their families and the nation.
3. Fatherhood is God's method for the End-time Church (a) The Spirit of Elijah must return to the church - Luke 1:17; Matthew 17:11, Matthew 11:14 - to bring order to the Body of Christ by turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers in reconciliation, unity and true Fatherhood. Elisha was calling Elijah "My Father, My Father - the chariots of Israel". This same spirit must be revived today. It is the only method of how to pass on the past generation's baton of authority.
(b) John the Baptist was the first type of this, but he couldn't restore everything. The Fatherhood spirit will be revived by the young men and daughters by building the bridge of reconciliation - 1 John 2:12-14; Joel 2:28.
(c) The characteristics of Elijah's spirit Recognise the heavenly Father and Sonship - Elisha calls Elijah "My Father".
The voice of no compromise to evil doers and demons.
Fight all false religions and do not accept them.
It puts its life on a death line for the truth.
It proves that other gods are dead, asleep or nothing.
It has the word of authority, because it operates under authority.
It hears the voice of God for every step, and moves as the Spirit directs (i.e. the widow of Zaraphath.
It gets rid of unnecessary company of human help (the fleshly) in favour of God's presence. When problems arise it seeks God.
It has faith to call things that are not as though they were. i.e. There is the sound of abundant rains, therefore run before the rain stops you.
It travails in prayer to birth a miracle, even when God says it. What is given is not yours until you possess it.
Makes crooked paths straight, a way in the mountains through the valleys.
It teaches or turns the hearts of children to their fathers, and the hearts of fathers towards their children.
It appears in glory together with Christ, i.e. at the Transfiguration. We need the spirit of Elijah as is evident in my Spiritual Father, Dr. Selwyn Stevens, to break the false spirits of religiousness like in cults, lukewarm churches, materialistic churches, false baptisms, and ignorant Christians.
4. What Sons must be in the Church, and to their Spiritual Fathers. A Son has his life invested in the house (in the father), but a hireling is only looking for payment at the end of the day.
You cannot build on hirelings. You cannot build a church with people who do not share the vision of their father.
Sons build the house, while servants simply serve in the house. Sons are concerned about the house (church) growing in the right way; but servants/hirelings have no attachment to the house. Sons see new people surrounding their father as brothers, but hirelings have a sense of failure, competition and insecurity.
Sons hold their father's heart and the success of their father's work as their own - Luke 16:12. Sons inherit - servants take.
Sons are family-oriented; servants are ministry or issue-oriented. The son will not let issues divide the church (relationships are important); but hirelings focus on issues as their rights. i.e. Martha, a servant, complains; Mary, a daughter appreciates.
Sons use the language of the family, but hirelings use individual terminology - they say they and them; not we or us.
A son identifies with the needs of his father, but servants always says "they are doing this..." (Absalom's example).
Sons honour headship and cover the nakedness of their father, but servants expose the father's nakedness - when a father is under attack, a son defends him, (Psalm 127:5).
Sons honour the chain of command, but hirelings question the chain of command. The test that separates hirelings from sons is, can I submit to someone I make not like personally?
Sons want to share their lives with the father to the third generation. In a son, the father's vision comes first; in a hireling, the father's provision comes first.
Sons birth new people into the family; hirelings birth new people to themselves. Sons birth people into their father.
Sons focus on the welfare of the people; hirelings focus on their own appearance and welfare.
Sons will not inflate church numbers; but hirelings will inflate numbers to gain the praise of men.
Sons share their inner thoughts and conversations; servants only share what they want.
I now conclude with the role of the Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries, and how it fits into the Body of Christ in helping restore the missing jewels.
If there is one irrefutable message God the Father is speaking to the Body of Christ today, it is Reconciliation. We are to be reconciled across denominational, racial, gender and national barriers, demonstrating the true spiritual unity for which Jesus so passionately prayed in John 17.
Our role is to affirm, undergird, encourage and partner with indigenous churches and ministries around Africa. It is our prayer that the threefold cord of churches, mainline denominations, traditional Evangelicals, and Pentecostals/Charismatics entwine through this Godly move of the Alliance of African Christian Churches & Ministries, and help restore the much-needed Spiritual Fatherhood and Sonship.
The key to church growth, evangelisation, unity and corporate worship is the revival of Spiritual Fatherhood in the Body of Christ.