path – Page 9 – Cross Culture Church

June 2016 Article: ” City Fathers”

There was a time when leadership was both honored and obeyed, and where men of renown would gather together at the city gates or the entryways to decide what was good for the well-being of communities. They would take the prophetic Word spoken by the prophets and interpret its truths so that every family could align him or herself with the will of God. They were usually the elders with years of experience in both life and judgments. Issues could then be easily settled and the people would move in one direction. Without the conveniences of modern technology, the spoken work connected to the fundamentals that governed behavior and were taught by every father and reinforced by every mother. If controversy arose, it was settled among the elders or fathers of the people.

The elders were men that administered justice, settled disputes, and guided the people under their charge. Even the king would consult the elders even though he had the authority to determine his own course of action. As we retrace the path of history, it is easy to see those points of departure that adversely affect society today. In order for elders to govern the affairs of the king, they must first govern their own households. Fathers had to be there as heads of the household with an eye towards future generations. What choices would be left for children who were under the rule of fathers setting the example for them? It is a matter of established authority and the lack thereof that will determine either the rise or fall of civilization. The disintegration of morals can be directly traced back to the relaxed morals of prior generations that left individuals to judge matters independent of an established standard. God would speak to the prophets and the prophets would convey the prophetic word to the elders. The message was not merely to inform, but with the intent that lives be conformed to the standard established by God Himself. If the prophets were not received as instruments sent by God, neither the king, the fathers, nor the elders would have received the message. The receptivity of the family was commensurate to the receptivity of the father. They were taught of the Lord through their fathers.

Today God speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). Likewise, we are taught of the Lord through the ministry gifts given to the Body of Christ. Yet it is the fathers who have the primary responsibility to interpret the message so that his family may gain a clearer understanding. Although it expands beyond an intellectual understanding, the Word must be articulated in daily practice. How the Word of God is to be applied to every area of life will require aged men with maturity gained through experience. They not only speak of truth, but spare their children the pains of having to face life without a guide. Their successes and failures can be used as object lessons for the immature and inexperienced. Their tried and proven methods can be built upon from generation to generation.

Church fathers then can become city fathers. The Church was intended to be the center of the community as the gathering place for the instructions in knowledge and wisdom. Additionally, fathering is the derivative of being fathered. As Father, God set the criteria and model for every man that would ever occupy such a sacred position. Just as He spoke to the prophets of old to the fathers or elders, so He speaks today. To understand Christ’s earthly mission and to fully participate in work is our highest calling. Through Him we fulfill the role and carry out our mission. Let us not shortchange our children by giving them less than what they so desperately need. Guide them into knowing Christ through our godly example. Who will be our future city leaders? Those that we are training and leading today.

28 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 28

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

‘‘Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low.” Isaiah 40:4

God reaches down to valleys in order to lift them up and pulls down ever-exalted mountain. He encounters the mighty when they trust in their own strength. Nothing is able to stand above Him. These mountains stand to challenge His authority. His is the power to uphold mountains, and He has the right to remove them. By His Word mountains quake and the earth trembles. He is awesome in power and majesty. Yet He dwells in the high and holy place with the humble and the contrite. He exalts the valleys. The same power that brings mountains down is the power that lifts valleys up. The purity of their hearts permits them to see God. Their perspective is not the same as those who have lofty goals and are selfish in nature. They possess His heart. Their wills are in synch with His will. The way up is down and the way down is up. So different from the nature of fallen man, but the way of life that leads us down the path of life.

21 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 21

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.” Proverbs 12:3

There are many courses available to every man. Some seem more attractive than others and some in appearance, have no appeal. Yet it is required of each man to choose his course. At the beginning of the journey, it is difficult when we only use our experiences as the criteria for future actions. Then only pain pleasure are the factors when integrity is not the rule. Many shipwrecked lives and casualties of failed hopes and dreams scatter the ditches and graves of those who made decisions on the level of senses. Their attempt to make it at all cost was more costly than they had bargained for. But the righteous rejected the path of immediate gratification. The delay in waiting on the Lord’s guidance positioned them to hear His voice leading them around the fatal ditches and pitfalls of the enemy. They withstood the trends and the waves of popular opinion. They remained faithful when all else around them failed in order to receive the singular applause of the Father’s affirmation of “well done!”

17 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 17

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord extends to each individual the opportunity to be saved. It is the road that leads to life. The destination may not be clearly defined or easily understood, but the path to the destination is introduced to each one. It may be a subtle approach from a stranger, or an eye awakening experience. Each situation, when viewed from eternity’s perspective, was the extended hand of God releasing mercy. The objective is to provide an abundance of opportunities for the wayward to be drawn to Him. His desire is that none should perish. Those who perish are usually stubbornly justifying their rebellious ways and never seeing the need for a Savior. Oh, the wonders of His grace! When we understand the need for both mercy and grace, we will view our self-righteousness as sin, our abilities to love as hatred, and every effort on our part to boast as shame. What preserves us from destruction is the awareness of our absolute need for Him in all things. This is repentance when we turn away from our own ways and wholly turn towards Jesus Christ. Those who perish are those who neglect so great a salvation. It is not His passion that any perish. It is His will that all be saved.

17 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 17

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” (NKJ)

“Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.” (MSG) Proverbs 5: 23

A warning to the wise is the anecdote to his falling away and divorcing himself from his wisdom. Disciples are to exercise disciplines in order to safeguard areas that would otherwise be vulnerable to the enemy. He is seeking to influence those who have taken pride in their stance as being invincible thus allowing their guards to be down. Death is the price paid for our redemption. Since we are alive to Christ and dead to the world, Satan’s ploy is to attempt in resurrecting things that once dominated and controlled our lives. Daily decisions have far-reaching and severe consequences. Nothing is done in isolation from a path leading to a destination. And nothing is done that does not follow a pattern of living modeled by a master. Our death in Jesus Christ produced life with a purpose. We are being led to triumph over all the works of darkness. Our thoughts must be directed towards the eternal unless we become entrapped by temporal pleasures requiring more than we have come to understand. We must allow wisdom to teach and guide us in a straight path.

12 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 12

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean.” Ezekiel 44:23

The job of the preacher is not merely to entertain people or to build buildings. Neither is he successful when he possesses the ability to draw large crowds. God has assigned us to teach the difference between the sacred things and the secular. We must do all to the glory of God, but not all things warrant the same attention. The neglect of foundational truths will erect structures of wood, hay, and stubble that cannot withstand the waves of adversity or the strong winds of erroneous doctrines. Only those who are well taught will be able stand being fully equipped with the full armor of God. They are led in the path of holiness and righteousness thus developing their discernment between good and evil, the clean and the unclean. The paralyzing sin of sameness has dulled the senses of many. But God will raise up His priests who have not bowed their knees to Baal and remain faithful for such a time as this.

05 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 5

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.” Isaiah 59:8-9

There is a peace offered by God that surpasses what the crowd demands. Yes, fairness in judgments must be executed, and the wild behavior of the wayward majority must be regulated by laws. But justice gives what justice demands. Laws alone cannot change the heart. It condemns both the accused and the accusers for all have sinned. It looks into the secret sins of the heart, and the evil practices done under the cloak of darkness. Those sins though unseen, cause dis-ease of the soul. Justice condemns the ways of the wicked. A death sentence is served to all who follow her path.

How can one know the way to peace when the contributing forces of war are unknown? None are aware of why they love what is evil and hate what is good. Yet those who seek both justice and peace are blind to their own guilt. It is the right path that must be chosen if peace is ever to be known. Jesus Christ paid for my sins which were many, thus tearing down the dividing wall which separated me from God. Without having peace with God, none would ever know the peace of God. The scales of justice are balanced by His supreme act of love. He gave me a life undeserving for the sacrificed life of His Son. None could argue against His wisdom that provided for me a choice rather than a curse. Now the Way of peace is known for the crooked path I once paved, He has now been straightened.

31 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 31

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

The path to victory leads into the heat of the battle. There the soldier must defend his honor and stand against the onslaught of opposing forces. There would be no retreat from that position. It is either do or die. The fainthearted would rather avoid such definite lines of battle. It would be easier to be on both sides rather than to outwardly declare war against a foe that threatens one’s security and all others that would follow. Too much is at stake at defeat. The loss of life and limb, or even the shame to admit that there was not enough strength to carry on. Such are the challenges facing the follower of Christ. He has been positioned by God before us as our Captain. His priority is to lead us to victory after victory. Yet not by bloodshed, but rather by fumigating the environment with the sweet smell of His knowledge, thus eliminating the stench of ignorance that pervaded before the engagement of war began. The enemy is won over because the soldiers have retreated to the other side. Those who were once enemies of Christ now have become His friends because they have been influenced by the aroma of life and repulsed by the stench of death.

30 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 30

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16

Sublimation according to Dr. Hadfield, was “the process by which instinctive emotions were diverted from their original ends, and re-directed to purposes satisfying to the individual and of value to the community.”

Man will instinctively fulfill the lust of the flesh. The energy to carry out that end is within him and if nothing is changed, it is inevitable that he will follow after that path. It is only when the Spirit is given permission to intervene will his course be changed. His instincts will be diverted away from what comes natural and the more he yields to the Holy Spirit the more he will find pleasures equal to and ultimately greater than what formally occupied his time and attention. The energy that was expended towards self-gratification is now used for the benefit of the community. When we walk in the Spirit, we are moving in the direction and the ultimate destination of God. All other paths lead to isolation and death. Habits are broken and new passions are ignited in place of the dominating forces that lead to frustration. The evidence that one is walking in the Spirit is the willingness to continue with the Spirit. There is no place in that individual’s life to engage in the contrary and unfruitful works of darkness.

24 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 24

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” Isaiah 54:13

The instructions given by God to your children will first produce an inner peace. Their hearts will agree with the truth for which they were made to receive and understand. They would no longer be left to themselves to wander from one opinion to the next never knowing which path is the right one to take. But rather, they shall be surefooted in their stance in righteousness and not easily swayed by the winds of strange doctrines that have become prevalent in our day. There is a peace for children to receive. Even though they may not have experienced much of what lies ahead, nevertheless they can face the future with confidence. The instruction of the Lord will guide them when they arrive at certain impasses and a decision is necessary to go in either direction. They will apply their teachings to the situation at hand and not fall prey to the adversary whose objective is to allure them away from the path that leads to life. Each child shall receive his share. None shall be left out for all need the same peace that comes from Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.