…Rescuing a
Generation in
Crisis!

…Rescuing a Generation in Crisis!
Presented by:
Sponsored by:
Hope Family Fellowship &
Household of Faith Fellowship of
Churches

9:20 am
10:50 am

2:00 pm
3:30 pm

Last night we established that there are significant
Challenges in the Church Today .

First, future generations of the church are in crisis…
…and it is our responsibility, as Christian householders , to reach our own children for
Christ.

And that, as disciplers , we must…
…establish a lifestyle of
Intimacy with God in order to reach our children at a heart level for Christ.

But, in reality, the
Generation in Crisis is not the root problem…
…rather it is symptomatic of two deeper malfunctions in the church today…

1) The Disintegration of the
Family.
2) The Improper Functional Role of the Church in relation to the home.

In this session, we will address a solution for the disintegration of the Family…
…which is the Rebuilding of the
Role of Fatherhood in our Christian
homes today …

In our second session this morning Pastor Klick will address
Reforming the Church , steps the local church can take to inform and equip parents to more effectively fulfill their biblical roles in discipleship .

Scripture clearly places the weight of leading the home firmly upon the shoulders of fathers.
**********************************
So, for homes with single mothers or other loving legal guardians, we intend the term “fathers” to apply to them as well.

Text

Mal 4:5
Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord…

Mal 4:6
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I smite the earth with a curse.
- KJV

Could the CURSE merely be the natural consequence of parents turning their affections and attention to other things rather than fulfilling their
God-assigned responsibilities towards their children?

Could the CURSE for the turning of father’s hearts from their children be the emergence of rebellious generations , cultural disintegration and the widespread rejection, even persecution , of those that hold to the foundational principles of the Christian faith?

Are typical Christian fathers today alert and in tune with the role that God has ordained for them to play in the lives of their wives and children?

Is it alarmist , or is it merely connecting the dots to be concerned that a CURSE may be ascending upon our land?

Would you agree that today, we are again in the need for the Lord to turn the hearts of the fathers toward their children…
…which should result in the hearts of the children being turned to their fathers?

In order for the home to be what
God intends for it to be …
…to produce the kind of children that carry the work of the church into the next generation…
… fathers must lead as God has instructed them to lead.

God has given headship of the home to
the father, not to the wife…
…the state
…or the church.
Eph 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church,
- ESV

God never intended for the church to do the work of the family…
…nor pastors / elders the work of the father.

Church and Home have a complimentarian dependence upon one another.
*************************
Neither can fulfill the other’s role, but together they make discipleship whole.

But discipleship will only effectively occur if we
intentionally and accurately pass the gospel of Jesus Christ on from one generation to the next.
(keys)

Deut 6:5-9  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
- ESV

Doesn’t it make sense that to effectively teach the Word…
… we must first know the
Word ourselves.

“If you cannot play the saxophone, you can’t teach your children to play the saxophone.”
-Jerry Burd

God is calling us out!
He is raising up a generation of fathers who will affectionately lead their children in the commandments of God.

“Lord…
… may we experience the fulfillment of Malachi 4:6 in our Generation.”

We must reverse the contemporary western phenomenon of the disintegration of the family…
…But, to do that we have to go against the grain…
…we have to run into the wind…
…we have to swim upstream…

Put another way…
…we have to be courageous!

Our culture, the media, political correctness – these all elevate youth and rebellion…
…they scoff parental authority…
…diminish the wisdom of age…
…mock every semblance of a biblical worldview…
…and emasculate the role of the husband / father.

…battling every nuance of the philosophies of men in the trenches of our homes.
Rejecting the influences that would undermine the biblical influence of fatherhood or the nobility of motherhood .

We must realize that the only door to rebuilding the Christian home
…
…is to

Weak families make weak churches and weak societies…
Strong families make strong churches and strong societies…
And, of course,
Don’t we all want strong families?

So, how do we make strong families?

......by making strong fathers!

Check This Out!
Scientists say they have not yet discovered perpetual motion …

But …
Strong Fathers BUILD strong Families.
Strong Families BUILD strong Churches.
Strong Churches BUILD strong Fathers.
Is this not…
….
Spiritual Perpetual Motion ?

And
Spiritual Perpetual Motion is what we must have in order to sustain the church…
… from generation to generation …
…until Christ returns!

But there has been a breakdown in the church…

Fathers may have been being discipled to be good Christian…

But to disciple a father in every aspect of the faith except the discipling of his own wife and children…
…is to teach a father to neglect the single-most important aspect of fatherhood.

Being equipped as to how best:
…manage a household well…
…be a loving and faithful husband…
…effectively disciple one’s children…
…These are areas in which the church can bring significant assistance to a man.

And the impact of his success or failure in these endeavors stretch well beyond his own household.

Every jurisdictions in our culture…
Church
Business
Government
… all depend upon the stability of the household for survival…
…and likewise disintegrate with the disintegration of the home.

Let’s do now what we desire for all
Christian dads to do…
…let’s turn our attention toward home…

What does it mean to
“ Rebuild Fatherhood ?”
…it simply means to restore fatherhood to its proper role - its originally-designed functions .

So, what is the father’s proper role…
…the proper, biblical function of
Fatherhood is best defined in terms of how the father relates to all of the other members of his own household?

Every householder is biblically mandated with 6 obligation to the individuals in their own households, to:
1. Respect
2. Love
3. Lead
4. Provide
5. Protect
6. Disciple

Each individual is the head of their own jurisdiction.
Even God respects the jurisdiction of the individual.
Speaking to Cain, God said:
If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.
Gen 4:7

Be in awe of the fact that
- in the long term you cannot force the will of those in your care.
Try with your children, to make the gospel sweet as honey …
…and then appeal to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
-KJV

Our own sweet fellowship with the Father…
… Intimacy with God …
Will help to make God and His
Word
…appear sweet
… of value
…to be longed for
…by our children.

A life and lifestyle, the fruit of which create a hunger and thirst for the things of God in your children…

Genuine love allows you to be effective in the 4 remaining areas: leading, providing, protecting discipling

The great biblical mandate for every husband…

Eph 5:25
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it …
-KJV

You must love her, protect her, and help her to attain to the highest standards of the
Nobility of Motherhood .

And wives, you are partners with your husbands in the safe delivery of your children from man’s cradle to God’s Kingdom …

And your husband’s success is your success …
…dwell with your husband in peace …
…as his helpmeet, make it your life’s ambition to hear the Judge say to your husband …

The clearest picture of the gospel that parents can give their children is a faithful … affectionate …
Selfless … love for one another as they strive together in the same yoke toward kingdom objectives.

Husbands…
…love your wives!
…………The Motorcycle Story………..

Agape Love is not about our stuff…
…our personal hobbies…
…our free time…
…but, godly character.

Effective leaders do not hide their character…
…or manage appearances …
…but, transparently open up their lives to God, to their wives and, as appropriate, their children.

One of the most dramatic ways a father can influence his family for Christ is to showcase – in himself – the power of God to transform the human soul.

Dad’s love for the members of the home should include a focused… affectionate… sacrificial … love for each individual member of the family.

Accept the Bible’s mandate to lead…
…and you can only do this well if points 1 and 2,
Respect and Love, are already in place…

Everything that happens in the home:
Order…
Discipline…
Education…
Atmosphere…
Social and spiritual development of all family members…
… all are the father’s full responsibility.

What On This Ship Is the
Captain Responsible For?

What On This Ship Is the
Captain Responsible For?

The husband IS the head
- the Captain whether he acts the part or not…
…and…
…a spirituall-absentee husband totally dominates the home


1 Tim 5:8
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
- KJV

We love our wife by providing for her a “castle” of her own…
…we role model for our sons the character of diligence and hard-work…
…and we embody for our daughters the focused, disciplined man that they should be seeking in a husband.

…giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel.
- 1 Peter 3:7
Our wives’ “vessels” may be weaker… but 360-degree protection of our homes demands that we listen to our wives’ discerning and protective instincts…

 Providing
 Being alert to physical dangers
 Intervening in destructive decisions and behaviors
 Building strong character
 Forecasting future needs of family
 Anticipating spiritual dangers

6. Disciple
Thomas Watson:
“The
is the
of the
.”

By default, everyone disciples their children –
- toward their own personal character, passions, and values.

We are not going to go into detail on the importance of discipline… the correction of a child …
…but know that we take it for granted that the disciplining of a child is a critical part of his overall discipleship.

What is the world’s greatest discipleship model?
A coliseum sporting a world-wide evangelist?
A room-full of saints huddled around the Bible?
Four pastors instructing one disciple? (4:1)
A gymnasium with a hip youth leader and great technology, music, movies & pizza?

The world’s greatest discipleship model is…
One Household,
- with 2 parents,
- each parent with a thirst for righteousness,
- modeling character that reflects Christ,
- and being driven to pass the baton of
Christ on to the next generation.

Youth Ministers in every home..
Parents are the world’s greatest
!

Use the Ancient Pulpit of the Home to transfer your life-transforming passions and values on to your children…
… the ORIGINAL MAKE OVER!

Thorough discipleship includes protecting our children from harmful influences and extends into every dimension of relationships and education.

- Kids can be discipled at home and un-discipled at school.
- Discipleship includes
Parental Responsibility in the education of our children .

We must train our children in every aspect of spiritual things.
*************************************
…We start by living the gospel…
…transformation is easier caught than taught.

Deut 29:29
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever , that we may do all the words of this law.
- KJV

Fathers must aspire to the role of
Household Theologian
…seeking out and delivering to their children the secret things of God…
(Family Discipleship Plan
This afternoon at 1:30 pm)
…Teaching your children:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Josh 1:8

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the
Day drawing near.
Heb 10:24-25

To personally engage in spiritual warfare on behalf of your wife and children and to teach them to …
… enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
-
Heb 10:19-20

To Know Christ…
(1 John 1:1-2)

To Rebuild Fatherhood is to restore fatherhood to all of its
.

The way we know when our hearts have been turned toward our children is when we have willingly fashioned our lives, our schedules and our priorities to reach the hearts of our children for the gospel!

End of
Presentation

Let’s take a
Return at 10:50 for
Reforming the
Church
Dr. Klick

…

The father’s biblical role also includes some looking outside the family, as well as looking in…
What is the father’s responsibility toward the church and the society?

We want to sharpen them…
To arm them…
…To
Launch them into the
Battle!

End of
Presentation

If he gives us 7 gardens to tend, he expects us to sow and cultivate each… not neglecting any:
Christ, wife, children, family, work, church, community.

When we think of relationships we tend to think of person to person.
But God calls men into relationships with jurisdictions.
Fathers have relationships with their children, but they are having a relationship with a jurisdiction.

When we think of relationships we tend to think of person to person.
But God calls men into relationships with jurisdictions.
Fathers, the head of the jurisdiction of the home, have relationships with their children, heads of the jurisdiction of the individual.

This means that, as a jurisdiction, the child’s life is a boundary or entity in which autonomous power may be exercised.


Though tragic, a person has the right and authority to reject Christ. When that happens:
God recognizes that autonomous decision
God decrees the appropriate eternal destiny.

The home is the wellspring from which elders, deacons and the faithful future of the church emerges.

How did we get here?
Deportation of our children from home.
Evacuation of parents from responsibilities.
Counter-Biblical Social Movements:
Public School
Sunday School
Industrial Revolution
WWII women in workforce
Mobility of children…technology…entertainment.

Yes, Christian men must awaken from their slumber and assume their biblical roles in the home…
1. Respecting
2. Loving
3. Leading
4. Providing
5. Protecting
6. Discipling
…their families.

God gives us a clear mandate in
Scripture…
Dueteronomy 6

Power - what you can do
Responsibility – what you are assigned (by another jurisdiction).
Rights – What you may do.
Authority – What you may direct, narrower than power

We must keep every one of our children in mind… individually:
Praying for Them
Disciplining In Righteousness
Building Affection
Preparing for Life
Discipling Unto Christ

Each individual child represents an entirely separate garden from the rest.
We must plow, sow and reap in each individual garden…
…No child left behind.

Finally, if you will be strong and courageous to do these things,
God will intervene on your behalf and make your home stronger and stronger for the sake of His Church and for the glory of His Kingdom.

Parental Responsibility in Education
Christian parents should ensure that all family members see dad and mom as the primary educators of their children. In today’s world, conscientious Christian parents must be engaged - selecting, controlling and / or monitoring the curriculum, values and environments to which their children are being exposed throughout their years of education.

4 Statements and 4 Responses

STATEMENT
Many strong, highly-gifted Christian women are just better leaders than their less-gifted and/or passive husbands.
_______________________________________________
RESPONSE
Should a strong and wise woman yield her household up to a lesser man, knowing his skills and judgment are inferior to hers?

STATEMENT
Our culture sees marriage as an egalitarian (50/50) arrangement.
___________________________________
RESPONSE
Isn’t a husband a little chauvinistic to say headship of the home resides with him?

STATEMENT
Poor decisions or moral failures cause men to lose credibility with their wives and children.
___________________________________________
RESPONSE
Should a man have an expectation of leading before he regains the trust of his family?

STATEMENT
Some men lead the home while resting in the confidence that the school is educating their children, and the church discipling them.
______________________________________________________
RESPONSE
Who better to educate the children than the school, and disciple them than the church?
Isn’t that what God made schools and churches for?

I have given you 4 statements as to why biblical male leadership in the Christian home is suffering today.
Do you see the biblical error in each of the responses?

In our text, Malachi seemed to be forecasting that the last days would present a dire need for change…
…a reformation of the family…
…not toward something new…
…but the restoration of what God had established from the beginning.

…and, Praise the Lord…

He is turning the hearts of countless fathers back to their children… back to their wives… back to their homes…
****************************
God is
Restoring the Role of the Christian Father!

Why did God create the family?
“So that from one generation to the next there might be mouths to proclaim the glories of
Christ.”
- Scott Brown

Thank you for invitation...Mark, Dick, Mark and Todd - and Antioch CC – doing church great srvc.
Love stories, analogies, illustrations and pics…powerful means of transferring truth in a clear and memorable way – Jesus spoke in parables.
You are here today, in an historic occasion- one among many ground-breaking FIC conferences …
Go back 27 years with an analogy…
My wife, Jerry, and I started homeschooling in 1983.
- didn’t know anyone else doing it…sensed calling, so we did it.
- against the law then in Arkansas,…people were going to jail…
- we were different, scared - persevered – still going – 6 more yrs.
- today, millions of people homeschool – because God has called them to it – we were pioneers.
I believe Homeschool movement = revival…of Spirit speaking to parents…dynamic generation
- revival of families willing to go against grain (culture) …swim upstream (church).
-God was building courage and character in his people
- today we are standing on the edge of another revival.
I said this was an historic occasion? Compare this spiritually to the era of Jamestown and
Plymouth Rock – this is the beginnings of something near to God’s heart  FIC
- Not something new, simply God restoring what was natural from the beginning – simple.
You are in the presence of many pioneers, Mark, Eric, Marc, Jarrod, Steve…you! We all pioneers
Fics dot east coast and west coast– want to see US blanketed in FICs.
This Family Integrated movement is young, but the heart of God. Not really about the FIC, but the
Gospel - Track coaches teach runners to pass baton – teaching is not the baton…but how to protect the baton. The FIC movement not about the FIC, but how to live and protect the gospel for generations to come.
A core value of FIC: Restoring Role of Christian Father….

Disclaimer – we will be discussing “Fathers” a great deal…
In the Presentation we use the terms: “ Father,”
“Householder,” “head of household,” all interchangeably…may apply to single moms or single dads.
If Mother is a single parent – suggest you attempt to adopt an “uncle” for your sons, someone to help model, mentor and engage your sons in ministry…
If necessary, ask your elders to help you find a caring man willing to invest…