July 19, 2023
Malachi 4:5-6 (NASB1995) “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
When we ponder the verse above, we will realize that there are extremely ‘crucial’ about the future of the earth and its inhabitants. If the hearts of the father and son are not united in His plan and will, then the restoration of all things will not take place.
Acts 3:21 (NET) This One heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through His holy prophets.
So the truth is, what determines the time for the restoration of everything and the second coming of Christ is ourselves. Realize that our existence in the end times plays a vital role, this is no joke. We can no longer live like men in general, for we are not ordinary people, but Godly people who are formed by the work of the Spirit and the Word to represent Christ.
For realization of the fulfillment of the verse above is in fact not a difficult and complicated thing, because if the spiritual father and child have the same heart that sincerely loves God, then UNITY can simply happen.
WHAT MAKES THE VERSE DIFFICULT TO APPLY BECAUSE:
1. Many claim to be spiritual fathers, yet have the intention of manipulating those under their leadership.
2. Many consider themselves to be spiritual fathers just because they are pastors or leaders in a local church, even though God has never assigned them to be spiritual fathers as the Bible meant!
3. Many claims to be spiritual children, however, intend to seek a stage for personal gain.
4. And many more desire to be spiritual fathers and children without understanding the true pattern.
I am increasingly convinced that verily at this time God has not resurrected many spiritual fathers, but a spiritual father who has truly been formed in such a way by the work of the Spirit and the Word, carries a divine mandate, brings a divine pattern, and certainly has a heart that loves God and pure in equipping God’s people!
1 Corinthians 4:15 (NASB1995) For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
1 Corinthians 4: 15 (TLB) For although you may have ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, remember that you have only me as your father. For I was the one who brought you to Christ when I preached the Gospel to you.
In today’s Christianity, particularly in Indonesia, many leaders are ‘pursuing the title’ as spiritual fathers even though they are not appointed to do so. This is the ROOT OF THE ISSUE, that the restoration of everything seems to ‘clog’ and doesn’t roll as it should.
It takes humility to put all ‘human honor’ and begin to walk in the divine pattern! And it takes a willingness to give himself and the congregation he leads to connect with the TRUE SPIRITUAL FATHER without considering himself to be a spiritual father for congregation he leads. This is indeed not easy, but it’s crucial! If this is realized, then the movement as one body of Christ will be an incredibly powerful movement to restore all things!
This morning, it was as if there was a prayer flowing from within me to ask Heavenly Father so that what is the TRUE PATTERN OF THE PRINCIPLE of fatherhood may come true.
For I am certain that the great revival that will take place in Indonesia in the near time will not be separated from the true principle of fatherhood! Where are the revivalists born from a spiritual womb created by the work of the Spirit and the Word built by a true spiritual father!
I feel this is the time to look forward to, but it’s also so crucial! May God’s grace open the eyes of our hearts to see how powerful and great the movement that God wants to roll out! Therefore we willingly and joyfully throw away human agendas to enter God’s big agenda! We are not playing ‘fathers’ and ‘churches’, but we are at the end of the greatest movement of all time!
THIS IS THE TIME FOR US TO IMMERSE OURSELVES IN TRUE MOVEMENT!
Ps. Steven Agustinus
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