Not Many Fathers: The Need For A New Apostolic Revolution!

There's a very powerful scripture in I Corinthians 4:15-17 which reads, "Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.…"  Recent statics now show that over half of the millennial generation of the children growing up in the United States are being raised without their father's being present in their homes.  If ever there was a need for the church - the time is now!  We need Men Of God who will take on the responsibility to "Father" this current generation.  They need affirmation, identity, and purpose.  Every family has an assignment.  Every generation has a purpose.  The church is being called by God to "father" this current generation.

What does it mean to be a father?  Proverbs 1:8-9 outlines a very powerful reason why fathering is important.  "My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not teachings of your mother.  "For they shall be a crown about your head and a gold chain around your neck." In all my discipleship groups I have taught many young men that Fathers always instruct their children in the "Whats and hows of life."  Mothers teach the "whys.' God designed men to be fathers who teach their children how to get that gold chain around their neck.  Women, as mothers, were designed by God to teach their children how to think through the "whys" of life.  That's what proverbs means by saying "her teachings will be a graceful garland about your head."  When one parent is absent, like fathers, kids are left to guessing about what to do or how to do the things they need to do in life.  When a mother is absent from the home, kids grow up not knowing the "why's" which brings understanding and wisdom to their thinking processes.  The current challenge in American life are "women who think they can raise their children alone without a father" and those who advocate that "those who are same-sex couples can parent children without a parent of the opposite sex."  Both views are tragic and will reap long-term detrimental effects on their kids future.  God designed life to work a certain way and when we mess with that design it gets all of us in trouble every time. With all this being said, this particular installment on my blog has to do with my real concern. -The absence of true apostolic and prophetic ministry in the church today. 


Revelation 2:2 explains a practice that was found in the early church that seems to have gotten lost. "...You put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false."  There are many people claiming to be "Apostles" today that have never shown evidence of what a true apostle is - One who brings order, discipline, management, and a work ethic into the house instead of a sense of entitlement.  The church instead of testing and finding those who are false - advocates that anybody can be an apostle by just claiming it.  Apostles are, first and foremost, fathers of the faith.  I Timothy 3:5 states very clearly, "For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?" All you have to do to identify a true apostolic leader is look at their children.  If your children are acting out in unethical and immoral behavior (even as adults) it is reflective of the values that were advocated in the home.  Identifying a person as an apostle, according to scripture, isn't measured by the size of a crowd that can be gathered - it's measured by the evidence of an ability to father. It also is evidenced in how a father has honored his own father.  You can't ask your kids to do something you haven't practiced. If you want to see if a man is a true father in the faith, look at his kids. Sounds a bit harsh, but I didn't write this stuff and I've always had this "goal" of being a good father and leader in front of me as a goal to attain.I have worked and continue to work hard at being a good father.  There are no perfect people. There is no one who is righteous, however, if you're going to claim to be an apostolic leader (Bishop) this was the criteria of a true apostle according to the apostle Paul. All you have to do is look at a man's kids and it explains everything you need to know about his house.  

Recently,  I attended a "invitation only" private event with Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson in New York City.  During our time together Former Governor Mike Huckabee pointed out "how great" Donald Trump's family were together off stage and out of the sight of the press. He went on to say, "Your kids are great."  How did that happen?  Mr. Trump smiled and said, "My kids are great people. They always have been."  However, I have always told them,"No alcohol, no drugs, no smoking!"  "I also ensured that they were in Sunday School regularly at the First Presbyterian church in Jamaica, New York." "Mr Trump continued, I don't understand this thing about making Sunday school optional. Kids need to go to church."  His son Erik was there and acknowledged what his father said. Mr. Trump was raised in Marble Collegiate Church under Dr. Norman Vincent Peale as his pastor which influenced his thinking on parenting as well.  Proverbs 17:6 says: "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers."  Your family life, as imperfect as it is, can bring great results through good parenting. This is probably our greatest work in life- to raise our kids well. Donald Trump, like many American's, has gone through divorce yet his kids lives speaks volumes about who he is.  Even though there are so many Christians railing against President Barrack Obama, all you have to do is look at his kids and you can see what kind of man he is. Even though he was raised by his single mother and his grandparents, his life evidences that kids from broken homes don't necessarily have to pass on the adverse things they faced as kids when their father was absent.  You can change a nation by being a father to one kid from a broken home.  I'm a case in point.

I was raised in a twice divorced home.  I think I turned out okay.  However, I am not an apostle nor do I aspire to become one. Yet, I need to share with you how I learned to become a good father. My mother saw to it that I was "fathered." She ensured that the man who fathered me was my grandfather- my father's father. I am the evidence that bears witness to John Thomas Berry's crowning achievement - a man who loves and serves the Lord. He wasn't even a preacher. He worked for the Pennsylvania railroad and Amtrak.  From the time I was a little kid, he took me to church every Sunday. Every weekend he insured that I was exposed to him reading the scripture to me or getting me around the Body Of Christ where other fathers studied the word together with their kids - Father's who led by example on how to be a godly father.  My pastor's were great father's and lead our church by example.  Our church had many fathers - who sought to come along side of me and assure my success as a fatherless young man.  My mother also ensured that her brothers invested themselves in my life.  I grew up with great men around me.  So, I had all these references for how to father others.  Fathering is a serious matter.  

• Leviticus 19:3 (ESV) "Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father."
• Proverbs 30:17 ESV The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.
• Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (ESV) “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Although, I don't advocate getting a kid "stoned" today, Lol, I have no problems with mothers and fathers disciplining their rebellious kids. If Donald Trump can parent children well you can too. Notice in the above Deuteronomist passage that the kids were brought before the Elders for their disobedience, lack of compliance, and disrespecting their parents. They were punished by the elders and faith community for not being willing to address their own addictive behaviors, disrespect, and disobedience to authority. An acquaintance of mine, Australian Entrepreneur, Dr. Peter Daniel once told me that he would never hire a young man who had a bad relationship with his father because that young man would disrespect him as an employer.  The Church is the only place anyone can go today to teach the values necessary for a God-pleasing life.  What other institution will empower and equip young people with the lifeskills necessary for true biblical success?

Why were these parents, in early Hebrew history, able to turn to their faith community and entrust the elders to address situations like this? Because the Elders were "fathers" themselves. True fathers of the faith are not afraid to do what is necessary to address the "Rebellion and disobedience" within their faith community. Church discipline is rare but has always demonstrated to our faith communities what is acceptable behavior and what is not acceptable behavior. The message of the gospel is a calling to grow up, overcome evil and become fathers.  (See I John 2:11-13) Notice that the kids would not respond to their Father's voice. 

One of my dear ministry friends, Dr. Jeff Edwards, was praying one day and he asked the Lord, "Lord, why don't you speak to men and women of God about the excesses and imbalances in the Body Of Christ?"  The Lord snapped back at him and said, "My voice is no longer important to them!" Jeff continued, "Well, Lord, then what voice is important to them?"  The Lord said to him, "whatever voice says they are successful."  Because of fatherlessness, people will seek out to build their own brands in order to validate themselves and portray that they are successful. Because they were not affirmed by their own fathers or a father in the faith the voice of the Lord is not important to them. This is why we need a true "apostolic" spirit in the church today. The Body Of Christ is suffering from an Orphan Spirit and is just taking on what the culture says is success instead of how God defines it.  It's all about the brand in the shop window not what is in the stockroom!

May I suggest that the real reason Christians are no longer listening and obeying the voice of the Lord comes from the root problem of fatherlessness. When we disrespect our natural father's voice and disqualify them we often end up refusing to any fathering voice. This shows up in the public school, the workplace and even in the church. If we had true apostolic leaders today, people would entrust by their leaders and faith communities to reinforce their family values with their kids who out of control.  No, instead today we have leaders today who overlook all kinds of immoral and addictive behavior in their churches and often advocate it in the name of cultural relevancy. Yet, they call themselves Apostles. 

Let me be very clear, if the leadership of a church excuses immoral and unethical behavior in the name of being culturally relevant you can be sure that - that church is being led by false apostles, false prophets, and/or false teachers. True apostolic authority is evidenced in people's lives being transformed by "putting off" our old adamic nature" and putting on the nature of Christ. (See Eph. 4:17-22) Jesus said, My sheep listen to me; I know them and they follow me. (See John 10:27)  This is why we need true "Prophets" in the Body of Christ also. They are God's voice of accountability in the life of the church. They teach people how to listen and obey the Voice of The Lord in their lives." They are not fortune tellers!  Years ago, Rock Church's own Rev. Betty Forbes said, "if you can't be obedient to the laws of the land, you can't be obedient to the Lord. If you can't obey the speed limit on the sign, you can't be obedient the Lord!" Check yourself an see if you can drive within the speed limit ALL the time.  It will show you the condition of your heart.

In all my discipleship groups, the first textbook we read and review is, Watchmen Knee's book entitled, "Spiritual Authority." This book was written to address our rebellion towards authority and to heal our relationship to authority. Every time I've gone through this text with the guys I have discipled, I have watched their lives transform or they bolt from the group because they have such conflict within themselves regarding their natural fathers they can't handle getting things right. I Corinthians 4:5 states that God comes to bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. When young men or women have unresolved issues with their parents they have to make a choice to forgive them or remain in their pain.  80% of the young men I have discipled have been fatherless - either no father at home or with fathers who abdicated their responsibilities in fathering them.  Either way, I have had difficulty in discipling some of them, because they were not parented well. Discipleship has become a necessary re-parenting for the fatherless. This is why there is a need for true apostolic ministry. We need fathers! If young men don't get their relationship with their natural father's fixed they will have difficulty in obeying the Lord and heeding his voice. If the young man has never had an example to follow, how will he learn how to be a father to his own kids?  When a father tells a son what to do and the kid answers "Why?"  Most father's will answer, "Because I said so!"  Knowing that no explanation is necessary - most kids understand that there father's answer implies a threat if they don't comply.  This is what the scripture's defines as discipline.  Hebrews 12:8 says "If you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."  As God continues to restore his church in the 21st century - He will once again restore a fathering spirit. (See Mal. 4:6)  

The most rewarding part of my life as a pastor has always been forming small discipleship groups with about 4 to 6 (Pre-christian or barely Christian) young men to disciple them for 18 months.  As I said earlier we start with Watchmen Knee's book for 22 weeks, then we read and outline the entire bible in four months, then spend the remaining time working on "healing our relationships with God, our parents, and others." They learn how to become the men God intended for them to be.  I also do everything I can from the beginning to "clear out" those who are not serious. When I hear these young men begin to question the group or myself with too many  "Why" questions, I know immediately they have been raised by their mother and that their father's were absent from their lives. They always have trouble in their relationships because they weren't fathered by their fathers.  They tend to be rebellious and constantly faced with turmoil.  However, I love every moment of time I get to be a spiritual father to them.  I have been a great father to my own girls and I have been a great spiritual father to the young men that God has brought into my life.  A good evidence that my parenting skills work is when I watch these young men individuate by pushing up against me. Individuation is not rebellion.  These young men need to mature and become who God intended them to be.  They are not called to me. They are called to follow Christ. Sometimes it's been painful to go through - but in the long term I know I have done a good job in fathering them

So, in light of all I've said, If anyone claims to be an Apostle - look at his kids and even grandkids to see if they exhibit what they Bible claims are the true marks of Apostolic ministry.  Like many of you, I'm pretty sick of this "false" apostlic movement who neither demonstrates a fathering spirit in their churches nor  in their own homes.  It's time for church leadership to be disciplined and true apostolic order to be brought in.  If their is anything that rises up within that pushes back at what I've written - you need to ask yourself:  "What is that thing in me that makes me react?  What does it have to do with my own relationship with my natural father?  Answering these questions for yourself can be very revealing. When you have difficulty at work with you employer, manager, or those even in leadership in church life - you need to ask those same to questions and find out what "root" is in you that is bearing negative responses to those God has place in your life to hold you accountable. Who do you make yourself accountable to?  I John 2:13 says "I write to your fathers because you have known him from the beginning." Kids know their father's voice! They can even hear it in their head long after he has gone onto to be with the Lord. If you can't submit, become accountable, listen and obey the voice of authority in your own life - you need to ask yourself - why the voice of the Lord is not important to you anymore?