Building a Household of Faith!

Introduction

Before reminding Timothy to “stir up” the gift of God in his life, the apostle Paul referred to the genuine faith that was in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice – “and I am persuaded is in you also.” (2 Timothy 1:5,6) In other words, Timothy was a third-generation member of a Household of Faith.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwelt together, living in tents. (Hebrews 11:9) Today, we call three generations living together “an extended family” – a thing rare in Western society, but common in countries such as the Philippines, where a number of generations form a single household. There, grandparents care for children during the rice planting and harvesting, and so are indispensable members of the household.

In developing countries, the worldwide migration of young people to the cities separated the generations. In the West, the desire for independent living resulted in the Nuclear Family – father, mother and two children. Today, the rising price of housing on one hand and the cost of aged care on the other are reintroducing the Extended Family, and households consisting of two and three generations are not uncommon.

Down through the years, however, the biblical ideal of the extended family was preserved in the local church, the members of which – all brothers and sisters in the Family of God – together formed a Household of Faith. Such extended spiritual families were once the backbone of their communities – and will be so again, as the truths contained in this book stir the hearts of God’s people to build Households of Faith!

How to build a Household of Faith? Let’s see how the apostle Paul did it. 

Chapter One

Acts 16:31 – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your household.” The jailor’s question had related to himself – “What must I do to be saved?” Why then did the apostles’ answer include the promise of household salvation? Was it a prophecy? Or did it relate to the customary authority then held by the leader of a household?

Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house…” (Verse 32) 
“And immediately he and all his family were baptised.” (Verse 33) 
“…And he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.” (Verse 34)

Lydia had authority over her household – the first “household of faith” established in Philippi. (Acts 16:14, 15, 40) 
The jailor’s household was the second “household of faith.” 
The two households of faith were built in very different ways!

In the Bible, salvation is an inclusive concept: group decisions take place where authority is an established household fact. 
The “house of Cornelius” was a large household. (Acts 10:1, 2, 7, 24)

When Jesus sent forth the 70 disciples as his advance agents, he instructed them to begin at a certain house. “And into whatever house you enter…in the same house remain…go not from house to house.” (Luke 10:5, 7) 
After “whatever house”, Jesus referred to “whatever city.” (Verse 8)

The house the apostles entered was to be their base for an outreach into the city. Little would the owner of the house know that in opening his front door to the disciples, he would be opening his city to an offer of God’s kingdom!

The principle of “a lamb for a house” was established as the basis of family salvation when the first Passover was held. (Exodus 12:3) A small family was permitted to combine with a neighbouring one. (Exodus 12:4) 
Christ is our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7) 
We are the “household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) 

The blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, protects the “household of God,” the church (Ephesians 2:19), from God’s judgements. 
“And your house” (Acts 16:31) is not a promise that those who leave the house will be saved, regardless – it wasn’t so when the Passover was kept. Those who left the house were no longer “under the blood” of the lamb. 

WHY BUILD A HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH, IF THE WORLD IS SOON TO END?

It’s a question many Christians would probably ask, in view of present world problems. Why plan long-term when the Bible tells us that Jesus is soon to return and take His Church away?

Imagine the following scenario: After a worldwide collapse of the banking industry, the entire world plunges into a financial state far worse than anyone can remember. Unemployment forces workers to leave their homes in search of work. Millions are on the move. Governments provide food for those working on huge, new, labour-intensive projects.

Amidst the gloom, the light of freedom flickers, as strong nations, destabilised by political and economic unrest, dispute one another’s borders, opening unhealed wounds. In one great industrial nation, a forceful leader gains control and steps up the manufacture of armaments. Stirring latent political passions and racial prejudices, he intimidates or eliminates those who oppose his ruthless rule. War now threatens the world.

Seeing these events unfold, experts on bible prophecy everywhere publish books and pamphlets, warning that the Beast of the Apocalypse has arrived! Then another dictator makes a pact with the Beast. His nation encloses a small but sovereign state. Ruling from a throne in that state is a religious leader whose authority is regarded by millions around the globe as not only universal, but infallible.

Is this religious leader the False Prophet of the Book of Revelation? And is the church he rules the Woman portrayed in that book as MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT? It all seems to fit – doesn’t it? Well, no, it didn’t. I say, “Didn’t”, because the scary scenario is taken from the events of the Great Depression and World War II. Though terrible and dramatic, they were not prophetic. Those End Time books and pamphlets were completely wrong!

Jesus warned His disciples that “wars and rumours of wars” would be “the beginning of sorrows” – not The End. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then The End will come.” (Read Matthew 24:6-14)

When will The End come for you and me? Referring to the Resurrection, the apostle Paul wrote: “But each one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes The End, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an End to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:23-26) Begin building now, so that whenever your End comes, you will have built an enduring household of faith!

The Biblical Concept of a “Household.”

In Joshua 7:14, the order given is: (1) the 12 tribes of Israel; (2) the individual tribes or clans; (3) the tribal families; (4) the households; and finally, (5) the individuals.

In this incident, “Joshua brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites, man by man, and Zabdi was taken. Then he brought his household, man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.” (Joshua 7:16-18)

So Zabdi the Zarhite, Carmi his son, and Achan his grandson – three generations living together – were one household. This extended family concept is seen also in Hebrews 11:9, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – three generations – “dwelled together, living in tents.”  Zabdi had a number of sons, and Achan himself had sons and daughters, so the “household” would have been quite a tribe!

In Exodus 2:1, “a man of the house of Levi” means a descendant of Levi.  David was anointed king over “the house of Judah” – a “house” that included smaller houses. (2 Samuel 2:4) A king’s “house” included his servants.

The “House of Israel” was the nation. (Numbers 20:29) According to Hebrews 3:5, Moses was a servant over God’s house – the children of Israel. Christ is a Son over his own house – the Church. (Hebrews 3:6) In both cases, “house” refers to people, not structures.

The House of… 
The Hebrew word for “house” or “household” is bayith, which we pronounce “Beth.” Beth is used more than 50 times as a prefix to other names in the Old Testament. Bethlehem, House of Bread, is a well-known example. Bethel, House of God, is also familiar to bible readers.

Abram was commanded by God to leave his father’s house: separate himself from his ancestors, cut himself off from his relatives, so that the Lord could build a new house – the House of Israel. His 318 trained servants were born in his own house. (Genesis 14:14) But one from his own body was to be his heir. (Genesis 15:1-4) The sign of belonging to his household was male circumcision – the mark of the covenant. (Genesis 17:10, 23, 27)

The wives of both Isaac and Jacob were drawn from the wider family to help build the household of faith begun by Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis 28:1, 2) Hundreds of years later, Moses was called to be a servant over that House (Numbers 12:7)

Houses of the Fathers
The term “the houses of the fathers” is used 50 times in the Book of Numbers. Numbers 7:2 refers to “the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of their tribes and over those who were numbered.” Does the Lord believe in families? He certainly does! That’s why parts of the Bible read like a telephone book. Boring? Not for a member of God’s House! If you couldn’t prove that you belonged, you were out! (Nehemiah 7:61)

In his own house, a father had the power to annul a daughter’s unwise vow. A husband had the same authority over his wife. (Numbers 30:3, 10, 16)
Joshua, as the leader of his own household, vowed publicly that he and his family would serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) Joshua made his choice clear to all Israel, who then followed his example – that’s strong household leadership!

A household can become stronger or weaker, depending on whether or not the head of it has God’s anointing. (Judges 1:35; 1 Samuel 3:1) A kingdom can be transferred from one house to another. (2 Samuel 3:10) Faithfulness to God builds a stable house and brings close fellowship. (1 Samuel 2:35)

When David desired to build the Lord a physical house (the temple), the Lord promised that He would build David a spiritual house – a dynasty. (2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Kings 2:24) The <spirit of God gave David the plans for the house that Solomon built.

Are New Testament Houses Scriptural?

What does the New Testament tell us about building strong households of faith? It tells us that Jesus is a High Priest over the House of God. (Hebrews 10:21)

It tells us that the Church is the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19) It uses parental nurturing terms. (1 Thessalonians 2:7) It tells us that God’s judgement begins at His House. (1 Peter 4:17) It tells us that believers are “living stones” in a House that God is still building. (1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:19-22)

It tells us that ruling one’s household (family) well is a requirement for leadership in the local church. (1 Timothy 3:4, 5, 15) Those who rule their houses properly are fit to hold positions of authority in the church. Households led by godly fathers produce outstanding spiritual sons and daughters. These commit their lives to Christ at a young age. This enables their spiritual development to parallel their physical growth to maturity. The local church rightly regards these sons and daughters as its Next Generation leaders.

These young leaders draw their marriage partners from the wider church family. In turn, they build the household of God, so that the father builds a household of faith through his spiritual children and grandchildren. These all “dwell together, living in tents” – they continue in their relationship. Not one “tent” but many, in close proximity to one another, and to their father.

This is a spiritual house. This is how spiritual dynasties are founded. The spiritual father of the family becomes a grandfather, and later a great-grandfather, as his spiritual descendants mature and produce children. The role of the founder within the family is a changing one!

Keep in mind the Big Picture: the kingdom of God was taken from the Jews and given to the Church, the more productive, ethnic people group. (Matthew 21:43) This “spiritual house,” although a “foolish nation” in Jewish eyes (Romans 10:19) is the holy, royal priesthood – the “kingdom of priests”, “purchased people” and “holy nation” Israel might have been. (1 Peter 2:5,9; Exodus 19:5,6) The first Jewish Christians were “a chosen generation.” The Church is “the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16)

Within this Great House are smaller houses: generational family dynasties that excel in leadership roles. They are not built overnight, but over generations. Each house is founded when a person is saved, and in growing to maturity in Christ, begins building a household of faith.

A “faith father” has spiritual children and becomes a spiritual grandfather when, in time, his children in the Lord bring forth their own children in the Lord. The unscriptural practice of moving ministers from place to place robs young ‘Timothy’s’ of their ‘Paul’s’ – forcing them to learn from teachers, instead of fathers. Bible-based families grow together, not apart, and grandfathers are treasured, not discarded!

Most New Testament illustrations of spiritual growth are drawn from the family. (1 Corinthians 3:1, 2; Hebrews 5:13, 14; Ephesians 4:14) 
We begin as “babes in Christ,” living on the precious “milk” of God’s Word. (1 Peter 2:2) As we grow, we move on to “solid food” – teaching that needs some “chewing”!

We are “brothers” and “sisters” in God’s family, and, like Israel of old, we welcome “strangers” into the family. The “solitary” (singles, widows, orphans) are “set” by God in church families – local churches, not cold, secular or religious institutions! (Psalm 68:6)

Final Facts
Relationships matter to God. Father, mother, husband, wife, family, sister, sisters, child, children, brother, and brethren, together are mentioned more than a thousand times in the New Testament. Noah built an “ark of faith” for his household. (Hebrews 11:5)

Noah built for his family’s future. He built something unique. He built with a sense of urgency. He built strictly to specifications. He involved his family in the building project. He built a strong and visible witness in his world. And he built something that would outlast the world he had known. 
God’s covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Christ, Abraham’s “seed.” Beginning with his relationship to God through faith, it resulted in a Father-child relationship for every believer. We are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:6; 3:29: 4:6)

As you grow in the Lord, begin building your own “household of faith”! “And if you are Christ’s, than you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29) “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father'” (Galatians 4:6)

How to build a Household of Faith?

Start by becoming a faith “father” or “mother” in your family and in your local church. If you don’t have children of your own, you can have spiritual children – those you “bring to birth” through the gospel. There’s a productive place in God’s House for everyone! (Isaiah 56:3-7)


BUILDING A HOUSEHOLD THAT LASTS

THE FIRST GENERATION OF FAITH

The story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a story of three generations of faith (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16; Exodus 3:6). Here we see the same God in the grandfather, the father and the grandson. With which generation do you identify – Abraham, Isaac or Jacob?

The First Generation of Faith: Abraham, the Father of Faith.

Characteristics of a First Generation Person:

He or she is the first chosen by God, and “called out”. A first-generation person obeys, not knowing where the Lord will lead. To a First Generation person, faith is a journey. Abraham turned his back on the East and headed towards the West – a major directional shift, from the rising sun to the setting sun. Are you the first in your family to follow God’s call? Then get ready for a complete turnaround!

A First Generation person is a pioneer, not a settler. Abraham had a vision of something beyond. (Hebrews 11:15, 16) “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.” (Hebrews 11:14) A “homeland”: NKJV. Greek: “fatherland” – the Father’s land! Which way are you looking from where you live? Never look back!

Abraham explored what the following generations would possess. (Genesis 13:14) He familiarised himself with the Promised Land. It would be hundreds of years before Israel possessed the Promised Land. See the Big Picture! Then think Next Generation. Think Macro!  Abraham lived a transient lifestyle. Today, he would have lived in a campervan! He saw his future in heavenly terms. (Genesis 15:5) He was “heir of the world”! (Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:7-9, 14) Abraham’s future was not in the stars, but in the countless descendants they represented! Abraham’s promised son was Isaac – Laughter!

Abraham testified to God’s promise, not his and Sarah’s inability. (Romans 4:17-21) His faith invigorated him! Through faith, he became what his God-given name declared: the father of many nations! Are you saying what God has said about you? Faith is invigorating!  Abraham fathered a Second Generation Person, Isaac – the child of promise in the land of promise! Do you have spiritual children? The apostle Paul did. (1 Corinthians 4:15-17) Who will inherit those now familiar promises you’ve spent your Christian life exploring?

Abraham offered the LORD the whole outcome of his faith – all that he had lived and believed for – without reservation or hesitation! (Genesis 22; Hebrews 11:17-19) Which is more important to you: your personal satisfaction through God’s fulfilled promise, or your willingness to lay it on God’s altar, if that’s what He asks?

THE SECOND GENERATION OF FAITH

In the Book of Genesis, Abraham’s life fills almost 12 chapters, whereas Isaac’s life fills less than three chapters. One whole chapter tells us how his servant found him a wife, and another his minor (though vital) role in the conflict between Jacob and Esau over the Blessing. But Isaac’s life was significant.

A Second Generation Faith Person is not just a generational “bridge”! Isaac’s biography may be a short one, but it is packed with interest!  Comparisons are odious. A Second Generation Faith Person may suffer by comparison with a pioneering, visionary First Generation Faith Person. Don’t try to measure up to your “father” in the faith! Timothy was a wonderful son to Paul, but there would never be another Paul. Jesus alone should be the measure of your ministry. (2 Corinthians 10:12)

The Characteristics of a Second Generation Person:
Isaac was not a pioneer: he was a settler. He never once left the Land of Promise. God told him not to go down to Egypt, but to “live in the land of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 26:2)

Don’t “go down to Egypt.” Don’t try to “make it” in the business world because there’s a “famine” in the ministry. In the 1970s, great harvests of souls were reaped in the Western world. Not so today! Evangelists who reap nations that are “ripe for harvest” return home and plant seeds.

Apostles and evangelists are agents of change; pastors are agents of influence. Most pastors could tell you of a sermon they preached that ended “not with a bang, but with a whimper.” And of an evangelist who later preached the same sermon (maybe not even as well) that resulted in an altar call three rows deep!

In churches where a father is the Senior Pastor, his son may struggle in the role of Assistant Pastor. His father pioneered the church, had a vision for the land, and faith for financing the building. There it stands. What’s the son to do? Well, what he should not do is go out and pioneer a church to prove that he has “the right stuff”!

What he can do is plant a seed where God has placed him, and expect to receive a “hundred-fold” result. He can also clean out the spiritual wells his father dug in the early years of his ministry – wells that are now filled in.

A Second Generation Faith Person inherits promises discovered by a First Generation Faith Person. God’s blessing is on him in the land, not out of it! (Genesis 26:3)  The vision of a Second Generation Faith Person is not to pioneer but to plant. It is not discovery but productivity. (Genesis 26:12) Isaac was blessed 100-fold in the first year of harvest! “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.” (Genesis 26:13)

Thousands of years later, Jesus said, “But he that received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23) The LORD rewarded Isaac’s obedience! His heart was “good ground” – receptive soil!

Isaac cleaned out the wells of water that they had dug in the days of Abraham, his father. The Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham’s death. He called them by the names his father had called them. (Genesis 26:18, 19) He found a well that had running water!

A Second Generation Faith Person works at restoring the spiritual values of the First Generation Faith Person! The Philistines must have known that Isaac was no Abraham! But although they were different, they had the same God!

Moving on from the wells of Argument and Enmity, Isaac dug a new well and named it Room – “for now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Verse 22)

Room to live! Many stop right there. Not Isaac! Moving on from the freedom of living he had found, he came to Beersheba, where his father had dug a well and sworn an oath with the Philistines years earlier. (Genesis 21:22-34)

The LORD then appeared to Isaac in the place his father had found – the place where yet another generation of the Philistines had to confess – “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you.” (26:28) Significantly, Isaac’s servants rediscovered The Well of the Oath that same day! Isaac’s life story all but ends at Beersheba. It had been the home of his father Abraham, who is “the father of us all.” (Genesis 22:19; Romans 5:16)

Can a spiritual son fill his faith father’s shoes? Why should he even try? He has shoes of his own to fill. Don’t try to be an Abraham if you are an Isaac. Use your gifts to redevelop what your faith father’s vision has created. Recognise the accomplishments of the First Generation, and avoid their very human mistakes.

The God of Abraham is also the God of Isaac – the God of the father and the son! 

THE THIRD GENERATION OF FAITH

When the LORD introduced Himself to Moses as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”, He revealed Himself not just as the God of all three, but the God of each, in turn. Although He established His covenant with Abraham, He was equally the God of Abraham’s son and his grandson. (Exodus 3:6)

“God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” (Exodus 2:24) If Abraham’s life was about God’s Call, and Isaac’s about Renewal, then Jacob’s life was about Restoration. Although the Third Generation Faith Person “dwelt together in tents” with the First Generation Faith Person, the widening age gap meant that the influence of the first generation was a diminishing one.

God’s sovereignty was seen when Isaac had blindly blessed Jacob instead of Esau. “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” is not a statement of preference, like Isaac’s appetite for Esau’s wild tasting game-food. It is a statement of prejudice. God’s foreknowledge, which was the basis of His choice, revealed that Jacob would desire what Esau would despise (Romans 9:10-13)

Through His foreknowledge, God pre-judged Esau as unworthy of the birthright and the blessing. So He allowed Jacob to take advantage of Esau’s appetite to buy the birthright for a bowl of pottage, and to secure the blessing from his father by deception. Because the LORD did not intervene, the craftiest brother won!

Fleeing from Esau, Jacob dreamt of a staircase reaching from earth to heaven, Angels were ascending and descending it. (Genesis 28:12) 

“And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: ‘I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac…'” The LORD then reaffirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham and affirmed with Isaac, and added, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

When Jacob awoke, he took the stone he had used for a pillow and used it to build a memorial. Then he anointed it: he dedicated his dream to God. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Jacob named the place “Bethel” – “The House of God.”

The consequences of Jacob’s deceit began to catch up with him after he took refuge with his distant uncle. Safe from his brother’s murderous anger, he found himself at the mercy of his uncle’s craftiness!

To shorten a long story: during the following 20 years, the LORD carefully straightened out “the human corkscrew”! After that, Jacob left his uncle and moved his large family back to the Promised Land, en route wrestling an angelic blessing. Jacob held on and won! (Probably because the LORD was yet to fulfil the promise He had made him at Bethel.) Although a much-changed man, Jacob wanted God’s blessing more than ever!

After Jacob was reconciled to Esau, God told him to return to Bethel, and there build an altar where he had dreamed his dream and vowed his vow, many years before. It was at Bethel that the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac also became the God of Jacob. (Genesis 32:9; 35:1-15) Jacob had named the place Bethel – The House of God. Now he renamed it “El Bethel” – “The God of the House of God.”

The Third Generation Person knows a lot about the God of his father and grandfather, without knowing God personally. Many young people experience the presence of God in the House of God. Then and there, they vow to serve Him. Years later, after finding that God is faithful, they return to The House of God, having found The God of the House of God!

The Third Generation Faith Person must be renewed into the faith of the First and Second Generation. The old saying that “God has no grandchildren” is so very true!

Each generation may be different – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were different – but the God of each generation remains the same. “I am the LORD, I change not: therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

God’s unchanging love and mercy for His people enabled Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to build the House of Israel. Moses was a faithful servant in that House. (Hebrews 3:5)

“Jesus Christ, is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

The “Israel of God” is now the church. It includes all those “born of promise” – Old Testament and New Testament saints! Jesus said: “I will build my church…”

What a wonderful project!

PROPHECY BUILDS A HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH

Did you know that catastrophe (spelled with a “k”) is a Greek word? It is used only once in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:6, where it is translated “overthrow” – “destruction” in the NKJV.  The opposite of catastrophe is “edification, building up.”

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith (one) may edify another.” (Romans 14:19) Other related words are “built” and “building.”

When writing of the advantages of the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues (unless the tongue is interpreted), the apostle Paul uses the noun oikodome (pronounced oy-kod-om-ay) or the verb oikodomeo seven times. (1 Corinthians 14:3, 4, 5, 12, 17, 26)

In stating that prophecy “edifies” or “builds up”, Paul uses words that relate to building a house. Oikos is an ancient Greek word for house. Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Jesus builds! He doesn’t demolish.

The apostle Paul wrote that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers edify – build – the church. (Ephesians 4:12) They do this by perfecting (equipping, mending, restoring) God’s people for the work of ministry.

Paul wrote that the body (another figure of speech for the church) “builds itself up in love” as it functions properly. (Ephesians 4:16) A healthy body grows to maturity as every part of the body works properly. If only part of a body works, it is dysfunctional.

Similarly, the church grows to spiritual maturity as every believer in the assembly exercises his or her spiritual gift. In this way, the manifold grace of God – His undeserved favour to us in a whole variety of ways – is revealed. (1 Peter 4:10)

Paul wrote that the spiritual gift of prophecy builds the church as a whole. (1 Corinthians 14:4) Through the gift of prophecy, we affirm and encourage one another. We build one another! Prophecy is not a manipulative gift to be used to direct or correct others – prophecy is a constructive and encouraging gift to be used in building a household of faith!

Each time you prophesy in the local church, you are doing your part in building a household of faith!

THE QUALITIES OF A SPIRITUAL SON

Difference between Servants and Sons

A servant is faithful in the house of his master. A son is faithful in his own house. (Hebrews 3:5,6) Believers in Christ are born into the Son’s House, unlike the Jews, who were born under the Law of Moses. (Galatians 4:1)

A servant has a duty to his master. A son receives an inheritance from his father. As God’s sons, we have the Spirit of His Son, who appeals to the Father’s heart. (Galatians 4:6)
Paul’s Spiritual Sons: Timothy and Titus. 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4
Mercy added to grace and peace in greetings to his sons.

1. Relational
A spiritual son knows and teaches his father’s ways in Christ. (1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:22) He is not ambitious.

2. Reliable
Can be sent to encourage and to report. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10; 2 Corinthians 7:6, 7, 13)

3. Competent
Can be sent to “set in order” the “things that are lacking” and to appoint elders. (Titus 1:5)

4. Spiritual
Knows the heart of his father so well that he shares the same concerns. (Philippians 2:19; 2 Corinthians 8:16, 17) Acts in the spirit of his father. (2 Corinthians 12:18)

5. Responsible
Although a son in relationship, he is a partner and co-worker in the gospel. (2 Corinthians 8:23)

“HE WHO SENT ME IS WITH ME. THE FATHER HAS NOT LEFT ME ALONE, FOR I DO ALWAYS THOSE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM.” (John 8:29)
“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” (Matthew 3:17) 

FATHER OR LEADER?

The first encourages you for your own good. The second flatters you for his benefit.
The first stands with you when you are in trouble. The second distances himself when you are in trouble.
The first keeps in touch with you because he loves you. The second contacts you when he needs you.
The first wants you to grow to spiritual maturity. The second tries to turn you into a spiritual and emotional dependent.
The first teaches you a father’s ways in Christ, and develops an older/younger father relationship. The second tries to keep you on a leader/follower level.
The first helps you to succeed, and rejoices when you do. The second is threatened by your success.
The first has a teamwork concept, and plays as your captain. The second wants only a golfer/caddy relationship. He hits, and you follow along.
The first makes you feel at ease, protected, and is your spiritual covering. The second makes you feel ill at ease, vulnerable, and smothered. 
The first helps you unconditionally, asking nothing in return. The second helps you, but lets you know that you owe him.
The first sends you out with his blessing and is available when you need him. The second punishes you emotionally when you say you are leaving, and tries to intimidate you with threats of failure.

THE HOUSEHOLD OF JOSHUA

“For every house is build by someone, but He who built all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4)
Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant or steward. (Hebrews 3:5)

Joshua, who succeeded Moses, was Israel’s first general in the field. Was he also successful in building a household of faith? We know from Joshua 24:15 that he was! “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We know from Joshua 24:31 that Joshua’s godly leadership influenced not only his family but also those who served under him, and those who outlived him.

* Joshua first proved himself in the field of battle when Moses’ rod of authority was lowered because his hands became heavy, and the enemy prevailed. Joshua fought on regardless, until the hands that held the rod were supported, and the enemy was defeated.

We see here three levels: (1) the level of God’s extended authority; (2) the level of leadership (with its attendant weaknesses); and (3) the level of subordination, where trust in leadership must be maintained, even when victory is in question. (Exodus 17:8-13)

* We next read of Joshua when the LORD commands Moses to “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there…” (Exodus 24:12) “So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, Wait here for us until we come back to you.” (Vv 13 & 14)

Did you know that Joshua was with Moses in the presence of God for 40 days? Moses didn’t have to “do” – he just had to “be”! An unforgettable experience for Joshua – and a priceless lesson in leadership! Being with Moses in the presence was an unprecedented privilege! Joshua knew that Moses alone had seen the Burning Bush, but now, with Moses, he climbed the Burning Mountain! (Hebrew 12:18)

* The presence of God is a major theme in a study of Joshua’s life. After the initial punishment of the children of Israel for their worship of a golden calf, Moses, not knowing what greater judgement the LORD might pronounce, moved his tent well outside the camp. (This tent is not to be confused with the Tabernacle, which had not yet been constructed.)

Moses called it The Meeting Tent, because the Lord “met” there with those who sought Him. Those in the camp watched in awe as the LORD descended in a pillar of cloud to talk with Moses at the door of his tent. (Exodus 33:7-9)

“So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent.” (V 11)

Joshua lived where the LORD visited Moses, where the presence of God appeared. No wonder he never left the tent! In fact, Joshua was so jealous of the Lord’s presence “outside the camp” that he couldn’t believe that the Spirit of the LORD could work inside it! (Numbers 11:24-30)

* Joshua was also a man of faith. Which meant that he never allowed problems to get out of proportion, as seen from his positive report on the Promised Land. (Numbers 14:6-9) With Caleb he stood in faith against the fearful majority. The other spies saw the giants and shrank, but Joshua said, “We can have them for breakfast!”

* As well as a man of faith, Joshua was a man of the Spirit. So when the time came for Moses to appoint his successor, and so that the people would obey him, Moses laid his hands on Joshua, and imparted to him his authority. (Numbers 27:18-23) The loyal soldier, devoted worshipper and courageous leader became God’s appointed authority!  The Spirit of God, faith, authority – what else could Joshua possibly need?

* Joshua 1:8, 9 tells us that he needed God’s word in his mouth. He needed to meditate on it “day and night.” (24/7 as we would say) The Hebrew word means “to mutter” – to speak out loud. In the Wilderness, Joshua had heard the voice of God, seen the pillar of cloud, eaten the manna, and had drunk water from the rock. God’s miracle-working power had been displayed directly. Now, after the death of Moses, there is a subtle change: God will work through Joshua by His Word.

“You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” How? “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.”

The first battle in the Promised Land would be fought by total obedience to God’s Word! Jericho would fall not by weapons of war but by seven days of silence, followed by a deafening and destructive shout!

No wonder, then, that Joshua (whose name, translated into Greek, is Jesus) led his people into victory after victory, and carved up the land of Canaan! No wonder the Book of Joshua is largely the story of this great man of God! A great man who began as a soldier, continued as a leader’s assistant, lived in the presence of God, grew into a man of faith, inherited his leader’s authority, became a man of the Word, and, in his old age, spoke for his entire family and said: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

“Every house is built by someone…” Are you building a household of faith?