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Chariot October 2008 - Norm Wakefield  

It's Not About You. It's All About Him! - Part 1   

    You've probably heard the term "franchise player." It describes a player that a professional sports team builds its franchise upon. He's one of the most important players on the field or court and is of great value to the team. I think of fathers as franchise players for the family. As the father goes, so goes the rest of the team. If he has a good day, everyone wins.

A father's impact ripples for generations

    Fathers have a tremendous impact on their families, churches, communities, and nation. The effects of a father's life ripple everyday throughout the family and will ripple for years, decades, and even generations.

    We are today experiencing the ripple effects of our fathers. The most profound example of a father's actions rippling through history is, of course, the sin of Adam, our first father. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned�" Adam's sin was like dropping an atom bomb in a bathtub. It was like a spiritual tsunami completely destroying any moral resemblance to God's image. All of us have a terrifying, God-hating, abhorrent beast implanted in our souls because of one father's action-the beast of Self.

    There is also an accumulative ripple effect of fathers experienced in churches and nations. There are many biblical examples from which to choose, but these particularly stand out.

    When God told Moses to get the men together before entering the Promised Land and give them His vision for their families and their culture, it is clear that His design was for fathers to create a culture centered on loving God and His Word.

    Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged�You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up (Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 7).

    Israel's history demonstrated that future generations adopt the culture established by the fathers. The fathers obviously didn't know the importance of their place in the home and nation! The passage below describes the men of Israel in exile in Assyria where they were mixed with people from other nations. We could say it was a multi-cultural experience.

    The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day (2 Kings 17:38-41).

    I want you to notice the concluding statement, "They also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day." Here was Jeremiah's assessment of Israel.

    Let us lie down in our shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God (Jeremiah 3:25). 

    Therefore, thus says the Lord, "Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, fathers and sons together; neighbor and friend will perish" (Jeremiah 6:21).

    Again, notice that each generation did as their fathers, and furthermore, that the spiritual stumbling block of the fathers also became the stumbling block of the sons. The point is: fathers create culture and it ripples for generations.

    The fathers of America have created the culture of our nation-the worldview, philosophy of life, religion, work habits, ethics, political philosophies, sins, treasures, etc. The American Heritage Dictionary defines culture as: "The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all of the products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population." So Fathers individually create a culture in their homes, and collectively create a culture in their communities and nation.

Jesus creates a new culture

    The words and life of Jesus were clearly meant to create a new culture both in homes and in a nation.

    Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:34-38).

    When someone becomes a disciple of Christ, it means he must leave the self-centered culture of his family (if indeed Self is the god of that family culture), and live in a new way. Why? Because Jesus came to reveal His Father in heaven who creates a new culture both within the individual's heart as well as where ever they live. That's why many people who have grown up in religious homes where the prevailing motive of lifestyle has been to obtain and maintain a good reputation in the church or community by keeping a long list of outward standards find themselves in conflict when they become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. The new culture being created within them centers on relationship with Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. When family members demand honor, obedience, and compliance on issues God's Word and the Holy Spirit do not demand or when parents make the relationship all about them and not about Christ, a sword comes into the relationship.

It's not about you. It's about Him

    If you were to summarize the new culture that Jesus creates within us, it would be that life is not about ourselves, but about Him. Jesus put it this way to His disciples. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Philippians, encouraged them to live in such a way that the gospel of Christ (die to self, live in Christ) is not made empty, but instead receives glory.

    Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).

    The new culture is one that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. It is one of spirit, one heart or mind with Christ. There is a mindset necessary for this culture to be created.

What does the new culture look like? How then should we live?

    In the coming months, we will take a look at these questions as we look at the second chapter of the book of Philippians. The bottom line is this: It is not about you. It's about Him. And since it's about Him, it's all about the interests of others. I hope to lead you to crucify selfish living so you can create a culture in your homes and churches that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. By the grace of God and the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit I trust that many of you will be convicted of selfishness, delivered from the bondage and fruitlessness of selfish living, and encouraged to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  

Would you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team?

    The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team".

    Has Norm's Chariot or other resources been an encouragement to you? As a nonprofit organization, Elijah Ministries needs support from people like you in order to function. If God has ministered to you through Elijah Ministries and Norm Wakefield, would you consider supporting the work? You can do so here. (Elijah Ministries is a tax-deductible 501c3 and is financially accountable to an overseeing board of 8 non-paid members from around the country.)

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    If you haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com, please stop by sometime. You'll find:

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I invite you to be a part of the moving of the Spirit of Elijah in your church, community, and the world. How?

1.  Send this article to other men or families that you know would benefit from it. You might inform them of the previous articles available on-line at our website.

2.  Share resources from the Spirit of Elijah Ministries with others. If Equipping Men or Rising to the Call have been a blessing to you, then you know it will be beneficial to others. Either share your resources, tell them about the resources, or purchase a set or two as an investment in their lives.

3.  Share with others what you have learned and put into practice in turning your heart to God, your wife, and your children. If God has done this in you, then He wants to affect others through you.

4.  Join the Elijah Ministries email prayer team and make intercession for others that their hearts would be turned in revival to the Lord, their wives, and their children. This can be done on-line at www.spiritofelijah.com. 

            Norm Wakefield
            Elijah Ministries
            P.O. Box 377
            Bulverde, Texas 78163
            830.980.5606
            info@spiritofelijah.com
            http://www.spiritofelijah.com

10.08

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