Father of Lights
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11).
Hello Children of God,
For some reason, I have found myself looking back over my life, all 60 years of it. I praise God for being raised in a godly home with parents who loved me and provided for all my needs, giving me opportunities many do not get. The Lord supplied what I needed even before I knew Him. Twenty-six years ago, I met my heavenly Father as He revealed Jesus to me as my Savior and Lord. I am forever grateful to God for choosing me, saving me, and bringing me into His family as His adopted son. For 20 years now, I have been serving Him in ‘full-time ministry’ as it is commonly called, which basically means that I get paid to serve as a leader in the church. The reality is that the moment I ‘got saved’, I was in full-time ministry, wanting to serve my Father. The Lord had put me in a house church where I was loved and nurtured in the faith and surrounded me with people who understood the Father-child relationship that I was now part of; the name of the house church was called, of all things, Father’s House. In those early days I really got to know my Father as I watched Him move amongst us in incredible ways, answering prayers, healing, providing, and supplying all that was needed to this fledgling flock of sheep. The joy in fellowship we shared was unmatched as we lived life together loving God and each other. During those early days in the faith, with my wife-to-be by my side, I learned the power of prayer, and the power of a Heavenly Father to answer those prayers. The Lord answered my simple child-like prayers in so many different ways, and I saw Him answer the prayers of others as we worshipped and served our Father together, being led of His Spirit to fulfill His will. Healings, provision, supplying our needs and some wants, giving us revelation and guidance, unity of heart and mind, etc…all that stuff we read about in the Bible! We were literally like little children with our Dad…just like Jesus said. We asked and received; we sought and we found; we knocked and doors were opened…just like Jesus said! King David wrote, “The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him” (NLT Psalm 103:13). I knew that verse to be true! The Sons of Korah wrote, “For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right” (NLT Psalm 84:11). I know that verse to be true also! For twenty-six years I have believed and lived Matthew 7:7-11 – Father has supplied all of my needs and blessed me with wants also – He is the perfect father!
Friends, let me be brutally honest with you. This little flock of children of God had something very special in those early days, but it was short-lived as we shifted our focus from life with our Father to ‘church’- the ins and outs of ‘doing church’. When we started focusing our attention on building a church, getting a building, planning services, doing ‘ministry’…something changed. We were no longer His kids; we became His performers; something He never wanted. God is love! He loves and has put His love in our hearts so we can love Him and each other; it’s how the world will know we belong to Him (John 13:35). As much as we like to believe, the church is not a building! It’s a group of redeemed people called out of the world to live in relationship with Father God and the other members of His family. We are called to live life together in love and unity, enjoying Father in relationship through His Son. For the last 20 years as I have pastored, I have tried to communicate that message but there seems to be this vortex that sucks us into ‘doing church’ rather than ‘being children’ of our Father enjoying fellowship with Him and each other. Can I just say how frustrating it can be to try to move an object in the right direction that just doesn’t want to move. Of the thousands of pastors that leave the ministry every year, I’m sure most started out wanting to reproduce what they read in the Bible – true loving communities rooted and grounded in love, in Christ, with Father God, led by Holy Spirit. But the ‘church first’ vortex burns them out with discouragement and fatigue. Church As We Know It (CAWKI church – termed coined by Wolfgang Simson), leaves people longing for more. Everyone is looking for authentic relationship – first with Father God, then with Father’s people – true love is the basic need of every human – it’s only found in Christ and His people He has transformed into His likeness, not in an institutional church. I honestly do not know how to get people to see that church is not something you go to or serve in, it’s a family of children in relationship with an amazingly loving, gracious, compassionate Father and each other. I am praising God that again, as I start a new year, He has drawn me in to His Father’s heart to experience Him as ‘Abba Father’ (Rom. 8:15-16). I am believing that this is the year the so-called church will really understand what God has called us to – true love in relationship with Father, Son and Spirit and each other, not weekly ritual.
Whatever your view is of the series The Chosen, for me what comes to the forefront is the emphasis on relationship with Jesus and each other, as they work out their differences, settle their disputes and learn to love each other with this amazingly patient, caring, and loving God in the flesh. Even in the movie Jesus Revolution, there is an emphasis on living in community, in love with Jesus and each other. It becomes blatantly obvious through these shows that it’s not about institutional church! Is God trying to speak to us, even shout! Could there be a death to CAWKI church, and a revival of church the way it was meant to be? That’s up to us.
26 years ago we used to sing a song called Father of Lights in this new community I belonged to called Father’s House. The song was so simple, but so powerful as it simply solidified what church was meant to be. The lyrics (taken from James 1:17) were as follows:
Verse 1: Father of Lights You delight In your children
Chorus: And every good and perfect gift comes from You (repeat)… Father of lights
Verse 2: Father of Lights You never change You have no turning
I pray that this year would be the year we return to being simply little children in love with our Father, who lavishes His love on us, giving us good gifts with which to glorify His name and enjoy Him forever. And may we truly be an authentic loving community reflecting Father's heart to the world.
Peace and Joy to you!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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