THE FORGOTTEN FIRST SIGN OF REVIVAL

Today on Father's Day I am reflecting on the joys and rewards of fatherhood. I begin to glimpse on several levels just how crucial the concept of fatherhood is to the heart of God.

In fact, the first mark of the work of God is in the heart of fathers. The ministry of Elijah became the ministry of John the Baptist and, by extension, of Jesus, and that ministry was this: To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and of children to their fathers, or else I will strike the land with a curse. (Mal. 4:6, Luke 1:17)

The first fruit of revival, then, is not a richer prayer life or a deeper spiritual walk with Jesus. The sign that God's work has begun is not evangelistic zeal and increasing numbers at church. Rather, the surprising first mark of response to the Spirit is a change in the heart of fathers! Their hearts are turned to invest at home, to love their children, to serve and discipline their own families. It begins at home, and spreads from there.

The converse then also begins: the hearts of children are turned to their fathers. They obey rather than rebel, they love rather than resist, they follow in wisdom and maturity rather than fall into dissipation and foolishness. In other words, fathers begin to reap what they have sown.

Fatherhood begins with absolute giving, when a child is a helpless infant, and ends in absolute receiving, when a father is infirmed in old age. The father who invests well in changing diapers and in reading and play, and especially in discipline (according to Proverbs) and encouragement, will earn a richer reward when the child grows to maturity. Slow discipleship focused first on the home will reap a greater and deeper harvest when the next generation does even greater works in Jesus' name.

I am not sure why God does not mention mothers in these passages, except to speculate that mothers tend to already have their hearts turned to their children. In any case, current statistics bear out the important the role of fathers in the lives of their children. I don't have those statistics here, but the correlation is astonishing of how few of the inmates currently held have fathers active in their lives. Indeed, as the Scripture says, "or else I will strike the land with a curse." Price Hill is struck with a curse, and it began with fatherlessness!

This Father's Day, I am most blessed to see that my children are walking in the truth, (2 John 4) and that is true for many others in our congregation. That's why I was so blessed to realize that our worship team this morning averaged under 21 years of age. And it is why we are doubly blessed by father/son teams preaching this month. The church of cciph is reaping the benefit of fathers who began sowing two decades ago into the lives of their children.

"LORD, turn my heart again today and every day to my children. Let me love and serve them. And thank You for the glimpse today of the wonderful, inestimable reward that comes when serving days are done at last. I will be faithful, as You give me strength to do so, by Your Holy Spirit, in the name of Your Son. Amen."
-ker