Not Many Fathers

A MESSAGE TO FATHERS

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Kyfingers@aol.com

TEXT:

1 Cor. 4:15, For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many Fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.

Today, I ponder: WHAT IS A FATHER?

Our THOUGHT will be, NOT MANY FATHERS.

We base this on 1 Cor. 4:15, For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many Fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.

How sad? There has to be a dad for the birth of a child. But many Dad’s never step into the role of being a Father. What is the difference between being a Dad and being a Father?

How sad, many children will never know a Father?

This lack could effect/affect the way the child sees God, as God is a good Father.

How sad the life style of a Mother that choose a life style that will give birth to a baby and not think how important a good father really is.

There is an element of our society that feels a Father is opitional, this may be an unhealthy idea.

HEALTHY FATHER --- HEALTHY CHILDREN

There can be a direct correlation between the overall health and well being of a father and the health of the family.

The enemy knows: WEAK FAMILIES -- WEAK CHURCHES -- WEAK SOCIETY.

No sadder words of pen or tongue, than the words what might have been?

We need many fathers in the church!

There are many men, but there are few fathers?

I ponder, WHY?

Why are there not many fathers?

This lesson will approach the problem of not many fathers.

1. THINGS NEEDED TO ILLUSTRATE THIS LESSON.

A. 2-- 40 pound bags of potting soil. (Depends on how many men you will have. This will prepare about 60 to 80 bags.)

B. 60 medium Zip Lock baggies. ( Before the service fill the 60 bags with dirt.) I gave the bags out several service after the special day. You can accent your points by repetition.

C. 5 or 6 bags of seeds. (I do: Forget me nots, sun flower, corn, mustard. See below for the lesson),

D. Bottle of water.

E. 60 red plastic cups. T

he cup represents you, the vessel of God. Red represents the blood of Jesus.

The total cost for me was about $21.00.

2. THE LESSON OF THE DIRT. I had my bags of dirt hidden under a red table cloth on the altar. Then call every man to the altar, I then gave each man a bag of dirt, and have them return to the pew.

A. Discuss the potential of that dirt. The bag of dirt could help feed the family? It could be useless?

B. You could throw the dirt at others, but if you throw your dirt, you are the one loosing ground.

C. The only difference between a mole hill and a mountain is how much dirt you have.

D. Don’t let you dirt become dirt. Col. 3:18, Husbands love your wife and be not bitter against them.

E. Bad dirt? 1 Kings 22:52, parents willfully choose evil.

3. A GOOD FATHER IS ON PURPOSE.

Good fathers are not an accident.

Men must step to the front and look ahead. Men need to see beyond today.Fathers must see the PlAN OF GOD, and propagate it.

Fathers must have VISION. They nee to be an example of maturity, integrity, honesty, and character. Fathers must realize they set the standard.

How many times have I reached children, for them to become teenagers and follow the example of their Dad and say church is not important?

How sad many kids feel like they are accidents?

4. THE LESSON OF THE SEED.

Call the children to the altar, let them pick several seeds out of the bowl of seeds that are mixed together.

By randomly picking out the seeds, you don’t know what you are getting, in life we don’t know many things, we do the best with what we have.

A. You can count the seeds in an apple,

but only God can count the apples in a seed.

B. Sickly oaks from sickly acorns grow.

C. It is not the size of the seed, but the growth of the seed that matters.

D. I often ask God for 2 by 4’s, and gives me a seed and says grow it yourself. This is a wisdom process.

E. Gal. 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked, for what so ever a man soweth, that shall he also reap... Don’t expect strawberries in you plant corn?

1. Forget Me Not seeds... Deut. 4:9, 23 ... life has a way of getting us so busy, we forget God and His Law.