FAMILY LEADERSHIP
Scripture Reading - Genesis 18:18-19 KJV
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
In a previous lesson we spoke about “Ministry Leadership” and today we will explain a little about “Family Leadership”. These two types of leadership are paralleled in the Holy Bible. We notice from our reference verse 19 that God said, “Abraham would become a great and mighty nation”. This means Abraham’s descendants would be many (great) and they also would be able to defeat other nations (mighty, strong). However, the Good Lord told why Abraham would grow and increase in strength and that sole reason was because Abraham commands his children and his household after his knowledge of God. The New Testament describes in 1 Timothy 3:4 that a leader of God must rule his own house well, which includes having his own children in subjection with all gravity (chastity, respectful, submissive, dignity, purity). The Holy Word of God states in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established (2 Corinthians 13:1), thus this specific truth is established for all mankind. We know it is very important to God that His disciples train people to be godly. This is why the word “command” and “rule” is used instead of the word “teach” alone. We (ihlcc) will explain, many believers in God’s Word will spend some time teaching their children the difference between good and bad. Whether it is opening the Holy Bible and sharing specific scriptures or just talking generally with their children about life. There are even some parents that will share their personal testimony of what they have learned from their experiences with God. This exchange of good and bad between parents and children is good and often can help the understanding of both parties. We (ihlcc) practice all of these methods depending on what the issue is in our household at that time. However, dear faith friend it doesn’t stop there because that is only part of what needs to be done. When the Word of God states “command” and “rule” it is a more challenging proposition because not only is teaching required but enforcement of the teaching is also required. How many parents have you seen that are good godly people but their children are not godly in their dealings with others. Remember this exact thing happened with Eli and his children in 1 Samuel 2 and even Samuel’s children were known for unrighteousness as judges (leaders) over the house of Israel in 1 Samuel 8. The key difference is when you “command” and/or “rule” your household you enforce the covenant between you and God. Doing the Word of God is not just a suggestion it is a requirement, to the place of utmost importance. Many people in the world today simply don’t want to exercise judgment upon their own children, nor do they want to rule over others in their household. We (ihlcc) live by the principle that all people in the house have the same rules and if you believe those rules to be too grievous you should leave the house for peace’s sake. The last things you and the Lord needs is strife in the midst of the household. Should not your house be your sanctuary of peace? Is not your house supposed to be the Temple of God to worship and praise Him in deed and in truth. Certainly, this is so whether all people realize this or not. Definitely all those who disrespect the Church (Temple, meeting place, physical building, edifice, etc..) should be removed from the House of God to show true honor unto the Lord and others in the congregation. Likewise, all those in your household must show this same respect unto you (the ruler, leader) and the Lord Jesus (The Ultimate Leader). So in summary we must “command” and/or “rule” our household to be effective “family leaders” in the Kingdom of God and that will qualify us for being good (godly) leaders in all other larger spheres of influence (ministry, business, sports, politics, etc…). The key is allowing the Lord to lead you while you lead others in your household through the fear of God, which includes imposing consequences for disobedience also in the Name of the Lord Jesus. If you can’t dish out both good and bad judgment in the proper balance you are not a good/godly leader just yet, but are still in training to become one. The choice of being a good “family leader” is not God’s responsibility but solely yours, so do it with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and we (ihlcc) are certain the Lord will do His part to lead and guide you into His Perfect Will for yourself, your family and your household in Jesus Name. Amen!