7/11/2019 We are looking for workers. ·       Either those who are already working. ·       Or those who are willing to get to work. Why look for workers? ·       Those who are unwilling to work will expect us to do all of the work for them. ·       There is much more work to do than what we can do without help from other workers. ·       Those who are unwilling to work do not value work and therefore do not give. There are givers and there are takers. ·       Givers give. ·       Takers take. ·       Takers expect givers to give to them without giving back in return. Paul says this: “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”  Ephesians 4:28 ·       The opposite of stealing from others is working so that you can give to others who are in need. ·       The opposite of working so that you can give to others who are in need is stealing from others.  We all begin as a baby. ·       Babies need a lot of care. ·       This is as it should be. ·       We all love babies. ·       But we are all also meant to grow out of being a baby. There is a place and time for this:

“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”  1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

There is a time and a place for taking care of babies. ·       I am convinced that it is not as long a part of our spiritual journey as most have experienced. ·       Parents do well to not do something for children that the child is able to do for themselves. ·       When the child is developmentally able to do something facilitate them into doing it. ·       Doing this raises children who will grow up to become fully functioning adults. ·       Who will raise children who will become fully functioning adults. Much of the Ecclesia has concentrated on ministering to spiritual babes. ·       Many of the spiritual babes don’t know any better. ·       How can they? ·       Their parents didn’t tell them. ·       Many don’t know how to hear from God themselves. ·       Their parents didn’t tell them. We grow up into working and giving.    ·       Good parenting facilitates our children into doing more and more for themselves. ·       And doing more and more for the family and others. ·       Any parent who fails to transition their children in this way will have a taker in the house. ·       Until that taker leaves or is kicked out. As Fathers we are looking for those who have grown up into Workers who are also Givers. ·       We are wasting our time investing a lot of time into someone who isn’t willing to become both. How can I say this? ·       It seems cruel and heartless. ·       And unloving. It does seem unloving to not minister extensively to those who are in need. ·       But, then, remember our priority is not ministering. ·       Our priority is fathering. Ministry is a place on the way to sonship and fathering. ·       It is a good place. ·       It is a destined place. ·       It is not a permanent place. Ministry is a Servant, Bond Servant and Lord activity. ·       Ministry is a Small Picture activity. Fathering is a Big Picture activity. ·       We begin to see the Big Picture. ·       We begin to Father. ·       We begin to transition our time from Ministering to Fathering. ·       Any ministering that we do is then only part of our training up of Fathers. The bottom line on fathering is that only fathers can do it. ·       Many are equipped to minister. ·       Few are equipped to father. ·       This is not being elitist. ·       This is simply being practical. As fathers we are mandated to spend our time fathering. ·       And raising up more fathers who will father others. The more fathers that there are the more that those fathers are able to raise up more fathers. ·       It all comes down to 2 things. ·       It comes down to continually making the same 2 good choices. What are the 2 good choices that we Fathers must continually and repeatedly make? 1.       Chose to father those who are already Workers and Givers. 2.       Chose to spend our time fathering those who will become Fathers. Here is one more general principle about our priorities as Fathers. ·       Our highest priority is always to father others into that which we have most recently foreran.  Why is this so? ·       Few are available to father others into that which we most recently entered into ourselves. ·       This becomes our highest priority. ·       For the simple reason that so few are able to father others into it. ·       Again, this is not being elitist. ·       This is simply being practical. Summary of our priority as Fathers: ·       Transition your own work from Ministering to Fathering. ·       Look for Workers and Givers to invest your fathering into. ·       Prioritize fathering Fathers. ·       Father those Fathers into everything that you yourself have entered into. ·       Prioritize fathering Fathers into that which you have entered into most recently. We can’t father anyone into something that they are not yet ready for.  ·       What I am suggesting is that we prioritize our fathering. ·       Place a priority on fathering those who are ready. ·       Ready to enter into that which we have most recently entered into ourselves. Here is a general principle. ·       We can show someone else something that we have seen and received ourselves.  ·       Or something that we have entered into. ·       We can only facilitate someone into function in something that we function in ourselves. These are general principles to help you to use your time as a Father wisely. ·       Priorities may be different in the case of a specific individual. ·       General principles are only general principles.  ·       Leading / infused knowledge is always better / more accurate than general principles.