A Chinese megachurch pastor encouraged Christian fathers to imitate our fatherly God.
In a recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States, said, "Although we are imperfect, we have a heavenly Father who is perfect. He is also the image of a father that we should imitate."
As we see many problems in society, families, and life resulting from the lack of a proper father in many families, the pastor shared guidance on how to follow the example of God the Father to be a good father in three ways: "following God's faithfulness", "showing love and care", and "preserving ourselves".
"God's promises are true no matter how many there are, whether you know them or not, whether you have experienced them or not." Quoting 2 Cor. 1:20, Pastor Liu said, "No matter how impossible it may seem to human beings, it will certainly be accomplished in God's sight. Surely God will accomplish what He has promised, according to His time and according to His ways. Our God is truly a God of punctuality. No matter how difficult the circumstances are, how great the challenges we face, our God may not work when and how we expect Him to, but He will certainly work in His time. And His time is never too early or too late; He is always a God of punctuality."
Pastor Liu preached about God's faithfulness using the example of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. When the Israelites left Egypt, the Red Sea was in front of them, while the Egyptian pursuers were behind them. Just in the nick of time, God told Moses to stretch out his staff towards the sea so that the Israelites could walk across dry land.
"It was when the last of the Israelites' feet left the sea that God ordered the sea back down, not too early and not too late. He is a God of punctuality, and what God has promised will be accomplished."
He continued, "Think about how many promises you have made to your loved ones that you have not kept yet. We don't think we're wrong because we don't mean to, we're just busy. We then neglect God's requirement for us to be faithful, and instead let our loved ones suffer greatly. We have to keep our promise to God; no matter the changes in circumstances, our trust in God should never change; we have to keep our promise to our wives, no matter being rich or poor, healthy or sick, we have to love them forever; we have to keep our promise to our families and children, it is only those who keep their promises that can give security to their families."
Pastor Liu said, "The God we believe in is not only the God who reigns over the whole earth, but also the loving Heavenly Father. Despite the many times that the Israelites disobeyed and strayed away from God's way, wasn't God still full of mercy to redeem them over and over? And look at ourselves, even after falling so many times, God's love has always been unfailing."
Just like the story of the prodigal son in the Bible, when the prodigal son asked his father for his family's money, the father did not accuse his son but instead gave him half of the family's money right away.
Pastor Liu hit the nail on the head when he pointed out what we look like as fathers: "Some people say, 'I have to earn money to support my family'. But I'm not asking about your job, I'm asking if you value your relationship with Him. God the Father values our relationship with Him, and today do we think highly of our relationship with our children? A lot of times, when Chinese people raise their children, we pay attention to the rules of behavior, and we often ignore the needs of the child growing up."
"Do you know the pressure in their minds? You think they don't have any pressure in their lives. Not really, kids today are very precocious and they have different views and ideas about many things. Do you know their friends? Friends are important to children, and your acceptance of their friends is also an acceptance of them. What is more important is whether you are there for them, accepting their culture and giving them room to grow. Think about how much room God gives us to grow during our lifetime. In the same way, we need to give our children room to grow, to have compassion for them and help them as they grow, so that we can find our place in life."
Quoting from Psalm 121, "Is this not the cry from the depths of our hearts in distress? In such circumstances, I need help. As a father, I need help. As a different role in life, I need help. ‘Where does my help come from?’, which is the cry from our hearts."
"Our God cares for us and protects us." He said, "As fathers, we have the authority to pray, although we cannot have the power like God. As a father, you need to know that you are the spiritual head of your family. Since you are the head, you have spiritual authority, and you can use it to bring blessing, healing and protection to your family. No matter how fiercely the enemy attacks your family, only you can stand as the leader and declare to the “enemy” that this family belongs to God and order it to get away."
“As our children grow up, we find ourselves unable to help them," he concluded, “But prayer is still the best way to go. You need to pray daily for the blessing of your children. The biblical prayer of a father's blessing for his children is very important. James prayed for his children, and those prayers affected their whole lives. So, fathers should often pray at home, speak words of encouragement, words of edification and blessing."
- Translated by Wylie Sun
这个时代，是一个需要父亲的时代。我们看见多少社会问题、家庭问题、生活问题，都是因为很多人缺乏一个正确父亲的形象所带来的结果。可是，我们自己并不完全，我们该怎样能够成为属神的为父的心的人？矽谷生命河灵粮堂的刘彤牧师在最近的一次证道中鼓励作父亲的弟兄们：“虽然我们是不完全的，但是我们有一位天父，祂是完全的。他也是我们应当效法的父亲的形象。”
刘彤牧师从三方面分享如何效法父神的榜样，作一个好父亲：效法神的信实，慈爱与眷顾和保守。“神的应许无论有多少，无论你知道与否，你经历过与否，神的应许都是真实的。”刘彤牧师引用林后1:20，分享说：“无论在人看了是多么不可能的，在神看来必定成就。神必定按照祂所应许的，按照祂的时候，按照祂的方法，神要成就祂应许的事情。我们的神真的是一位准时的神。无论我们面对的环境难处，多么大的挑战，我们的神也许不是按照我们所期待的时候和方式来工作，但是我们神必定按照祂的时候来工作。而祂的时候永远是不早也不晚，祂永远是准时的神。”刘牧师以以色列人过红海为例分享了神的信实。当以色列人离开埃及的时候，前面是红海，后面是埃及的追兵。就在一发千钧的时刻，神叫摩西向海伸杖，让以色列人可以走过干地。“就是以色列人最后一个人的脚离开海水的时候，神叫海水回落，不早也不晚，刚刚好。祂是一位准时的神，神所应许的必定成就。”刘彤牧师分享道：“想一想对亲近的人，你有多少没有兑现的诺言。我们并不觉得我们有什么不对，因为我们不是故意的，我们只是很忙碌。我们就轻忽了神对我们信实的要求，反而让我们亲人受到极大的伤害。我们要信守对神的诺言，无论环境什么改变，我们对神的信靠永不改变；我们要信守对妻子的诺言，无论贫富贵贱、健康疾病，我们要永远的爱妻子；我们要信守对家庭和孩子的诺言，只有信守诺言的人才能给家庭安全感。”刘牧师说：“我们信的神不仅是全地掌权的神，也是慈爱的天父。以色列人多少的悖逆，偏离神的道路，难道神不是充满怜悯一次一次挽回他们吗？再看看我们自己，多少次我们跌倒，神的爱总是不离不弃。”就像圣经中浪子回头的故事，浪子向父亲讨要家产的时候，父亲并没有指责儿子，反而把家产的一半就分给他。刘牧师一针见血地指出我们作父亲时的样子：“有人说：我有工作来赚钱养家。但是我不是问你的工作，我所问的是请问你有没有看重你与他的关系。父神看重的是我们与他的关系，今天我们有没有看重我们与孩子的关系。很多时候，中国人教养儿女的时候，我们看重的是孩子的行为规范，我们却忽略了孩子的成长需要。”“你知道他们心中的压力吗？你觉得他们吃喝不愁有什么压力？不，现在的孩子很早熟的，他们对很多事情有不同的看法和想法吗？你了解他们的朋友吗？朋友对孩子来说是很重要的，你接纳他们的朋友就是对他们的接纳。更重要的是你是否陪伴他们，接纳他们的文化，给他们成长的空间。想想看，在我们一生当中神给我们多少成长的空间。同样，我们也要给子女成长的空间，在成长过程中怜恤他们、帮助他们，让我们找到生命中的定位。”引用诗篇121篇，“难道这不是我们处在困境中心灵深处的呐喊吗？在这样的环境中，我需要帮助。作为父亲，我需要帮助。作为人生不同的角色，我需要帮助？我的帮助从何而来，这难道不是我们心灵深处的呐喊吗？”“我们的神是眷顾我们、保护我们的神。”刘彤牧师分享说：“作父亲的人，我们虽然不能想神这样有能力，但是我们有祷告的权柄。作父亲的你，要知道你是家庭属灵的头。既然你是头，你就有属灵的权柄，你可以使用你的权柄给你家庭带来祝福、医治和保护。无论仇敌攻击你的家庭多么猛烈，唯有你站立在头的位置上，像仇敌宣告说，这个家庭是属于神的，你褪去吧。”他总结道，“特别是你的儿女长大了，你好像爱莫能助。但是祷告仍然是最好的办法。你要每天为你的儿女祝福祷告。圣经中父亲为儿女的祝福祷告是非常重要的。雅各为他的儿女做祝福的祷告，而这些祷告影响他们的一生。所以，作父亲的在家里要常常祷告，要说出鼓励的话语来，造就和祝福的话语来。”
刘彤牧师：做父亲的应当效法天父的榜样，成为有属灵影响力的父亲
A Chinese megachurch pastor encouraged Christian fathers to imitate our fatherly God.
In a recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States, said, "Although we are imperfect, we have a heavenly Father who is perfect. He is also the image of a father that we should imitate."
As we see many problems in society, families, and life resulting from the lack of a proper father in many families, the pastor shared guidance on how to follow the example of God the Father to be a good father in three ways: "following God's faithfulness", "showing love and care", and "preserving ourselves".
"God's promises are true no matter how many there are, whether you know them or not, whether you have experienced them or not." Quoting 2 Cor. 1:20, Pastor Liu said, "No matter how impossible it may seem to human beings, it will certainly be accomplished in God's sight. Surely God will accomplish what He has promised, according to His time and according to His ways. Our God is truly a God of punctuality. No matter how difficult the circumstances are, how great the challenges we face, our God may not work when and how we expect Him to, but He will certainly work in His time. And His time is never too early or too late; He is always a God of punctuality."
Pastor Liu preached about God's faithfulness using the example of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. When the Israelites left Egypt, the Red Sea was in front of them, while the Egyptian pursuers were behind them. Just in the nick of time, God told Moses to stretch out his staff towards the sea so that the Israelites could walk across dry land.
"It was when the last of the Israelites' feet left the sea that God ordered the sea back down, not too early and not too late. He is a God of punctuality, and what God has promised will be accomplished."
He continued, "Think about how many promises you have made to your loved ones that you have not kept yet. We don't think we're wrong because we don't mean to, we're just busy. We then neglect God's requirement for us to be faithful, and instead let our loved ones suffer greatly. We have to keep our promise to God; no matter the changes in circumstances, our trust in God should never change; we have to keep our promise to our wives, no matter being rich or poor, healthy or sick, we have to love them forever; we have to keep our promise to our families and children, it is only those who keep their promises that can give security to their families."
Pastor Liu said, "The God we believe in is not only the God who reigns over the whole earth, but also the loving Heavenly Father. Despite the many times that the Israelites disobeyed and strayed away from God's way, wasn't God still full of mercy to redeem them over and over? And look at ourselves, even after falling so many times, God's love has always been unfailing."
Just like the story of the prodigal son in the Bible, when the prodigal son asked his father for his family's money, the father did not accuse his son but instead gave him half of the family's money right away.
Pastor Liu hit the nail on the head when he pointed out what we look like as fathers: "Some people say, 'I have to earn money to support my family'. But I'm not asking about your job, I'm asking if you value your relationship with Him. God the Father values our relationship with Him, and today do we think highly of our relationship with our children? A lot of times, when Chinese people raise their children, we pay attention to the rules of behavior, and we often ignore the needs of the child growing up."
"Do you know the pressure in their minds? You think they don't have any pressure in their lives. Not really, kids today are very precocious and they have different views and ideas about many things. Do you know their friends? Friends are important to children, and your acceptance of their friends is also an acceptance of them. What is more important is whether you are there for them, accepting their culture and giving them room to grow. Think about how much room God gives us to grow during our lifetime. In the same way, we need to give our children room to grow, to have compassion for them and help them as they grow, so that we can find our place in life."
Quoting from Psalm 121, "Is this not the cry from the depths of our hearts in distress? In such circumstances, I need help. As a father, I need help. As a different role in life, I need help. ‘Where does my help come from?’, which is the cry from our hearts."
"Our God cares for us and protects us." He said, "As fathers, we have the authority to pray, although we cannot have the power like God. As a father, you need to know that you are the spiritual head of your family. Since you are the head, you have spiritual authority, and you can use it to bring blessing, healing and protection to your family. No matter how fiercely the enemy attacks your family, only you can stand as the leader and declare to the “enemy” that this family belongs to God and order it to get away."
“As our children grow up, we find ourselves unable to help them," he concluded, “But prayer is still the best way to go. You need to pray daily for the blessing of your children. The biblical prayer of a father's blessing for his children is very important. James prayed for his children, and those prayers affected their whole lives. So, fathers should often pray at home, speak words of encouragement, words of edification and blessing."
- Translated by Wylie Sun
Being a Spiritually Influential Father by Imitating Our Heavenly Father
