When Jesus walked this earth some two thousand years ago, the bible recorded that he did a lot of miracles which includes the feeding of the five thousand with only a few fish and loaves of bread. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast demons out of the oppressed. But this was not so he could draw attention to Himself. His main purpose was to bring glory to his Father. He operated as a Son in close relationship with his Father. Whenever we search the Gospels, particularly that of John’s, we will see how often Christ talked about his Father. He operated according to the pattern of the father (John 8:28 - Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.)

With these scriptures, Jesus showed us the important of fathers. Satan has warred hard against marriage because his main objective is to get rid of fathers upon whose hands the deliverance of the families, the societies, and the nations rest. That is why it is very important for the local church to hold the principles leading to a healthy marriage very high by teaching, preaching and instructing people in it. Believe it or not, the foundation and the strength of every local church lies on strong and healthy families that are a result of healthy marriages. Churches who do not hold marriages very highly are in for trouble.

This is not to put pressure on anyone to get into any unprepared married, after all we know that to be single can be a blessing but loneliness is a curse.
But once we marry, we are responsible to make that marriage work at any cost. Making the marriage work is the duty of the couples involves and the best way to do this is if both stay close to the father and not wander away from his word and principles.
The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24 shows the foolishness of those who wander from God the Father. They end up spiritually where the prodigal son landed physically--hungry, destitute, and without hope. The answer for such troubled Souls lies in the prodigal's cry, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father." The son's dignity and self-esteem returned just from thinking about his father, even in the midst of a pigpen.
This same experience will be ours spiritually when we turn back to God. What our world needs right now is not extra instructors but fathers (1Corinthians 4:15 - For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.) There is a big difference between the two.
Instructors will tell you what to do but fathers will show you what to do and how to do it by leading the way in demonstrating Godly characters and principles.

Every man can become a father not only to his children but by helping mentor or disciple other men either in his local church under the supervision of his pastor or in his community. To do this, he first has to surrender to the father of all fathers by submitting to Jesus Christ, who is the head of all men. That is why we believe to be a male is a matter of birth but to be a man is a matter of choice and that choice is Jesus. The Lord bless you for making that choice of being a man and above all for being a father to those who need your love, care and leadership displayed by example.

Written by Rev. Daniel Kwaku (Director, CMN Europe)