FROM THE MESSAGE PARAPHRASE OF MALACHI 4

1 “Count on it: The day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash—a black day.

2 But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking.

3 And you’ll tromp on the wicked. They’ll be nothing but ashes under your feet on that Day.” GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.

4 “Remember and keep the revelation I gave through my servant Moses, the revelation I commanded at Horeb for all Israel, all the rules and procedures for right living.

5 “But also look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of GOD—the decisive Judgment Day!

6 He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and put the land under a curse.”

FROM THE MESSAGE PARAPHRASE OF LUKE 1:15 – 17

15 He’ll achieve great stature with God. “He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb.

16 He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.

17 He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”

Malachi called the Hebrews to repent and in chapter 2 he charged them with abandoning the Fatherhood of God. He charged with abandoning their natural fathers. By these acts they orphaned themselves. But God’s Fatherhood does not allow Him to abandon His chosen ones. He would not leave them as orphans. As Malachi closes his recorded word he declares to all, not just those who fear the Lord, that in the last days he will send an abiding word to awaken fathering in the fathers reverence in the children. There is a hope here that spiritual leaders will rise to a higher resolve than just to preach and minister.

I asked the Lord one day to give me wisdom to understand what was meant by the words pastor, shepherd, elder, father, bishop, overseer, etc. All of the words call up different things to us, images that suit our education, traditions, preference and experiences. Is there one word that might call up a common image and one that reflects well on just what God means when these other words are used?

Well, my good friend whom I have not met yet, author of The Message paraphrase, helped me identify such a word. The word is parent. In bold type above are segments of two verses which convey something that is relevant to this afternoon’s summit.

Some time ago, I undertook to speak to some of you individually. At that time a passion was burning in me for leaders of The City to rise to a new level of corporate appointment as caretakers of The City. The emphasis of what worked in me then was taken from 1 Corinthians 13. When I was a child I spoke as a child… when I became a man I put away childish things. Bill, put down your spiritual childhood and put on your spiritual manhood.

As I reflect now a question presents itself. When must a boy become a man? Well, if it hasn’t happened by then, he must become a man when he becomes a father. The ideals of and the demands of parenting might cause one to faint and cower. Or they may cause one to call upon God for wisdom, resolve, inspiration and courage to parent his family and husband his spouse. No less than this job is the heart of my request for you to be here today.

‘the Sentinel Group of George Otis, Jr. produced a video some years back which chronicles the impact of corporate spiritual parenting on four diverse societies, African, South American, Central American, and North American. Sweeping changes in whole societies resulted from one phenomenon which is summed up for me in the comments of a Pastor interviewed in the segment on North America. The city was Hemet, Ca.

His comment was this, “God is not going to hold me accountable for how I Pastored my church. He is going to hold me accountable for how I Pastored my city.”

An inescapable feature of the Sentinel Group’s production in each case is this; the leaders, translated FATHERS, of these four cities became a galvanized fellowship of Fathers intent on bringing the Kingdom of God to bear on the kingdoms of this world.

When I asked you to come today I told you about a dreamer and his dream. I told you about a vehicle that holds promise as a force to bring the Kingdom of God to bear on our justice system, our educational institutions, our corridors of commerce and even our chambers of politics. That is the substance of Warren Piersol’s conversations with me and others on how prayer might serve to galvanize the spiritual leaders of The City and impact The City.

Additionally, I told a few of you how, on a certain day, as I recalled the many times I have heard Warren speak of this, a picture presented itself to my mind. Warren was recounting the hope of impacting our society before a few others. As he conveyed his thoughts a look of increasingly intense resolve came on the faces of the listeners. Then, as though in unison, they rose and said, “We can do this!” A verse of scripture came to mind from the books of Joel and Acts. Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions.

Is there a better time than now to take corporate responsibility for The City? It may be in each of you to do so, but no one of you, even with considerable resources, is equal to this duty. We don’t have the right to stand at the frontiers of The City and call it to repentance or cast aspersions on its waywardness unless and until we take responsibility to bring the love of God to bear on various domains that are now held in the malevolent sway of the spirit of anti-Christ. Does God have permission to meld us into one mind, one heart and one accord?

God helping, it is my great desire to see us mount to a corporate manhood and to advance on becoming a galvanized, melded fellowship of Fathers.