Lead On My Brothers

As a young black Christian husband and father, I understand the many challenges in leading my household to the glory of Jesus Christ. Many times, bumps in the road or the crazy things that we do may cause our families to doubt that we are following God. Arguments may happen because the Lord is leading you to do something, and your family doesn’t trust to you to do that. I know this to be true by what I have mention in a previous post a while back dealing with my testimony. Going from being a charismatic prophetic conference lover to a bible loving Reformed theology, can take your family for a serious loop. Questions come to me many times about the 5 Solas and the doctrine of election. What does the Lord Jesus Christ say to us? From the scriptures, He tells us to continue leading.

Many times our ego’s can be shot (especial by our wives, no pun intended ladies), making us feel like we are not doing what God has called us to do. All the questions and disagreements may lead you to want to give up. But don’t, my brothers, continue to lead your families for all the glory to go to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife. (Genesis 20:1-18)

We may all know this Chapter in Genesis very well. This is the chapter that Abraham lied about Sarah, his wife. Reading about hundred times over and over, the question that popped up many times is “why did Abraham lie on Sarah?” Here’s a man that had the Almighty God behind him (Genesis 15:1). Why would a Godly man lie, and lead his family into a potentially dangerous situation? Didn’t he trust God? Yes but lets really focus on what Abraham did; HE STILL LED. I am sure that Abraham felt some tension telling that lie, but he still kept his faith in God. He still led his family, praying to God as the Lord healed Abimelech.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Ephesians 5:25-29)

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

These are the duties as a husband and father that we have to our wives and children. In these scriptures alone, there is encouragement to carry on the duties and lead our families. Abraham got an understanding of this, and we too can understand what Jesus Christ would have us to do. The transliteration of the verb nourisheth (in Ephesians 5:29) is ektrephō. It means to nourish to maturity or to bring up. For children, it holds the meaning of bringing up or rearing (Ephesians 6:4). The husband has this responsibility given by God, which means here’s something a wife and child need. We husbands have something great to give our wives and children. He has made the woman the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7) and the child is not to be provoked (Colossians 3:21), placing them in position to be made stronger through Christ. Can you see the spiritual things we must provide for our families? That’s why we must continue on because no matter what sin we commit, repent and see the Lord Jesus Christ has not removed our responsibility to give truth. So we must lead on.

Here’s some of what we can lead on with:

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. (Genesis 18:19)

And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. (Exodus 13:14-15)

<> Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: (Psalms 78:1-7)

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. (Isaiah 38:19)

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26-27)

We can lead our families with the truth of scripture. We can find time to read them the scriptures, and expound to them the truth of God’s Holy Word. One afternoon, I found myself reading Matthew 2 from the MacArthur Bible Study to my wife and children. Then I dove into a historical explanation of the context of the chapter. I thought my wife was not listening, but later on she informed me she was. Praise God Almighty!

Let me say, this is not something easy to do. Wives may have many questions or may not want to listen some times. Children may not want to sit down and be still either. Whatever the case may be, continue to lead your family in the truth. Let them see you follow ‘hard’ after Christ Jesus. Lead on husband, lead on fathers, may His grace be with you. I leave this scripture to encourage you on.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)