The Seedbed of Leadership

One of my facebook friends is a pastor at a church in Wisconsin.  He shared he was spending time in Luke, specifically about Zacharias’ understanding that his son would be great in contrast to Herod the Great.  I had been reading that same passage this morning.

The thing that jumped out at me was what the angel told Zacharias that John would do in Luke 1:15 – 17.  Note that the core of John’s ministry, he would:

• Turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God
• Turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children
• Turn the disobedient to righteousness
• With the result that a people would be prepared for the Lord

In 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, Paul outlines for his apprentices the qualifications for leadership.  Look at:

• 1 Timothy 3:4 – 5
• 1 Timothy 3:12
• 2 Timothy 3:2
• Titus 1:6

Note the thread of parent child relationships in those passages.  2 Timothy 3:2 describes the cultural context of the Church.  So one who has good relationships with their children would stand out.

This is not a new idea.  In one of the central passages for Jewish worship twice the requirement for men to lead their families is highlighted.  Look at:

• Deuteronomy 6:6 – 7
• Deuteronomy 6:20

The expectation is that the fathers will teach their children and that the children, when they have a question about the Word, will immediately think, “Dad will know.”  Why?  Because they know their dads know the Word.

Bottom line, the Lord’s expectation is that fathers would have their hearts turned toward their children.  From Deuteronomy we see that includes them processing life through the grid of the scripture with their children.  The Holy Spirit, through Paul, picks up this as a qualification for leadership in the Body.  The family is the seedbed of leadership for the church.  It is there that fathers hone their skills in teaching their children the Word of God.  That leadership, the ability to lead children in the home, is a prerequisite for leading in the Body.