One MCS ¢
Methodist Fathers’ Movement
Passing on a
godly legacy
Exhortation by Bishop Dr Chong Chin Chung On 17 Oct 2020, “Passing on a Godly Legacy”, which was organised by a group of fathers, was held online. It was a call for Methodist fathers to gather, hear and learn about Godly fatherhood. 614 people from Methodist and other churches, both local and overseas, attended the webinar. This is an excerpt from Bishop Dr Chong Chin Chung’s exhortation, which opened the online event.
I
strongly support the Church’s push to equip fathers for their role in the family, and in their children’s growing up, to reclaim the spiritual position of fathers and to hold in esteem their role and responsibility as fathers. This is where fathers learn together with their sons and daughters, become companions on life’s journey, so that each may live a joyous, vibrant life and be a blessing to those near us. There are many passages within the Bible directed at men, such as in the Book of Proverbs, that show us how to be good fathers and sons after God’s heart. The Bible tells of many such people who are worthy of our emulation. But there were also many great characters whose shortcomings left much to regret. For example, Abraham could not bridge the gap between his sons Ishmael and Isaac, and their enmity has lasted for generations. The resentment between Jacob and Esau, the twins born to Isaac, grew into deep hatred. Jacob had 12 children, but his older sons were united in their bitterness towards their brother Joseph, so they sold him off to Egypt. But even after the Israelites settled in Canaan, we see the jealousy of King Saul (1 Sam 18), King David’s treachery (2 Sam 11), and how the violence continued (2 Sam 12). King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of which were of Gentile origin (1 Kings 11:1–3). Eli the priest had two sons who behaved blasphemously towards Jehovah (1 Sam 2:12–25), not to mention that among the kings of the north and south kingdoms of Israel are many who, in Jehovah’s eyes, were wicked because of their idol worship and intermarrying with non-Jews. Anyone, if they are not careful, can easily be tainted by vices and unrighteous ways. By nature, we do not lean towards goodness or want to learn good. We need an elder, friend or companion, to watch over, urge and prompt us throughout our life’s journey, and to be our role model and encourage us during times of weakness and transgression. An excellent father is never absent from his child’s growth. The kind of person a child becomes in the future rests largely on what their father teaches or leaves them with. This may also happen in certain unexpected, unplanned moments, without expressed teaching. If the father is devoted to his unique status and role, we will surely bring up a generation of good men, good husbands and good fathers. I believe that by having such a platform to share about the challenges of fatherhood, the heart lessons, difficulties and joys, as well as being able to pray for one another, become chatgroup buddies, we can surely play out our role as fathers much better. We can become men after God’s heart, and as a result, our children will be richly blessed, and we will have greater bliss and joy in the family.
METHODIST MESSAGE DECEMBER 2020
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