Leading by Following Christ’s Example
by Keith Hoffman
I believe the greatest
need in Christian homes today is for fathers to become spiritual leaders
within their homes. The Bible says the husband is “the head of the wife as
Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23). As husbands and fathers,
Christ calls us to lead our households in the same manner and way as He leads
the Church (the Greek word for as means in the same manner and way).
Does it really matter how we lead our households? If we love our wife
and children and wish for them to love Jesus, does the way they receive
spiritual leadership really matter?
King David loved the
Lord with all his heart. He realized that Israel had not sought God’s guidance
during the days of Saul, and he wanted to lead the people into seeking His
will. He wished to bring the ark up to Jerusalem with the right desire in his
heart, and began to do so with great fanfare and celebration. Nevertheless, in
a display of human frailty, David failed to do the very thing in which he
sought to lead the nation. He consulted the people but failed to inquire of
the Lord. David had good intentions and his methods met with the approval of
his people, but he was not doing what God desired in the way He had
instructed.
“He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, ‘If it seems good to
you and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide
to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to
the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to
come and join us. Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not
inquire of it during the reign of Saul.’ The whole assembly agreed to do this,
because it seemed right to all the people” (1 Chronicles 13:2-4,
emphasis added).
“‘It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that
the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him
about how to do it in the prescribed way.’ So the priests and Levites
consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of
Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their
shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD” (1
Chronicles 15:13-15, emphasis added).
David was not perfect,
but when He sinned, he was quick to repent and follow the Lord. Perhaps this
is why God calls him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). David learned a
hard lesson, and three months later he went back to carry the ark following
God’s instructions and with His full blessing.
As husbands, we must
assume our God-given responsibilities and lead our family in the way God has
prescribed. We may love the Lord and our families, and our motives may be
right, but are we leading our households in the way that He desires? Like
David, we too must not simply do what seems right to all the people. We
must inquire of the Lord and seek to know His will so that we might lead our
household in the way He requires of us. Like David, we must repent when we
fail to inquire of Him, and learn to perform our tasks in the prescribed
manner.
Sadly, it has been too
long since we inquired of the Lord to know the prescribed way. After
several generations of adopting the world’s methods within the church,
husbands no longer know how to lead their families as Christ commands. I once
thought that I was fulfilling my role as a Christian father when I prayed
before meals, took my family to church twice on Sunday, and made certain that
we were involved in all the activities at church. I was doing what seemed
right to all the people, but I was not leading my family in the
prescribed way.
Through the prompting
of the Holy Spirit and the mentoring of a close friend, I discovered that the
Father intends for me to be so much more than a nominal spiritual leader
within my home. As I searched to know His will, I discovered that the Father
has clearly revealed my roles, responsibilities, and duties as a husband and
father. A husband must be the head of his family in the same manner and way
as Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23). A husband must love and
serve his family in the same manner and way as Christ loves and serves
the Church (Ephesians 5:25). How is Christ the Head of the Church? He
expresses His headship or authority over the Church through the offices of
Priest, Prophet, and King. How does Christ serve and express His love for the
Church? He loves and serves the Church by performing the duties associated
with these roles. His direction is clear, but I had never inquired of Him.
Instead, I listened to the world around me.
Jesus instructs a
husband to love and serve his family by being the priest, prophet, and king to
his household. God has assigned tremendous leadership responsibilities and duties that are no longer taught
in our churches and homes. I urge you to inquire of the Lord.
Your family will never be the same.
All Scripture
quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NIV INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®.
Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission
of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright ©
2004 by Keith Hoffman |
