HOME > BLOG > MEN'S MINISTRIES

Five Points Blog

Honoring Shadows for the Sake of the Light


When the Apostle Peter assumes believers call God our Father, he means for us to pray to him, to fear him with holy fear and to obey him even when it is hard. Listen to I Peter 1:17, “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile…”.

Many see that we are to call God Father and define it as a metaphor. Calling God our Father, they say, employs a metaphor for us that we can understand because each of us had a real father on earth. They hold that God is metaphorically our father, so we can relate to him with love and respect as we do our human fathers.

Actually the exact opposite is true. All earthly fathers are metaphors for the one true and eternal Father, who is Almighty God. How do I know this? I know it because God is the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at how Peter begins his message:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (I Peter 1:3). God is Father to Christ and has been forever.

When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane praying as with drops of blood he prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). He did not call God his Father just as a word-picture - it is true! He is the eternal Son, and God is His eternal Father.

All human fatherhood is the metaphor, the shadow, pointing to the one true and ultimate Father, the Sovereign God of heaven and earth.

No matter what kind of earthly father you have, honor him. Give thanks for him. Tell him you love him, not because he is perfect. But because he is the shadow and his very existence points you to the light in the face of the true Father. Come to the first Father by faith in His eternal Son, Jesus Christ. 


Fellowship In The Gospel Conference


This weekend, Pastor Brent will be speaking at a men's conference hosted by Berean Baptist Church in Livonia titled Fellowship In The Gospel. Its purpose is to gather men for fellowship around the power and centrality of the gospel.

Rico Tice is the keynote speaker. He is founder of Christianity Explored and also a pastor at All Souls Church in London serving alongside John Stott. Breakout sessions will be held by Sidney Greidanus of Calvin Theological Seminary, Matt Herron of Immanuel Baptist Church in Traverse City, Bob Johnson of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Gary Papp of Berean Baptist Church and Pastor Brent.

Pre-Registration has been closed, but you may register at the door. For more information, visit the Fellowship In The Gospel website.


Denny Burk and the Sexting Epidemic


Denny Burk writes:

“One day last winter Margarite posed naked before her bathroom mirror, held up her cellphone and took a picture. Then she sent the full-length frontal photo to Isaiah, her new boyfriend.

Both were in eighth grade.

They broke up soon after. A few weeks later, Isaiah forwarded the photo to another eighth-grade girl, once a friend of Margarite’s. Around 11 o’clock at night, that girl slapped a text message on it… Then she clicked open the long list of contacts on her phone and pressed ’send.’

In less than 24 hours, the effect was as if Margarite, 14, had sauntered naked down the hallways of the four middle schools… Hundreds, possibly thousands, of students had received her photo and forwarded it.”

So goes the story as it was told in The New York Times over the weekend. And unfortunately, so goes the story in the lives of many teenagers that you may know. The new sexting trend is no distant phenomenon. What is sexting? It’s the practice of sending sexual photos, videos or texts from one cellphone to another, and it is surprisingly common among teenagers. According to one study in 2009, 20% of teenagers have sexted (22% of teen girls, 18% of teen boys, and 11% of young teen girls [ages 13-16]).

I would encourage all parents to read the rest of the story from The New York Times and to remember their unique responsibility to shepherd the hearts of their children (Deuteronomy 11:18-19; Proverbs 22:6). Christian parents have to be absolutely committed in a counter-cultural kind of a way to providing guidance to their kids. Dads, that means that you have a special responsibility for the protection of your daughters and the leadership of your sons. That is something that you will not be able to do if you give unfettered and unaccountable access to technology. Read the rest here.


A Call To Courage In The Life And Mission Of John G. Patton - Additional Resources


Monday night Pastor Brent presented the biography of John Patton, a missionary to the New Hebredes. Below are more resources to help further your knowledge of Patton.

Books

Bell, Ralph. John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides. Butler, IN: The Highly Press, 1957.

Paton, John G. John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebredes, An Autobiogrpahy Edited by His Brother. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965, (orig. 1889).

Walsh, Kay. John G. Paton: South Sea Island Rescue. Christian Focus Publications, 2003.

Audio

You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals! Lessons From The Life Of John G. Paton: John Piper gave this biography at the 2000 Bethlehem Conference For Pastors.

Additional

DesiringGod.com - Desiring God has a wealth of resources relating to the life of John Paton.