Father’s Day Weekend

This past weekend, we celebrated all the dads, grandfathers, and spiritual dads out there with a special Father’s Day message. In this message from Pastor Doug, Dr. Bob Barnes of Sheridan House, and CCA Discipleship Director Steve Mayo, we learned about the legacy of fatherhood and how Jesus can help dads lead their families.

FOR THE NOTE TAKERS

Let’s recap some of the key talking points from Pastor Doug’s message:

There Are No Perfect Dads: The pressure is off, dads! While being a parent is the most important thing you’ll ever do (even if you’re not a biological parent), you don’t have to be perfect because God is perfect. He is the perfect Father who guides us and leads us as parents and spiritual parents. In our imperfection, our objective should be to care for the children we’ve been entrusted with as best as we can and point them to Him as best as we can. As imperfect parents such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and others show, we can be flawed, but full of faith; we can be imperfect and still leave a legacy.

Interestingly, the word disciple appears throughout the Bible 270 times, but doesn’t appear again after Acts 21:26. Instead, we see the apostle Paul replace this idea of rabbi/student or master/disciple with the idea of the family of God. From that point on, we see the idea of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and brothers and sisters in the faith. We see identity, belonging, and purpose is found in the family of God, as His children, and the call for more mature believers to teach and do life with younger believers.

It’s Never Too Late to Leave a Legacy: You can start today! You can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, begin to honor God, live with purpose and faith, strive to become more like Jesus each day, and help others (kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, spiritual children, mentees, etc.) become more like Jesus each day.

You Can Be the Dad You Wish You Had: Some of us have had great relationships with our parents, while others may have had extremely traumatic, difficult relationships—or even no relationship at all. Most of us probably fall somewhere in between, having a lot of good and bad. But the cycle doesn’t have to continue with us. We can be the parent, spiritual parent, mentor, grandparent, aunt/uncle, coach, or counselor we wish we had.

If you didn’t have a father present, there are spiritual fathers waiting for you right now. God has a special and life-changing relationship for you. And He wants to use you to be that disciple-making, life-giving, mentor and spiritual parent for someone else. And the best way to find these relationships—the spiritual parents we need and the spiritual children we can impact—is in groups! So, who are the people you’re walking through life with? Who are the people you’re in community with? In the New Testament, we see that Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, and many others found their Paul (their mentor), and there is a Paul out there for you. If you have found that person, let them know how much they mean to you! If you haven’t found them, get in a group!

Quote to Remember: Being a father is the most important thing you will ever do.—Pastor Doug Sauder

GROUP QUESTIONS

As you think about this weekend’s teaching, here are a few questions to reflect on and consider with your family, your circle of friends, or in your group.

Ice-Breaker: What’s the most important lesson your father, grandfather, mentor, or spiritual father ever taught you?

Discussion Question 1: Take some time to collect your thoughts and memories of your father or significant father figure. If you’re a father, reflect on the impact you have on your children. Share one positive memory of your father or father figure. If you’re a father, share something positive about your role and experience.

Discussion Question 2: 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV) says, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” How does this speak to you? Who do you have in your life that sets this kind of example for you? How are you setting this kind of example for others?

Discussion Question 3: What does it look like to leave a legacy? What steps can you take today to ensure you’re leaving a legacy of faith, hope, and love?

WALK IT OUT

Pause: What does it mean to you that God is your Father? How has your relationship with your earthly father impacted the way you see God?

Ponder: You teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are. How are you actively working to become more like Jesus and in turn reproduce children/disciples who are becoming more like Jesus?

Practice: Hear from two dads this week—one 20 years ahead and one 10 years behind you. Ask them about the lessons they’ve learned, what God has taught them through their children/spiritual children, and what each season of parenting/discipleship looks like?

Pray: As you pray this week, lift up those who both celebrate and mourn during Father’s Day. Mourn with and pray over those who have experienced broken relationships and trauma—intentional and accidental—stemming from their relationship with a father, step-father, grandfather, uncle, mentor, or spiritual father. Pray for comfort, peace, grace, and love to sweep over their hearts and minds in this time. Pray for the Spirit to work and move in the lives of dads everywhere.