Here at ZION, we believe God has called us to gather and grow as family—and in our church this is our primary value; FAMILY.
As a family, we are called to reproduce and raise sons and daughters. This is how a family flourishes as parents are accountable for the health and maturity of their children. We always say, we are to raise mature sons and daughters—not babies in big bodies! This looks like independent, wise, active adults, who will one day become fathers and mothers who raise children of their own.
God is our Eternal Father and has called us to be His sons and daughters (Isaiah 43:6-7). He has rescued and redeemed us from the isolation of our sin and wrapped us in the love of His Son (John 1:12-13).
There is a responsibility God endows us with, to tend to His flock and feed His sheep (John 21:15-17). It’s a privilege to be invited by God to look after His kids, as it were, and take seriously the need for contributing to a strong family.
A key aspect of raising sons and daughters is speaking words of life—the life of God’s Spirit—over our children often. As we hear the promises of God and release them in prophecy and regular prayers, we ‘agree’ with heaven and trust the Eternal Father to fulfill those plans He dreamed of for each of those made in His image.
Jacob does a fine example of this in Genesis 49 and we see a thread of fruit to each son as we read the narrative of the people of Israel. We can and should do the same.
Every father and mother should speak with prophetic force over their children.
There’s a few more aspect of raising sons and daughters we can learn from Jacob, and I encourage you to watch the recent message called Raising Sons and Daughters. (You could choose to listen to it on Spotify also.)
Be an active part of God’s family. Contribute to the raising of mature sons and daughters in the family of God. In this way, the house of God can be fruitful and flourishing as a fine example of what others can be invited into.