The Fathering Spirit – 6

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 4:15(KJV); For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, there was an influential movement in certain Charismatic churches in Britain, Australia and America.

It was called the shepherding movement that taught and emphasised greatly the biblical principle of submission to spiritual authority and the need to account one’s life to a spiritual father or mother.

Over time, it was courted by the harsh winds of controversy, heavily criticised and denounced by leading figures within the charismatic movement itself.

It was said to have committed the Galatian error, ‘began in the spirit and quickly degenerated into the flesh.’ (Galatians 3:3).

But what really went wrong in the shepherding movement? Were they right in principle and merely failed in method?

The shepherding doctrine was not wrong. It can be proved through various passages of scripture such as Hebrews 13:17, 1 Corinthians 4:15 and many others.

However, the error of some of the proponents of this movement is that they themselves were not fathered and as such, they sought to reap as fathers, what they were not sowing as sons.

This is evident even in the church today, fathers taking the place of God and grossly abusing spiritual authority.

The lessons from the shepherding movement are numerous but most importantly, as a man of God, you cannot demand submission when you are not submitted; you cannot demand accountability when you are not accountable; you cannot demand to be served when you do not serve another.

The scriptures cannot be broken, you reap what you sow.
God’s name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 13:17, Proverbs 11:25

GOLDEN NUGGET:

As a man of God, you cannot demand submission when you are not submitted; you cannot demand accountability when you are not accountable; you cannot demand to be served when you do not serve another.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you for this truth. I know that by scripture, I cannot reap what I have not sown. In this wisdom, I plant and cultivate respect for spiritual authority; I plant and cultivate diligent service to ministry and the gospel; I plant and cultivate giving in accordance to the patterns laid out in your Word. To the glory of your name, Amen

Receiving From Ancient Oil

Apostle Grace Lubega

 2 Kings 2:9-10 (KJV); And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

What is ancient oil?

Ancient oil is not the anointing at work in a man simply because he has been in salvation for a long time. There are Christians who have walked the life of salvation for years without the slightest idea how the anointing works.

The identity of ancient oil is in the maturity of the anointing; in the integrity of the posterity through which it passes because each generation that receives it knows how to deal with the anointing.

How does one receive it?

A man can only receive from what he sees and honours by the spirit.

That is how the mantle was passed from Elijah to Elisha. Elijah told Elisha, if you see me when I am taken, it shall be so, if not, it shall not be so.’

What did Elisha see?

In 2 Kings 2:12, when Elijah was being taken up, Elisha exclaimed, ‘My Father! My Father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel.’ He saw Elijah’s identity in the spirit.

There are men we did not meet physically but when we found their teachings; audio sermons and books, we saw who they were by the spirit and in seeing, we received from them.

There are men we never met in the flesh but when we saw them minister on crusades with millions in attendance, we did not just see a man before a massive crowd, we saw a general in the spirit and in humility, knelt in our rooms to receive from them.

Ancient oil is generational oil. It will flow from Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, to Eunice, his mother and eventually to Timothy because the heart of each subsequent generation is open by virtue of faith (2 Timothy 1:5).

However, if it does not find faith, it can skip a generation until it finds it.

May this wisdom cause you to hunger for the anointing; to understand how to receive and to open your heart in faith.
God’s name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 1:5, 2 Kings 2:12

GOLDEN NUGGET:

A man can only receive from what he sees and honours by the spirit.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. I receive it from the bottom of my heart and run with it. My eyes are opened to see past the physical to the spiritual. To behold the spiritual identities of the authorities you have placed in my life; to understand mantles from the higher realm and to perceive the anointing from a spiritual place. By this knowledge I grow and tread in places that the bold and the brave go by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Turning Hearts

Apostle Grace Lubega

Malachi 4:6(KJV); And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

In our generation today, I have seen sons hurt by their fathers. I have also seen fathers wounded by their own sons. Ministries today are bleeding because of these wounds.

If these wounds do not heal, many will continue to bleed on the people that did not cut them.

That is why we have some people ‘washing the dirty linen of the church’ in public—they are bleeding on the people who did not cut them.

This is the reason why some Christians are on social media hurling insults at each other across the great and utterly indifferent divide of cyberspace—they are bleeding on those that did not cut them.

God wants the hearts of fathers turned to children and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers. That is the order dictated by our theme scripture. Firstly, it is the fathers that are under an obligation to turn to the children; to seek reconciliation and build bridges.

If a father fails to do this, then as a son, take up the initiative, offer the olive branch, and reach out.

Go to the father, not as a father but as a child. Please note that when you return from such an experience, you return as a father because you will have demonstrated maturity.

In that way, God will entrust you with a generation.

Seek peace. Pursue love.
God’s name, be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 1:16-17; Psalm 34:14

GOLDEN NUGGET:
God wants the hearts of fathers turned to children and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers. That is the order dictated by our theme scripture. Firstly, it is the fathers that are under obligation to turn to the children; to seek reconciliation and build bridges.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you for this truth. Thank you because this wisdom works in me, to pursue peace, love and reconciliation. I choose to forgive where there has been pain and disillusionment; to let go and let God. This is for the sake of the kingdom and for the sake of the gospel. To the glory of your name, Amen.

The Growth Pattern

Apostle Grace Lubega 

Luke 2:52(NIV); And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man 

Jesus Christ was fully God. He was the first begotten son of the Father and in Him was the fullness of God bodily(Colossians 2:9).
However, the scriptures reveal to us that there are several aspects in which He had to grow. 

For example, in our theme scripture, He grew in wisdom, stature and in favour with God and man. 

The reason God allows this growth was to set a pattern for the sons of God that were to come after. 

Here is a deep instruction on spiritual maturity. 

There are Christians who abuse various principles of the scriptures because like the Bible says, ‘they are Gods’ (John 10:34). 

They have the life of God in them; they have been begotten by the incorruptible seed which is the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23); they are more than just human beings; they are God-beings. 

It is a good thing to live in the understanding of these truths but there is a growth factor to all of these things. 

If God had wished it, Christ would have been born with all the wisdom and the favour that He needed but the Bible says that He grew in these things. 

This means that in the life of salvation, we must embrace growth. 

Many embrace spiritual truths that they are not willing to grow into. They claim promises but are not willing to activate the principles that make those promises a reality. 

So, they claim by declaration, what they are not willing to grow into by exercise. 

Indeed Christ was made our wisdom; but you must apply your heart to wisdom; by courting it, through constant study, through seeking counsel; through prayer and meditation. 

Indeed you are the righteousness of God, but you must allow God to deal with any weakness in your flesh by constantly yielding to Him and being humble enough to recognise a wrong and change your mind when you make a mistake. 

You are complete and perfect in spirit. However, your understanding  must grow in this perfection and completeness

Glory to God! 

FURTHER STUDY: Ephesians 4:15, 1 Peter 2:2 

GOLDEN NUGGET:

 You are complete and perfect in spirit. However, your understanding  must grow in this perfection and completeness

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. I choose growth; to see increase every day of my life because that is my portion in Christ. I embrace your Word as the food with which I grow; I seek your presence as the atmosphere in which I must flourish. With all my heart, I apply myself to the things that perfect and complete me in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Of Altars

Apostle Grace Lubega 

Deuteronomy 8:18(KJV); But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 

Altars have principles by which they function. One of the principles is that they respond to spiritual authority. 

If a Christian does not understand the order of spiritual authority, then that Christian cannot build an altar or if they do, it will be devoid of fire and consequently, of power. If it is a prayer altar, it will lack testimony. If it is a ministry altar, it will lack fruit. 

How is this so? 

Behind every altar is a covenant. 

No altar stands without a covenant. However, in dealing with covenants, God looks at the father son relationship. 

As revealed in our theme scripture, God’s dealing with Israel was based on the covenant that He had with their fathers. 

God cannot jump this order that He established Himself to honour an altar that has no spiritual covering. 

An altar that does not respect this order will easily become a high place for idols. This is how Israel ended up building altars for other gods. They forgot the covenant that God had made with their forefathers. 

Submission to spiritual authority is a principle by God. God requires that we heed to this order in humility for it is a pattern He has set in the spirit for maturity and growth. 
His name is praised! 

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 13:17, Deuteronomy 7:8 

GOLDEN NUGGET: Altars respond to spiritual authority. 

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this knowledge. Thank you for the wisdom by which I grow in the things of the Spirit. I honour and respect spiritual authority;
I walk in the pattern of submission like you have taught me to. The fires of my altars burn bright; my altars bear fruit; my altars have answers, results and solutions. 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Privilege Of Sonship

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 4:13-14(KJV); And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region roundabout.

The miracle working power of God and His spirit is a privilege of sons.

This is not merely for children but for those that are full grown and mature in the things of the Spirit.

This is the pattern that Christ set for us in the gospel.

At Jordan, the Father appeared unto Him and affirmed the Father-son relationship when He said, ‘This is my son in whom I am well pleased…’(Matthew 3:17).

When Jesus went into the wilderness, the devil sought to test this relationship with the father. In the end, Christ prevailed.

The Bible says that He returned in the power of the Spirit and there went out a fame of Him through all the regions.’ Jesus entered into his miraculous ministry as a son. He had been tested, tried and proved.

Mature sons launched in the miraculous ministry understand these things: they do not turn stones to bread; that is, they do not perform miracles to show their power or simply demonstrate that they can do so.

In essence, they are purpose driven.

Secondly, they do not use the miraculous as a source of personal gain. They have seen the kingdoms and glories of this world and understood the vanity of it all.

As such, their miraculous ministry is not a wealth building machinery that they use to bleed people of money in exchange for healing.

To the mature one, every miracle is a teaching, every healing is an act of compassion; every deliverance points to God and never to self.
God’s name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 4:1-11; Matthew 3:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:

To the mature son, every miracle is a teaching, every healing is an act of compassion; every deliverance points to God and never to self.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. Thank you because you grow and mature me every day in the things of the Spirit. In maturity, I display compassion. In maturity, I walk in the love of the Father. In maturity, I do all things for your glory, and the expansion of the kingdom. In maturity, my heart beats after your desires and never my own. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sonship In The Wilderness Experience

Apostle Grace Lubega

Matthew 3:16-17(KJV); And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

In the Jordan experience, God was not trying to introduce Jesus Christ to John the Baptist. What He was doing was vindicating Christ’s sonship to Christ. This was extremely important because of what was to follow.

In the subsequent scriptures, the Bible reveals that following His baptism, Christ was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The father son relationship had been affirmed. He understood that He was loved and that the father was well pleased with Him. Thus, it was okay for Him to be taken to the wilderness. While in the wilderness, there was no room for doubt or to imagine in his heart that the Father had abandoned Him.

In fact, the temptations that come in the wilderness come to test His relationship with the father. That is why the devil asks, ‘If you are the son of God…’ (Matthew 4:1-11)

What does this reveal to us as Christians?

God will not send you into the wilderness before affirming His relationship with you in your spirit.

The un-fathered or the prodigals cannot survive in the wilderness because in the face of temptation, they will trade their divine inheritance for the kingdoms of this world.

The reason we endure all sorts of hardship in this life of the gospel is because we understand that we are sons and that the Father is well pleased with us.

It doesn’t matter what the devil and the world has to offer; whether it is power, fame or money. We do not care what we have to lose for the sake of the Kingdom of God, we know that the Father is well pleased with us and as such, we endure hardship like great soldiers; we rejoice in afflictions and count it all joy.

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 4:1-11, 2 Timothy 2:3

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The reason we endure all sorts of hardship in this life of the gospel is because we understand that we are sons and that the father is well pleased with us. It doesn’t matter what the devil and the world has to offer; whether it is power, fame or money.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. What a privilege to know that I am a son, I am born of God and not of flesh and blood. Thank you because you are pleased with me, not because of the things that I have done but because of what Christ did. I look at life through this truth, the absolute knowledge that I have a Father, who knows my name, my every thought; my going and my coming; my waking and my sleeping. In Jesus’ name, Amen

The Fathering Spirit – 5

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Samuel 19:1(KJV); And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. 

When a man or woman of God does not carry a fathering [mothering] spirit, he will always miss the bigger picture. 

Take an example of the story of Saul and David. Never has a man terriby missed the bigger picture like Saul did in his single-minded determination to destroy David.

On many occasions, he sought to kill David. But who was David to Saul? Think about it for a moment. David was his son in law. David was a bosom friend to his son Jonathan. David was a great warrior who had wrought mighty victories on behalf of Israel. 

Sadly, Saul did not see any of that. It was fine in his eyes to deprive his daughter of a husband, his son of a friend and Israel of a mighty fighter as long as he had his own way. 

Such myopia! Such tunnel vision! 

Was it really about what Saul wanted or what God wanted? 

Now, Saul’s narrow sightedness is not a thing of the past. It is very evident even today. 

Christians today have sought to kill fellow Christians, not with sword and spear but with words on social media; on television and on radio stations. 

They do not realise that the men and women of God they criticise have people dependent on them; have assignments on their lives that need to be fulfilled; are warriors in God’s army and are zealous in the fight against the enemy. 

Before you fight another brother or sister, a man or woman of God, first stop and think about the souls that learn from him or her; the ones who drink from and receive from him; the ones who believe that God has placed him or her as their man or woman of God. 

Think about the spirits you will wound in the process; the ones who might never return to church because of your actions and the ones who will be exposed to the enemy [the Philistine] because you targeted a warrior in God’s army. 

Slander should never be a Christian’s weapon of choice!Truth is the weapon. Preach your truth! 

When Paul understood this, he said, ‘notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice’ (Philippians 1:18). 

See the bigger picture!

FURTHER STUDY: Philippians 1:18, Luke 9:50 

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Slander is not a Christian’s weapon of choice! Truth is. See the bigger picture! 

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this truth. I embrace this word, and choose to look at life beyond my personal interests to your plans, your desires, to the kingdom, the gospel and the things that eternity pants after. My actions are shaped by this understanding. How I treat the brethren is shaped by this understanding. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Fathering Spirit – 4

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Samuel 18:8(KJV); And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

Illegitimacy in the realm of the spirit is shameful.

Because of this, many fatherless children have been driven into the hands of men who looked like fathers yet in fact they are not fathers.

The result is that many Davids have been raised by Sauls.

Saul gave the impression that he loved David as a son but the actual fact was that to Saul, David was in fact not a son but a weapon; by pretending to call him a son only made him a better weapon.

In the world today, many Davids are in the hands of Sauls, because they are desperate for fathers. They cannot tell the difference between what it means to be a son and what it means to be merely a weapon.

As such, they find themselves used more by the men and women to whom they submit than the God who called them.

Now, understand that a child can be a weapon.

In Psalms 127:4-5, the Bible says, ‘As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’

It is okay for a spiritual father to trust a son with responsibilities; to place on his shoulders the burdens of ministry; to have him at the frontline when the enemies attack. But where do we draw the line between true sons in service to fathers and sons merely being used as weapons?

A true son’s victories are for the kingdom and not for himself. When David slew thousands of Philistines, it was not for himself, but it was for the sake of Israel.

Saul failed to see this and as such asked, ‘what can he have more but the kingdom?’

Man or woman of God, when he heals a lame man during a ministry meeting, it does not mean he wants to take your ministry.
If you think so, he is not a son to you but merely a weapon. If he preaches a sermon and is praised for it, it doesn’t mean he wants to take over the church, if you think so, then he is merely a weapon and not a son.

Never let your insecurities colour the bigger picture. When David wins, the kingdom wins.
When the son wins, the ministry wins.

FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 127:4-5; 1 Samuel 26:21

GOLDEN NUGGET:
A true son’s victories are for the kingdom and not for himself.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for the wisdom to submit to spiritual authority in humility and in understanding. I serve with diligence and discernment. I am not only a gift, I am a son. I benefit the ministry and I benefit the kingdom of God, to the glory of your name, Amen.

The Identity Of The Church

Apostle Grace Lubega 

1 Samuel 17: 57-58(KJV); And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. 

The identity of the Church of Christ is not in the gifts of men and women of God; the numbers of people flocking to churches or the size of our cathedrals. 

The identity of the Church is in the generational anointing. 

Where have we come from? From what waters did we drink? Under whose garments were we anointed? Which hands were laid on us? 

This pattern can only be seen too well from our theme scripture. 

When David attains victory over the Philistine, the question he is asked is, ‘whose son art thou?’ 

Victory was tagged to identity and identity was tagged to son-ship. 

The Church of Christ has an etymology. You can never understand this etymology until you appreciate the importance of the generational anointing. 

It is this generational anointing that begat generals in the faith. The great revivalists, healers, and demonstrators of power of old. 

These were men who understood the identity of the anointing, had the authority and power to command men’s destinies, to direct their lives and stir in them more than just an excitement over blessings but to create crazily anointed people from out of their own ministries. 

This is not the case today. 

Today, many ministers of the gospel are ‘encouragers’ of their congregation. Such men cannot raise mantles even in their own households. There is no fire on our altars from which the hearts of men can be set ablaze. 

Encouragement cannot prevail in the sands of time. Only the anointing in its undiluted glory surpasses ages to continue ministering to generations in the ages to come. 

It is what has set the church apart; what has made it peculiar; what has made it feared and revered in equal measure. 

Whose son are you, child of God? Which hands were laid on you? What is the root of your identity? 

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 4:15, 2 Timothy 1:5 

GOLDEN NUGGET:
The identity of the church is in the generational anointing. 

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. The Bible says that you are the Father of all by whom the entire family on earth and in heaven is named. I submit my life to the pattern of fatherhood and give honour to the spiritual authorities you have placed in my life. I know from which waters I drank and from whose garments I am anointed, I give honour where it is due, to the glory of your name, Amen.

The Fathering Spirit – 3

Apostle Grace Lubega 

Malachi 4:6(KJV); And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

The fathering [or mothering] spirit defines the anointing every generation should flow in. Consequently, it also defines how far a generation can go. 

When we hear statements such as ‘Father of the Pentecostal Movement’; ‘Father of the Holiness Movement’; ‘Father of the Word for Faith Movement’, these were all examples of the anointing that various generations flowed in. 

The anointing flowed from certain men and women whom God had anointed and called for their times and these same men and women transferred the same to those that were humble and submitted enough to receive from them. 

Until this is understood, the Church can never flow in the generational anointing because the essence of impartations that transfer mantles is the father-son relationship. 

It is against the spiritual order to transfer a mantle to a prodigal or to a servant who has not understood his identity as a son. 

In the spiritual realm, that cycle would rather stay incomplete until a son is raised in the same line. 

This is what happened with Elisha’s lineage. He received a mantle from Elijah. This mantle was supposed to be passed on to Gehazi but Gehazi was a prodigal in many ways. He was a servant of the man of God without the heart of a son. As such, the anointing was not passed on to him as the person who was next in line. 

To God, it was much preferable to keep it in the bones of a dead man rather than rest that mantle on the head of an indifferent man. 

Mantles do not rest on people who are indifferent to this order. Mantles do not rest on mere servants. Mantles rest on true sons. 

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Kings 5, 2 Kings 13:21 

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It is against the spiritual order to transfer a mantle to a prodigal or to a servant who has not understood his identity as a son. In the spiritual realm, that cycle would rather stay incomplete until a son is raised in the same line. 

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this truth. Every day, you colour my path with the wisdom of the ages; things that define destinies and align me to divine order. I can never be found to be indifferent to the truth of submission and accountability. I am alive to what it means, requires and demands of me. In this understanding, I serve, minister and grow. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Fathering Spirit – 2

Apostle Grace Lubega 

Malachi 4:6(KJV); And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

In the world today, I have seen churches become increasingly transactional and not relational. 

The things that grow businesses are the things that are growing churches. The principles that grow businesses are the same principles being used to grow churches. 

And so, we ought to ask ourselves the ultimate question, ‘Are our churches growing because the Spirit of God is with us or because we have grown cunning in our ability to draw men, the same way we grow products and services?’ 

It is a sad reality but today, people who attend churches are looked at as a source of income and not as lives for which men and women of God must account to God. 

This transactional nature of the church is also demonstrated in how we hire people to serve in ministry. 

In some countries, the pastoral office is a professional job with negotiated terms and rules of engagement yet deeply lacking in how heaven weighs the heart of a shepherd. 

This setting cannot breed the father-son relationship in the Christian Faith, which relationship is important for the transfer of the generational anointing, which anointing is responsible for the relevance of the faith through the ages. 

That is not how God works with the Church. 

In Deuteronomy 8:18, the Lord reminds Israel that He works with them based on the covenant He swore with their fathers. 

This means that His dealings with us are in the context of a father [mother] and son relationship because there are things that He can only entrust with fathers [mothers]; which things fathers then transfer to sons. 

This is a divine order of doing things, we cannot escape from it. 

God is calling upon the Church to understand this relationship more than ever before. Who is serving in your ministry? Someone hired or someone raised as a son or daughter? Is it an employee or a son? Is your relationship based on wages or inheritance? 

Praise God!

FURTHER STUDY: Deuteronomy 8:18, Proverbs 29:21 

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God’s dealings with us are in the context of a father [mother] and son relationship because there are things that He can only entrust with fathers [mothers]; which things fathers then transfer to sons. It is a divine order of doing things, we cannot escape from it. 

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this great Word. What a beautiful truth. I know and understand how divine order works and I bow to it in humility. I choose to account my life, like you have commanded us to do because therein is growth. This I do, to the glory of your name, Amen