THE FIVE-FOLD BLESSING OF THE FATHER

Some years ago, an apostolic father teaching at SHILOH [our teaching/training centre in Toowoomba, Australia] mentioned in passing five blessings that a father can give his son/children. The Lord spoke to us powerfully through this and we have made it our own.  Since then we have purposefully prayed and imparted this five-fold blessing in many places, wherever we have ministered the grace of sonship, with powerful results. This five-fold blessing is what a natural father can give his son/children and is reflected in the spiritual as brethren enter into the grace of sonship.

 

The five-fold blessing is: courage, security, discipline, identity and the blessing.

Courage: This is the boldness to stand in Christ in any place and declare His name, being faithful to His word. An example of a father giving courage to his son is as follows: a small boy at Primary school has been bullied in the play ground. However one day his father comes to the school and the little boy, with his hand in Dad’s, confronts the bullies full of courage. Why? Because his dad is standing with him; he is no longer afraid and has courage to face them.

When the Lord appeared to me in January 1998, just prior to our launching the ministry we are working in today, He imparted to me ‘courage’. I was feeling afraid in my heart because we were stepping out from denominational/institutional church for the first time and I was to be the leader. I received a tangible impartation of courage from Jesus. He confirmed this in Joshua 1:1-9 where courage and strength are mentioned three times. The key verse was v6 “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”  Ever since, like the boy in the play ground, I have been full of courage by the Spirit of the Lord because I know my Father is standing with me.

 

Security: This is, knowing that ‘I belong’. People everywhere are searching for security and traditionally people have found security in family, in culture, in a profession or the company they work for, etc. but that security does not provide substantial personal security. Many pastors and leaders who have been in ministry for years are not secure. This is reflected in the way they conduct themselves and this is often in a controlling way. In my own experience I was consciously insecure until I was 51 years of age. When I experienced the Spirit of adoption whereby I came into the reality of sonship unto God, the feeling I had immediately was ‘I am secure for the first time in my life’; I described this as ‘I have come home’. I had come home to Father’s house. 

A key aspect of security is acceptance and God uses apostolic fathers to show that acceptance to His children. No longer is there that sense of striving or having to compete with others or prove oneself. Security comes from the inside and brings a freedom to be who you are meant to be. We belong in the house of God, our Father’s house, and as sons we come to know that we do belong: we are sons to the Father.

 

 

Discipline: In the Christian family we expect the father to take the primary responsibility for discipline. When this is exercised properly, the children grow up in a disciplined manner and will embrace that discipline as their own when they are mature. Hebrews 12:3-11 speaks of the chastening of sons. God as our Father is gentle with His children but is strict with His sons, those who have grown into maturity. The result of the Father’s discipline will bring us to the place where we are among “those that are led by the Spirit of God.  They are the sons of God” Rom.8:14. The reality of godly discipline is to live and walk by the Spirit. Therefore the Scripture says “Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live” Heb.12:9b. Once we are walking in sonship, we are able to hear the voice of the Father much more readily and become more like Jesus, only doing “what He sees the Father do” Jn.5:19.

The father desires his children to be disciplined in their lives. Our Father desires for us to be disciplined in studying His word, in spending time with Him in prayer, in being diligent to grow in the exercise of gifts, but most of all the Father desires for us to walk in the inheritance He has “reserved in heaven for you, ready to be revealed in the last time” 1Pet.1:4-5. As we receive the Spirit of adoption this blessing of discipline will come into our lives and enable us to go on to ‘perfection’ in a walk of maturity.

 

Identity: This is, knowing ‘who you are’. People hide under all sorts of false identities, sometimes as superficial as a particular hairstyle or the latest fashion in dress. Our identity is in reality ‘our destiny unfolding’. The Bible makes is clear that God has predestined us: “to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself” Eph.1:5; “for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” Eph.2:10; and that there is “a race that is set before us” Heb.12:1. This race is best understood as ‘a course for our lives already mapped out by God’.

Even as a wife takes her husband’s name and has identity as a wife, and even as children are called by their father’s name, thus identifying them, so it is with the children of God. We derive our identity from our Father, but the full reality of identity only becomes known to us when we come into sonship. A key part of sonship is the sense of ‘ownership’. We are no longer servants in the house but sons by inheritance. This changes our heart attitude toward ministry, no longer serving in the house as a servant but able to take ownership and responsibility as a son.

There is great power and authority released in knowing who you are and being able to stand and declare ‘I am an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God’! [or whatever the ministry calling is, that God has bestowed upon you.]

 

Blessing: This is the Father’s blessing. When a father blesses his son, he is imparting approval and grace for the son to succeed. A true father’s heart is to see his sons become even more successful than the father. Most of us have never been blessed by our natural fathers to go out in life and succeed. Unfortunately most of us in the ministry of the church have never been blessed by an apostolic father. Praise God, He is raising apostolic fathers today and empowering them to release the blessing to sons in ministry. Such fathers are fully satisfied when their sons are able act independently of the father, doing the work that the father would have liked to have done but is unable to do. This is beginning to happen today.

It has been our experience that many who have a ministry call in their heart need the ‘blessing’ of being told ‘you can do it; you will succeed in what the Lord has given you to do’. The blessing of the Father is not just to sons in ministry but it is the blessing that every child of God needs when they have grown up and have reached the age of inheritance.

Paul Galligan.

Prayer:

Father in heaven, I ask You to lead me by Your grace and Your Holy Spirit to understand and to enter into sonship.

I acknowledge that it is time for me to grow up, to accept that I am of age to receive the inheritance from my Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus.

Lord I thank You that You called me to be Your disciple and I have diligently learnt Your word.

Lord I thank You that You have called me to be Your minister and I have sought to serve You in every way.

I now know it is time for me to become a son. I ask for your grace to understand; I ask for revelation to know; I ask for Your anointing to be transformed.

Lord I want to become your son.

I want to receive courage into my heart so I can boldly stand for You.

I yearn to be totally secure as Your child and now, as Your son; to no longer feel I have to strive or prove myself; that I can be secure in You and in Your body.

I submit to the ‘chastening of the Lord’ as a son, knowing that as my Father You will bring me to perfection through Your godly discipline.

Lord, reveal my identity to me as I walk in sonship, receiving my inheritance and fulfilling the call of God that is on my life.

Lord I ask Your blessing on my life to enable me to be successful in my life.

Father, ‘give to me that which You have stored up for me’, since before time began.

AMEN

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REPORTS:

Kingdomquest.Net International Conference

I Paul was privileged to be a guest delegate at the inaugural conference of this gathering of apostolic leaders of networks and companies in Orlando, Florida. Apostle Don Atkin, who is the leader of Kingdomquest international ministries, had recently launched kingdomquest.net in association with other apostles as a fellowship of apostles and associated five-fold ministers.

I gained much from my trip to USA but especially in three ways:

1) I was loved and accepted so I have brought home a greater expression of unoffendable love [agape, God’s kind of love] demonstrated through 'storge', which is translated ‘kindly affectionate’ in Rom.12:10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.”

2) I am part of an international fellowship of apostles and five-fold ministers and that is a great blessing to me personally as well as linking our apostolic company to apostles working in a number of nations, the result being a linking to enable the work of the kingdom to be more effective.

3) I have been more fully instructed in the gospel of the kingdom and even as Apollos in Acts 18 and later the report of his ministry in Corinth, I am now able to preach and teach more powerfully and authoritatively.

 

International Ministry:  Please continue to support these trips in prayer

Africa – Peter De-Bressac and Paul Esselink arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on 31^st Oct. From 1^st to 7^th Nov. they taught in 3x2 day seminars plus preaching in Sunday church meetings. Reports via ‘text’ state that the blessing of God is powerful and they are in awe of Him. Peter has been able to bring clarity and understanding of pastor/apostle relationship. In one Sunday meeting of over 300 people, most responded to the message of sonship. On 8^th the team flew to Bujumbura, Burundi [Central Africa] for 4 days of ministry, including a commissioning service on 11^th. They fly to Rwanda on 13^th. Apostle George Muteti is facilitating and travelling with the team in Central Africa and as they return into Uganda 20^th – 23^rd Nov. The team continue on into Western Kenya for further seminars in Kitale, Eldoret, Webuye, Kakamega and Bungoma, before returning to Nairobi for departure on 6^th Dec.  

 

India – Jean Manning arrived in Delhi, India, on 27^th Oct. She has been caring for her grandchildren while their parents are away, but has also had a number of ministry appointments. Brother Adam, who attended the three month international school here in Aust. travelled from his home area to meet with Jean. He has a brother in Delhi and they arranged a seminar on Sat. 4^th Nov. Jean reports that it was a blessed day attended by over 40 pastors and students. Jean also ministered in a Friday night house church meeting where ‘the word was received and folk were challenged and encouraged to walk according to and in obedience to the word’.  As well Jean has had significant times of sharing with other contacts, who travelled to see her while she was in Delhi.

 

Myanmar – Jean Manning, Margaret Hooper, Ros & Roger Fraser [pastors from Killarney] arrive in Myanmar 10^th Nov. They will be commencing a busy round of teaching in bible schools & pastors meetings, visiting local orphanages as well as house church meetings. They are in Yangon from 10^th to 19^th then travelling to Kalaymyo, Chin State, for seminars 20^th -24^th, followed by visits in Mandalay 24^th -27^th. They are spending time with brother David VLT, who also attended our three month school. The team arrive back in Australia on 30^th Nov. Stop Press: the team has arrived safely in Yangon and have already ministered in various places. They are safe and well.

 

Mission trips by apostolic brethren in Kenya:

Sudan: Apostle John Bitan was invited into Sudan by pastor Onesimus who is a Kenyan based in Sudan as a teacher and missionary. Onesimus, based in Narus, hosted John Bitan and a conference of 50 pastors and leaders. Some pastors came from surrounding towns, including Khartoum. John writes “after a long persecution, there is an open reception to apostolic ministries. They are earnestly requesting more representatives of the apostolic company to come to Sudan. They received apostolic teaching and the message of sonship.” The countryside is semi-desert and the material needs are great. Again John writes “it took me two days travelling by road with five changes of bus. There was a threat of wild animals and hostile military men in the bush with several road blocks. Our conference was opened by a district commissioner with special honour. I was made to stay at a Sudanese Government minister’s house.”

This door is wide open now for John and others to return. This is the second meaningful door that has opened to the Sudan through brethren from West Kenya.

Congolese Refugee Camp in West Tanzania: Apostle Peter Akeck is travelling on the long journey again to reach the brethren in this camp. This is Peter’s third visit this year and he will do a four day seminar to complete the year I discipleship course and graduate 70 leaders who have been studying two days per week since March. Their curriculum has been the study of 9 teaching manuals from RMA. One of the leaders, Pastor Samuel, has diligently taught from English manuals, translating them into Swahili class by class. Early this year we found out that 150 secondary school students had been excluded from school because their parents could not afford $1.40 AUD per month for the school fees. Since then brethren from Australia have made the school fees available and all the students have remained in school.

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CALENDAR

Nov. 17^th 18^th Team travelling to Kurri Kurri, Lower Hunter for meetings Fri. night  and all day  Saturday.

Nov. 19^th        Team will be ministering in Tamworth, return to Toowoomba on Mon. 20th.

Nov. 30^th        Team travelling to Gladstone

Dec. 1^st – 3^rd   Visit to Proserpine – Col and Judy Krueger, return to Toowoomba on Mon. 4^th.

Dec. 9^th           Training Day at SHILOH – Ps.Jean Manning & Ps Peter De Bressac will   be ministering after their overseas trips.

 

APOSTOLIC TRAINING 2007

Two weeks school 

Monday 8^th Jan. to Saturday 20^th January

for Pastors, Leaders and those called to minister

in the body of Christ

to be held at:

SHILOH CENTRE

19 Russell St TOOWOOMBA, QLD 4350

An extra 2 weeks to 3^rd Feb. is offered to international brethren & others who have completed the two-week school

This Apostolic School is presented for Christian ministers from overseas and for ministers in training here in Australia and including committed disciples.

We are expecting a small number of international brethren to attend this school, and have extended the school for a further two weeks making it a total of four weeks. The second two weeks will be more ‘tutorial’ style training. If you are thinking of coming to the school it is time to book in and especially if you need a billet, to contact us as soon as possible.

 

STOP PRESS! Paul’s new book “Apostles Today” is now available. We will forward a copy on request. Donations towards postage and a donation towards overseas postage to enable the book to go to Africa and Asia will be greatly appreciated.

  Ph. 46130633     email: rma@revivalministries.org.au