PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship
Volume 1 Issue 5
October 1996
THE GRACE OF DISCIPLINE
Parenthood is a divine responsibility—God has put our children into our hands to care for them on His behalf. They do not belong to us. We must always remember that our children are entrusted to us by our Father to raise them up in His nurture and admonition.
Discipline is a key factor in the proper raising of children. Without adequate and appropriate discipline, children are not able to grow and learn both in their humanity and in the grace of the Lord. The parents of modern America generally appear unwilling to take proper steps in discipline—perhaps because they fear losing the affection of their children. Parents should always persevere in controlling and directing the living and practices of their children even at the risk of losing their "love" on a temporary basis. By such perseverance, we train our children to honor their parents and ultimately to honor their God.
The pattern for our parenting is our heavenly Father Himself. The manner in which He cares for His children is the manner in which we should care for our children. The way in which He disciplines His own people is the way in which parents should discipline their children. In the most recent issue of Parenthood we emphasized that we must have an attitude toward our children of nurturing. The Apostle Paul did not firstly charge parents to keep their children under authority with all diligence. Rather, he urged them (especially the fathers) to not provoke their children to anger. In this issue, however, we focus our attention on the necessity of the proper use of discipline. The messages we quote are simple: our Father disciplines us for our growth, development and ultimate usefulness; we in the same way must discipline our children.
Finally, we print a brief quote from the PG&E Progress which asks a sobering question, "Will History Repeat?"
PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE DISCIPLINE
We, the partakers of the heavenly calling, also partake of the divine discipline (12:8). I have been told that in Great Britain the crown prince, the successor to the throne, receives a great deal of discipline. A prince needs to be disciplined before he can assume the throne and have the kingship. This is the kind of discipline that we are now partaking of. As successors to the throne, we all are under the divine discipline. As holy brothers we need to partake of the divine holiness brought to us by the Holy Spirit within us. As partakers of the heavenly calling, we need to partake of the divine discipline accomplished by the Holy Spirit through our environment. We holy brothers are partakers not only of the heavenly calling but also of the Holy Spirit, of the divine holiness, and of the divine discipline for us to be perfected, equipped, and qualified that we may be the proper partners of God's anointed One.
(Life-Study of Hebrews, Message #14, p. 163, Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)
| We have had the fathers of our flesh as discipliners and we respected them; shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined for a few days as it seemed good to them; but He, for what is profitable that we might partake of His holiness. Now no discipline at the present time seems to be a matter of joy, but of grief; but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it. Hebrews 12:5-11 |
DISCIPLINED TO RULE
While in the parables we only have the principles, in Revelation 2:26-27 we have the details. Here we are told, "He that overcomes, and keeps my work unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: and he shall rule them with the rod of iron" (Gk.). The nations on earth surely need to be ruled by us. When the Lord Jesus returns, He will assign us to rule over all the nations. In that day there will be no more nonsensical talk. Everyone will talk rightly because they will be under the proper ruling. Who will rule over them? We, the people who have been disciplined. Do you believe that all the rulers today are the proper persons? Some of them smoke, drink, and gamble. How could they be the proper rulers? The whole earth is waiting and groaning to be released from the improper rulers. The earth will be released from that kind of rule when the Lord Jesus comes back. Why has the Lord Jesus not yet returned? Because we have not yet been disciplined. If He were to come back today, whom would He assign to rule over the nations?
(Life-Study of Hebrews, Message #23, p. 254, Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)
THE FATHER'S DISCIPLINE
We come now to the fifth warning in chapter twelve of Hebrews. Verse 5 says, "And you have completely forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with sons, My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when reproved by Him." The word discipline in this verse points to some kind of punishment. Verse 6 continues, "For whom the Lord loves He disciplines and scourges every son whom He receives." To scourge here means to whip. Most of us received some kind of scourging from our parents when we were children. In like manner, our Father scourges His children.
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