PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Shepherding Means Everything

In August of 1996, Brother Witness Lee, during a time of intimate fellowship with some of his co-workers, expressed his burden that some of our university students in corporate living arrangements may not be receiving the kind of loving and forgiving care that we find in the heart of our Father God. He cited the parable of the prodigal son to show that our Father's love and forgiveness are clearly depicted by the father in the parable. The father anxiously watched for the return of his son, and when the prodigal returned, the father ran to meet him and kissed him with a joyful embrace. Although the prodigal was ready to live as a hired hand to his father, the father welcomed him home with a robe, a ring, and a feast. We, however, may be very different in our approach toward those who do not live up to our standard of proper behavior. Instead of love and forgiveness, we may exercise a strict code of discipline insisting that every violation must be answered by a just retribution.

During the course of his fellowship relating to our oversight of students in corporate living arrangements, Brother Lee often referred to parental care. This issue of Parenthood excerpts the portions in which he cited parental care as an example of the care that we should afford to the students in corporate housing.

First, we need to realize that our children's salvation relies ultimately, not on our persistence and faithfulness in raising our children, but on the Lord's choosing and predestination. He wrote, "We should raise up our children according to the Lord's teaching. This is our duty and we should do it, but eventually their salvation and seeking of the Lord depend upon God's eternal choosing and predestination."

Secondly, while we remain absolutely dependent on the sovereignty of God for our children's spiritual well-being, we still must exercise the utmost care, shepherding them with much cherishing and nurturing. "To me, shepherding means everything…," he asserts. He urges us, as parents, to exercise tender care for our children: "Even in our human life, family life, and marriage life there is the need of shepherding, and shepherding requires cherishing."

Depending on God's Selection

According to history, the children of many nominal Christians become real Christians. I was one of these children. My mother was not saved; she was merely nominal, but when she was young, she stayed with her grandfather who was a good Southern Baptist, and he sent her to study at a Southern Baptist school. Because of this, she was one hundred percent for Christianity. In our home she taught us stories from the Gospels. She had printed tracts pasted on the wall. That was very unusual in our country. When we were growing up, she wanted us to go to her church. She washed our clothes for us on the Lord's Day, she prepared better meals on that day, and she brought us to her church. She was not saved, yet my second sister got saved, then I, and then my younger brother. Three of her children were not only saved but also became seeking Christians.

I have seen many devoted Christians. Among them, one was Brother Nee. Not all of Brother Nee's brothers were properly saved. Brother Nee's mother was a sister who loved the Lord very much. It is no wonder that she would weep for her sons. I have seen many others like this. Even among us there are many good sisters who love the Lord very much and pray for their children nearly every day, even though their children do not believe. On the other hand, some parents are not so devoted, yet their children love the Lord. Eventually, I have bowed down before the Lord. The Lord's word is true. We should raise up our children according to the Lord's teaching. This is our duty and we should do it, but eventually their salvation and seeking of the Lord depend upon God's eternal choosing and predestination. If our raising of our children could decide their spiritual future, this would be against God's predestination.

Isaac brought forth two sons as twins. One was Esau and the other was Jacob. The Bible says clearly in Malachi 1:2-3, "I loved Jacob; but Esau I hated." This creates a very big problem in theology. For this reason there is Calvinist theology and Armenian theology. The former says that our salvation is up to God's choosing, and the latter says that our salvation is our responsibility and according to our endeavoring. The Armenians say that we can be saved in the morning and lost in the evening. The Pentecostals are Armenians, while the Presbyterians are Calvinists. The Lutherans also teach that salvation is not up to us. Whether we go to the theater or whatever we do, as long as we have been chosen, our eternal security is fixed because it depends upon God's choosing.

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