Fathers are Important!

Fathers are Beyond Important

C. Philip Slate

Recently, I came across the following item in a communication that came to my computer. The facts are there, and this is no surprise to those of us who take God’s way seriously. Father and mother both make distinctive contributions to the development of children. I care to make two disclaimers, however, lest some get the wrong impression.

It is one thing to be brought up in a fatherless home when father dies early in the child’s life. You and I likely know several people who lost their fathers to death. It is a very different matter when the father abandons the family; that hurts physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Even then, you and I likely know cases where that happened, and the strong, godly mother somehow led the children on paths of righteousness. I am thinking of a couple of wonderful men who came from that kind of situation, one a preacher who has also taught in one of our Christian universities.

The other disclaimer is that in the absence of the biological father some people have benefited immeasurably by a “substitute father.” A couple of years ago a man said to me, “Mr. Slate, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d likely be in prison by now.” I was surprised. I had done nothing special for him; he was a childhood friend of my sons who was frequently in our home. Yes, he went fishing with us a few times and a few other things, but nothing special. I had no idea what he was picking up. Had I been aware of it I could have done him even more good.

But the statistics are still there. The ideal, the God-intended arrangement is for children to grow up with both mother and father. With that in mind, note the sad statistics from fathersinthefield.com/resources/statistics:

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes
• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders are from fatherless homes
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes
• 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes
• 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes.

Dads, you are beyond important! We are so grateful for all the amazing fathers and father-figures. Thank you for the sleepless nights, work-filled days, and sacrificial love!

Pass on the message! Do what you can to help married couples stay together, to the glory of God and for the welfare of their children. Men, be conscious of the ways in which you might be a “substitute father” to some little fellow.

A Passion for Souls

by Joel Stephen Williams

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus (Acts 5:42; ESV).

When I was young my home congregation supported several families as missionaries to Thailand. The missionaries often stayed in our home when they were back in America reporting on their work to their supporters. I listened with fascination to their many tales of life on the other side of the world in that exotic Asian land. One event stands out prominently in my memory. As a teenage boy I walked into the living room one morning and one of the missionaries was examining a book, an almanac. He said very excitedly: “Come here, Steve. Come here and look at this.” He was looking at population statistics for various cities around the world, especially in Asia. He would say: “This city has 100,000 people in it and there is no church there. And this city over here has...” On and on he went. I knew at the age of about fourteen or fifteen why he was willing to beg for support, to live on the other side of the world, and to learn a very difficult language. He had a passion for souls. One of those men and his wife are now in their late 80s and are still in Thailand. They have given sixty-two years of their lives to that work. That is a passion for teaching the gospel to those who need to hear about Jesus Christ and salvation from sin.

From one of my professors, I cannot remember which one, I heard a fascinating story many years ago. A young missionary was back in the States on furlough. His first Sunday at home he walked around the large, spacious church foyer where people were visiting with one another at the end of the worship assembly. He walked up to one man and said: “Hello. I am home on vacation, and I was wondering if you would be willing to take me with you this week as you make your visits or as you teach a home Bible study.” The man to whom he spoke was at a loss for words, but somehow, he broke off the conversation and got away from the young man as quickly as possible. Not one to be discouraged, the young missionary approached another man with the same question, only to get the same reaction. He was very lucky, though. The third individual he approached said: “Certainly. I have an appointment to meet with a family on Tuesday night. I would love for you to come with me.” That young man was a missionary on foreign soil, because he had a passion for winning lost souls no matter where he was. He was concerned about the lost before he went to the mission field and was still concerned about the lost while he was at home on vacation.

The point of these stories is evident and clear. The mission field is not necessarily over there somewhere in a distant land or over here in a large city. It is wherever the lost are – at school, at work, down the street, next door, or maybe at home. Also, the key ingredient to being evangelistic or being mission minded is attitude. We must have a love for lost souls and want to increase the population of heaven. Do we have a passion for souls?