By Catherine Brown
(Copyright Transparent Publishing)
THE MINISTRY OF FAMILIES
As a Christian author, it’s important for me to be inspired and led by the heart of God. I rely on the Holy Spirit to teach and guide me in the literary learning process. It is my habit to pray and ask the Lord for direction with each new book. Recently the Lord spoke to me through the parable-like language of a dream, through which He reminded me of His abundant love for families. Families come in all shapes and sizes and God loves them one and all!
This book is a compilation of family memories, anecdotes and Bible-based teaching. I have included testimony from my own children and I hope that their childlike faith will be a source of encouragement and inspiration to you all. It has certainly been a privilege for Jesus to teach me more about His ways through the eyes of my little ones.
Throughout the pages you may well recognise the sound of my Scottish mother tongue reverberating through its narrative. My hope is that this will add tone, whimsical amusement and lyrical depth in celebration of Celtic culture as an expression within Christ’s Kingdom of love.
As you read on you will discover I have intertwined Heavenly revelations that I have received in visions from the Lord from time to time along with life experiences. My prayer is that you will hear God’s heartbeat expressed in these and that you will be able to enter into a deeper and more profound experience of God’s love for individuals and families as a result of these prophetic disclosures.
Our own family consists of my husband, myself and our four children aged between eight and eighteen years old. Ours is a busy household with lots of comings and goings. At times it could perhaps be described as a place of miracles and mayhem but throughout it all runs one common thread – the ministry of family!
Coming home from nursery school several years ago, our youngest son Samuel said,
“Mummy, did you know that Jesus has a family?” I smiled and replied, “Yes, son, I do.”
Samuel went on, “And they all look like Jesus and they all have angels.” My next words were, “Samuel, God in heaven is our heavenly Father. Samuel said, “But what about my daddy?”
“Daddy is your earthly father and God is your Father in heaven and because God is our heavenly Father, that makes us all his sons and daughters.” Samuel smiled with joy and his tiny hand squeezed mine as if by way of confirmation.
Samuel was just four years old when we had this conversation and it blessed me so much to realise that he understood God has a family and that he was part of it. It’s a truth that comes to our hearts only through revelation by God’s Holy Spirit and it’s a truth of inestimable worth.
GOD'S VIEW OF FAMILY
A Biblical definition for a family could be: a unit ordained by God for the comfort and protection of its members. A family is usually a group consisting of relatives, but the people of God are also seen as a family. In Genesis 1:26–28 and Genesis 2:23–24, we read how God created the family and is deeply concerned for its welfare.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26–28)
The Lord blessed mankind and decreed that fruitfulness and multiplication would be a natural outflow from a godly family unit.
God created the family to reveal His Father heart and to fill the earth with His glory. It was God’s intention that man would serve Him on the earth and have dominion to rule over other creatures. The Lord entrusted stewardship of the earth and the creatures He had created to mankind. My husband Stephen and our daughter Rebecca have a passionate interest in the environment and actively pursue how we can become a more ecologically friendly family. They are both a tremendous encouragement to the rest of our household to remember our pivotal role as ambassadors for Christ as stewards of the earth.
THE MIRACLE OF LOVE
Not too long ago Samuel celebrated his sixth birthday. Samuel bounced out of bed early in the morning and rushed into the lounge to be met by balloons, a birthday banner and birthday gifts. He opened them all at high speed and was bowled over by one present in particular – a huge floppy, adorable, cuddly dog, which was almost as big as he is. Instantly Samuel and the newfound cuddly toy became almost inseparable. Samuel graciously granted each of his family members a hug of “Sam the dog” before taking it upstairs with him. As he walked away holding his dog he said, "I couldn't live without it, Mum." I smiled at the dramatic way my little boy expressed his feelings and replied in my oh-so-adult fashion, "Of course you could, Samuel."
Samuel's comment left an indelible print on my heart. Samuel is absolutely right; none of us can live without love. We all flourish when we experience acceptance and affirmation. We could not speak of love without acknowledging our wonderful Saviour and the reality of the unconditional love of Father God that we experience in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. His love is the anchor in our lives and our source and strength. It is in accepting Father God’s love that we become His children, and are able to rejoice in being part of His kingdom family.
PAUL’S PRAYER TO KNOW THE FATHER’S LOVE
The Apostle Paul prayed to God as his heavenly Father and exhorted believers to know this love and embrace the incredible riches of Christ’s affection. Many hundreds of years later we can celebrate the reality of our heavenly Father’s love in our lives, which gives us strong roots and enables us to become mature children of God.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen!” (Ephesians 3:14–21)
Father God desires an intimate relationship with each one of His children. The Lord knew us before we were born and knitted us together in our mother’s womb. One day Samuel was sitting on the work-top surface in our kitchen. He looked out the window, then turned to me and said, “What did you say?” I replied, “I didn’t say anything, honey.” A few moments passed and Samuel looked at me again and said, “What did you say? Did you call me, Mummy?” I smiled. “Honey, I didn’t call you. I think God might be calling your name”. I explained to Samuel that in the Bible there is a story about a boy called Samuel, whom God spoke to. This little boy thought his priest Eli was calling his name, but actually it was God speaking. Shortly after this Samuel said a third time, “What did you say?” to which we both burst out laughing. God WAS calling Samuel’s name. How exciting!
On another occasion Rebecca came to me and said, “Mummy, I wish I could hear Jesus say my name just once out loud.” I encouraged her to ask Him to do just that. She looked at me in a serious manner and walked away with no immediate verbal response. A couple of days later Rebecca appeared with a huge grin on her face and announced, “I heard Him. I heard Him call my name.” She had persisted in faith until her Father in heaven spoke her name out loud.
We may not all hear the audible voice of God but God calls each of us individually and knows us so intimately that He has counted the very hairs of our head. Now that’s personal!
GOD LIKES TO PRAISE HIS KIDS
God loves to lavish praise on His children, especially when we are obedient. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry when He had humbled Himself to be baptised by His cousin John, the voice of Father God spoke words of honour and esteem over His Son. Praise from our heavenly Father is priceless and enables us to fulfil our Kingdom destiny on the earth.
“As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16, 17)
At Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the earth, Peter and the other apostles preached with power and authority. They called people to repent and be baptised and exhorted whole families to come to Christ. They were concerned that everyone would have an opportunity to accept the Gospel message and be included in the outpouring of grace.
The Hawaiian word for family is “ohana” and its wider definition means “no one will be left behind.” As part of God’s family, Peter was saying that the promised Holy Spirit was for all those present as well as their children and their children’s children. In other words, Father’s promises are for the whole family for generations to come. God’s desire is that none should perish and all should come to repentance, and that every believer will experience the blessing of His love, protection and provision in their lives.
“Repent and be baptised, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38, 39)
c/o 18 Castle View
West Kilbride, Ayrshire, KA23 9HD
Scotland, UK
