Are you a son or slave?
In Luke 15: 11-32, we read about the son who requested his father to give him his share of the inheritance. The son took everything that he owned and left his father’s house for a foreign country. He spent everything he had in wild living. When he had nothing left, a great famine hit the land and he had to go work so that he can live. But as he was working, he had no food and he was even tempted to eat with pigs.
At this point the son came back to his senses and thought how well his father’s slaves eat. He thought to himself, “ I will go back to my father, and confess my sin, and ask him to treat me like one of his slaves”. When the father saw the son approaching from a distance, he felt sorry for him, and ran to him, hugged him and kissed him.
When this son requested his share of the inheritance, he was denouncing his sonship. When he left his father’s house, he left the fathers covering. This is why when he came back to his sense he realised that he is no longer worthy to be called a son, but now he is a slave. Peter also lost his sonship when he denied Jesus, but just like the prodigal son, his sonship was reinstated when he repented and went back to Jesus. Judas lost his sonship when he betrayed Jesus, but instead of repenting, he killed himself and his sonship was never reinstated.
All children of God have been given spiritual parents who must take care of their spiritual needs until Jesus comes. Spiritual parents are your church leaders, and you need to submit under their authority just as you submit under the authority of your natural parents. In good and bad times alike you stay with them, accept their correction because they are sent by God to teach you the Word and to ensure that you grow spiritually.
But many Christians are like the prodigal son. They renounce their sonship in the house of God and go into wild living. Some don’t actually go outside the church, they stay inside the church but renounce their sonship. If you are not a son you are a slave. A son abides in the house forever but a slave does not. A son has rights and entitlements while a slave doesn’t.
My question to you today is, are you a son or a slave? Your conduct and action will tell you wether you are a son or a slave. It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, sonship in this instance refers to a position of submission to authority. Ruth was a son, no matter what circumstances were around her she clung to her mother in law and refused to leave her. She did not say because her husband is dead and they have no one to work for them she was going to leave her mother in law, but she stayed with her in good and in bad times alike.
It’s time for you to also ask yourself whether you are a son or a slave. When famine hits the land, or when the master can no longer pay the slave, the slave will leave the master and look for a better master. But a son will stay with the father no matter the circumstances. A son always obeys the father. A son understands that when the father corrects him it’s because he loves him and not for any other reason.
But Christians today behave like slaves, when they are corrected, they will leave the church and look for another church. Christians today do not understand God’s time, because when their breakthrough does not come at the time that they want, they start hoping from one church to another, looking for miracle and looking for breakthrough. The truth of the matter is that if you are not well positioned as a child of God you will miss your breakthrough.
If you were not a son make up your mind as to whether you will become a son or you will remain in slavery. If you are a slave, come back to your sense just like the prodigal son, be obedient and submit to authority and you will get the covering of the house and all the benefits of being a son. Whenever you repent and humble yourself to authority, your sonship will be reinstated.
On the other hand, the son who had remained with the father in the house became jealous when he realised that his brother was back and the father is celebrating his return. I want to tell you all my sons as the ministry is growing, that as other sons are coming to join you in sonship, welcome them and love. Do not be jealous and think that they will take away your sonship.
It is important for you to know that sons behave like their father. Sons do what their father does. There are sons of this house, who are still in the world. Just like the prodigal son, they will eventually come to their senses and come to this house of God. When they come here, they need to be treated with respect. There should not be any complaints among you who have long been with me. If they take up roles here in church and start to serve, they should be acknowledged and treated with respect because they also have rightful place here in church as my sons.
If you are a visitors in this church, and you have your spiritual parents under whose authority you submit, go back and be a son and obey your parents. Do not get back and start to behave like a slave. A son does not question his father and a son protects his father. A son does not lose his place in his father’s house.
Do not be threatened when new people or long lost sons arrive. Your place as a my son will not be affected. Your sonship in this church is guaranteed. The seat you are sitting on belongs to you and it will never be taken away from you. Remember that the sons of a Prophet are eagles and are lions. They take after their own father, the Prophet.
God bless you as you remain in sonship.
To God be the Glory.