UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERY OF SONSHIP
"My son, give me your heart, and let your heart observe my ways." Proverbs 23:26(NKJV)
BIBLE READING: 1 CHRONICLES 17:13; HOSEA 11:1; PROVERBS 27:11
Reaching the stage of Sonship within the Christian Context is the Highest Dimension of Spiritual Maturity every single Christian believer must endeavour to attain. This is so obvious even to the visually impaired because it takes Maturity to promote and enforce order anywhere under the Sun. The Lord God Almighty places the Highest Premium on order and organization, a Truth which served as the basis of Apostle Paul's admonition to the entire Church in Corinth: "Let all things be done decently AND IN ORDER" (1Cor. 14:40).
A son could be defined as anybody, regardless of gender, who has attained a phase of Maturity and Responsibility. The Holy Bible reemphasizes this Truth in very explicit terms when the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Imminent Arrival of the Messiah: "For unto us a Child is born, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN, And the government will be upon His Shoulder..." Isa. 9:6a(NKJV). Simply put, children are born, but sons are raised. Another way to understand this is that every single child is a potential son. Hence, the onus lies on children to transit properly into the Sonship Stage. There are Five Stages of Development in Christ:
(1.) Conversion: This refers to the new converts who have gone through the New Birth Process. These are babies in the Lord who have only just met with the Lord Jesus and require proper schooling in the Rudiments of our Common Faith and New Creation Realities (1Pet. 2:2).
(2.) Membership: This is the Consolidation Stage which focuses on those Christian believers who have being integrated into the Local Church Family through the Dominion City Academy, Encounter Retreat, Water Baptism and the signing of the Church Membership Form (Ps. 92:13). The major aim here is to get them to settle down in the Church in order to experience the required nurture needed for higher levels in their Christian Journey.
(3.) Discipleship: This refers to the process of becoming Christlike or becoming conformed to the Image and Likeness of the Lord Jesus (Rom. 8:29). A disciple is a disciplined and obedient follower of his master. This transition from Membership to Discipleship is facilitated through the Discovery Bible Studies (DBS), the Dominion Leadership Institute (DLI), the Discipleship Codes, etc.
(4.) Ministry: This focuses on the commissioning of trained Christian believers as productive ministers who serve on behalf of the King and His Kingdom (Heb. 1:7). Christian Ministers are Genuine Stewards who represent the Lord God Almighty and His Interests on Earth.
(5.) Sonship: This is the Zenith of Christian Maturity whereby the manifestation of True Dominion begins in earnest (Matt. 17:5). Genuine sons are not merely carriers but also custodians of the seed of their father.
The Lord God Almighty, akin to any typical Earthly father, reserves an inheritance only for those who are His True sons. We must avoid becoming liabilities to the Kingdom of God by being either members who have refused to become disciples or ministers who have refused to become sons (Lk. 19:20). Let us, therefore, begin on the Journey to Authentic Sonship, which is the True Essence of our Christian Journey.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we exalt You for enlightening our eyes to the Mystery of Genuine Sonship. O Lord, please enable us to quit being mere believers and start becoming sons. You can rely on in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.