NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006

VERSE OF THE MONTH:
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:6-7 (NIV)

IN THIS EDITION:
The Heart of Sonship
Events
Audio/Visual

THE HEART OF SONSHIP
Everything Jesus did was to please His Father. Even as a child when he had been “lost” in Jerusalem he was actually occupied with his Father’s business.

“And he said to them, How is it that you had to look for me. Did you not see and know that it is necessary for me to be in my Father’s house and occupied about my Father’s business?” Luke 2:49 (AMP)

Sonship, to Jesus, had nothing to do with duty, function or performance. It was about who he was and his relationship with his Father. When God spoke directly from Heaven it was to affirm him as a SON. (Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:5) It was Jesus, as a SON, that caused the Pharisees to rise up and pursue him to his death (John 19:7).

Jesus showed us the way to relate to the Father. It was not a matter of religious duty, not a matter of observing the law nor a matter of achievement or performance. He showed us that we could come and call God “Father”.

The Father wanted to make Himself known to us. He did this through sonship; through the living example of Jesus.

The heart of sonship is not just being a son of the Father. It is being a son to the Father.

We can learn some valuable lessons from the life of Jesus. He was a true son to his Father and these are some of the things his life shows us:

He wanted to be with his Father.
He wanted to please his Father.
He delighted in working for, and on behalf of his Father.
He was faithful.
He received his Father’s inheritance.
He was completely open-hearted and he was in total unity and harmony with the Father.

His prayer for us, in John 17, is that we would enjoy this same closeness and intimacy.

Many of us have issues with our earthly father or with father figures. This can make it hard for us to have a true heart of sonship. As we open our hearts to receive the Father’s love then the hurt and pain can be healed. The barrier to being a son to the Father can be removed and a heart of sonship can start to be revealed within us. (Galatians 1:16) We are sons of the Father and He is longing to hear “Abba Father” from us!

I invite you to come home to the Father and to know that you are not just a son of the Father but a son to the Father.

EVENTS
“The Heart of Sonship” – Sunningwell Village Hall, Abingdon, Oxon. Saturday 25 th November at 7.30pm. Join us for a time or worship and ministry. Speaker: Mark Gyde. Click here for a map or contact us for more details.

Fatherheart Schools - there are two Fatherheart schools taking place in November – see the events page for more details.

AUDIO/VISUAL
In September we held our conference “Coming Home”. The messages are all available to download from: www.afathertoyou.com/media/index.html#ch.

In His love

Mark Gyde