YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Assemblies of God Association Youth of SA Impact Session

SONS ARE LIKE ARROWS God is beginning to grow on me the passion & the burden for the church (youth leaders, youth) to grow in the area of son ship (maturity) Romans 8 v19 – Creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (The world is waiting on the revealing of sons) John 3 v 16 – For God so loved the world that He gave us his only begotten Son (God release His Son into the world) God wants His arrows to be released into society, world, gateways, but the arrows are not sharpened, polished, crooked, misdirected & the quivers are empty.

I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT THE MATURITY OF SONS (SONSHIP) Scripture Reading John 1v12 To many who have received Him gave He the power to be called sons of God. Galatians 3 v You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4 v 1- 2 As long as the heir is a child, he is no different to a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.

THE RIGHT TO BECOME SONS OF GOD You have the authority, the right, or privileged to become sons of God. God has an intention with your life. His intention is that we must not be complacent, mediocre below standard. You must not stop sort of what He has intended for your life. After all we are wonderfully & fearfully made to be what God has intended for us to become. God has a dream with your life and that is that all of us should grow up into the full measure of the stature that is in Christ Jesus and that is son ship. All of us are sons of God because we have accepted the Lord as Lord and Saviour of our lives Gal 3:26

God’s concerned: Well being of His sons Sons does not live up to their full potential Sons are not reaching their fullness Sons is not maturing (growing up)

BECOME Speaks of a process. The process is to become sons. We must develop. We must mature, we must grow up & not grow old. We must commit to the full process of development. We cannot stop sort & by the way there is no sort cuts in the Kingdom of God. We cannot afford to stagnate, because if you are not growing you are slowly dying. The law of the Lid says you can only take the people as far as what you have grown. Jesus grew in wisdom, stature & favour with God & men. Just as the arrow must go through all the development processes (polished & balance shaft, sharpened point and being in the quiver) so we will have to commit to the processes of God before we can be release from God’s quiver for the target. Who we are is God’s gift to us, who we become is our gift to God

THREE STAGES OF GROWTH In English we have only one word for “son” In Greek there are three words used. Teknion refers to a baby (infant or little child) Teknon refers to a son who is maturing but not yet ready for responsibility. In English we would call him a child.(adolescent) Huios refers to one who is ready for responsibility – one who has gone through the “adoption” ceremony.(one placed as a son by adoption) It is derived from the Greek word Huiothesia which means “Adoption”

Adoption It is derived from the Greek word Huiothesia which means “Adoption” it has no reference to an orphan or benevolent adult who wants to “adopt” an orphan. Huiothesia Those young men who have reached adulthood “them that are full of age” they have exercise their senses to discern between good & evil.(Heb 5 v14)

The Apostle John confirms this concept when he says in 1John 2 v 12, 13 I write unto you little children, I write unto you young men, I write unto you fathers These Three stages of growth is also illustrated in the life of Jesus. Jesus as a babe in the manager (Teknion) Luke 2 v 7 At the age of twelve (adolescent) he find himself in the midst of doctors Luke 2 v 46 (Teknon) At the age of thirty Jesus finds himself at the river Jordan for his “adoption” ceremony where He was place as a son.(Huios) (Luke 3 v23)

The Hebrews were reprimanded for not becoming what they had the right to become Hebrews 5 v 12 – 14 They were supposed to be teachers, but the needed people to teach hem the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. (no progression) They did not enjoy solid food, because they stayed at the milk.(lack of maturity) The Corinthians Christians were also reprimanded for not becoming what they had the right to become. 1Corinthians 3 v1- 2 Paul could not address them as spiritual but as babes.(stagnate) The Corinthian Church had all the gifts of the Spirit (1Corinthians 1v7) and many other commendable qualities. They had no sons. That is why Paul had to sent Timothy “my” son whom he loved. They had not become what they had the right to become – mature Christians prepared for the responsibility of sonship.

1 Cor 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ you have not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me 17 For this reason I’m sending you Timothy my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. No fathers (no fatherly grace) Instructor – Greek Paidogogos means boy leader Boy leader – term refers to a servant who’s official position was to make sure the children went to school Fathers were substituted by hired servants unrelated to spiritual inheritance

In closing... Your key to sonship is determined how well you relate to spiritual fathering Submit, don’t oppose Don’t reject Don’t rebel but position yourself accurately by making the shift in your heart Absalom was a rebellious son, rebellion is like witchcraft, he wanted to destroy his father. Rebellious sons don’t grow up to become fathers When Absalom died he had no sons and he rected for himself a monument to be remembered 2 Sam 18:18 Before you can be a father you must learn to be a son

ACCURATE SONSHIP IS VITAL TO ATTAINING AND FULFILLING YOUR DESTINY