Are We a Part Time Child? | Chapter One

Introduction

Does God have a need ? Yes! Although I named the title of this book “What God Needs” It has nothing to do with weakness but His deepest passion. That is for you to know Him as your Father and Him to know you as His child.

God sent His son and allow Him to suffer and die more than any person who ever existed. This reveals to us His deepest passion to redeemed us to become His child.

Masters do not need their slaves but a father needs their child!

Are You A Part Time Child?

What does it mean to know God as Father? Does it mean that I relate to God as a part-time child or a part-time slave/servant? Are we to take all the names of God such as Jehovah, Yahweh and King of Kings then mix them all with knowing God as Father? Can we relate to God as a servant and a child of God simultaneously?

Under New Covenant we can now relate to God 100% as Father just as Jesus did! We cannot be part-time servants or slaves and a part-time child of God at the same time. In these blogs, I will use the terms slave, servant and bond-slave. Although these are different terms but they carry the same meaning as they cannot be in the Family of God because only children can be in the family. Without a doubt, several scriptures refer to us as servants of Christ. Jesus also humbled Himself and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-7).

But we must understand that although we are servants "of Christ" we are not servants "for Christ". Being a servant is our function, it is not our identity. In the New Covenant when the scriptures refer to us as servants it's constantly referring to how we are designed by God to serve people.

These are some verses that bring clarity regarding function. Notice in the beginning of tne gospels how Paul, James and Peter mentions “a servant of Christ” not “a servant for Christ”

Romans 1:1 Paul, “a servant of Christ Jesus”, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.

James 1:1 James “a servant of God” and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, “a servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ,”…

Paul, James and Peter introduced themselves as servants of Christ to inform the churches that their authority to minister came through Christ not through man. Although Paul, Peter and James were apostles they were informing them that apostles are servant leaders. Just like a servant is a function, in the same way, an Apostle is also a function.

Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, Prophets and Evangelists are functions to serve people not to serve God. We are not Apostles called to minister to God but to people. We are not a prophet to prophesy to God but people. We are not an evangelist to evangelize to God but to people. Likewise, we do not serve God but to people. We must not mix our identity and function with how we relate to God. This would be the same as mixing law and Grace. Matthew 9:17 Neither do people pour New wine into Old wineskin. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskin will be ruined. No, they pour New wine into New wineskin, and both are preserved.

Regarding our relationship with people we are servants but regarding our relationship with God we are His children. Notice when the devil tempted Jesus he never said: "If you are a servant?", If you are a prophet or if you are a teacher?" No, he said, "If you are the Son of God?" Why is this? Because the devil wanted Jesus to doubt His identity being the Son of God. (Matthew 4:1-11)

To have the mind of a slave and a child of God together, cancels out the effect of both. It's better to relate to God as a full-time slave father than relating to Him as a part-time child. Why? Because if one is a full-time slave, they have a better chance to run to the Father to become a child because of the depression and bondage of being a slave.

The core of the New Covenant is to know God as Father! To miss this means we have missed the work of the cross and the gospel. This is the very reason why Jesus died on the cross so we might know God as Father. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross gave us access to be in the God’s family.

A Better Way To Relate To God

To relate to God as a slave, servant or bond-slave is terrible news. Why? Because servants can never be in a family. They cannot be an heir, carry the family name, sit on the Father's lap, or eat at the Father's table. My sons cannot stop being my children. They cannot be my children one day and a slave the next day. If my kids are to act like slaves or behave like servants around me I will quickly correct them. Can we even imagine walking in our house, then suddenly, our kids started to act like a slave by laying on the floor crying how they would give up their life for their daddy? This will not impress me as their father.

Unfortunately, this is how many of us relate to the Father. A good father would pick the kids up off the floor, wipe their tears from their eyes and say "You're not a slave but my child! You don't give your life up for me! It's me that will give my life for you." God will forever be the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. But how do we know a Lord or King? The problem is we can’t. We can only obey and do many tasks but we can’t know Him. So knowing and relating to our King and Lord as Father is much better approach!

It's incredible news to be in the family as a child vs. outside the family as a servant. Does being a child of God make us passive or not as committed? Let’s ask ourselves some question. Which is a greater worship experience, worshiping a King or worshiping our Father who is king? Which is a more effective way for our prayers to be answered? Is it asking a Lord or asking our Father who is Lord? Which is more effective, doing ministry for a King? Or doing ministry with our Father?

What about our freedom? Is having a servant's mindset more effective to receive this freedom or embrace our identity as children so we will use our rights to become children of God? ( John 1:12).

Can We Know Jesus Without Knowing The Father?

Just as the Holy Spirit unveils Christ, something else is equally important than this. It's Jesus unveiling the Father! It's the very reason why Christ came and died so we may know God as Daddy! Servants can only know God as Lord but never Father.

If we do not know God as Father we really don't know who Jesus is. In John 14:8-10, Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father?' Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father's in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Jesus is the very face of the Father Himself. Philip asked Jesus the question, "can you show us the Father?" They were with Jesus every day, yet Jesus mentioned, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?" Is it possible to preach about Jesus and be in the ministry for many years and miss out on who Jesus truly is?

To know Christ as Lord, God as Father and Holy Spirit as a power can be confusing.

No doubt they are all of those things but how do we relate to God? Am I to talk and pray to Jesus on Monday then on Tuesday the Father? Then on Sunday we can talk to the Holy Spirit. Many of us have misunderstanding by trying to develop separate relationships with the Trinity. This becomes confusing because we don’t know who to pray and talk to.

If I need more power in my life do I isolate the Holy Spirit and put more emphasis on Him instead of Jesus and the Father? If I sin do we put more emphasis on Jesus?

The good news is they are all one and work in complete unison. John 16:13-15 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ. Just as the Holy Spirit reveals Christ, Christ on the same level reveals the Father. If we are not experiencing the Father revealed, we are really not experiencing Christ revealed. It's great when we preach about Jesus but we still come short if we have no revelation of the Father when preaching the gospel. When preaching reveals the Son without revealing the Father, we have not really preached the Son.

This revelation and encounter of Jesus revealing the Father is not something we have to make happen; it naturally happens when we behold Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives us revelation of Jesus and Jesus gives us revelation of the Father. This is why we will always go through Jesus to know the Father. We cannot know Jesus apart from the Father. Matthew 11:27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.