Roles of the Parent in the LORD

What is the parent in the Lord supposed to do? Let us take a look at the anointments of five parents in the Lord, six including Levi:

Abraham

¹⁰ This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you. GENESIS 17

Moses

¹⁰ So now, I am sending you to Pharaoh and bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt. EXODUS 3

John the Baptist 

¹⁶ Many of the people of Isra’el will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord... to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared to the Lord. LUKE 1

Paul 

¹⁷ I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Lucifer to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. ACTS 26

¹⁰ The authority the Lord gave me [is] for building you up, not for tearing you down. 2 CORINTHIANS 13

Simon Peter

¹⁵ Y’shua said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Y’shua said, “Feed My lambs.” ¹⁶ Again Y’shua said, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Y’shua said, “Take care of My sheep.” ¹⁷ The third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because Y’shua asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Y’shua said, “Feed My sheep.” JOHN 21

Levi

⁵ My covenant was with Levi, a covenant of peace and life, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. ⁷ For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty. MALACHI 2

The parent in the Lord is not there to rule over the flock, but to shepherd everyone within his sphere of influence who is willing to listen. Best done by parenting the parents—that is, the parents at the home, school, workplace and government, even his fellow parents in the Lord. He focuses on realizing the objective of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10-11). He parents the parents “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom” so that he may present everyone perfect before Christ (Colossians 1:28).

He presents himself (preferably the members of his immediate family, too) as a living monument that God’s instructions are doable and beneficial. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22) overflows in him and he infects everyone with it.

The long and short of it is that the parent in the Lord should be a success story in holiness, discipline and wisdom—worthy of imitation. He is a reliable shepherd to which parents and their children can always run for spiritual direction and enlightenment.  

²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. ACTS 20

¹ To the elders among you, I appeal to you as a fellow elder… ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 1 PETER 5