Cover

Steven Curtis
Chapman
by Ryan Richardson

Transforming
the Male Mind
by Warwick Cooper

Bring 'em
Back Alive
by Ryan Richardson

Promise Keepers
by David Chipp-Smith

Health & Fitness
by Jeff Consiglio

Not So Reality TV
by David Chipp-Smith

First Commandment
by Aaron Rock

Revolution
by Ryan Richardson

God's Promises
Part I
by Colin Michael

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by Aaron Rock

Most people, if asked what the first commandment in the Bible is would quote Exodus 20:3 "Do not worship any other gods besides me." (NLT). However, while this is the first commandment given in the famous Ten Commandments, it is not the first biblical commandment given to humanity. It may surprise you to know that the first commandment is one that equally requires self-sacrifice and counter-cultural thinking. The first commandment is, in fact, to multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). And while many of us snicker at this verse, dreading the thought of having multiple children, its hard to get around the fact that having children is a divine command that has never been revoked any place in the Bible. God did not include a caveat instructing us to toss the commandment once the world reached the six billion mark.

Sadly, it has been my observation, both within and without the church, that children are considered "hassles", "pains in the butt", "financially hazardous", and "detrimental to free living". I can barely go to Walmart anymore without some comment from a passer-by to this effect, "Those aren't all YOUR kids are they?" I can barely make it through premarital preparation classes with Christian couples anymore without some disagreement over whether they should stop at one kid or two! In the average evangelical church the kid's ministry is the LAST place anyone wishes to serve. "Kids ministry? Forget that. I did my service," is the common line offered.

Undeniably we live in a self-centred society, which has affected our view of children and our obedience to the first commandment. We have become so steeped in the dogma of the worthlessness of children (observe the abortion movement), that we have lost appreciation for the redemptive nature of parenting. Parenting is by nature others-oriented; it cures the soul of selfishness. Parenting is by nature kingdom-building; it gives us an opportunity to raise up a generation of Jesus junkies. Parenting is by nature a learning experience; it gives us perspective on the "faith of a child". Of course not every couple knows this when they decide "it's time to start trying". A kid or two is considered trendy, giving a couple the opportunities to dress up junior in a fashionable outfit or two. But after one tires of the baby section at Old Navy or Baby Gap, the results are predictable. Parenting is a forum for soul-change. I would even argue that parenting is a more effective exercise for spiritual growth that the best of ministries the best of churches have to offer. If you want to see a person grow close to God, give them a handful of children!

Sociologist Bradford Wilcox, and author of Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands, recently wrote in a Christianity Today article, "Too many Christians now think marriage is primarily about the emotional union between the spouses. This is wrong. Marriage is supposed to be a fruitful spiritual, emotional, and physical union between spouses that enlarges the kingdom of God in large part through the bearing and raising of children. Married Christians should recall the first commandment God gave to his people: 'Be fruitful and multiply.' Christians ought to recognize that children are a gift from God and act accordingly." If ever there has been a command that will make even the most orthodox Christian balk, it is this one! But should that be?

My purpose in this article is not primarily to fill our church nurseries. But I do have a burning desire to encourage men to re-examine their attitudes toward the admirable role of fathering. The whole kids-are-an-option mentality that permeates society should be decisively rejected by the church. As adamantly as we sound off against abortion, we should react strongly to those who look down upon large families. While exercising sensitivity towards couples who are barren, the family unit, upon which society is built, should receive strong support from the church. And that includes obedience to the first command-to produce children and fill the earth.


Aaron Rock, the guy who wrote this article, is soon to be father of five.