The Fletcher
THE FLETCHER
Children as arrows in the hand of the mighty man
Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
We do not have a store bought arrow….each archer had to be his own fletcher….
Fletcher: an arrow maker
The arrows Procurement… , children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward
Psalms 128:3-4 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
God gives children as a BLESSING to the home. God is the author of life and He is the one who created our ability to have offspring.
There are times where God withholds the womb from bearing…. (Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth)
The raw materials for the arrows are given by God.
The arrows Possession… in the hand of a mighty man
This implies godly character of the ARCHER….
The mighty man must be trained from a youth, through may arduous days of practicve and refinement of skill, brute strength must be developed.
2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(The best fletchers were once arrows)
Those of us who didn’t start early need to work harder….
The arrow will not exceed the skill of the fletcher
The best recipe for raising children is to be RIGHT with GOD PERSONALLY.
If you are a pretender, so will your children be, if church and the Lord are important to you then yo can impart this to them, if the Bible is KING in your home, if Jesus is LORD then you will be able to pass on this to your children, but if NOT you will not be able to shape or share the passion for Christ along.
YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE.
It is imperative for the arrow to have a MIGHTY FLETCHER….
STUDY the Word
SUBMIT to the PLAN
The arrows Purpose… . As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man…
The arrows are for WAR
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The arrows are for the benefit of the KING and the KINGDOM
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The arrows are to FLY TRUE in the time of CRISIS
Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
The arrows are to be EFFECTIVE (Deadly)
The ultimate purpose of an arrow is to KILL….. there is no other purpose.
We are in a DEADLY CONFLICT with the enemy of our KING and our SOULS…. We are to strike at the heart of that enemy.
WHY are you raising children, to be better citizens of the WORLD, to be men of renown in the DEVILS ECONOMY or to be Children of CHRIST, to KNOW, to SERVE to live for Christ and LIVE for HIM as lights in a dark world. To work in HIS Churches, to promote SALVATION in others….
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
The arrows Preparation….
The arrows raw material must be fashioned…
According to the master craftsman plan…. This is a labour of LOVE, of TIME or PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE and ATTENTION…. It is not a quick or easy task
Peeled of excess bark….
The outer skin or initial roughness must be stripped from the stalk.
Examined for weaknesses….(good character must be TAUGHT, TRAINED, ENFORECED it does not come naturally)
Straightened
By heating
By bending
By scraping (Friction)
Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Proverbs 29:17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
Hebrews 12:7-10 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
The arrow’s wood must be seasoned in the proper protective environment
An atmosphere of Godliness, of LOVE of CARE, of NURTURE, of HOPE, of Christ like spirit.
Excessive HEAT will make the arrow brittle and weak, too much laxness allows the arrow to develop a crooked spine.
Reinforcement of weight and proper temperature is a key.
The POINT or HEAD must be fashioned
DO your children have a DIRECTION, do they have GOALS… what is their POINT
What are they being TRAINED TO DO?
An arrow without a POINT will fly foolishly (every which way the wind blows)
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
There must be a WEIGHT and POINT to their lives, a KNOWN direction.
Let the child lead is foolish… the parent must see what characteristics, abilities and aptitude they have and focus them in the direction they need and marry that with how that will fit in with GOD`S WILL for their lives.
The point must be affixed
That they KNOW CHRIST, that they have learned to HEAR his voice, to trust his call, to walk in His ways…
1 Samuel 3:7-10 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
The point must be polished and sharpened
Their GIFTS and abilities must be REFINED by study strengthening and practice
We need to give them an environment where they are able to MATURE, to have the edges knocked off their GIFTS.
The PLACE to USE those gifts and abilities are in the church body… they need to know where they FIT, to be helped in finding where they belong in the WHOLE.
The Fletching must be OBTAINED
The Feathers must be aligned and affixed
How are they to FLY… how are they be borne up in the wind, to be aerodynamically sound….
They need to be FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT….
We can indeed give them all the structure and form that is needed but without the Feathers they cannot fly…
They need the PRESENCE and POWER OF GOD… we cannot make them get a hold of the Spirit but we can put them in the place where the HOLY SPIRIT can get a HOLD on them
A Living Spirit guided HOME
Lively Spirit filled preaching… at a living Spirit filled Church
Go where the Spirit of God IS…..
Special Meetings… Preaching tapes….. Godly music….. In the HOUSE of GOD every time they are able…
Pray for your PREACHER
Pray for your Church
Pray for your Spouse
PRAY that the Spirit grabs hold of them…
They need the FLETCHING in order to FLY
The Notch must be placed
They must be PREPARED for flight… to be Positioned to go into the world as one who serves the king
The arrow must be POLISHED and waxed to protect against warping
Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
We need to provide a place of refuge against the attacks of the world…. (We don`t send children out to be soldiers… the burden of warfare was for the mature)
The arrows flight
The arrow must be AIMED
The arrow must be drawn back
The arrow must be LET GO!!!!
There comes a time that the arrow must be released into the fray….
. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.