Psalm 127:3-5(KJV) - Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5Happy 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.

Early in my ministry, the Lord placed several messages on my heart that I had to store away until the right opportunity came to deliver them. I created a database with message ideas straight from the Heart of God for every possible conference I could be invited to. This message is one of them.

Recent public scandals have shined the spotlight once again on the pastor's family and yesterday God told me to deal with it. I am quite aware that several young people who follow this ministry come from pastors' families so I know I can reach some of them. As a result, instead of sitting back and gossiping like many people right now I'm doing something about it. :-)

Ephesians 4:11-13(KJV) - And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

In Ephesians 4:11-13 we see a list of the five main ministry assignments designed for leadership in the church. The list consists of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. They serve a threefold purpose; to perfect the saints, work the ministry and edify the Body of Christ.

Jeremiah 3:15(KJV) - And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

So the job of the pastor is to feed the people of the church with knowledge and understanding like a shepherd who takes care of a flock. In doing so, he ensures that the saints are perfected, the ministry is worked and the Body of Christ is edified.

Now it's very clear what the pastor is supposed to do but nowhere in this verse is there a clear role for his children. As a result, people have made up job descriptions that are defined by their own experiences and not necessarily, the Word of God. So, since it's not clearly defined it's up for debate and pastor's kids all over the world out of a lack of knowledge choose their own paths and end up in places that are not included in the Will of God for their lives.

Psalm 127:3-5(KJV) - Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5Happy 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.

I'll get straight to the point. I'll use the example of a pastor's son. From the day he is born, he is born into destiny. He must be trained well as a child and taught the things of God both from the words of his parents and from the example of their daily lives. He is a student of the ministry. He is placed in pole position to operate in the anointing that is on the life of his father because he has direct access to him. He can ask questions, learn principles and develop a relationship with someone who is set apart by God as a leader in the Body of Christ.

Psalm 127:4 gives the exact role of children as assigned by God. So now I'll make it relevant to this situation. A pastor's son is his arrow. His father should be able to stand where he is and launch him out into the world to make an impact beyond his own reach. An arrow can reach places further than the archer can reach on his own. An arrow can reach places faster than the archer can reach on his own. An arrow can cut through obstacles because it is specially designed for that purpose. In the hands of a skilled archer, an arrow is directed and travels on a trajectory that eventually leads to a specific target.

The children of all pastors are called by God to reach places on behalf of their families that their parents could never reach. My father has influence all over the world and is making an impact on countless lives. However, when he released me into ministry, God expects me to take that influence to another level. His books might sell millions but mine should sell tens of millions. His television program might reach millions but mine should reach tens of millions. His radio program might change millions but mine should change tens of millions.

He must be able to sit back and watch the effects of his arrow pierce the hearts of people all over this world with the Word of God. This is not optional! I don't know why some young people think they can do whatever they feel like and still walk in the blessing of God. If you don't do what you are called to do even your success will frustrate you! You are called to make a positive difference on the earth as an extension of God's plan for your parents. In other words, with every new generation the ministry started by your family must continue to grow.

Jeremiah 1:4-10(KJV) - Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Every pastor's child is called to be a minister. Before you were born God had an assignment set apart for you and yes, it should enhance what your parents are doing already. The main issue is your understanding of ministry as a whole and that comes with maturity on your part and wisdom on the part of your parents. Here is what most pastor's children don't get when they are very young; "Ministry is not a career choice, it's a lifestyle!"

Nobody says that you have to sit in a pastor's office all day praying for people to be in ministry. I am a Structural Engineer and I have already answered the call to ministry. What you are seeing right now is a result of me saying yes to God. I don't have to be broke. I don't have to be bored. I just have to do what God says when He says to do it. He didn't tell me to quit my job and wear a cross on my neck. However, He did tell me to share with the world, the wisdom He has made available to me.

So if you come from the family of a pastor, what has God called you to do? I know it's a ministry already so you don't need to be confused about that. All you need to do is narrow it down to exactly where you fit. You don't have to go to Bible school. I studied Physics and Engineering because that was exactly where my parents and God sent me. This is what life should be like through the eyes of the pastor's kid because this is what life is like through the eyes of God.

Be blessed!

Announcement:

1 Tune in tonight at 7:30pm to a live web cast by Atlanta based Pastor Creflo Dollar in response to the Virginia Tech shootings called, "Are we producing Mass Murderers? - The four basic needs of every human being and the consequences for when they are not met"