[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-father-s-name-and-the-father-s-day":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-father-s-name-and-the-father-s-day-surround":95},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":14,"columnName":77,"date":78,"description":20,"extension":79,"image":80,"meta":81,"minRead":82,"navigation":83,"path":84,"postType":85,"publication":86,"publicationUrl":80,"seo":87,"stem":88,"topics":89,"__hash__":94},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-father-s-name-and-the-father-s-day.md","The Father's Name and the Father's Day",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13],"Matthew","Luke","1 Corinthians","1 Timothy","Romans",{"type":15,"value":16,"toc":73},"minimark",[17,21,24,27,30,33,36,44,51,58,61,64,67,70],[18,19,20],"p",{},"Names and nicknames fascinate me. Some are funny. A couple of years ago the Cincinnati Reds team included Gookie Dawkins and Pokey Reese. Can you forgive me for snickering during the pre-game introductions around the batting cage when they played the New York Mets, whose coaching staff included Mookie Wilson and Cookie Rojas?",[18,22,23],{},"Some names make us think of a distinguishing characteristic. Goliath is synonymous with large size. Einstein is another word for genius. Babe Ruth immediately brings baseball to mind.",[18,25,26],{},"Other names remind us of a certain occupation or trade: Fisher, Hunter, Carpenter, Baker, Smith.",[18,28,29],{},"Some names stand alone: Elvis, Sinatra, Cher. Others are always linked together: Abbott & Costello, Batman & Robin, Ben & Jerry's.",[18,31,32],{},"Some biblical names are beautiful and timeless: Mary, Rachel, Daniel, John. Others never quite caught on. Do you know anyone named Mephibosheth, Epaphroditus, or Dodo (Judges 10:1)? Did Hosea suspect his marriage was going to be rough when he married a woman named Gomer? Would the prayer of Jabez have been the basis for a best-selling book if he wore the name of the man who appeared one verse earlier in 1 Chronicles chapter 4? (Somehow \"the prayer of Hazzobebah\" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.)",[18,34,35],{},"Stepping Down from the Pedestal",[18,37,38,39,43],{},"I have a simple name. Just 10 letters—five in my first name and five in my last. You'd think it would be simple to know what to call me, but it's amazing how complicated my name seems to be. Telemarketers call me Frost, Foost, Pauft, Fouch, Fost, and Faucet. Coworkers wonder, \"Do you prefer 'David' or 'Dave'?\" Because I'm a minister, some try to call me Reverend, but I would rather defer all reverence to God. ",[40,41,42],"em",{},"The Lookout's"," masthead calls me Executive Editor, but I'm just one small part of a team of hard-working staff members who edit, design, and execute its publication.",[18,45,46,47,50],{},"Jesus warned us not to make too much out of titles and honors that make us look impressive to others. \"You are not to be called 'Rabbi,'\" he said, \"for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ\" (Matthew 23:8-10). ",[40,48,49],{},"The Message"," translation reads, \"Don't let people . . . put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates.\"",[18,52,53,54,57],{},"But why did Jesus say not to call anyone on earth \"father\"? Doesn't the Bible say to honor our fathers and mothers? Even Jesus himself used \"father\" to refer to an earthly parent (Matthew 21:31, Luke 15:12-28). In the New Testament, the Greek ",[40,55,56],{},"pater"," (as in our words \"paternal\" or “paternity”) can refer to a fond spiritual relationship as well as physical kinship. Paul told the Corinthians, \"in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel\" (1 Corinthians 4:15) and he referred to Timothy as his \"true son in the faith\" (1 Timothy 1:2).",[18,59,60],{},"The Heavenly Father's Day",[18,62,63],{},"Jesus' point is that we need to avoid pride, reject hypocrisy, humble ourselves before the Lord, and honor our heavenly Father above all. J. W. McGarvey comments, \"Thus Jesus reproves those who make religion a matter of praise-seeking ostentation, whether they do so by seeking position, or by peculiarity of dress, or by assuming or accepting titles of honor or distinction.\"",[18,65,66],{},"There's only one perfect Father. Is there any greater honor than simply to be called sons and daughters of God Most High? Every day is the heavenly Father's Day—a day to glorify him. Every day his Spirit \"testifies with our spirit that we are God's children,\" and \"by him we cry, 'Abba,’ Father'\" (Romans 8:15, 16).",[18,68,69],{},"Meanwhile, my son, daughters, and son-in-law have solved the problem of what to call me, and I like their solution very well.",[18,71,72],{},"They call me \"Dad.\"",{"title":74,"searchDepth":75,"depth":75,"links":76},"",2,[],"First Look","2003-06-22","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-father-s-name-and-the-father-s-day","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":20},"articles\u002Fthe-father-s-name-and-the-father-s-day",[90,91,92,93],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Christian Unity","Intergenerational Ministry","Rdi1uITemjuGO18Gag9qh3h-5kMfaQncvIVExMkSEbo",[96,101],{"title":97,"path":98,"stem":99,"description":100,"children":-1},"The Extravagance of God","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-extravagance-of-god","articles\u002Fthe-extravagance-of-god","Have you ever praised God for his extravagance—his willingness to grant blessings far beyond what we deserve? \"God loves a cheerful giver\" because he is one himself. He's the God who gives the second mile—filling nature, the church, and our individual lives with unexpected abundance.",{"title":102,"path":103,"stem":104,"description":105,"children":-1},"The Fault Line","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-fault-line","articles\u002Fthe-fault-line","Last March I traveled to Seattle, Washington, to speak at Puget Sound Christian College. Shortly before I boarded the plane, airline personnel announced that the flight had been cancelled because Seattle had experienced a serious earthquake. Fortunately, despite a lot of property damage, it wasn't a catastrophic quake. I was even able to fulfill my speaking engagement by flying to Spokane, then traveling with a church group across the state of Washington."]