*WEAKNESSES OF APOSTOLIC FATHERS* We balance our discussion of fathers and sons with a focus on the sins of the fathers. There are a number of scripture references we can use for the sins of the fathers, but we will focus on Exodus 20. This is the first record of the Ten Commandments. *“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”* Exodus 20:4–6 The prophet Samuel said to Saul that rebellion is as witchcraft and stubbornness is as idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23). Any time you have individuals who are like stubborn, stubbornness is like idolatry because they are not looking at another point of view. When they do not consider another point of view then they create an image of their own perspective and worship that perspective and it becomes an idol. That is stubbornness. When trying to deal with a couple, for example, that are having marital problems and they will not resolve their problems, Jesus called it the hardness of heart (Matthew 19:3–9). He said the reason people divorce is because of a hardness of heart. The reason a heart becomes hard is because of stubbornness, and the reason people are stubborn is that they built an idol and image to their opinion and they worship at that. What happens over time is that idolatry shows up to the third and fourth generation. Many of us have seen this stubbornness in the local church; individuals in open business meetings have an opinion on which they will not move or relent. This includes eschatological positions and other beliefs culturally interpreted from the scriptures. There are a lot of third world countries and developing countries, particularly in Africa for instance, where the African leaders and preachers subscribe to an American way of interpreting the scriptures. If we all have these strong viewpoints and we refuse to observe other people’s opinions, then you and I create a shrine that becomes a place of idolatry. Any time you are following God, God will mess up your head. You will see this magnificent apparition manifestation of God, and then make this statement: ‘Let’s build three tabernacles here because it’s great being here’ (Luke 9:33). That is what we do. We build this tabernacle and God goes and switches up on you as soon as you try to do that. He keeps on changing on us to develop us and grow us. It is called the preceding word of God. Yes, there exist the non-negotiables of the scripture, but there are a lot of things that are negotiable. They are individual, personal, denominational interpretations, cultural interpretations of a particular scripture and a word. When we are unrelenting in our opinions and establish places of idolatry on strong viewpoints we refused to release, then we begin to create a framework that ignites or activates an iniquitous pattern. Jesus died for our sins. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity. Just based on some of the stuff I heard all my life, a bruise is inner bleeding, not bleeding outside. Internal bleeding means the blood is coming back into the body. This means that the blood of Jesus is doing a deep work inside of the individual in an iniquitous pattern. https://chat.whatsapp.com/ElKaNjH1oHz6UF5yulS7b2 https://chat.whatsapp.com/ExCD9jKcKnR8wQUJqC1mSj