Introduction: These teachings on Spiritual Fathering are shared with the hope that God will use them to assist Church Leaders move beyond being instructors of the Word of God to become spiritual fathers in the Body of Christ!
1 Corinthians 4:15 contrasts the availability of instructors with the scarcity of fathers. This problem existed in Paul’s time of ministry, as it does today. May God use these teachings to increase the quantity and quality of spiritual fathers!
The Eternal, unchanging plan of God is to have a Family of Spiritual Sons and Daughters in Heaven and Earth. Ephesians 3:14-15 speaks of “the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
God’s plan for mankind is set forth in Genesis 1-2 in microscopic form. That plan, even though delayed by the deceptive intervention of Satan, will come to pass according to the Divine declarations affirmed in the book of Revelation.
OLD TESTAMENT OVERVIEW: First we will consider God’s plan of fathering as it unfolded in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. Luke 3:23-38 traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam. V.38 states that “Adam …was the son of God.” Since Adam was the son of God, then God was his father. God is perfect, so we can affirm that the human family on earth was started by a perfect father. From this overview, we understand that the plan of God may be delayed but not destroyed. The attack of Satan against God and his creation has delayed the plan of God, but Satan cannot prevent its’ final fulfillment.
God as a perfect father, acted responsibly, and authoritatively in the provision and care of the human family:
1. Genesis 2:7 “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being.” 2. Genesis 2:8 “Now the Lord had planted a garden in Eden; and there he put the man that he had formed.” God, acting responsibly, planted a garden, making every provision for the physical, social and spiritual needs of the human family.
3. Genesis 2:16 Man’s physical needs were met by the trees of the garden. 4. Genesis 2:22 Man’s social needs were met because it was into that garden that God brought Eve to Adam as his wife.
5. Genesis 3:8 Man’s spiritual needs were met as God came into the garden to commune with Adam and Eve in the cool (wind, breath, spirit) of the day.
6. Genesis 2:15 Man would develop responsibly by taking care of the garden.
7. Genesis 2:17; Matthew 8:5-9 Man would develop authoritatively as he submitted himself obediently to the commands of God. The Centurion in Matthew 8 could speak authoritatively in that he was under the authority of a higher commander.
As God, the Father acted responsibly and authoritatively, he communicated the principles of fathering to Adam on the backdrop of the model of his own fathering skills. As man accepted the benefit of God’s responsibility for him, and submitted to God’s authority, man would develop in the likeness of his heavenly Father. As man developed in this divine likeness, he would become a father to his children just as God was a father to him. The plan was that as man exercised fatherhood to his children, they would value their relationship to an earthly father, and thereby come to see God as their good heavenly Father. Each succeeding generation would be equipped to be good earthly fathers, by means of the Father-God model expressed in their earthly fathers. So there would be a continuous cycle of godly fathers perpetuated on the earth. In this God-man, father-child relationship, man would mature from a *child to a son, and become a father. (*In this teaching, the term child refers to an immature adult).
Genesis 3 tells of Satan’s entrance into the garden. Satan engaged Eve in a conversation about God and the garden. As he did, Adam knew that the things spoken by Satan were not in harmony with that which God had spoken to him. Nevertheless, Adam stood by in silence, thus he failed to act responsibly. Adam’s failure to act authoritatively against Satan to protect his wife and the garden, (Genesis 3:1-6) allowed sin to enter the world, and so man’s relationship with God was broken consequently man was separated from God (Genesis 3:7).
In the Old Testament, God made three attempts at fathering the human family through selected men, and each attempt failed:
1. God’s first attempt at fathering the family was through Adam. That attempt failed, and the sinful family upon earth was judged by the flood (Genesis 6:1-7).
2. God’s second attempt at fathering the human family was through Noah (Genesis 6:8-10; 7:5-7). God chose righteous Noah, and he fathered his family so that they would also live righteously. That attempt failed in that succeeding generations disobeyed God’s command given in Genesis 9:1, 7. God’s judgment came upon the human family at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:5-9).
3. God’s third attempt at fathering the human family was through Abram Genesis 12:1-3. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, which meant: “the father of many nations” Genesis 17:1-7. This attempt also failed as the nation of Israel was divided into Northern and Southern kingdoms with capitals at Samaria and Jerusalem. The Northern Kingdom was carried into Assyrian captivity about 175 years prior to Judah’s dispersion. Finally, the Southern Kingdom was carried into Babylonian captivity. After 70 years of captivity, a remnant, as directed by King Cyrus, returned to Jerusalem and Judah, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and Ezra to rebuild the Temple and restore the walls of Jerusalem. Even though the Temple was restored, there was a period of 400 years described as the Silent Years, from the time of these leaders to the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. So the human family under Abraham came into a state disobedience and disarray. The last two verses of the Old Testament in Malachi 4:5-6 reveal the fatherlessness present in Judah. The hearts of the fathers needed to be turned to the children again.
NEW TESTAMENT OVERVIEW: Secondly let us consider God’s plan of fathering as it unfolded in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. It began with the incarnation of the Son of God. In Malachi 3:1-2; 4:1-6 prophecies are recorded of the coming of John the Baptist, and of the Messiah. Their coming would bring restoration in the human family, as “the hearts of the fathers were turned to the children, and the hearts of the children turned to the fathers.” The key word in the coming of the Messiah (Christ) is REDEEM (Galatians 4:4-5). Speaking of Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1:7 we read, “In whom we have redemption through his blood …”
There is a contrast between the first and last Adam as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:44-49. The first Adam and his successors, Noah and Abraham all failed the successive generations. However, the last Adam, Jesus Christ would eventually succeed where the first Adam and his successors failed.
Observe the ultimate success of Jesus Christ as it is recorded in the book of Revelation. Revelation 7:9-10 speaks of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Revelation 11:15 “There were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 19:11-16.)
Revelation 21:1-7. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” God will have ONE FAMILY, and he will be the Father of that one family, composed of spiritual sons and daughters!
Matthew 6:9-13, The Lord’s Prayer is a powerful portrayal of the fact that the kingdom and will of God will be done in heaven and on earth. Revelation 12:7-11 states that the will of God was not always done in heaven. Lucifer and a host of angelic beings rebelled against God’s kingdom in heaven, but these rebels were cast out of heaven and verse 10 declares that salvation came to heaven. As a result, God’s will is now being done in heaven. So Jesus said that we should pray: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
In Acts 3:22, Moses spoke of the coming of Christ and that “Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people” (Acts 3:23). This is the means by which the will of God will eventually be done upon the earth.
Observe the process by which God’s people will come to participate in that ultimate conclusion described in Revelation 21:1-7.
1. First God the Father was manifest in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19).
The name of our Lord Jesus Christ has a very significant meaning: Jesus was the name given for his human body formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Christ is the name given to him as he was anointed by the Holy Spirit for ministry in which he would be the manifestation of God, his father. The words Christ and anointed are similar in meaning. Christ is a noun and anointed is a verb. Lord refers to the deity of Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14). However, on earth Jesus functioned, not as God, but as a human being anointed by the Holy Spirit.
2. God the Father is manifest through fathering expressed in the leaders that God has chosen to gift within the Body of Christ as listed in Ephesians 4:11.
Christ and his connection to Church leaders: Jesus Christ on earth ministered as an apostle (Hebrews 3:1); a prophet (Acts 3:22); an evangelist (Luke 4:18); a pastor / shepherd (John 10-11); a teacher (John 3:2). It was by means of these Spirit anointed gifts in his life that God the Father was expressed to human beings on earth. Ephesians 4:7-16: Verse 7 speaks of “the gift of Christ,” as being given to selected believers in the form of the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (v.11). This is for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ (v.12), till we all come in the unity of the faith, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (v.13), so that we will not be children (nepios), but we will grow up into him, even Christ (vs.14-15). As God the Father was expressed in Christ at his incarnation, so today, God the father is being expressed through leaders who are Spirit anointed and gifted as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Note: The repeated use of Christ in Ephesians 3-4.
3. God the Father will be manifest through fathering expressed in the members of the Body of Christ by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11 equip believers for the work of the ministry (v.12) and thereby believers mature into the likeness of Christ (v.13). There is an increased awareness of our need of the Holy Spirit in the Church today!
Christ and his connection to all believers in the Church: The anointing of the Holy Spirit is increasing the release of the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the Body of Christ. The increased gifts of Christ in the five-fold, has increased the equipping of the saints for service; the Body of Christ is being built up; there is a greater unity within the Body of Christ; there is an increased intimacy with God and an increased maturity of believers within the Church. So there is an increased expression of fathering in us as individual believers in the Body of Christ by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.
The three words used to describe fathering are applicable to Christ:
a) Father – In the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 he is called the “everlasting father.” In John 14:9 Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the father.” From eternity past God existed as a trinity, God the Son was separate from God the Father, but by the incarnation, according to 2 Corinthians 5:19 “God (the Father) was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (that is the father).”
b) Master/Teacher Both words are used in different bible translations to translate one Greek word, “did-as-kal-os.” In John 11:28; 13:13-14 it is translated master and in John 3:2 it is translated teacher. Both words include the thought of being a teacher out of the learning that has already been mastered.
A father as a master, has mastered the knowledge required to do fathering.
A father as a teacher is able to give instruction to those that he is fathering. He gives that instruction on the backdrop of the model of his own life.
A child as a disciple/student submits to receive knowledge and skill.
The relationship between the father and child is not one in which the father is to dominate the child, nor is the child to serve the father for the father’s benefit. In this relationship the child serves the father for the child’s development. Example: Philippians 2:19-23. "But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel."
The role of a FATHER is illustrated by the example of a TRADESMAN as a Master Craftsman in areas such as masonry or carpentry.
a) A master craftsman is able to do the work required by his craft. My earthly father was a master craftsman in farming. He did a very good job of farming.
b) A master craftsman is also able to communicate the knowledge and skills of his trade to a trainee. My earthly father, not only did a good job of farming, but he was able to train his children to become good farmers. But neither of his sons became farmers. A master craftsman may be fully knowledgeable and able to teach his craft, but if a person is to learn that trade, the trainee must be willing and desirous in order to receive the training.
c) A master craftsman is not simply dispensing information, but he provides opportunity for development (that is, formation) to take place within the trainee.
There are three words used to describe the trainee: child, disciple, and student. The dictionary describes a trainee as “a learner of a craft, bound to serve, and entitled to instruction (that is knowledge and skill) from his employer,” the master craftsman.
Paraphrasing Luke 6:40: “The child, disciple or student is not above his father, master or teacher, but everyone that is fully trained shall be like his father, master or teacher.
For the sake of brevity, from this point on I will speak of the father and the child. But you need to understand that these words include the characteristics of the master/disciple and teacher/student as well.
FATHER and MOTHERS:
1. Lamentations 5:3 “We have become orphans and fatherless, and our mothers are widows.” (James 1:27). From these scriptures it is evident that fathers referred to in these verses are male figures.
2. Hebrews 1:1-2 “God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.” From this scripture it is evident that the word father can refer to either men or women.
3. 1 Thessalonians 2:4-12: Paul is speaking to the church that he founded at Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-10). Here we observe two roles that Paul filled as he related to these spiritual children of God at Thessalonica. He filled the role of a mother: V.7 states: “we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.” He filled the role of a father: V.11 states: “For you know that we dealt with you as a father deals with his own children.”
4. Based on Acts 2:17-18 both men and women are used by God in the ministry. A variety of gifts and people (both men and women) are needed for the Christian ministry. Whether it is the heavenly trinity, or an earthly father and mother, there is an equality of persons but with different roles of ministry (1 Corinthians 11:3).
Ministering to Fathers and Mothers who are in the process of development:
Expositing Luke 6:39-42. We have looked at verse 40 in which the father trains the child, and when the child is fully trained he will be like his father. To do the work described in verse 40, properly, we must meet the requirements given in verses 39, 41-42. According to verse 39 there is a problem, there are two individuals who have a form of blindness, a visual impairment. One visually impaired person is trying to lead the other visually impaired person, and both are in danger of falling into a ditch. The truth, Jesus would communicate to us by this parable is that SIN has adversely affected both the father (the leader) and the child (the follower). The problem in each life is portrayed as a form of blindness. 2 Peter 1:3-9 contains teaching about the spiritual growth of a believer. However, if a believer does not grow as described, verse 9 says that he is “blind, and cannot see afar off.” The New International Version descries the visual impairment as being “nearsighted and blind.” Again, the person is not totally blind, but he does have a visual impairment.
In verses 41-42, the visional impairment is illustrated by the words, log and speck. The father has a log in his eye, and there is a speck in the child’s eye. A father with a log in his eye is seeking to remove the speck from the child’s eye. I have found it difficult to understand that the log and the speck are the same size. Let me illustrate it by referring to a set of railroad tracks. Standing on a set of railroad tracks, I note that the tracks are a certain distance apart, and looking along the rails to a distant point, the two rails seem to become a speck on the horizon. But if I were to walk to that point I would discover that the tracks there are the same distance apart as at the point of origin. Since the log and speck are the same size, it means that both the father and the child have similar problems. However, until a father is willing to deal with the problem in his own life, he will not be adequately prepared to assist the child in dealing with the problem in his life. See Romans 2:1.
A. OBSTRUCTIONS TO BE OVERCOME in the father to effectively develop the child:
1. First, the father must overcome the lack in his own life. Luke 6:39-42. In verse 39, the visual impairment could represent a lack of knowledge in his craft as a father. It is understandable that the child or the trainee will lack knowledge in the craft of his father, as represented by his visual impairment. So if the father and the child lack in their knowledge of the craft of fathering, it would become a case of “a blind man” seeking to lead “a blind man.” In Luke 6:41-42 niv, the log in the eye of the father, and the speck in the eye of the child represents a lack of knowledge in the life of the father and the child. The “log” and the “speck” are the same size. To the father, his lack of knowledge in his craft of fathering seems like a log in his own eye because he is very close to the problem. To the father, the lack of knowledge of fathering in the child’s life seems like a speck because of the distance between the father and the child. If the father is to deal with the child’s lack of knowledge in fathering, he must first deal with his own lack of knowledge in the craft of fathering.
2. Secondly, the father must overcome his insensitivity to the lack in the life of the child. As the father deals with the lack in his own life by the removal of the log-like speck in his own eye, he will then be able to deal with the speck-like log in the eye of the child. Fathers will not be successful in dealing with the lacks in the lives of their children, if they do not first deal with the lack in their own lives. The life of the father becomes a model from which information and impartation is received by the child. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 niv, Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” KJV states: “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
3. Thirdly, fathers must overcome the desire to dominate, so they can be filled with the desire to serve. Jesus Christ is the model father, master, and teacher! Mark 10:45 niv states that serving was the key to Jesus success as a model. The prophetic words in Isaiah 42 about the Messiah portray that he would not come to dominate, but to serve.
Verse 1: “Behold my servant.” Verses 2 and 3 niv: I. “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.” No dominance in this picture.
Ii. “A bruised reed he will not break.” Dominant individuals take advantage of the weak, but not so with this servant of God.
Iii. “A smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” He will trim the smoldering wick so its’ potential may be realized. In verse 4 there is this declaration: “he will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on the earth.” The servant does not focus on the problem, but on the prospect of doing the Father’s will.
B. OBSTRUCTIONS THAT MUST BE OVERCOME in the life of the child in order to be developed by the father. From an observation of the development of the 12 disciples as leaders of the New Testament Church, it is evident that there were at least three weaknesses among them:
1. There was insecurity in the lives of James and John. (Mark 10:35-37). In their insecurity, they requested positions at either side of Jesus in his coming kingdom. They thought such positions would give them a sense of personal value, and security.
2. There was jealousy in the lives of the other ten disciples (Mark 10:41) in that each of them probably wanted the positions on either side of Jesus because of their own lack of personal value, and security.
3. There was fear in the hearts of the disciples. (John 13:37; 14:1)
In view of the obstructions that were in the lives of the children, observe the qualities that were present in the life of their father model (Jesus):
1. He was a father-servant: In Mark 10:42-45 and in Luke 22:25-27 we see that Jesus’ priority was on serving. The last line of the Luke passage is: “but, I am among you as one who serves.”
2. He was a father active in serving: Then in John13:1-5 we have the father (Jesus) modeling servanthood as he washes the feet of the children.
If we, as children are to become fathers there are things that we must overcome as did the early disciples of Jesus Christ. Are we, as children willing to overcome insecurity, jealousy, and fear? We must set aside the desire for dominance! To do so, we need a father connection! We need a connection to a spiritual father in the family of God on earth by which we receive a deepening relationship to God, as our heavenly Father.
There are three particular qualities that a father brings to a child: IDENTITY, WORTH, AND AFFIRMATION! From Luke 3:22, note these three essential components: I. Identity of Jesus: “You are my son.” Ii. Worth of Jesus: “Whom I love.” Iii. Affirmation of Jesus: “with you I am well pleased.” The common problem of insecurity, jealousy and fear can all be overcome through our IDENTITY with a father, by knowing our WORTH in the heart of a father, and by receiving AFFIRMATION from our father. Our IDENTITY is as a child of God. Our VALUE is that we are loved by a holy and righteous God. Our AFFIRMATION is because we are in Christ. Eleven of the twelve disciples overcame their insecurity, jealousy and fear, and they became first line fathers of the Church on the Day of Pentecost.
TRANSITIONING FROM A CHILD TO A SON EQUIPPED TO BE A FATHER:
Maturity is required in order to move from being a child to a son to being a father.
1. New Testament believers are described as being children of God by the use of the Greek word “teknon” in John 1:12 niv “Yet to all who received him … he gave the right to become children (teknon) of God.” In Galatians 4:1, 3 we have the use of the Greek word, “nepios,” indicating immaturity in the life of a believer.
2. Galatians 3:26-28 indicates that provisionally, all believers can become sons of God (huios, pronounced hwee-os), but practically believers must, like natural children, pass through a childhood stage en route to becoming mature sons. Galatians 4:1-5. The process of passing from childhood to sonship brings the maturing person to adoption (hwee-oth-es-ee-ah) (Galatians 4:5 KJV). In the NIV Galatians 4:5 states it this way, “that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Note: Adoption is used in human families to describe a means by which a parentless child can become a member of a new family. However, this is not the meaning of “adoption” as used in the English versions of the New Testament. Adoption describes the recognition of a maturing child’s right to receive and manage his inheritance as a mature son. (Note: the word adoption is not used in the Sinhala and Tamil bible translations).
It seems evident from scriptures, that having been born into the family of God, as a child of God (teknon or nepios), we are to develop so that we become mature sons (huios) of God, capable of accepting responsibility, and moving authoritatively as fathers into ministry in the Church, the Body of Christ. In order to move from being a child (teknon/nepios) to becoming a son (huios) who can minister as a father, we need a father connection. We need to be fathered by spiritual fathers on earth by which we receive a deepening connection to God, our heavenly Father.
God arranges various situations in our lives to reveal our immaturity, just as He did in the developing life of Jesus. God never reveals our total immaturity on one occasion, if He did, we would be devastated by an overwhelming sense of discouragement. God chooses to reveal our immaturity in bite sized increments. Furthermore, God chooses to do so at a time when we will have opportunity to do something about the revealed immaturity. There is a principle given in 1Corinthians 10:13, and the principle is this, that when we are faced with temptation, God will make a way of escape. Let’s apply the principle: When we receive a revelation of our immaturity, the temptation will be to refuse the way of escape and continue in our immaturity. Strange as it may seem, our immaturity can become a comfort zone for us. In our immaturity, we act in such a way that people withdraw from us. This withdrawal from us, permits us to continue to live the way we have always lived, in our immaturity!
However, there is a better alternative than to continue in our comfort zone of immaturity! God holds that alternative! Since God chooses the time to reveal our immaturity, He also chooses the coming of a person into our lives to which we can submit, and thereby escape our immaturity. The revelation of our immaturity, and the presence of a person to which we can submit, is God’s provision for us to take a further step of growth into maturity. This is exactly what transpired in the life of the Jesus at 12 years of age. He accepted the revelation of his immaturity, and took the way of escape out of his immaturity by submitting to Mary and Joseph and return to Nazareth.
2 Corinthians 10:12 speaks to a common practice of some who “measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” It is so easy and desirable to measure our immaturity with someone who is less mature than ourselves. But by doing so, we will never be challenged to mature. We will always be able to find someone less mature than we are, so what need is there for us to take another step upward to a higher level of spiritual maturity. Rather than measuring the level of our maturity with the immaturity of others, we should measure the level of our maturity with the plumb line of God’s revealed righteousness.
Obviously, from the life of Jesus, it was not a sin to be immature. But if we refuse to submit to that which God has arranged for our development, we commit a sin of disobedience, and we fail to move on to the next level of maturity. Time does not permit me to exposit 2 Peter 1:3-11, but it is a portion of scripture that underscores the fact that growing from immaturity to maturity occurs in bite sized increments! Based on verse 3 of this scripture, maturity is equated with godliness, glory and virtue. However, many of us are satisfied to receive life, and thus escape hell. We fail to grow into maturity, and while we escape hell, we raise a lot of frustration in the lives of those we connect to in the Body of Christ!The book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew Christian believers that were failing to come to maturity by their faith. Hebrews 4:1-2 sights their problem as a failure to mix the word preached with their personal faith, hence they came short of entering into that which was promised in the word preached. Then in Hebrews 5:10-11 the writer speaks of his desire to teach them about Melchisedec, but he cannot do so. They are dull of hearing, they are immature, they are not able to understand. Then in verse 12 the writer states that they have been believers long enough to have become teachers, but due to their immaturity, they need to be taught again the first principles of the things of God. These Hebrew Christians had received information but failed to mature, either because they lacked the availability of fatherly development, or they failed to respond correctly to the fatherly development that was made available to them. In verse 13 they are addressed as “babes, or infants (nepios).”
Later, in Hebrews 11, he writes about the faith of those who have become mature, and in Hebrews 12:1-2 he speaks of laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, so we can fix our eyes upon Jesus who is the originator and completer of our faith. As we fix our eyes upon Jesus we will follow him into maturity just as he followed his earthly fathers to become a mature son. In Luke 3:22 His heavenly Father said, “You are my son (huios, son, not teknon, child). The Father was releasing his mature son into active ministry. Christ would act responsibly and authoritatively in the earth because he was no longer a child, but a son who would be the manifestation of his Father on earth (2 Corinthians 5:19).
It seems obvious to me that maturity has little to do with age, and more to do with the way we conduct ourselves responsibly and authoritatively. I think it is easier for younger men and women to develop as they become accustomed to having spiritual fathers and mothers speak truth into their lives.
It is more difficult for those of us who are older to continue our development into maturity for we have lived much of our lives independent of receiving truth from a loving authority within the framework of a spiritual family. However, whether it is easy or not so easy, we need to seek for and respond to the fathering process.
The Life of Moses is another example of one who needed to be fathered:
Moses was birthed by his father, Amram and his mother, Jochebed. However he was raised by his mother, sister, and a princess of Egypt. Though Moses had a father, for all practical purposes, Moses was fatherless. We never read of one thing that Amram did for Moses, beyond birthing him!
Let’s follow the story from the scriptures:
Exodus 2:1 when compared with Exodus 6:20 we learn that the man was Amram, and his wife was Jocheded.
Exodus 2:2 Moses was the third child born to them, first Miriam, then Aaron, and finally Moses (Exodus 7:7). Jochebed saw that Moses was a goodly child, so she hid him for three months in view of the kings command (Exodus 1:22).
Exodus 2:3 When Jochebed could hide Moses no longer she devised an alternate plan, the making of an ark of bulrushes daubed with slime and pitch. Then putting Moses in the ark, she put it at the edge of the Nile among the reeds.
Exodus 2:4 Jochebed posted Miriam nearby to watch over Moses.
Exodus 2:5 Pharoah’s daughter and her attendants were walking along the edge of the river, when she saw the basket in the water. She sent one of her attendants to get the basket.
Exodus 2:6 Pharoah’s daughter opened the basket and saw the baby. He was crying, and she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”
Exodus 2:7-9 At that crucial moment, Miriam stepped up and asked the princess, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” The princess answered “Yes, go.” Miriam went and got the baby’s own mother.
An agreement was made between Pharoah’s daughter and Jochebed. So the woman cared for the baby in exchange for wages from the princess.
Exodus 2:10 Some scholars indicate that this care continued until Moses was 12 or 13 years of age. Then Moses was given into the hands of Pharoah’s daughter. At that point in time, Pharoah’s daughter named him, Moses.
Exodus 2:11-14 (Acts 7:23-28) The King James version states “And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel (Acts 7:23). That which came into Moses’ heart was God’s call to become a deliverer to the children of Israel. The intention of Moses that day was to be a deliverer of his people as he withstood the abusive Egyptian, and the Israelite in an unjust conflict with his fellow-Israeli. The word, “visit” used here, does not mean a social call, it means “to look upon another in their need, with the desire to help them.” That is exactly why Moses went down to his brethren according to Exodus 2:11 where it states, “Moses went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens.” However, Moses in his immaturity took things into his own hands to fulfill God’s call, and his attempt ended in failure. Acts 7:22 informs us that “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, so he was mighty in words and in deeds.” Nevertheless information alone left Moses as an undeveloped person. The undeveloped Moses couldn’t bury one Egyptian in the sand, but with development in maturity that came to him later through his relationship with Jethro, God through him eventually buried the whole Egyptian army in the Red Sea.
Exodus 2:15-21; Acts 7:29 Moses failed to achieve that which God had put in his heart, therefore he fled to Midian. There he met Jethro’s family of seven daughters, to whom Moses might have been attracted. However he needed a father more than a wife! We should note that Moses was born to be a pastor, a shepherd! He cared for the seven daughters of Jethro in their moment of crisis because it was in his heart to be a shepherd of people. Verse 21 states that Moses was content to dwell with Jethro. There had been unrest in the heart of Moses because he didn’t have a father, but now he has found a father in Jethro.
Exodus 2:15-25; Acts 7:29 marked the beginning of the second 40 year period of Moses’ life. During this time, Moses gained a father in the person of Jethro (Reuel) in the land of Midian. For Moses, it was 40 years of DEVELOPMENT (formation) on the backside of the desert. It should be noted that Jethro, as a Midianite was a descendant of Abraham through Abraham’s wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4). We have already said that Moses needed a father more than he needed a wife. But having found a father in Jethro, he gave his daughter as a wife for Moses. God was preparing Moses to be a deliverer for his people, the children of Israel.
There were three things that Moses was learning:
1. Moses was learning to serve, by serving Jethro in the care of his flock.
2. Moses was learning to be a father by relating to his father-in-law.
3. Moses was learning about the desert, as he kept the flock of his father-in-law in the very places that he would later lead the children of Israel (Exodus 3:l).
Moses and Jethro were close in relationship - Exodus 18:1-27:
1. Exodus 18:7-8 “So Moses went to meet his father-in-law and bowed down.” This was an expression of the honor that Moses had for Jethro.
2. “and kissed him.” This was an expression of Moses love for Jethro.
3. “They greeted each other and then went into the tent.” This was an expression of mutual friendship in deep intimate conversation.
4. Exodus 18:9-12 Jethro rejoiced in Jehovah upon hearing how God used Moses against the Egyptians. He affirmed his faith in Jehovah and offered sacrifices to Him. They shared mutual blessings because of their relationship.
5. Exodus 18:13-27 God allowed Jethro to continue to speak into Moses’ life as Moses began fathering the nation of Israel. So Jethro, not only spoke into Moses’ life, but through Moses, Jethro impacted the future of the nation of Israel. This is a powerful concept that has application to us who are spiritual fathers in the Church. As a spiritual father I have discovered that as I speak into the life of a pastor of a congregation, God enlarges my place of ministry so that I can bring help to the congregation through the fathering of a pastor or a leadership team of a local congregation.
Fathers are a blessing to their children/sons, but fathers are also blessed by that relationship. Moses had two sons, and the names chosen had significant meanings: Gershom, meant, “I have become an alien in a foreign land” (Midian). Eliezer, meant, “My father’s God was my helper, he saved me from the sword of Pharoah.” By a proper earthly father relationship with Jethro in the foreign land of Midian, Moses came into a deeper relationship with God as his father! Again we see the application of the principle of 1 Corinthians 15:46, “first .. is the natural, afterward that which is spiritual.” First we connect to natural men in a spiritual relationship and that opens the greatest father connection of all, a connection to God our heavenly Father!
3. In Exodus 3:7-10 Jehovah heard the cry of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, and now He must find a deliverer for them. Exodus 3:1-6 Jehovah revealed himself in the burning bush, and Moses, by his response to Jehovah, commenced the third period as a father with a ministry of developing others (TRANSFORMATION). As a father, Moses was able to take a nation of slaves and develop (transform) them into an orderly army of people that, under his spiritually mature son, Joshua, Israel was able to possess the Promised Land.
The 400 Silent Years: Soon we will consider the life and ministry of Jesus. But first, we need to give some final thoughts to the 400 years of silence. During those years the Jewish sects of the Pharisees and the Sadducees were birthed. The Pharisees gave unbending adherence to Mosaic laws. It is thought that they became a distinct sect as a result of reaction against the attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes (215-163 BC) to eliminate the distinctions between the Jews and the Greeks. It was about the same time that the sect of the Sadducees came into existence. The New Testament states that they did not believe in the resurrection (Matthew 22:23), angels, or spirits (Acts 23:8). It is evident that when we lose relationship with God as a father, we tend to develop religious regulations. But religious regulations will never be a satisfying substitute for relationship. Isn't it interesting that the greatest opposition faced by Jesus was from Pharisees and Sadducees. The constant emphasis of Jesus was upon relationship, while these opposing sects focused upon religious regulations. In Matthew 22:23-40 we have the interaction of Jesus with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Jesus' reply to the question about the greatest commandment centered on relationship to God and to man, not on religious regulations.
There were 400 years of silence because there was no prophetic voice. The silence is an evidence of the breakdown of relationship between man and God. It should be noted that man, not God was responsible for the silence. It isn't that God couldn't or wouldn't speak, but rather that His silence was because man was not listening to God. The reason for the silence is illustrated earlier in Israel's history during the time of Eli and Samuel. Sin prevented Eli's sons from hearing God, so God was silent. 1 Samuel 3:1 states, "...In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." But God found a young lad that would 'hear to obey,' so once again God began to speak. The reason God spoke to Samuel that which was spiritual, was that God observed Samuel’s obedience to the natural words of Eli. Elkanah and Hannah raised Samuel to obey. So Samuel obeyed the natural commands of Eli before hearing the voice of God.
Observe the pattern of silence, prayer and a current voice of the Lord: As we consider the history of spiritual revival, whether in the records of the Scripture, or in the records of church history, we discover a pattern:
1. A time of silence, a time when God is not speaking to man prophetically. 2. A time, when mankind, in his desperation, cries out in prayer to God. 3. Then in very small ways, the silence of God is broken, and certain praying individuals begin to hear God, until there are some major breakthroughs in encounters between God and man!
Example in the Old Testament Scriptures:
1. As noted, 1 Samuel 3:1 indicates a time of silence, God is not speaking to man because mankind for the most part is not listening to God.
2. 1 Samuel 1:8-20: In that time, a desperate woman by the name of Hanna cries out to God for the birth of a child in the midst of her own barrenness.
3. 1 Samuel 1:17-18: Hanna’s prayer was heard, and answered by God. 1 Samuel 3:1-21: There was an increased release of the Word of the Lord into Samuel’s life, and through his ministry as a prophet into the nation of Israel.
Example in the New Testament Scriptures:
1. There were four hundred years of silence that extended from the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 until the silence was broken as the coming of Messiah drew near. 2. Luke 2:25-38: It is evident that even though God was silent, both Simeon and Anna were individuals who had given themselves to persevering prayer.
3. Their perseverance in prayer was rewarded in small ways at first, as they heard the still small voice of God in their hearts: Of Simeon it was said: “the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 1:26-38: It was in this same time that Mary experienced an angelic visitation, as well as a revelation that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and that she would become the virgin mother of the child Jesus. First God spoke to Simeon and Anna, then came the voice of God to the nation of Israel, and to the world!
A similar pattern exists today in advance of the Second Coming of Christ:
1. Many places in the world have faced a great spiritual drought. Such spiritual drought is marked by the absence of the prophetic voice of God in the earth.
2. But in the years leading up to 1900, 1948 and 1967 there were those who cried out to God for Divine interventions in the spiritual drought in the world.
3. Then in 1900, 1948, and 1967 there were successive outpourings of the Holy Spirit in powerful ways throughout the world. Each outpouring has been marked with greater and greater impacts upon the population centers of the world. As we have moved into the Twenty-first Century, these outpourings have continued to increase. In this present time, the center of Christianity is shifting from Europe and North America to Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Why? These are the major population centers of the world!
Don Finto in his book, “Your People shall be My People,” shares some amazing statistics concerning the days in which we live. He said, “We are told that over half of the people who have ever lived on the earth since the days of Adam and Eve are alive today. The latest figures indicate that one out of every five of these is a believer---more believers today than in all the years preceding us. Millions of people on every continent are coming to faith---the greatest revival in the history of the world!”
Of China, Don Finto writes: “80 million Chinese are now Christians. Some believe that figure to be 150 million. According to Youth With A Mission’s latest figures, 1,200 Chinese per hour are coming to faith. That’s over 10 million a year. Fifty years ago there were no more than 1 million believers in that vast country.”
Of Africa, Don Finto writes: In 1900 “there were only 3 percent of Africans who called themselves Christian --- today over 50 percent identify with the Christian faith.”
Of South Korea, Don Finto writes: “South Korea was only 1 percent Christian --- but it is now nearing 40 percent.”
Of India, Don Finto writes: “In India there are now 103 million believers, with a new church being birthed every seven minutes among the Hindus.”
Of the Muslims, Don Finto writes: “More Muslims have come to believe in Jesus since 1980 than in all the previous 1,000 years. Statistics from the Lausanne Taskforce on Evangelism state that while Islam continues to grow at a 3.2 percent annual rate, faith in Jesus is increasing worldwide at a rate of 6.9 percent annually.”
Don Finto writes: “This great world movement is not sparked by one mission organization alone; it is the work of the united people of God. The psalmist spoke of blessing that would come when the Lord’s family ‘live together in unity’ (Psalm 133:1). Jesus Himself prayed for unity among believers so that the watching world might believe (John 17:21-23). The promise of the psalmist and the prayer of Jesus is gradually coming to fruition. The awakening of the nations is happening through the united efforts of people from most of the major Christian groups.”
Now, with this understanding of these principles, and their application to the first and second comings of Jesus Christ, we must come back to consider the conditions on earth at the time of his first coming to earth.
What condition did the Lord Jesus find upon the earth at his coming? Jesus Christ came to Judah about 400 years after Judah’s return from Babylonian Captivity. Jeremiah, God’s prophet in Judah at the time of Babylonian captivity, tells about the conditions faced by Judah leading up to, including, and probably following the Babylonian captivity, listen to his words: Lamentations 5:1 “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace.” What was the disgrace in Judah? Jeremiah 2:11-13 They had forsaken Jehovah as their God, the fountain of living water and they had turned to idols, depicted as broken cisterns that could not hold water. They had ceased to know God as their father.
5:2 “Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes (not physical buildings, but families: Daniel and the three Hebrew children etc) to foreigners.
5:3 “We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers like widows.”
5:7 “Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment.”
5:13 “Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood.”
5:14 “The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music.”
5:15-16 “Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned.”
5:17-18 “Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things your eyes grow dim for Mount Zion, which lies desolate with jackals prowling over it.”
5:19-22 “You, O LORD, reign forever, your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? RESTORE US TO YOURSELF, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.”
This is a description of conditions when Jesus Christ began his ministry!
There was a fatherlessness existent among the people of Jesus’ time upon earth.
Alphaeus and Zebedee are the only two fathers named in the Gospels among the twelve disciples. After the record of Matthew 10:2-4, we never read of Alphaeus, except in connection to his son James. We do read of Zebedee, but there is nothing stated that would indicate that Zebedee made any positive impact as a father upon his sons. In my judgment there is a significant statement in Matthew 4:21 concerning James and John: “They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.” The primary statement is that, “James and John were in a boat preparing their nets!” The secondary statement is that, James and John were “with their father Zebedee.” Production, the catching of fish was of greater importance than the relationship of sons to a father! Verse 22 states that “they left the ship and their father to follow Jesus.” The biggest decision was leaving of the ship, not the leaving of their father. Then in Matthew 20:20-24, James and John were discussing their future with Jesus. Their mother was present, but not their father Zebedee! These statements indicate the fatherlessness present in Israel at the first coming of Jesus Christ.
Why did James and John, Peter and Andrew, and others follow Jesus?
1. First it is important to note, that many, if not all of the 12, knew Jesus prior to becoming full time followers of him. John 1-3 is a record of events that took place prior to Matthew 4. In John 3: John the Baptist was still baptizing in water, and in Matthew 4:12, John the Baptist was in prison. So before becoming full time followers of Jesus in Matthew 4:18-22, these had first met Jesus as recorded in John 1 (Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, Nathanael). In John 2, Jesus and his disciples had been invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee where they saw his revealed glory in the miracle performed. It is evident that they followed Jesus for they knew him as a person who was very relational.
2. Secondly, they followed him because of the father-like characteristics exhibited in him. In John 14:8 we have the request of Philip: “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” We have Jesus response in John 14:9 when he said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” There was just that something in him, that they longed for, and it drew them to follow him! The father-like characteristics manifest in Jesus, met the deep longing of their hearts. It has been said: “Whether one is 2 or 92, there is a longing for a father!”
DURING JESUS EARTHLY MINISTRY, HE FORMED AN INTERIM FAMILY as a model for the ultimate FAMILY OF GOD, the Church, the Body of Christ. The development of an interim family was based on a father-child-son relationship that Jesus had with the disciples. This was a fulfilling experience for the disciples. Then one day Jesus told them that he was going away. This was a shock to them, and it probably reminded them of the inadequate relationships that they had experienced with their earthly fathers. In Jesus conversation with his disciples, in John 13:33-38, Peter expressed emotional feelings that were present in himself and probably present in the other disciples as well. Peter’s emotionally filled words sum up the heart cry of men who anticipate becoming orphans again. During this brief transitional time before the departure of Jesus, the disciples manifest feelings of insecurity, competition and fear. In short, they were very TROUBLED as they bore the characteristics of fatherless children!
So Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.” In view of the trouble being faced by the disciples, Jesus was exhorting them to: Believe in God; Believe in me! Wycliffe Bible Commentary states that “believe” is probably used as an imperative in both cases. There is circumstantial evidence for saying this. The fact is that at that moment, the disciples were not believing in God. But in order to successfully survive the trouble that they sensed in their hearts, they must “Believe in God! Believe in Jesus!
John 14:2-4 is generally thought to be about heaven in the words: “In my Father’s house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you,” and about the Second Coming of Christ in the words: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you maybe also.” Now let me assure you that I believe in heaven and in the Second Coming of Christ, but I do not believe that this was the subject of Jesus’ teaching in this passage. Of what, then was he speaking?
JESUS WAS SEEKING TO TRANSITION HIS DISCIPLES FROM THE SMALL INTERIM FAMILY GROUP TO A GREATLY EXPANDED FAMILY OF GOD that would become the Church, the Body of Christ. In John 10:16 Jesus said: “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” Jesus spoke to them during this troubling time in John 14:1 by saying, “Let not your heart be troubled.” Why? In verse 18, Jesus said: “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.” What was Jesus providing so that they would not become fatherless orphans? Jesus was in the process of providing a relationship to the only perfect father, his Father-God. In John 14:2, Jesus states that “in my Father’s family,” (oikia=household, family), not house. House, speaks to us of a physical structure, not of a family relationship. Jesus was presenting the possibility of a family relationship, not a physical structure of a house. The expression, “many mansions” (mone=abode) indicates a physical structure as well, but Jesus is speaking of family relationships. Translating the Greek word, “mone” as mansions is an unfortunate translation. The word, “mone” only appears twice in all the New Testament, once here in John 14:2, and again in John 14:23 where it is translated as “abode.” Simply stated, Jesus was telling them that there was no need to be troubled, Jesus’ Father’s family is very large and there are many abiding places, enough abiding places in the Father’s family for every child of God! (John 10:16).
“I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3.
There are three very important questions to be considered:
1. As Jesus spoke, where was he? He is not describing a physical location. Jesus spoke of a relational location. In John 14:11 Jesus said that he was “in the Father,” that is he was in relationship to the Father. That is what each person needs to avoid being an orphan.
2. Where was Jesus going? Jesus was going to the Cross. By the Cross, Jesus would enable his disciples, and believers of all time, to have a relationship to the heavenly Father, just as he did. In view of the cross, no believer would ever be left as an orphan.
3. What did he mean by saying, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself?” This coming again refers not to the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the age, but to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to his disciples. In John 14:16-20 Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit from the Father. In verse 19 he spoke of seeing them again. In verse 20 he stated that when he comes, they will have a new relationship to him and the Father: “At that day you shall know that I am in the Father and you in me, and I in you.” An intimate, new relationship is revealed in these words, and so their troubled hearts were comforted thereby.
SUMMATIONS concerning fathers/masters/teachers and children/disciples/ students: 1 Corinthians 4:15; 11:1; Ephesians 5:1-2; Philippians 2:19-23; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
The spiritual father: (Paul)
1. There is a marked difference between instructors and fathers: Instructors focus upon the presentation of truth in the text being taught, while fathers focus on the spiritual children to whom they are imparting truth. The Church needs instructors that father, and fathers that instruct!
2. To be a father, one must move from being a child to becoming a mature son.
3. Fathers must be willing to work with the spiritually immature regardless of their physical age. It is not easy to relate to the immature, but it is necessary!
4. Fathers must be willing to have their spiritual children work alongside them:
a) This is time consuming, the child is less experienced than a father and so a child works more slowly.
b) The child is less experienced, so the child works less perfectly than a father.
5. Fathers must direct their spiritual children to serve God with them as fathers.
6. Fathers must affirm the child/developing son as a person while correcting their manner of service when in error.
7. Fathers must first be a model and then be an equipper. Example: A Master Craftsman and a trainee (Luke 6:40).
8. Fathers must release the child to develop as a son: a) A release will be to increased responsibility that provides increased opportunity for the development of a child into a son. b) Finally, fathers must be prepared to release the maturing son into a ministry with full responsibility and authority. c) The release will be according to God’s time and not at a time most convenient to the father.
The spiritual son: (Timothy – Philippians 2:19-23)
1. Children/sons must possess a heart with a desire to do the will of God.
2. Children/sons must be humble enough to receive from a father, both in the impartation and development of character, as well as in the development of ability to do the work of the ministry.
3. Children/sons must mature progressively as they work through the process planned by God to bring them to maturity.
4. Children/sons must be willing to receive correction as a necessary part of the process prepared for their development.
5. Children/sons must be willing to wait for God’s time of progressive and ultimate release in expanded ministry (Psalm 75:6-7).
6. Children/sons, having been placed as mature SONS must accept responsibility for the ministry into which they have been called and released.
7. Children/sons, must exercise authority by faith as they move responsibly to fulfill their ministry (Matthew 8:9-10; Luke 10:19).
8. Children/sons, after being released should continue to honor their spiritual fathers, even when they reach a level of success that exceeds the level of success achieved by their spiritual fathers. (Ephesians 6:2-3).
RELEASING SONS and DAUGHTERS INTO MINISTRY
In this presentation about Releasing into Ministry, my primary focus will be on fathers releasing spiritual sons into ministry! However, it could be fathers or mothers releasing either sons or daughters into ministry. These sons and daughters may or may not be biological children, but they must be spiritual sons and daughters.
As I think of the matter of fathers releasing sons, there are two sets of names that come to me, one from the Old Testament, namely Moses and Joshua, and one from the New Testament, namely Paul and Timothy.
Common things in the relationships of these fathers and sons:
1. These sons walked together with their fathers for a long time. There was no quick fix that these fathers packaged to pass on to their respective sons. In Philippians 2:22 niv: Paul said of Timothy, “But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the gospel.” A study of certain parts of Paul’s missionary journeys in the book of Acts will give you a clear picture of the length of time that Paul and Timothy journeyed together. Of course we know that Moses was accompanied by Joshua for 40 years, before Joshua assumed the lead role in Israel.
2. For a father and son to journey together for such a long time, it is necessary for the father and son to share mutual respect. In Philippians 2:19-23 Paul expresses respect for his son Timothy. Verse 20-21 niv “I have no one like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Christ.” Timothy’s submission to Paul indicates Timothy’s respect for his spiritual father, Paul.
3. For a father and son to journey together for such a long time, the father and the son must have a proper attitude about servanthood.
Philippians 2:22 state, “Timothy has proved himself, as a son with his father he has served with me in the work.” Note: “he has served with me,” not he has served me! The right attitude about servanthood begins with the father, and is imparted to the son. In Romans 1:1, 9 Paul’s position on servanthood is placed above his calling as an apostle.
Note: There is an increased focus upon certain gifts that have been neglected in the practice of the Church. I am delighted at the increase of biblical light that is being released into the Body of Christ! But to put an emphasis upon gifts that overshadows servanthood will result in a revival of ancient Corinthianism where gifts overshadowed love, and of course, love is the motivation of servanthood!
In verse nine, Paul speaks of God, whom he serves with his whole heart by preaching the gospel of His Son. I have been connected with the Church and its’ ministers from as far back as I can remember. I am sorry to tell you that I have met far too many seekers after position and power, and too few that have sought after servanthood! I think this was what Paul was alluding to in 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 kjv when he said: “For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers (that is, you do not have many servant-fathers). Fathers are servants of God who serve sons by equipping them for ministry. Instructors focus upon their study material more than upon their students. It can be a position and a job, not a ministry! Each of the five fold gifts should reside within a person with a father-heart! The heart attitude of Paul as a servant-father was imparted to his son, Timothy. So that Timothy served the Lord with Paul. Of course, such servanthood required submission!
The principles that governed the ministry of Paul and Timothy are the same as those that have become a part of a story from my life and ministry. My wife, Glenna and I were called to pastor a church in the Canadian city of Prince George in November, 1978. In the spring of 1979, our son, Marlo and his wife Trisha joined the pastoral staff of our church. As a father and son, naturally and spiritually we have worked together over 29 years in that same city. Most of that which I have been teaching you during this conference about Paul’s relationship to Timothy, I have experienced in my relationship to Marlo:
1. Marlo and I, like Paul and Timothy, have walked a very long journey together in the ministry. Even though we are very different from each other, we have shared a very wonderful unity in our ministry.
2. Marlo and I, like Paul and Timothy, have a mutual respect for each other. Our gifts and ministries are different, but we respect each others gifts and ministries.
3. I have had a proper understanding of servanthood. God is my Lord, and not the ministry. I do not look for people to serve me, but for people who desire to serve the Lord with me. When two work together as Marlo and I have, there is a spiritual osmosis that takes place. My servant heart has been imparted to Marlo.
Releasing sons into increased levels of Ministry:
In September, 2002 at Westside Family Fellowship, I participated in what I consider to be one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life and ministry.
1. In July, 2002 I had stepped out of the role as senior pastor of Westside Family Fellowship after having planted that congregation in 1982. So I, with the support of our Eldership and Church Congregation, released Marlo, my spiritual and biological son to take up the senior pastor role of Westside Family Fellowship.
2. At the same time I released another young man into a church-planting ministry in a distant city. That young man was also a spiritual son, but not a biological son. I had baptized him in water 20 years earlier, and for 9 years he served on our pastoral staff.
3. On that same morning, I installed another young man as principal of our Christian Day School. I think of him as a spiritual grandson, though not biologically related to me. Marlo was a spiritual father to him, in that when he was a very young boy his father and mother divorced. We were uniting the generations to serve the Lord in our local church.
Divide the Generations, and the Church will suffer defeat, Unite the Generations and the enemy will suffer defeat! The calling to restore generational relationships is much wider than any small group of churches.
An Egyptian born medical doctor was fathered into a spiritual ministry by a National Canadian Church Leader. Dr. David Demian, instead of practicing medicine, is now bringing spiritual and emotional healing to major segments of the Church in many nations through a relational body called, Watchmen for the Nations. He expressed God’s heart about fathers and sons as follows:
“Young visionaries, the “sons,” struggle to communicate with the older established ministries, the “fathers.” Seeing that they are misunderstood, the sons rebel and dishonor the fathers. The fathers, feeling rejected and wounded, abandon and oppose them. The sons, unprotected and uncovered, are attacked and wounded by the enemy. But in Canada, true fathers and mothers are being set in place who long to see the next generation surpass them in anointing, in authority, and in every other way. Under this covering, and by God’s grace, the next generation will reverse the curse in Canada and build a new foundation. God will grant them a spirit of humility and brokenness to walk in accountability with the fathers. The fathers will bless the next generation!”
I am in full agreement with this powerful statement. I am also greatly humbled by the revelation that God desires fathers and sons to work together in spite of the supposed generational gap. God has released this revelation into the Body of Christ over the past couple of decades, yes, and within my own heart and life also! I did nothing to deserve such a revelation, but by the Grace of God, He has allowed me, and enabled me to plant this seed of revelation in our local church as well as in local churches in the regions of our nation where I have opportunity to minister.
Arlo and Glenna Johnson have had opportunities to strengthen sons and daughters in Church Leadership Teams by establishing fatherly relationships:
1. It was in 1994 that I received a call from a pastor about 500 kilometers from our home. The call came because of divisive activity by a self-proclaimed prophet in their church. That was the beginning of a father-son relationship between us and the leadership of that congregation. Together, we have walked through a number of critical conditions that were brought upon that church family.
Over these many years there were several major divisive issues faced by this church, and any one of them would have been sufficient to cripple the ministry of this church in its community. However, through the release of certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, together we have been able to overcome these destructive attacks of the enemy. As a result of such victories, the church has continued to expand as new people have come into the church by conversion and transfer growth.
2. It was in January, 2001 that I received call from an elder and his wife in a church congregation in a small rural village about 300 kilometers from our home. After repeated conversations with this elder and his wife, Glenna and I were invited to participate in a congregational meeting with the view of settling that divisive issue that could have led to a devastating split. That meeting took place on a Saturday evening, and then on Sunday morning, I preached on “Fathering.” As a result of that teaching, we were invited into the home of a young couple in the church. That young man had taken up residence in the community after graduating from Bible College. Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, he suffered disappointment because he was not able to go into pastoral ministry. I learned that, as a child he had been in about ten foster homes. He now needed unconditional love, a sense of his own worth, and the affirmation of a father.
The church had been without a pastor for almost two years, so I was asked to assist them in locating a pastor. Through a series of miraculous events, I was able to put them in contact with a pastor friend of mine, and he went to pastor the church on an interim basis. I told my pastor friend about that young man in the congregation. That pastor became a spiritual father to that young man. It was evident that this young man had not only graduated from Bible College, but he had a call to pastoral ministry on his life. Through a father-son relationship, that young man was renewed spiritually, and his desire to pursue pastoral ministry was restored. By the fall of 2002, that young man became the permanent pastor of that congregation. Now, even though that young man had submitted his keen mind to a good Bible College education, without the father role of my pastor friend, he would not have entered fulltime pastoral ministry. The teachers in the Bible College certainly shared good biblical INFORMATION, but he needed the fathering process for the (FORMATION) development of his character and ability, so vital to any successful ministry. Now that young man, his wife and family are in a place where they have a ministry of TRANSFORMATION in that church and community!
Spiritual Fathers, raise up sons and daughters, walk with them in the kingdom of God, war with them against the kingdom of darkness, work with them in the Church of Christ, and watch God do powerful and impacting things for you and through you as “brethren dwell together in unity!” Fathers releasing sons & daughters into more effective ministry!
Phil Vischer was the creator of Veggie Tales, very popular children’s videos that teach good morals through biblical stories. Most recently he has written about the story of his life and work in a book entitled, “Me, Myself and Bob.” There is no doubt but that he is one of North America’s most gifted filmmakers. On page 252 of his book, he states: “I need to tell you one last story. I’m not quite sure how Walter Elias Disney came to be such a central figure in my life. It may be because the films produced by his studio were the only films targeting kids my age in the years I was deciding to become a filmmaker. It may be due to the profound impact the creativity of Disneyland had on me when I first visited at age eight. That trip from Iowa to California was the last trip my family made together. After that, I traveled with my mom or with my dad, but never again with my family. Part of my fondness for all things Disney came from a deep longing for the innocence and wholeness in Walt’s work. The way things were before we were broken.
I was so quiet and detached in junior high and high school that I didn’t feel I had identity. I loved what Walt was about, I wanted to be good, like Walt was. I wanted to be loved for being good, like Walt was. I had no idea how deep this “Walt longing” had become. A lady friend of my wife, often received mental pictures during prayer. I had never interacted with her and had never confessed to her my deep “Walt longing,” but one day, she sent me an e-mail: “I was praying this morning,” she said, “and God gave me a picture for you as a little boy. You were at Disneyland, and you were looking for your father.” God’s Word is ‘sharper than a two-edged sword,’ and a picture is ‘worth a thousand words.’ This simple picture from God split me right down the middle. Since age nine I had been unsuccessfully looking for my father in one way or another---in youth group leaders, in the older men I’d hired … in Walt? As an adult I would visit Disneyland, though I was amazed at the creativity, I still felt lost. Like a little boy who couldn’t find his dad. Now, in this brief e-mail message, my life had been summed up in one picture---one image from God.
Then one day, while I had carried that image in my head for several months as our Veggie Tales Company was moving toward bankruptcy, another e-mail arrived from the same lady: “I was praying this morning,” she said, “and God gave me another picture.” “You’re a little boy at Disneyland again.” “But now you’re on Jesus’ shoulders. The two of you are walking around Disneyland, and you’re having the time of your life.”
It was a pretty picture, but it didn’t feel true. But maybe someday it would be true---somehow. I still identified with the first picture, the lost boy looking for his father, but there was little identification with “the happy Jesus kid.” Time passed with its disappointments in the bankruptcy, but during that time God began to speak powerfully into my life, and I now knew that God plus nothing was enough! A year passed, and I was invited to speak in Los Angeles area, and I knew I had to visit Disneyland. I knew I had to go to the very center of the park, in front of the castle where there is the bronze statue of Walt and Mickey. Time was up, and as I turned to leave that special place, I thought: Walt would be Walt, and I would not be Walt. And that was, for the first time in my life, fine with me. Phil. That’s who I was. As I strode down Main Street, heading for the parking lot and my new life beyond, it didn’t really feel like I was walking at all. It felt like I was riding---on someone’s shoulders, and I was having the time of my life!
II. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GREAT NEED OF FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS in the Church, there is a second great need, namely the pursuit of Unity within the Body of Christ. A Biblically based unity is key to receiving the God’s Blessing (Psalm 133).
In late November, 2007 I received a phone call from a pastor 800 kilometers from my home, inquiring as to whether I might be able to help him in their local church. As a follow up to our conversation he forwarded to me a well detailed document describing the condition of their local church.
After a cursory reading of the document, I was immediately filled with a sense of despair concerning the future of their local church. In view of my own personal feelings, I just let the information about this church remain in a passive place in my thoughts.
On Sunday morning of December 9, 2007 I was awakened early, and immediately, thoughts of this local church came to me. At that moment I prayed for that church. Then this question came into my thoughts, “What course of action could be taken in that local church that would result in the intervention of God?” Then the Spirit took me in my thoughts to the little community church in Likely, BC. Two days prior to this particular Sunday morning experience I had been speaking with that pastor about the blessings that were being experienced in Likely Chapel. As I thought about Likely Chapel, this question came to me: “What course of action was taken in Likely, BC that propelled that congregation to its present place of growth and blessing?” I thought back to a Saturday night congregational meeting in January, 200l, when, in my introductory remarks, I said: “I understand that there is a divisive issue in this congregation between the charismatic and the non-charismatic elements. I have not come here to persuade you to become charismatic or a non-charismatic; however, I have come here to do everything in my power to bring you, as a Body of believers, into a healthy state of spiritual unity.
Psalm 133 clearly states, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity … for there the Lord commanded His blessing, even life forevermore!”
Immediately, I had the answer to my question concerning the course that needed to be taken in the church whose pastor was seeking my assistance. We needed to pursue the course that would bring the Body of Christ in that location to a new and higher level of unity. Such an increased level of unity would attract the attention of our Father God and He would command His blessing upon this church, and every believer in the area would be greatly enriched by that blessing. We will now wait for the rest of the story to unfold!
As I reflected further on my work with local churches, I have concluded that any success in these churches is relative to the unity of the Body of Christ!
For many years I have been involved in a local church in the small village of Vavenby, about 500 kilometers from my home. For the most of those years, the local leaders have been putting out fires of divisiveness in their local church. Human nature being what it is, we are never totally done with this issue, but we do come to times of increased relative unity. During the last two or three years, Vavenby Christian Church has come to a place of relative unity. Hence, there are those in the community who have come and are coming to faith in Christ, and for this we give thanks to the Lord and His Body of believers there.
Presently, I relate to a small team of church leaders in a city about 400 kilometers from my home. The numbers in this Body of believers is in decline. To some, this seems to be a negative factor. However, there are times in the life of a local church when subtraction, rather than addition is the only option. Allan Redpath, one time pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, USA, told a friend that there was a spiritual revival taking place in Moody Memorial Church. He was asked as to how many additions were being made to the congregation. With surprise, Allan Redpath said, “Additions? Blessed subtractions !” Why this response? A local church must come into unity in order to grow. A church will only grow because of the blessing of the Lord, and the path to such blessing requires unity!
I am confident concerning the future of this local church because its’ pastor has a strong vision for the unity of the Church in his city. As a pastor he is reaching out to other believers so as to strengthen the overall Body of Christ in his city. His effort to reach out to these believers is not for the sake of the growth of his local church, but for the purpose of bringing healing to the larger Body of Christ. Why am I so sure that pursuing the unity of the Church in a given region is the cutting edge in the work of the Church today? Let me point out two very obvious reasons:
1. The last ministry of Jesus upon earth, prior to His death upon the Cross, was to pray for the unity of all believers, present and future! Hear the words of Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21, “That they all may be one … that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Obviously, this prayer was offered by the world’s only perfect man! Obviously He prayed according to the will of God! 1 John 5:14-15 states “… if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” According to the Word of God, the prayer, Jesus prayed in John 17, will be answered!
2. One of the most familiar end time prophecies is recorded in Ezekiel 37. This prophecy states that God will bring back the Israeli nation from among the nations of the world. This aspect of the prophecy is being fulfilled. However, I would point out that there is a secondary significance to this passage that centers in unity. The prophet came into a valley of dry bones, and viewed it as a place of death. The Lord posed a question to Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?" (37:3). “Did those dry bones ever come to life?” In Ezekiel 37:10, states, “So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding GREAT ARMY.” The answer is a resounding, YES! But how did they come to life? They came to life through a sequence of events. In the verses of Ezekiel 37:5-9 two things occur: 1. The bones, tendons, flesh, and skin come together in a proper order, and
2. The breath of the Lord came into this unified body composed of bones, tendons, flesh and skin, resulting in the rising of a great army. This sounds like Psalm 133 to me!
In view of the prayer of our Lord Jesus in John 17 and the end time prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37), “unity of the faith” will come to the Body of Christ! So, I believe that as the leadership of the Church, and the leaders of any local church takes the course that leads toward unity, God will release His blessing upon that Body of believers!
III. In Conjunction with the need for fathering, and the need for unity, the third great need in the Church is for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the Body of Christ just as God Anointed Jesus for His Ministry upon earth (John 14:12).
Acts 10:36-38 presents the model of Jesus life and ministry in that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, so that he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. But now, the Church has been anointed by God so that this corporate Body can go about doing good, healing all that are being oppressed by the devil (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). The two words, Christ [Christos pronounced Khris-tos] and anointed [Chrio pronounced Khree-o], is used to describe the earthly ministry of Jesus, but the words are also used to describe the earthly ministry of the Church. The Greek words, Christ and anointed are respectively, a noun and a verb. Jesus was anointed by God, the Father with the Holy Spirit, and with that anointing, he became Christ [the Anointed One]. It is interesting that following the ascension of Jesus, “the disciples were called Christians [christianos] (Acts 11:26c). The “ian” was added to names like General Galba or to Emperor Caesar to indicate that they were either “soldiers of,” or “slaves of” these individuals [New Bible Dictionary]. Now when we apply this to Christ, it means that we are both “soldiers of” and “slaves of” Christ. Or we might say that we are “soldiers and slaves of” the Holy Spirit anointing! The “ian” was not added to Jesus, it was added to Christ! In the strictest sense of the word, we need to understand the significance of each word in the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST: Lord refers to His deity; Jesus refers to His humanity; and Christ refers to His anointing! Based on Romans 10:9-10 we are saved when we believe and confess the Lordship of Jesus! In the strictest sense of the word, we do not receive a physical Jesus into our lives, we receive the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9-10). See also Colossians 1:27; 3:1-4. The Church is called the Body of Christ, not the body of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27). If we used the term, “body of Jesus,” we think of the physical body in which he lived while he was upon the earth, and when we use the term, “body of Christ,” we think of the Church, composed of the spiritual body of believers.
According to 1 Corinthians 12 the Body of Christ is composed of many individual believers with different spiritual gifts to function as ones called to serve the Lord while on earth, thus bringing glory to God as we bring salvation to the people of our world. According to 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, different gifts function in each member of the Body of Christ by the enablement of the Spirit.
In the 1 Corinthians 11:29 there is a phrase, “discerning the Lord’s Body (KJV),” or “recognizing the Body of the Lord (NIV).” There are different thoughts as to what this phrase might mean. Some have thought that it refers to the body of Jesus that was broken for us by means of his death on the Cross. Still others think that it refers to the Church, the Body of Christ with its’ individual believers gifted by the Spirit. I think that there is merit in each concept, however, I particularly like the latter thought. I think that I need to receive ministry from a number of believers with different gifts of the Spirit operating in their lives, such as a gift of wisdom, or a gift of healing etc. However, if I do not discern, or recognize the individual members with these different gifts, I will not receive the benefit of their gifts, so I may be weak, or sick, and eventually die.
I also think that I can take this concept one step further by praying for a release of the Spirit’s anointing in the lives of different members so that there will be a manifestation of the Spirit in whatever gift may be needed. In our local church family, I have become aware of particular individuals that have an anointing that results in the healing of the sick as they pray for the sick. First, I encourage them to pray for individuals that are sick, and as they do so, I pray for a release of the anointing of the Spirit for the healing of the persons for whom they are praying. One of the gifts of the Spirit that is frequently manifested in my ministry is the gift of wisdom pertaining to God’s government in a local church. It is very important to me that believers pray for the release of this anointing in me so that others might experience the beneficial function of this gift through me. A church leader, in another country, whom I have never met, phoned me while I was in the midst of preparing this present set of notes. He described a moral failure that was in process in the lives of some individuals with whom he was working. As I spoke into that situation, he responded several times with these words, “That’s wisdom.” Yes, that was wisdom, but it was not my wisdom, it was the wisdom of the Spirit manifesting in my life for the benefit of that leader and the lives to which he was ministering. God grant that we might see the value of the Body of Christ working together for the benefit of the Church and the world of unbelievers!
Maintaining health in the Body of Christ:
There is a lot of hurt that has been inflicted upon the Church, Body of Christ. Some of that hurt has undoubtedly come from Satanic attacks upon individual believers. However, hurts that come initially from our enemy have been maintained by the passivity of fellow members of the Body of Christ. It is necessary for us as members of the Body of Christ to become proactive by seeking to restore those members that have fallen victim to our common enemy. Fear or faith, one or the other will rule our lives! If we will step out expecting to be able to do that which we know we cannot do, God will have some wonderful surprises in store for us! I am sure that there was an element of surprise that came to Peter as he stepped out of the boat on to the water! When we reach out to someone who has come under the attack of our common enemy, Satan, we will discover that God will give us insights that are totally beyond our comprehension! So why don’t you prepare yourself to discover the limitless ability of God as it will be released in your life as you step out in obedience to the Lord.
There is a tendency in the church to further attack a believer who has come under the successful attack of our spiritual enemy, Satan. This may be done in several ways, let me suggest just three:
1. Upon hearing of their fall, we often stay a way from them, and they become further isolated from those who could help them. We do this, because we are not sure what we should do or say to such a person.
2. Upon hearing of their fall, we tell our friends about that which we have heard about such a person. Regrettably, we may even share the information about the fall of the brother as a prayer request.
3. We excuse ourselves from taking any positive action in seeking to assist the person encountering the fall, by thinking that there are others closer to them, and others must be doing something about the matter.
These passages of scripture provide guide lines by which we can reach out to those who have come under the attack of our common enemy, Satan. Study these passages carefully, and prayerfully, and I am sure that the Lord will guide you to minister to individuals who have been wounded. These wounded individuals need to be loved by being accepted and corrected, so that they can experience the healing of the Lord in their lives!
Matthew 18:15-17 “To trespass is to miss the mark, especially morally, to sin.”
Galatians 6:1-3 Fault, a slip unintentional or willful, an error, a transgression.
- Ye (plural, that is “all of you”), this is a matter for local church leaders.
- Spiritual.. I Corinthians 13:1-7 Love is the mark of spirituality.
- Restore.. to repair or adjust as in the case of a broken bone.
- If we will do what we can do, God will do that we cannot do.
- To perfect, that is to join perfectly together.
- Spirit of meekness/gentleness and humility.
- Verse 2 Life relationships with the Birth of Christ.
- Ephesians 4:11-12 “perfecting/completing/furnishing/equipping. “
May I encourage you to allow God to release a gift of faith in your life as you study the instruction given to us in Matthew 18:15-17 and Galatians 6:1-3 for the spiritual restoration of fallen brothers in the Church.
In conclusion, it is my prayer that these teachings might become a tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit to enable each of you to do the will of God in your life and ministry with renewed blessing and strength.
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