Spiritual Fathers

There are true spiritual fathers among us. There are also those who want the honor of being a father but do not want to pay the price of loving and serving people to be a father. A spiritual father is mature, loving and seeks to raise up a generation in Christ who become more than he or she was. “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. ” (1 Corinthians 4:15–17, NIV84)

A father preaches the Gospel with their lives. They not only talk about the Word of God, but they are the living message and a source of life for those who receive the Word.

A father must first be a son, before being a father. A father never stops being a son. A son is accountable, obedient and submissive. A son has learned humility, meekness, surrender and to value the fathers agenda over his or her own.

A spiritual father will teach the heart of God. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4, NIV) A spiritual father has the heart of God and will care for the wandering ones. “”What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:12-14, NIV)

A spiritual father wants to bless spiritual children. “When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”” (Genesis 48:8-9, NIV) A spiritual father has compassion and love. “I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you.” (2 Corinthians 7:3, NIV)

I watch around me people who want to be considered leaders. They want people to listen to them. They want people to follow them, However their hearts are wrong. They themselves do not submit to a spiritual father and they are independent and self willed and self appointed fathers. They want to be a Christian leader, but they have no love for the people they lead. They love people as long as people agree with them. When a disagreement arises, the false leaders banish the children from the home.

True spiritual fathers walk in love as well as in authority. True spiritual fathers live the Word that they speak. And it is that life that sons and daughters come and also find life.

Look again at what a true father in the faith is. “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?” (1 Corinthians 4:14-21, NIV)

From this verse we learn that true spiritual fathers warn children, consider children dear, become fathers through the Gospel (they preach the Gospel with their life), send children, and love children. True fathers in faith have a life that matches with their words and their teaching. They live with consistency and integrity. True fathers discipline, correct and encourage.