Benefiting from spiritual Fathers - Jonas Clark Apostles are spiritual fathers. You need a spiritual father in your life. Apostolic ministries have apostolic fathers. I came from a generation of preachers who grew up in ministry without the benefit of spiritual fathers. Like thousands of others we had to get whatever we could through books, audios, videos, seminars, conferences and brief meetings with men of God hurried off platforms and away from the people. I have wondered how much more effective I might have become if someone would have taken a personal interest in the call of God on my life. As the apostolic church moves forward we can expect the heart of spiritual fathers to be restored toward the sons of God. One cannot be an apostle who doesn’t have the heart of a spiritual father. Let’s look at the Apostle Paul as an example. Paul had a vested interest in the success of his spiritual son Timothy. You can hear the heart of the father when Paul says to Timothy,“For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ you do not have many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Today fathers are abandoning their wives, children and responsibilities. This is a reflection of the spiritual condition of our world as we note the same pattern of abandonment taking place in ministry. Over 1500 pastors quit the ministry each month and thousands more leave churches without cause. Pastors are leaving because the ministry is tough and a lack of understanding the roles of fivefold ascension gifts leads to abuse. If you don’t understand the role of your leader then you can abuse that leader. Some leaders protect themselves by becoming insensitive. Callousness, however, can damage the work of ministry. In the past some ministry gifts would not take time to raise spiritual sons or daughters. Some even went out of their way not to make a way for any spiritual kinship at all and focused on building their own ministries instead. Some sons and daughters only want blessing, not correction and guidance by loving apostolic fathers. The result for many of God’s leaders has been to follow the path of least resistance by concentrating on their own ministries and avoiding further aggravation. It takes more time to raise a spiritual son or daughter than it does to convert a sinner. The cry of the Spirit is the return of apostolic fathers toward the sons and daughters and sons and daughters toward fathers. For decades, we have been missing the spirit of the father in our churches and homes. Our society is a mirror of the spiritual condition of our nation. A lack of fathers in the home is the main social problem facing America says 72.2 % of those polled. In 2006 there were 12.9 million one parent families in the United States, 10.4 million single mother families and 2.5 million single father families. Just over 67 percent of the nation’s 73.7 million children younger than 18 lived with two married parents. The results are grimly revealing. Children of single parent homes are: 5 times more likely to commit suicide. 32 times more likely to run away. 14 times more likely to commit rape. 9 times more likely to drop out of high school. 20 times more likely to end up in prison. The outcome of a lack of both parents in the home is lawlessness. The family is under attack but hope is on the way. God spoke of the turning spirit of Elijah returning to His Church in the last days. “And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). Times are changing. The Holy Spirit is challenging hearts and reversing them from self-centeredness to helping others. Millions of children have been raised in single parent homes, mostly by good mothers doing the best they could. The role of mothers, however, is different from fathers. Take little Johnny, for example, that was told not to play baseball in his friends’ backyard. He disobeys and breaks the neighbor’s glass window. Who do you think he runs home to tell, his mother or father? Most likely he ran to mommy. That’s because the role of mothers is different from fathers. Mother’s nurture and comfort but fathers set rules and boundaries for behavior. Fathers also discipline and correct. Little Johnny’s mother probably offered him hugs and plenty of love. I’m sure she told him that everything was going to be all right. But when dad came home little Johnny had to face the consequences of his rebellion, go to the neighbors house, repent and arrange to have the window repaired. Spiritual fathers do not replace natural fathers. Don’t expect them to take you on fishing trips or out to ball games. They are spiritual fathers. Spiritual fathers are mentors that offer wise and trusted counsel designed to get you to think.4 Submission to their oversight is biblical, voluntary and comes through relationship. It also affords you spiritual covering and accountability. A mentor offers instruction, advice, guidance and counsel. A spiritual father also corrects. Don’t expect a true spiritual father to ignore your mistakes and personality malfunctions. Correction is designed to help you grow both spiritually and emotionally. Spiritual fathers do not replace your relationship with God. They point you toward dependency on the Lord and away from themselves. It is Jesus that is the author and finisher of your faith.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 14:41:12 +0000
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