SPIRITUAL FATHERS AND THEIR ROLES IN OUR LIVES
WHO IS A SPIRITUAL FATHER;
A spiritual father is someone that teach, encourage and nurture you till the best come out of you, someone who brought u to Christ, a man who is matured more than you are, a man you look up to spiritually, a man that u like his way of life, and his life is worth of emulation.
The matter of spiritual fatherhood is one of the most powerful truths in the Bible. It can be a source of great blessing if done properly by the Spirit of God.
However, if done in the flesh, it can be one of the most damaging doctrines taught in the Church.
The term SPIRITUAL FATHER is grounded in scripture. Paul referred to both Timothy and Titus as his "spiritual" sons (2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4). He also spoke in the spiritual sense of having fathers in the faith (1 Corinthians 4:15, Philippians 2:19-22).
The role of a spiritual father is TO RAISE UP A SON SPIRITUALLY. A father will NURTURE and PROTECT a son. The spiritual father will POUR OUT knowledge, understanding, wisdom, counsel, and blessing to the son. A father's primary goal is TO MAKE THE SON SUCCESSFUL IN KNOWING THE LORD, and FULFILLING THE CALL OF GOD ON THE SON'S LIFE.
A Spiritual father would always ENJOY SPENDING TIME with his son not out of obligation, but because they are truly FAMILY. Fathers who are CONTROLLING are not fit to be spiritual fathers.
It is always important for us to look to Jesus as our example of how to do things. Jesus is the PERFECT EXAMPLE of a spiritual father. He even calls Himself a Father (Heb. 2:13). Jesus called to Himself those sons who God ordained for Him, and appointed them to be with Him (Mark 3:13-15). He gave His spiritual sons ACCESS to Him everyday. His sons didn't have to go through his secretary in order to schedule a time to talk to Him. They had DIRECT access to Him whenever they wanted, as true family does.
His sons never felt like they were bothering Him with questions because they actually had a perpetually open door to communicate with Him.
It is so unfortunate that some leaders who claim to be spiritual fathers do not respond to simple SMS, emails or phone calls for days or weeks (now I know I am sitting on this table and I am repenting immediately. This can be very damaging to a spiritual son, and Jesus understood this. Jesus cared about His sons and spent time with them.
ANY "FATHER" WHO DOES NOT SPEND TIME WITH HIS SONS, IS NOT A REAL SPIRITUAL FATHER.
Many desire to call themselves fathers, but there are very few that actually are fathers.
Jesus cared greatly about the SPIRITUAL NEEDS of His sons. He INVESTED time into them so they would be successful. He gave them wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and He TAUGHT THEM ABOUT GOD.
HE DEMONSTRATED TO HIS SONS HOW TO DO MINISTRY.
He TRAINED them, and then He RAISED them up and EMPOWERED them. Then He GAVE them power and authority to do ministry, and His PLATFORM to preach (Luke 9:1-6).
TRUE SPIRITUAL FATHERS EMPOWER THEIR SONS AND GIVE THEM THEIR PLATFORM.
False spiritual fathers rarely, if ever, share their platform. If they do, it's always controlled. They may require a "son" to give them a detailed account of the message before they are allowed to preach it.
The WANT-TO-BE spiritual father may tell the son what to preach, instead of allowing the son to hear from the Lord and preach whatever the Lord desires. When Jesus sent His sons out, He did not tell them what to preach. He simply said, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 10:7 NKJV).
FALSE SPIRITUAL FATHERS MAY ALLOW A SON TO TAKE THEIR PLATFORM ON A RARE OCCASION, BUT THEY WILL NEVER FULLY GIVE THEIR SONS AN INHERITANCE.
They do this more out of obligation than of genuine love and wanting their sons to succeed.
Jesus BELIEVED in the ones who no one else believed in. He TOOK the ones who didn't make the cut for formal ministry training, and TRANSFORMED them into some of the greatest ministers in history. A true father believes in his sons, and gets the best out of them. He gets the best out of them because he TREATS them the best. One of Jesus' main priorities was not building His own ministry, but BUILDING OTHERS. He worked diligently to see the LIFE OF GOD established in others. This could only be done out of a DEEP and INTIMATE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.
ANY FATHER THAT IS UNWILLING TO SPEND TIME WITH HIS SONS LIKE JESUS DID, IS NOT A FATHER AT ALL.
Fathers who don't put forth the effort to spend time with their sons are nothing more than fakes, who simply desire the title of father like the Pharisees did (Matthew 23:1-12). Jesus clearly warns us in the Scripture not to call leaders by the "title" of father, who simply desire to be titled as a form of honour before men.
Jesus RELEASED His sons into ministry even though they were not fully MATURE, as they were still arguing over who was the greatest.
CHARACTER AND CHRIST-LIKENESS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, AND NECESSARY FOR HEALTHY MINISTRY.
A certain level of maturity must be attained before a son is ready for ministry. However, Jesus understood that IF ONE HAD TO BE PERFECT TO BE IN MINISTRY, THEN NO ONE WOULD BE IN MINISTRY. He knew that this group of sons would abide in God until they attained to spiritual maturity, and therefore He TRUSTED them with ministry.
Controlling leaders can never trust sons with ministry. These fathers will always overlook their own faults and see clearly the faults of their sons. They will justify that their spiritual sons are not ready for ministry. Of course if these fathers have a son in the natural, that son will be ready for ministry in their eyes (even if he really isn't). This is because FALSE SPIRITUAL FATHERS DO THINGS ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, RATHER THAN THE SPIRIT.
Jesus treated His sons as though they were more mature than they really were, and by doing this; He brought them into greater LEVELS OF MATURITY.
They matured rapidly because He treated them with RESPECT and trusted them. Controlling or false spiritual fathers do not have the ability to treat their sons as though they are mature. These "fathers" talk down to their sons and make them feel low and insignificant. Sons can never get it right in their eyes.
False fathers do not have the capacity to treat their sons with much respect. They do however require the son to honour them and treat them with respect. They don't know how to be a father, because they don't know how to be a son.
Elijah had a spiritual son and his name was Elisha. This relationship was ORDAINED BY GOD. If Elijah would have spoken to someone else and gotten a different person to become be his spiritual son; Elijah would have drifted off into the flesh. The Lord had a specific son for Elijah, and that relationship was of the Spirit of God. The same was true for Jesus, Paul, and Peter. Not any son could have had Peter for a spiritual father, but only those sons who the Lord ordained. The spiritual father and sonship revelation must be done BY THE SPIRIT. If not, it will continue to hurt and crush believers in the Church.
ONLY THE LORD CAN PLACE A SPIRITUAL FATHER AND A SON TOGETHER.
It must not be done by our will or our desire, so that we do not get off into the flesh. It is the Lord Himself who will make it happen in His timing and in His way. When it happens it will feel peaceful and natural. It will not be forced, because it will be from Him.
I think it is rather a wrong teaching to have a whole congregation taught that their pastor or leader is their spiritual father/mother.
The truth is, How could the leaders know for sure that they are CALLED of God to be spiritual fathers to every single person in the congregation?
Or don't you know that it could be that some believers in a congregation are only called by God to be in that congregation for a certain period of TIME, and after that SEASON is COMPLETE; the Lord moves them to another congregation where they meet their God-appointed spiritual father and mother.
NOBODY SHOULD ASSUME THAT THEY KNOW THE WILL OF THE LORD FOR A WHOLE CONGREGATION OF PEOPLE.
Even Jesus who is our model for being a spiritual father could only effectively father a limited number of sons. We must protect believers in the Church as Jesus would.
The apostle Paul indicates to the Church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, that because they CAME TO THE LORD THROUGH HIS MINISTRY; they were (in a general sense) children to him THROUGH THE GOSPEL.
THEY WERE BORN AGAIN THROUGH HIS MINISTRY, SO IN A WAY, HE WAS A FATHER TO THEM.
However, Paul says of Timothy that he is a "BELOVED SON."
So there is a difference between being a father to someone in the gospel (in a general sense as some pastors may be to certain congregations), and walking in a true father/son relationship as Timothy and Paul did.
Some pastors may only be one of the ten thousand instructors which Paul refers to in this passage. The Lord does things differently with different people in different locations and in different congregations.
WE MUST FOLLOW THE GUIDING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IF WE DESIRE TO STAY OUT OF ERROR. COPYING OTHER MINISTRIES OR MINISTERS CAN LEAD TO DISASTER. WE NEED THE SPIRIT.
However, there is another area we should take note of and it is the area of some believers not having fathers.
See ehn, our God and His dealing with individuals is dynamic and we have to just find out how He operates with us.
The Lord may assign a believer a spiritual father, or He may not. This is His choice, and we must abide in His will. If we choose our own will, SPIRITUAL MESSES will be the result.
ELIJAH DID NOT HAVE A SPIRITUAL FATHER; RATHER THE LORD WAS HIS FATHER.
If the Lord chooses this for any of us, then He will be completely sufficient. He can do whatever He desires, and He may have a reason for not giving us a spiritual father.
We should never try and force believers or ministers to have a spiritual father and mother. This is not a rigid doctrine, but a life-based relationship given by the Lord. If the Lord does choose to put two people together in a father/son relationship; it will be BY HIS SPIRIT.
The Lord will speak to both people about the relationship, and His peace will be there to confirm it. Again, NOT EVERYONE WILL OR MUST HAVE A SPIRITUAL FATHER.```
Conclusively, if done properly, the father/son relationship can be extremely rich, whole, and spiritually beneficial. If done in the flesh, it can destroy lives; for it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63).
We must be extremely careful as we progress in this revelation. We must grab a hold of the GRACE OF GOD and only move forward in Him. True fathers and sons bless one another abundantly. They serve one another, respect one another, and love one another.
Real fathers and sons want the other to be fully successful in whatever the Lord has called them to. THEY GIVE TO EACH OTHER so that they can both prosper. They come TOGETHER in unity because they realize that it is not about their own PERSONAL KINGDOMS, it's about their HEAVENLY FATHER'S KINGDOM.
True fathers and sons are about THEIR FATHER'S BUSINESS. When fathers and sons are walking together in TRUTH, FREEDOM, and WHOLENESS; it truly is a manifestation of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
You can have more than a spiritual father because a man may not have all what you want in which another may have.
But we have to seek God face so as not to be misguided
Question; Is there an age attainment before you can father, mother, mentor a person?
Answer; No, no age limit
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