The Spiritual Family

18. Becoming Spiritual Parents

Spiritual father* is a leader who is deeply committed to the Lord and to his spiritual family, who provides love, nurture, care, sound biblical instructions and, if necessary, correction. In the natural family parents give birth to the children and care for them. Spiritual father is reproducing life of God in others by bringing newborn children into the kingdom and caring for them while they grow in the Lord. He sows and waters the seed of the word. Certain level of maturity and wisdom characterizes his personal life. He enables and equips the members of the spiritual family to live victoriously and to minister to one another.

In order to become a spiritual father you have to be a servant to the group and a disciplemaker. You need to be manifesting the Fruit of the spirit (see Gal.5:22) in your life. We are aware that not all the groups will decide to become a spiritual family. You as the leader have to know the right time when you and your people are ready for this.

Spiritual fathers are much needed in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, " For although you may have ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, remember that you have only me as your father. For I was the one who brought you to Christ when I preached the Gospel to you. " (1Cor. 4:15, Living Bible) Paul started the church, so he could be trusted to have it's best interests in mind. When you start the group, you will be trusted by the members to become a spiritual father to them.

When your group starts becoming a spiritual family, than your spiritual authority will increase. You will start assuming more responsibility for those members of the group who are less mature than you in the Lord (even if they are older than you in the natural). You'll start loving them and caring for them, as a godly, compassionate father would in the natural family. A spiritual father is not a title but a responsibility.

We can learn about spiritual fathers in 1 John12-14. The believers who experienced only forgiveness of their sins through Jesus are addressed as "little children". The "young men" are more mature. They had struggles with Satan's temptations and had won. The "young men" are spiritually strong; the Word of God is the final authority is their lives. The "fathers" are those "who have known Him who is from the beginning." In 1 Jn. 1:1 we see that the one "Who was from the beginning " is Christ Himself, the Word of life. The word "have known" is a Greek word "ginosko" that means to know, recognize, realize and understand. Such knowledge is received not by mere intellectual activity, but by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. This Greek word also means union as between man and woman. To summarize it we can say that the "fathers" are those believers, who have a deep and intimate revelation of Christ as the Word of life. Because of that they are able to impart (to breathe in) the life of God into others.

*Any time we mention "father" we also mean "mother" if a leader is female and "father and mother " is it's a couple.

Spiritual fathers are those who have a revelation of Christ
as the Word of life. They reproduce the life of God in others.

1. In I Jn.2:12-14 Who are the children? Who are the young men? Who are the fathers? What category would you place yourself into?

2. Is it OK for anybody in the group to call you "father"? (Matt.23:8-12)

Chapters:
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