This article came to me today at just the right time. I was just thinking yesterday of how many of us would say that it is in our hearts to be spiritual mothers and fathers- instead of just a teacher or evangelist or soul winner, etc....As for me, I love being a mother, but also long to be a spiritual mother to many if the Lord allows. To help grow believers into fuller maturity- to encourage them farther down that narrow path (and make sure they stay on it :)Thank you Jesus for this timely article to explain what i was feeling in my heart. :)CONTRAST BETWEEN 'A TRUE SPIRITUAL FATHER' AND 'A TEACHER'Zac Poonen Paul said that even if there were countless teachers,there were not many fathers, in his time (1 Cor.4:15).This is true even today. Every servant of God muststrive to have the spirit of a father towards the brothersand sisters in the church. It is easy to BECOME afather, but it is difficult to BE a father. A man canproduce ten children without any difficulty. But to bringup those children to mature manhood is quite anothermatter. It is the same in the church. To bring people tothe new birth is relatively easy. But to present themperfect in Christ to the Father is far more difficult. Ourambition should not be to have a large church but apure one. It is no use having many people in ourchurch, if they are not growing up to maturity andperfection.Paul told the Corinthians, as a spiritual father, "I do notwrite these things to shame you" (1 Cor.4:14).Teachers seek to humiliate their failing students andput them to shame publicly. But fathers are different.They cover every sin that their stumbling childrencommit, and continuously encourage them to a higherlife. It is far easier to be a teacher in an assembly thana father, for it costs a great deal of self-denial to carrythe burdens of others on our hearts. Teachers cannever build a family. They can only build classes. Andmany churches are schools, and not homes. Only afather can build a home and a family. If our church isnot like a family, what is the reason? It must be that weare teachers and not fathers. Do we look at thebrothers and sisters in the church as students whoneed to be taught? Then we have the wrong spirit. Ifwe are fathers, we will look at them as those who haveto be borne with, and supported in a loving, caring andunderstanding way. It is good for us to judgeourselves and see what we really are - fathers orteachers. It is no use blaming the brothers and sistersin the church saying that they are all carnal. Let usjudge ourselves first. A true spiritual father will notseek his own gain in anything, but always the welfareand the good of his spiritual children. Paul says in 2Cor 12:14,15 , "I will not be a burden to you. I do notseek what is yours but you. Children are notresponsible to save up for their parents, but parentsfor their children. I will most gladly spend and beexpended for your souls". Those are the words of atrue father. It cost Paul everything to be a father. Heconsidered all that he had gained in life as rubbishcompared to gaining Christ. He also considered itworth sacrificing everything in order to be a father tothose whom he had brought to Christ. A teacher worksfor pay. He does not seek the good of the studentsprimarily, but his own gain. The gain we expect maynot be money, but honour. Do we want to be respectedand recognised as servants of God by others? Thenwe are seeking a salary - of honour - from them. Thenwe are teachers, not fathers. Fathers expect nothing inreturn for all that they do for their children. Paul did notexpect respect or even submission from others. Heonly sought their spiritual growth.How does a father care for his children? In a poorhome, the father and mother will not even eat, if thereis not enough food for the children. They will gladlydeny themselves, and they will not even let theirchildren know that they have not eaten, lest the childrenfeel bad about it. A father hides his self denial from hischildren. Do we have such a spirit - that denies itselffor the good of the brothers and sisters, and will noteven let them know about it. Another characteristic of afather is that he is eager to see his children advancebeyond him in life - in education and in every other way.There are many fathers who have never studiedbeyond high school, who sacrifice so much to give acollege-education to their children. They are happy todeny themselves the comforts of life for this purposeand they are delighted when their children graduate.No father is ever jealous to see his son advancebeyond his status or his educational level in life. Thatis how a true servant of God will be too. He will bedelighted when younger brothers are wholeheartedand get revelation from the Scriptures and are used bythe Lord to be a blessing to others. He will sincerelylong that they should advance beyond him spiritually,and be more useful in the Lord's hands than he hasever been. When we see younger brothers growing upin the church, without any folly being manifested in theirlives, because of good leadership that protects them,we should rejoice that they can have such a blessingas we never had when we were young. There will notbe even a shade of jealousy in us, if we are fathers. Onthe contrary, we will be delighted. We will rejoice that itis going well with them. Only fathers can build the truechurch - the New Jerusalem. We may understand andproclaim all the truths of the new covenant, and yet ifwe do this with the spirit of a teacher we will still buildBabylon. A teacher is very conscious of all the labourthat he has invested in his students. He thinks of thehonour he will receive if his students do well. He isalways thinking of what he will gain, even when hisstudents do well. A father however is quite different. Hedesires only the welfare of his children. He desiresnothing for himself. A teacher will criticise his students.A father however will encourage his children. If wekeep on criticizing the brothers and sisters, we willaccomplish little, even if everything we say is true. Afather will accomplish much more by encouraging hischildren. Only a father can continue to be kind toungrateful and evil children. A teacher will give up onungrateful students very quickly.
