Mentorship And Spiritual Fatherhood - 100 Days Of Discipleship - Day 83 by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

God's Method: Mentorship and Continuity

God's method for helping us experience spiritual maturity is to send us teachers. Paul said, Philippians 1:25 — "Convinced of this, I know that I will abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith." He didn't expect everyone to find God individually. In the Christian journey, there will always be people who know more than us and people we know more than. As much as we are learning, we should also be discipling others. Paul says he will continue with you for your furtherance and joy of faith — some people step into your life and your life will never remain the same.

The Misunderstood Text — "Call No Man Father"

There is a text that has been often misunderstood: Matthew 23:9, where Jesus said, "Call no man father." People use this to argue that it is wrong to call anyone your spiritual father.

The first thing to establish is this: the biblical order is that you need a pastor — someone who can encourage you in the Lord and continue with you for your furtherance and joy of faith.

There are people who take these things to the extreme, but that does not take away God's plan in this regard.

Now, a simple rule of Bible interpretation: you move from what is known to what is unknown. Could Matthew 23:9 be literal, considering that Jesus used a lot of hyperbole in his speech? The same Jesus said, Luke 14:26 — "Except you hate your father and mother, you shall not be my disciple." To take these things literally without looking at context is to make a mistake.

Second, consider this: if that text is to be taken literally, it means that Paul, Peter, and all the other apostles sinned — because we know for a fact that they called people they trained in ministry "sons." There is a large board of examples to this effect.

• Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:15: "For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel."
• Paul again in 1 Timothy 1:2: "To Timothy, my true son in the faith."
• Paul in Titus 1:4: "To Titus, my true son in our common faith."
• Peter in 1 Peter 1:4 called believers children.

He died at the age of 55, not as an old man — so the rebuttal that Paul was just an elderly man casually referring to younger people as sons does not hold. He tells you exactly why he called himself a father: "I have begotten you in the gospel of Christ."

If Paul was really an apostle and Peter was really an apostle, it means that our understanding of Matthew 23:9 is what is wrong. And note: if you want to interpret it literally, it would also mean your biological father should not be called father.

Spiritual Trauma and the Legitimate Pain Behind the Objection

Many times the reason arguments never end is because we listen to what is said instead of feeling what is said. Many people who argue against spiritual fatherhood are speaking from a place of spiritual trauma. So-called men of God have committed atrocities in the name of God — taking people's money, controlling people's entire existence. Many people do not know what it means to have a good pastor.

It's quite a huge responsibility for anybody to be a spiritual father.

Many people use religion to hide narcissistic tendencies and puppet-control others. When people are speaking up, even if the context they are warning against may not reflect their actual experience, many have had real negative experiences. The balance the Bible gives is clear: pastors are warned not to lord it over the Lord's people. The real captain is coming. There are men of God who want to control people's destinies almost literally — telling a man he cannot go on vacation with his wife. People sometimes do not know where to draw the line.

The True Meaning of Spiritual Fatherhood

Paul did not only call himself father. He called himself:

• Slave — Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1
• Brother — a reminder that in the context of salvation, we are all equal
• Co-laborer
• Servant

He saw himself as a servant, not one who lords over people. Jesus made a contradistinction between supernatural leadership and the leadership of the Gentiles — Gentiles lord it over the people they lead. He said: "But not you. Whoever will be a leader among you must be your servant."

Spiritual fatherhood is a metaphor — it comes from the word patter, meaning pattern. If somebody is responsible for leading you to spiritual maturity, that person can be your biological brother, your best friend. In the context of discipleship, a friend can also be your teacher. The authority is context specific. Your discipler can be your best friend. In the same way, your spiritual father can be your mentee in business. Any smart pastor will differentiate those contexts and say, "You are better than me at this." Pastors who pretend to be experts at everything prove their own foolishness.

In the context of spiritual discipline and discipleship, they are your spiritual father — because they serve you in the gospel and you honor them for the work's sake. It does not make them superior to you as human beings or in other contexts of life.

Why This Matters

One of the best things God can give you is a person to follow. When God has given you a person to follow, more than 70% of your Christian journey is already sorted. Paul could boldly say, 1 Corinthians 11:1 — "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Who is your pastor? Who is training you in the Lord? Who is continuing with you for your furtherance and joy of faith? Make that decision. If you are not committed in a church, find one — a Bible-believing, solid church. And if you have found someone who is continuing with you for your furtherance and joy of faith, appreciate that person.