SPIRITUAL FATHERS
(week 33/01)
Olubi Johnson
In our last article on breaking the nations we saw that God will break the nations in this 3rd. day with a perfect Church that has attained the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
In order to grow into the fullness of Christ, we need to identify true spiritual fathers in the body of Christ and follow or imitate them. Therefore in our article this week, we will be examining the vital subject of following spiritual Fathers.
1 Corinthians 4:15-16 KJV: For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
A spiritual father is one whose prayers, teachings and life example have caused the Christ character to be formed in you.
Galatians 4:19 KJV: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
A spiritual father is not necessarily the person through whom you got born again. Notice in the above scripture the Galatians were already born again but the Christ character had not yet been formed in them.
There are many of God’s children today who are just like the Galatians: they are born again and have the nature of God, eternal life, in their spirits but have not yet had the character of God, which is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and temperance, formed in their souls and bodies. Thus there is a great need for true Fathers in the Church today.
Paul shows us in 1 Cor. 4:15-16 above that it is possible to have more than one spiritual father and that there are not many people who can actually qualify to be spiritual fathers.
This is because it is not just the teachings alone but also the prayers in the spirit, with travail, and the life example of the Fathers that cause the Christ character to be formed in the saints.
There are not many ministers who pray deeply and regularly in the spirit with travail and so have the Christ life formed in them. Consequently there are not many ministers that can impart the Christ life unto the saints.
So it is necessary now to identify and then follow true spiritual fathers.
Following Fathers
It is vital to follow spiritual fathers by obeying their teachings and instructions and imitating their examples, because this is the only way you can get the hidden wisdom and instruction that is necessary to grow into the perfection and fullness of Christ.
All those who did not move with the cloud in Israel while in the wilderness, were lost in the wilderness.
In the New Testament substance what does this mean? It means that when you follow fathers and obey their teachings and instructions and copy their examples then you are moving with the cloud that will eventually lead you into the Promised Land.
You will never find all the information about any topic in the Bible in one place. It is scattered and concealed.
1Corinthians 2:7 KJV: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Isaiah 28:13 KJV: But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Spiritual fathers, by revelation and experience through sufferings, are mature enough to dig out the `hidden manna’ of the Word and put it together for you to see easily.
This why the scripture says, “buy the truth and sell it not” (Prov. 23:23). Spiritual Fathers ‘buy the truth’ by the experience of overcoming persecution and affliction for the Word’s sake (Mk. 4:17).
Proverbs 23:23 KJV: Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Mark 4:17 KJV: And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
When they act on revelation of the Word by the Holy Spirit Satan causes persecution and affliction to come against them. They overcome this by obeying the Word and so learning obedience by the things they suffer.
Hebrews 5:8 KJV: Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Consequently, over time they would have known by revelation and experience many hidden truths of the Word that younger Christians would not know. By teaching these hidden truths to younger Christians they reduce the time and sufferings they would have had to go through to learn them: so Fathers ‘buy’ the truth and ‘sell’ it not.
When you do not submit to their teachings you can end up `wrongly dividing’ the Word of truth and enter into error. Such people often end up running from one fellowship, conference, seminar, or church to another without any results, roaming around in the wilderness, as it were. In the wilderness Amalek, which is a type of the lusts of the flesh, will kill the saint who is not moving, as it were, with the cloud: i.e. moving with fresh, current revelation of the Holy Spirit from the Word of God through spiritual fathers.
Deuteronomy 25:17-18 NIV: Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.
Notice Amalek cut off or killed those who were lagging behind not moving with the cloud.
Romans 8:13 KJV: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
In every generation God has Fathers that He raises up to lead the younger generation into the established truths of the Word of God as well as to break new ground of fresh revelation:
Matthew 13:52 KJV: Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Colossians 2:3 KJV: In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
So spiritual Fathers set up the landmarks of the Word of God. These landmarks should not be removed.
The Scripture warns us:
Proverbs 22:28 KJV: Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
Proverbs 23:10 KJV: Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
In our next article we will see how to identify true fathers.
