Spiritual Fathering

I can identify several men and women who have had a significant impact on my life – especially when it comes to my walk with the Lord.

The 1^st pair would be my father and mother. I grew up in a Christian home for the most part, seeing my Dad pastor churches ever since I could remember. It was a Christian environment where the Gospel was welcome, lived and spoken. They both mentored me in the ways of life at an early age and gave me spiritual direction during my earliest of decisions.

When I was in junior high, I met a man named Travis. I usually credit Travis as being the one who led me to Christ. While he wasn’t the 1^st person to preach the Gospel to me, he was the one God used to water the seed that had been planted. His selfless love and genuine compassion for me broke through my hard heart. Travis was also the person who, after I made a profession of faith, fathered me in the spiritual disciplines.

I had another mentor when I was attending college. He was my Resident Director named Scott. Scott fathered me through some of the biggest questions everyone asks when they were in college: “What is my purpose? What are my spiritual gifts? How can I discern the will of God in the major decisions and minor ones?

When I moved back to Tulsa after seminary, I had an older man named Michael who fathered me. His wisdom is priceless and his devotion to my walk with the Lord is wonderfully encouraging.

Today, I have three fathers (elders at WBC) – Mark, Warren and Grady – and in 2014, and I have written more about them here.

Discipleship is fathering. It begins when a believer makes disciples through the proclamation of the Gospel, but it doesn’t end with conversion. It continues with this new believer needing a lifetime of sanctification, which discipleship assists in accomplishing.

Paul told his spiritual son, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (II Timothy 2:2).

The father who taught me how to study the Bible, Howard Hendricks, once said,

“Every disciple needs three types of relationships in his life. He needs a ‘Paul’ who can mentor him and challenge him. He needs a ‘Barnabas’ who can come along side and encourage him. And he needs a ‘Timothy,’ someone that he can pour his life into…Have men and women in your life who challenge you, men and women in your life that you can help, and men and women in your life you can give your life to.”

Spiritual fathering is what we do and what we are a part of. Who fathers you?