AGAPE IN AFRICA MINISTRIES

SPIRITUAL FATHERING

God’s Order is: “Father and Son Relationship”

The Bible is very clear that spiritual fathering is absolutely essential and that “father-and-son order” is the basis of discipling in the Kingdom of God. When one makes a study in the Old Testament, then you discover that most prominent men who were used by God, had others (disciples) whom they were training up for ministry. Moses with Joshua; Elijah with Elisha and so forth. When we go to the New Testament to look for guidance on this aspect of the Kingdom of God, then the ONLY person, whom we need to take a good look at, since he was the FIRST person to teach the Kingdom of God, is Jesus Christ Himself. Many books have been written on this and I am convinced that many more will be written on this subject. I was meditating on the Lord’s High Priestly prayer (John 17) the other day and I was struck on the emphasis that Jesus placed on His ministry in the lives of His disciples (spiritual sons). I believe that every person who calls himself a “man of God” should have the same approach to ministry than Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was NOT interested in building His own ministry, BUT His main concern was His disciples. He was more concerned about their development and success in ministry than His own. In fact, He said that His ministry was to see them achieve greater “things” than Himself. If they were achieving “greater things” than Himself, then He reckoned Himself to be successful. The Lord drew my attention to a scripture, Heb 2:10, the other day and I am still trying to fully understand it. Heb 2:10,”For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” (NASB). The author of Hebrews here is very clear that: “bringing many sons to glory” will be to “perfect the author of their salvation”. In other words, if we want to “perfect” the “author” of our salvation, whom we all know is Jesus Christ, then we must bring many sons to glory. This will be done through sufferings. To bring sons to maturity is a suffering process, both for the “spiritual father and for the spiritual son”. Heb 5:8 say, “…Jesus, although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered”. Let us look at John 17 (NASB), the High Priestly prayer of Jesus Christ and see how He ministered to His disciples. The following study from this prayer proves to me that Heb 2:10 is CERTAINLY THE TRUTH. In Isaiah 9: 6, Jesus is also called “a Father”. The characteristics of a spiritual father: 1. Knowing and doing the complete will of THE FATHER:

Verse 4: “I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do”. Jesus says that; THAT which the Father has given Him to do THAT He has done. It is absolutely important for any leader to KNOW exactly what THE HEAVENLY FATHER wants him/her to do. You cannot lead others in the complete will of THE FATHER, unless you yourself are not ministering in the complete will of THE FATHER.

Let us now try to determine WHAT THAT WAS, which the Father has given Him to do.

2. Manifesting (showing), revealing THE FATHER:

Verse 6: “I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of this world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.” Jesus Christ, as a Spiritual Father to His disciples, made His Father’s name known (manifested) to them. Jesus says that they did not belong to Him at first, but The Father gave them to Him. Now He has taken up that RESPONSIBILTY to truly introduce the Father to them. Are you doing the same?? Do you realise that the people you are supposed to disciple, to bring them to maturity, does NOT belong to you, BUT that the Father has given them to you for a purpose? Are you fulfilling that purpose? We could never REPLACE The Father, but only REPRESENT The Father.

3. THE FATHER’S words: Verse 8: “for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them, “ Are you giving to your disciples (spiritual sons) your words or the words of the Father? Are you teaching them the traditions of men or do you truly receive from the Father and then teach them the words of the Father? Are you able to hear from THE FATHER and give to your sons a WORD from THE FATHER?

4. Protecting your sons:

Verse 12: ”While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which thou hast given me; and I guarded them,” Did you know that IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILTY to keep and guard your disciples (spiritual sons) until the right time for them to be released in their own ministry? Protect them from wrong teachings and influences (spirits) of the enemy.

5. Sending them out with the double anointing principle:

Verse 18: “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”. NOBODY can send himself into ministry! ! ! Jesus was released and sent into ministry by His Father (not just as God, BUT HIS HEAVENLY FATHER). There is a principle in John 3:34 about being ‘sent-out’, which is: when your spiritual father sends you out, then God gives you the Spirit without measure. Jesus was sent out by His Father and in the same way, you must send out your disciples (spiritual sons), when they are ready. If you send yourself or just GO by yourself, then it is considered as LAWLESSNESS. The Bible teaches that LAWLESSNESS is a sin that will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

6. Glory of the ministry: Verse 22a: “And the glory which thou hast given Me I have given to them;” The glory of the ministry, which Jesus received from His Father, He did not keep it to/for Himself, BUT

He gave it away to His disciples. One of the BIG problems, which we have in the Church today, is that the Senior man of God keeps all

the ministry to/for himself, without realising that this ministry does NOT belong to him, but comes from The Father. Jesus sets the example for every leader in the Church, for today.

7. Unity:

Verse 22b: “ that they may be one, just as We are one;” Jesus did not keep the glory of ministry to Himself, BUT He gave it to His disciples, which brought unity amongst His disciples and NOT STRIFE. In Gen 11:6, God says that because the people had the following THREE aspects of unity, NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM. a). Same language; We need to have the same language, which should be Kingdom language. b). Same vision; We need to have the same vision for the Kingdom of God. c). Committed to the same task; We should be committed to the task of building the Kingdom of God, and NOT our own little kingdoms (ministries). When we do this, there will be less strife amongst the men of God.

8. There will be progressive revelation as we walk and minister in the love of the Lord:

Verse 26: “and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.” Jesus was concerned that the love of the Father for Him, also had to be in them (His disciples). You and I also have to make the name of the Father known, in such a way, so that the love of the Father may also be in our spiritual sons. As we walk and minister in this love, there will be progressive revelation from The Father to The Son and from The Son to us, as fathers and from us, as fathers to our sons. The promise is also that The Son will be with us (Math 28:19). This is the new commandment, which Jesus spoke about. (John 13:34,35)

Elijah created a future for Elisha in the ministry; Paul created for Timothy a future in the ministry; Jesus created for His disciples a future in the ministry. When these ‘models’ are being studied, then we discover that these disciples were tested before they were released for ministry. It is the responsibility of the ‘spiritual father’ to see that his ‘sons’ are developed to reach their full potential and become in their lives what God, the Father, intended for them. This is what Jesus did in the lives of His disciples; Paul did in the life of Timothy, Titus, Priscilla, Aquila, and many others in his lifetime. Timothy and the others would have died nobodies, were it not for Paul in their lives. Elisha would have died a farm boy (totally unknown), was it not for Elijah. I believe God is giving us ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’, whom will die as nobodies, if we do not do what God expects from us as spiritual fathers (leaders). I therefore want to encourage you, VERY EARNESTLY, to do what Jesus, Paul and so many others did. To realise that God is giving us men and women so that we may create for them a future in ministry, by reaching OUT and INTO them and bring out the very best out of them for HIS PURPOSE and GLORY. (Col 1: 24-29). “MAKARIOS” Dr Thinus van Dyk International Director Agape in Africa Ministries E-mail: thinus.aia@gmail.com EQUIPPING THE SAINTS IN AFRICA FOR THE END-TIME HARVEST ! Luke 10:2 "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore beseech thee the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest."