1Corinthians 4:15
For although you* shall be having countless tutors in Christ, _but_ not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus through the Gospel _I_ became your* father.
Therefore, I am calling on [or, pleading with] you*, continue becoming imitators of me.
Apostles, as a gift to the church, have as their DNA, a fathering spirit. Although, as Paul says, “one plants, another waters”, but we are all one, working and operating according to the grace of God. They are not the Heavenly Father, but reveal the Heavenly Father, in the measure that they have seen HIm and He has graced them to reveal. They are not , and cannot be, everything to all, but function as a gift to the Body of Christ, ‘fathering’ and guiding the Body. If we look at the family in its natural state, we can clearly see by design, that fathers set the boundaries of the home. When he functions in his grace and headship, by the order of God, he will bring balance, character, and boundaries, that will establish the family in its destiny, giving the family a sense of security. At a certain point, he will draw a line in the sand, if you may, and establish the measure of order in the home to maintain its protection.
Foundational And Constitutional
Apostles should be ‘constitutional’ in their fiber. In other words, they measure and maintain the foundations of the work. The work being the church. The church being, not the building, or the organisation, but the people, the saints. That’s what “fathers” are, constitutional, foundational, ensuring biblical, kingdom order and balance, to ensure its safety, its surety, its strength and its righteousness. Apostles are not those that ‘lord’ it over, demand honor, perform their ‘gifting’ to impress, and demand recognition.
Recently, we have had a “move” of God, that captured the worlds attention. Whole churches were caught up in its euphoria, and even the media. Special meetings were called to ‘receive’ from the man of God and see God move again. Web links were sent back and forth around the world as the saints shared the witness with all and sundry. My concern from the beginning, was who is ‘fathering’ this? Who is walking with this man in the hour prominence? Who is measuring the balance, the order, the character of it?
Too easily, we want to be impressed and swept up in another spiritual high. No denying God moves, and does signs and wonders. The Spirit of God is so desirous to manifest the glory of God, that we often times, mistakenly, assume that it is an approval of the lack of character and depth of leadership. That the Spirit of God ‘using’ a servant, immediately, is the stamp of approval for unrighteous, unsanctified and ungodly lifestyles. Now that, in the church , is where the spiritual fathers, need to and should enter.
While the apostles are strutting their stuff, why are they not, especially at this level of exposure, meeting with men being ‘used’ like this. Meeting their famly,their wives, their board, asking probing accountability questions, watching their behaviour outside of the ’spiritual’ times, “taking oversight of their souls” as Peter admonishes the elders to do. Are they too afraid that confrontation of unrighteousness may cut off their funding, especially if they are seen to be unpopular with the crowds or, heaven forbid, the leadership in the church today?
Where are the Fathers?
Where are the foundational men and women, that are prepared at the cost of their popularity, their ‘greatness’, sometimes their organizations, and even their ministries, to confront, to speak, to ‘measure’, and ensure the foundation that is laid, Jesus Christ, as the pattern, the measure, will be maintained in the church? What an embarresment to the bride of Christ again, because there were no fathers, that would speak out before, not after, but before, all of the character of the move was revealed.
1Corinthians 4:9-14
For I think that God displayed us, the apostles, last, as sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to people.
We [are] fools because of Christ, and you* [are] wise in Christ! We [are] weak, but you* [are] strong! You [are] esteemed, but we [are] despised!
Until the present time we both hunger and thirst, and we wear ragged clothing and are beaten with fists [fig., are harshly treated] and wander about without a home,
and labor, working with [our] own hands. Being insulted we bless, being persecuted we ourselves endure [it],
being defamed we speak words of encouragement; we have become like garbage of the world, scum of all until now.
I am not writing these [things] [to be] shaming you, _but_ as my beloved children I am warning [or, instructing] [you*]
The Revealing Of The Apostolic
A spectacle, fools, weak, despised, hungry and thirsty, ill clothed, ill treated, homeless, working in the market place, insulted, persecuted, defamed, garbage, scum: Does this sound like someone who is preferred, accepted, prominent, popular? I don’t think so!
Now, I’m not saying every apostle will experience all this, but lets just look at the ’spirit’ of this gift. Somehow, today, apostles are and even at times demand a form of preeminent recognition, that at times has even led to men who supposedly carry this gift feel and behave as if they are not accountable to anyone and can do anything they feel is necessary for them regardless of the consequences to the Body of Christ. Or they don’t do anything they feel is necessary because it doesn’t fit their doctrine or their comfortability. Paul, however, as an apostle makes it very clear that this is not about a position or a title or some preeminent recognition and popularity show.
There needs to be some correction of this view that apostles can ‘lord’ it over , be in ‘charge’, strut their stuff. There is only ONE King and ONE Lord.Oh! Of course, we will never admit that its me, but watch the fruit and the behaviour and the way of the man. And please don’t insult the bride of Christ’s spirituality and intellectuality by excusing it to my ‘humanity’, and therefore, you cannot say anything because of my “deity”. If apostles have no godly character, how, oh, how, will the church of Jesus Christ know it.
Where Are The Apostles?
2Corinthians 12:19-21
Again, do you* think that we (the apostles)are defending ourselves to you*? Before God in Christ we are speaking. But [we do] all the things, beloved, for the sake of your* up-building [or, edification].
For I am afraid lest, having come, I find you* not such as I desire; and _I_ am found by you* such as you* do not desire, lest perhaps [there be] quarrels, jealousies, angry outbursts, rivalries, slanders, gossipings, conceits, rebellions [or, disorders];
lest again having come, my God will humble me in regard to you*, and I will mourn [for] many of the ones having sinned previously and not having repented concerning the impurity [or, immorality] and sexual sin and flagrant sexual immorality which they practiced.
Apostles, are to build up the Body. Right here, we find a problem, because some apostles seem to deem it their absolute assignment to destroy, break down and divide. But, there is this place where apostles will be, and should be, humbled and mourning, having deep disturb-ness regarding the condition of the church. This is not about everyone being right, and the gift being wrong. This is about the church in a condition that needs addressing, and the gift that needs to bring the measure, the order, the ways of God, to it. This is about the apostles doing and being what apostles are.
Again, if we view the natural family, we will see that when fathers do not take their place to ensure the ‘order’ of the home, there will be confusion, lack of character, strife, passivity of leadership, no regard or respect of godly authority. When the spiritual ‘fathers’ do not take their place the results are the same. Of course, I am generalizing, and thank God there are ‘fathers’ who will determinedly, ‘correct’ and speak out to those in their company, the Father’s will and heart for Godly character and behaviour, but we need fathers to father, to address and reveal . We need them to care enough to stand together and as fathers and begin to work on the character of the bride and prepare her for the real, for her Husband, Christ Jesus Himself.
