"For though you might have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." (I Corinthians 4:15)
About 6 years ago I ran across a book written by Dr. Mark Hanby called, "You Have Not Many Fathers". When I read it then I knew the truths of that book had been and always would be an integral part of my life and calling. With every passing year since then, that awareness just gets stronger. What is the essence of this book, you ask? For me its most basic essence is this; as a pastor I can opt for the clean, easy, passionless, "professional", patronizing, pitiful, minimal, hireling, lazy path of "ministering" to people or I could take up a cross, die daily and be a father in the Spirit to those I have begotten through the gospel. I have chosen the latter.
It hurts and it is exhausting but if I want people to hear the words I speak and take them to be the very words of God which will work in them to set them free, I must be a father and not just "live-in" boyfriend. This is the basis of ministry that the Apostle Paul chose and described in I Thessalonians 2:1-20, "...you recall our hardship, how working night and day....we proclaimed to you the gospel of God...how we exhorted...each one of you as a father would his own children... and for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the Word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God...".
A few days ago, I looked into the empty eyes of a young man and wondered, "Where is this boy's father?" And then another thought struck me like a lightning bolt, "Is there a Spiritual Father in this boy's life?" While I am not at liberty to describe the remainder of that encounter, I can tell you that it occurs to me that the Ameican church has gleefully infant baptized, confirmed, lead 'em to the altar to "get saved", had 'em sign cards, promised 'em heaven when they die and left hundreds of thousands of spiritual babies left without spiritual fathers to raise them to maturity, perfection in Christ and full spiritual potential. Why? Because fatherhood is hard work.
Pardon me while I weep.
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