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"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
(2 Timothy 2:2)
All week we have been building to this point in the discipleship process. Each person born again by the Spirit of God who passes from spiritual death to life begins as an infant. They grow out of infancy into the childhood phase. But they do not stay there; it is God's will for them to mature in Christ to the point where they are serving others and not so consumed with what they want and their preferences. Unfortunately, too many church members never mature out of being spiritual children to becoming spiritual adults. One of the reasons we see so much turmoil, fighting, and transfers in membership is immaturity. What happens to physical children when they do not get their way? Well, it is not pretty, I can assure you. They take their toys and go look for another place to play. And sadly, it happens in churches, and I am noticing it is happening at alarming rates in today's culture. People will always respond in accordance with their level of spiritual maturity.
The key defining characteristic of parents is obviously that they have children. One cannot call himself a father, for example, if he does not have a child. And it is the same way in spiritual parenting. A spiritual parent is one who has discipled another person to a place of growth in Christ. When you get to the point in your walk with God where you are mentoring and helping another person become more like Jesus, then you are a parent. It is God's will for every Christian to mature to this point of spiritual parenting. How do I know this? Jesus told the entire church that we are to go and make disciples, baptize... and what next? We are to teach new believers to obey Him. This commission is not for clergy only; rather, it is for every believer in Jesus. He wants you to disciple someone else!
There are some exciting things happening at the church I have the privilege of serving as lead pastor, Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, TX. But if you were to ask me the one thing I am most excited about, it would be this: we have many disciples who have become spiritual parents! Many of our people are leading others to grow in their walks with God to the point that they too become parents. Is it hard work? Does the devil hate it? Are we tempted to stop because of setbacks? The answer to all these questions is a hearty, "Absolutely!" But we press on in Jesus' name and continue to take spiritual ground for Christ.
Jim Putman lists the following phrases from the stage of those who are spiritual parents: "This guy at work asked me to explain the Bible to him. Pray for me." "Our small group is going on a mission trip, and I have given each person a different responsibility." "I have a person in my small group who is passionate about helping children. Can you have the children's ministry people call me?" These people have grown way past criticism, comparisons, and being disruptive. Their main concern is getting as many people saved and discipled as they possibly can. They are also incredibly loyal to their local churches. They know there are no perfect people, and they are grace-filled and give others the benefit of the doubt.
One such man in our church is Tom Collier. Tom and his wife, Debbie, are committed followers of Jesus, and we are so blessed to have them giving excellent servant leadership in our church. Tom has a PhD in biochemical engineering, and he also got a degree in architecture from the University of Texas. He owns a successful architectural firm. Tom is currently the chairman of our deacon ministry at GHBC. He is a constant source of encouragement to me as his pastor, and I just love him. But here is the thing about Tom that is most impressive: he is a parent. He and Debbie not only have two great kids in David and Grace, but he is also a spiritual parent, as he is constantly sharing his faith with lost people and discipling those who want to grow more in Christ-likeness.
I am sure you have people like the Colliers in your church. Aren't they a blessing? What do people like the Colliers need? They are spiritual parents; they love Jesus and walk closely with Him. They love making disciples who make more disciples. They follow the Paul-Timothy-others model as identified in our biblical text for today's devotional. So, what do they need? In a word, Putman says they need encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."
I hope these devotions this week have blessed and motivated you to know Christ and grow deeply in your relationship with Him.
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