“Parental Pictures of Leadership”
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Think about BABIES for a minute. Do you realize that a baby is a helpless, lonely, confused, and vulnerable life. They are exposed to hunger, thirst, fear, needing constant love, and care for them to survive and grow!
And that, in a nutshell, is why God created the FAMILY! More specifically, that’s why God designed a mother and a father!
There’s no substitute for moms and dads! There is in that combination, the perfect balance of gentle, nurturing care, and a loving example and authority!
The church is very much like a FAMILY, and just like a family needs a mother and a father to have the balance of leadership, so spiritual leaders must have the characteristics of both!
(2:7, 11) – We treated you like a nursing mother; we treated you like a father with his children!
THUS, the title of today’s message: “Parental Pictures of Spiritual Leadership!”
LAST WEEK we looked at (2:1-6) and that might best be described as an X-RAY—what the inside of a leader looks like (tenacity, integrity, authority, accountability, and humility).
THIS MORNING in (2:7-12) we get the outside—a PHOTOGRAPH (not an x-ray)!
Paul says if you want to see what a true spiritual leader looks like, you need only picture a nurturing mother and a father, for those are the roles we who are in leadership must exemplify!
The New Testament gives us numerous metaphors for spiritual leaders:
I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:
Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly;
not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Spiritual leaders are SHEPHERDS who have the responsibility to protect, feed, and take oversight of the flock!
A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God.
In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful.
Spiritual leaders are also STEWARDS or MANAGERS of the resources and assets to care for a household under the direction of the Owner!
For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
We are HERALDS who proclaim and teach the King’s message!
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
We are faithful TEACHERS who impart God’s truth to God’s people!
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.
We are SERVANTS/SLAVES (ministers) of God!
NOW ALL THOSE metaphors are loaded with meaning. But in our passage this morning Paul uses perhaps the most intimate and compelling metaphor to illustrate the picture of spiritual leadership—that of a MOTHER and a FATHER!
PAUL wants to emphasize intimacy and primary care of true spiritual leadership!
This will not be the only time he uses these pictures:
My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you.
For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
KEY: a MOTHER illustrates gentle care, and a father illustrates strong authority!
Which is the balance of spiritual leadership. The tenderness and the gentleness of the motherly care, and the strength, fortitude, courage, and leadership of fatherly care.
(READ TEXT – PRAY)
Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children.
We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you.
I. The Spiritual Leader as a MOTHER – (2:7-9)
I. The Spiritual Leader as a MOTHER – (2:7-9)
We are going to look at this picture this morning by studying the key words/phrases in our passage under three sub-points: The PICTURE of a mother (v.7); the ROLE of a mother (v.8); and the WORK of a mother (v.9).
A. The PICTURE of a Mother – (v.7)
A. The PICTURE of a Mother – (v.7)
1. “But…/…instead”– One of three negative/positives, “not this, but that” (vv.2, 4, 7)
1. “But…/…instead”– One of three negative/positives, “not this, but that” (vv.2, 4, 7)
In other words, instead of being a greedy, sexually motivated flatterer, given over to power, control, manipulation and abuse, rather than that, (v.7)
2. “…among you” – lit., ‘in the midst of you’ and speaks to his involvement in their lives!
2. “…among you” – lit., ‘in the midst of you’ and speaks to his involvement in their lives!
I believe Paul would not understand the distance that some preachers keep from their congregations! Because they were hurt by a church, some decide to not get “too close.”
Not Paul. He says, “We were in the midst of you…”
3. “…gentle” is a beautiful word from epios, used here and in (2 Timothy 2:24).
3. “…gentle” is a beautiful word from epios, used here and in (2 Timothy 2:24).
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,
It simply means to be kind to someone (mild/soft). In classic Greek it was used to characterize a nurse with trying children, or a teacher with difficult students!
Paul says as we moved among you, we were kind to you! We didn’t come to abuse you or to take from you. We didn’t come to exploit you or manipulate you!
We weren’t abusive to you. We weren’t domineering over you. We were gentle!
4. “…as a nurse/nursing mother”
4. “…as a nurse/nursing mother”
There is no relationship that is as tender and cherishing as the nursing mother and the infant child. One author called it, “the tenderest relationship in all of human life.”
It illustrates the personal care Paul gave to the church. There is no dominance; no prominence; no titles; no seeking of position or honor.
There is only the simple giving of life—the spending of oneself for the child.
5. “…nurtures her own children” – NASB, “tenderly cares”, lit., ‘to warm with body heat’
5. “…nurtures her own children” – NASB, “tenderly cares”, lit., ‘to warm with body heat’
How graphic as the mother takes the little one in her arms and warms the little life with her own body heat and passes on her life to that life! The intimacy of that, the beauty of that, the tenderness of that has no equal!
Paul says in spite of the legitimate claim to apostolic authority – (v.7a), we used a different approach! His authority was balanced with tenderness!
B. The ROLE of a Mother – (v.8)
B. The ROLE of a Mother – (v.8)
1. “We cared so much for you…”
1. “We cared so much for you…”
Certainly, this is true of a nursing mother. She holds the little child with a fond affection that is normal, natural, and God-given! It’s what motivates her gentle care.
The verb means to long for someone, which is why various translations read, “So affectionately longing for you…” “So affectionately desirous…”
It is found on grave inscriptions to describe a parent’s longing for a child that has gone from their life. It indicates a deep affection that is painful!
What an amazing picture of spiritual leadership! [Jesus: “Do you love my church?” Me: “Yes Lord, You know I like them a lot…”]
2. “…that we were pleased”
2. “…that we were pleased”
Leadership wasn’t a duty; it wasn’t just delegated authority; or just a responsibility; it was our passion – (2:20)!
3. “…to share with you not only the gospel of God”
3. “…to share with you not only the gospel of God”
This is another fascinating verb that carries the idea of giving someone something and yet at the same time you retain a part of it!
And that’s exactly what happens when you give the Gospel of God! Even though you “share”the gospel, you still possess it!
4. “…but also our own lives” – Our own ψυχάς, our own soul!
4. “…but also our own lives” – Our own ψυχάς, our own soul!
That means the totality of our earthly existence—I literally give my life for you!
The truth is you cannot have a baby and go on living the way you use to! That baby will consume your life!
You’re there to feed it, to love it, to change it, to put it to sleep, to wake it up, to dress it, to feed it, to care for its every need. And then there’s day two…
And after all that, there’s no guarantee they’ll respond positively to your love!
When a sacrificial mother has so loved a child who grows not to love in return, that is the deepest pain a mother’s heart will ever know.
Look, I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, since I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children ought not save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?
Why does a mother do this? – (v.8c)
5. “…because you had become dear to us.”
5. “…because you had become dear to us.”
That’s the essence of a mother’s love—a strong compelling sense of the preciousness of the child. You are dear to us; you are of value; you are worthy; and you are priceless!
C. The WORK of a Mother – (v.9)
C. The WORK of a Mother – (v.9)
“…our labor and hardship”
Those two words sum up the work of a mother: the first word emphasizes the difficulty of the deed itself, and the second emphasizes the struggle and the effort in doing of the deed!
(v.9b) – It was always a sacrifice for Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It was always a life-giving kind of ministry. They sacrificed everything for the sake of taking the gospel to other people!
AND THAT’S the MOTHER’S PICTURE OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP!
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