Becoming Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

Intro/Welcome

Happy Mothers Day!

My name // Welcome

A. Mother’s Day Prayer

Pray for Mothers

Under 10

Under 15

All Mothers

PRAY

Pray for those desiring Motherhood

Heads down / eyes close

raise hands

Those struggling with inferitility

Those desiring to be married

PRAY

Broken Relationships

PRAY

AMEN

B. Today

TITLE: Becoming Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

Why this is the desperate need of the hour.

1. Three Things:

The Church as Spiritual Family

Discipleship in the context of a Spiritual Family

Becoming Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

I. The Church as Spiritual Family

1 Corinthians 4:14–15 (ESV)

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 4:16–21 (ESV)

16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Paul uses the familial language

Why?

B/C the church is a spiritual family.

not a machine that you are a cog in

not a business, though business aspects

not just a classroom, though there is teaching

A. Rooted in the Trinity

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Language of Parent/Child

Mother also:

Matthew 23:37 ESV

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

B. Reflection on Familiy Relationships

1. LIKENESS

Shared attributes

Genetics / Personality / mannerisms

2. An ETERNAL BOND

Can’t un-become a Father or Mother / Brother or Sister

There is something permanent / eternal

That means you are always welcome

DAD: Can Pick Friends, nose, but not your family.

3. Comes from INTMACY

No irreverant or disrespect

Children come from intmacy between husband and wife

Spiritual Children come from intmacy w/ God

C. Adopted into the Family of God

We are adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ

We are UNITED to Christ

We becomes sons/daughers of God

Romans 8:14–17 (ESV)

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

John 1:12–13 (ESV)

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,

he gave the right to become children of God,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1. Gospel

It’s an amazing truth

This is what Jesus died for

died for sin that seperated us from God

rose to give a new heart / new creation

Prodigal Son

God wanted his kids back

Luke 15:20 (ESV)

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

2. Revisiting Familial Relationships

Likeness

We are becomign Like God / Jesus

Eternal Bond

We are forever in the family of God

Intimacy

We get to enjoy the relationship w/ God

D. Summary

The Church is a Spiritual Family

In the context of a Spiritual Family we have discipleship — Spiritual Generations.

II. Spiritual Generations

1 Corinthians 4:16–17 (ESV)

16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

2 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV)

1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

We see Spiritual Generations here.

A. Image: The Discipleship Process

1. Spiritual Dead - Must be Born Again

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

2. Spiritual Infant - Needs Guidance

John 3:3–8 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

3. Spiritual Child - Self Focused

Galatians 4:19 ESV

19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

4. Spiritual Young Adult - Kingdom Focused

1 John 2:14 (ESV)

I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

5. Spiritual Parent - Disciple Maker

1 Corinthians 4:15 ESV

15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

6. Spiritual Grandparent - Making Disciple Makers

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

B. Points

This Takes TIME

it takes time to mature

Get away from Fast Food Christianity

Relational Focued

Spiritual Family

Likeness

Eternal Bond

Intimacy

The Purpose of the Gospel

Natural progression

Paul — Timothy / Titus

Jesus — The 3 / 12

Titus 2 - Older and younger women

Titus 2:3–5 ESV

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

III. Becoming Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

How do we get there?

Acknolwedge Where you are

Get into an intentional spiritual family

Focus on intmacy with Jesus and others.

Read/Reflect, Pray, Obey

w/ others

Know the Pathway

Keep at it, day by day, week by week, year by year

you will see remarkalbe change.

A. Survey

Take this survey to do this

Let us know where you are.

B. Story

Ben Smith / Andrew Hofer

We’ve had a little bit of this over the years.

One Example:

not to boast.

I spent a year w/ Ben and a few other guys

Ben is spending this year with a few other guys

who will inturn — hopefully pass on to others what they have experienced.

Interview w/ Ben and Andrew

Talk about the discipleship experience you have had

What has been good about it?

what has been challengning (in a good way)?

Would you recomment this kind of group for people and why?

C. Church History

Jesus —> John —> Ignatious —> Polycarp —> Iraneous —> Hyppolytus

Both Ignatius and Polycarp were the disciples of John.

In fact there is this great legend in church history that as Ignatius was John's disciple, and Polycarp was John's disciple,

then Polycarp was also Ignatius' disciple.

Polycarp would go on to disciple Irenaeus.

And Irenaeus would go on to disciple Hippolytus.

The Apotle John died AD 90

Which goes back to Jesus

Ignatius was bishop at Antioch in Syria.

died 107BC

Both Antioch and Smyrna were significant cities in the New Testament.

Ignatius was the Apostolic Father closest in thought to the New Testament writers. He wrote seven letters while en route under armed guard to Rome to suffer martyrdom

He opposed the Ebionite heresy, which demanded the keeping of the Jewish regulations as the way of salvation

Ignatius also attacked Docetism, which held that Christ only appeared to have real birth, death, and resurrection

Polycarp was the bishop at the church at Smyrna.

Polycarp was born around the year AD 70-156.

He is a very important figure in the Early Church era, as his Letter to the Philippians is one of the earliest surviving writings.

IRENAEUS (fl. c. 175–195)Bishop of Lyons in southern France; one of the most important Christian writers of the second century

Wrote Against Heresies

Hippolytus (c. 160–236)

Roman presbyter and theologian

So there we have this great length through the first two centuries of the church's life back to John.

Closing Prayer