If we are to be truly honest with ourselves, a significant portion of today’s Christian leaders, whom we have esteemed as leaders, are leaders more for what they have accomplished, rather than for who they are. Each of us is either on a road to be spiritual fathers and mothers, or spiritual sons and daughters, and who we look to for guidance, direction and input will influence us as to where our journey will take us.
Being a spiritual father or mother is a very high and prestigious call that not many are able to endure. There is a rigorous endeavor necessary and a spiritual insight required in order to enlighten and inspire, younger believers to seek God with an overwhelming passion of voluntary love and an unquenchable desire to never surrender their hearts to other lovers, rather than to Him.
To be a true spiritual father or mother, you or I must have a deeply rooted reality of the revelation of God’s character and an untainted insight of Jesus’ beauty, His righteousness, justice and perfectly flawless dominion. Anything less is a shallow attempt to produce sons and daughters who will be able to withstand the many waters of life and stand strong in adversity with their hearts sealed towards God in the reality of His unwavering perfection.
In times past a spiritual father or mother was someone who allowed others to carry their Bible, tote their bag, wash their car, empty their trash or thousands of other tasks in order to prove the son’s or daughter’s worth. Spiritual parents are more than those who can show someone how to work. They must be someone who is established in intimacy before God and who can offer a lifestyle and a belief that ignites a fiery passion and provoke a lifelong yearning for discovering God’s presence. I have said this on many occasions, “Spiritual fathers are those who provoke others to develop the unlimited potential, which God has placed within them.”
It is not a common occurrence to find a person who is willing to live their life to pave a way for others to emulate. It is not first nature for someone to willfully live a life that selfishly gives so that someone else may advance. I think of our two children and how important it is that Tiffany and I instill within them the urgency to grow profoundly rich and deeply founded in their inheritance in God. As true natural fathers and mothers we see how important it is for our children to emulate a lifestyle of lovesickness for Jesus Christ. What should our daily lifestyle look like? How should we spiritually parent our children?
We are natural fathers and mothers to our children, because they were born out of our love for one another, but to be considered spiritual fathers and mothers we should operate in a love for them born out of a love for God to be their rich and exceeding reward. That love should supersede all other secondary wines and pleasures of life. A spiritual father and mother is more concerned about their son’s and daughter’s advancement rather than their own. A spiritual father and mother is more interested in passing the torch, having done all that was called of them to do. That is hard for me to say, but even harder for me to live, but that is the reality of what it takes to be considered a true spiritual parent.
We focus much of our time in Latin America equipping pastors, and leaders to make their own lives and ministries better. That is not a bad thing, but it is not the highest thing. What we need as human beings is Christianity not founded on someone else teaching others how to be happier or how to better themselves rather a Christianity founded in the reality of living, moving and having our being enlightened by the One who loves our souls and who has His contentment with us.
That is what will produce true faithfulness, persistence, perseverance and character when the trials of life come. There are too many who have strayed from living with an undivided and sold out heart for Jesus, because the cares of life have come in and robbed them of their true worth and beauty before God. It is time to recover those broken and hungry hearts once again, and it can be done.
A spiritual father or mother must be, above all things faithful and devoted to live, not only talk, a life of intimacy with God. The Apostle Paul stated that it is required that the stewards of God be found faithful. (1 Cor 4:2) Faithful in all areas of life, not just in those, which are easy, but also those areas that require more time, effort and dedication. Faithful stewards are faithful in their marriage, in their financial administration, in their time with children, in their relationship with God and with the relationships of those close to them. People are drawn to faithfulness. People want to be able to find a faithful person. We do not talk about our faithfulness rather we live it.
One of the principle reasons why spiritual fathering and mothering is not commonly spoken about in our time is because that is not what builds large impressive facilities or leaves a lasting legacy for multitudes to look back upon and remember our lives. We know about Paul and Timothy. We know about Paul and Titus. There are others throughout history that dedicated their lives to spiritually father or mother those around them, but the point is that we will not typically remember their names. Jesus called twelve, when he could have called twelve thousand. He invested much time with three when he could have invested time with three hundred.
Being faithful to few people is more difficult, demanding and required more disciple than being recognized by many. The true test of my own leadership is not measured by what others say about me but by what those closest to me think of me. It I can dazzle the masses with motivational speeches, but I cannot win my wife’s trust and respect, who am I? If accolades are thrown at me on ever side, but my children do not want to be with me, what have I become? Think for just a moment upon your own life. Who are you and what have you become? Are you, to those who love you the most, considered faithful? Are you someone whom they will look to as a spiritual father or mother? As for me, I must adjust.
A position of authority is not enough to satisfy the intense desire to fulfill my eternal and internal calling. I must hunger to be someone who is authentically as the One who called me into His service. As Jesus gave His disciples the list of eight character requirements needed in order to be worthy of one who follows Him in Matthew chapter five, I see now the importance for spiritual fathers and mothers to live according to a different set of cultural values. One who counts the cost (v.3), one who is hurt by that which hurts God (v.4) one who does not fight for his own benefit (v.5), one who hungers and thirst for an awakening of God’s character (v.6), one who extends mercy to those no one else does (v.7), one who lives with the goal of purity (v.8), one who brings reconciliation (v.9) and also one who is slandered, cheated, beaten, misrepresented, scorned and looked down upon because of their stance for their Savior and Lord. (v.10)
What is the reality of spiritual fathering and mothering? It is not living for self, rather living as a model of the culture of God’s kingdom values. It is not about fame, fortune, recognition, position, applauses, red carpets, or even respect, honor or admiration; it is about becoming someone of spiritual significance to someone else. I think of the greatest words I could ever hear Jesus say of me on this side of eternity, and what would those words be, “follow him, as he follows me.” In other words, well done, good and faithful servant.
Andrew Bucksot & Tiffany Bucksot – wwwlvictorymexico.org or www.multiculturalmissions.org
