The Necessity of Spiritual Fatherhood

1 Corinthians 4:15
For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

It could be correctly stated that the Church in Corinth was a very gifted Church. They were tongue talking, prophesying, giving words at every possible opportunity. Now that isn't a bad thing necessarily. However, in Paul's writing to this Church we gain a great deal of insight. His teaching is primarily focused around the functionality of the gathering of the Saints.
We all love or rather should love the gathering together of the Saints. The scripture says, (Hebrews 10:25) "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." In plain country talk, the people of God should love having some Church!! As for me and my house, we love having Church. We love Praising and Worshipping the King of Glory. We love looking into the mirror of the Glory on His face, and being consumed by that glory until we are transformed into that very image. (2Cor. 3:18).
But Paul takes an interesting path in His teaching. The Church at Corinth had no problem having Church. In fact, they would be considered in our day a real charismatic, vibrant group of folk. The problem however exist in the proper protocol in the public assembly. You see, Church isn't just a gathering of people. There is a difference between an audience and a congregation. The audience is a gathering of various kinds of people for a short lived attraction. The Church is the gathering of the Saints for the worshipping of the King. An audience is a crowd. The Church is a family. An audience is a gathering. The Church is a fellowship. An audience is a heap of stones. The Church is a temple. The ordained Men and Women of God are not called to build or gather an audience but to build His Church.
Any gifted, coarse or worldly person can attract an audience; only a person given totally over to the Lord Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost can build a Church.
So here we start seeing the problem in the Church of Corinth. I should stop and also interject that we see a parallel problem in the 21st century Church as well.
They gathered, they were gifted, they were excited, they were enriched by Him in all knowledge; so they came behind in no gift. Wow!! This looks like the most happening place in town!! These are those unreligious radical rascals!!! Just what everyone today are looking to hook up to. So what's the problem Pastor Marty? Thanks for the question!!
1. THEY WERE A GROUP OF BACKBITING, DIVISIVE DISPUTERS
They were more concerned about who baptized them rather than the significance of the baptism. They tone of the text in (1Cor. 1:11) makes me think they would be willing to fight over who baptized them.
(Mason's Paraphrased Version) (MPV). "hey I'll pop a cap in you if you don't allow me to choose who baptizes me." "Shoot, I'll cut a saint over who signs my baptism certificate."
Just humor of course, but the scripture says there were contentions among them. Furthermore, who made Sister Chloe's house the Church police. They were the ones that felt it so necessary that the Apostle knew this information. Hmmm!!! I think I've met that family!!
2. THEY WERE A GROUP OF IMMATURE BABES
These folk that were so enriched that they came behind in no gifts were actually very shallow in their maturity level. In (1Cor.3) the Apostle says, he couldn't even talk to them on a spiritual level at all. He said, my communication was actually on a carnal level. Why? They had no understanding of spiritual growth. They got saved, filled, and flaky!!
In order to get his message across the Apostle had to use language that wasn't even spiritual. Sound familiar? There are seminars being taught all over America today on how to communicate the way the Apostle Paul did in Corinth. Hey America!!! LISTEN!!! This was a rebuke not a method.
It's time to grow up spiritually. How? Quit eating the worlds fruit and start feasting on the Eternal Word of God.
I could share several more points of interest concerning this matter, but I want to sum it up here with what I believe was the real underlying problem with the whole Church.
It's found in our opening text. (1Cor. 4:15) "For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers."
To preserve the integrity of the text, we must say that the ten thousand instructors were not a literal number of instructors. The Apostle was saying you folks have way too many people telling you to do this and that and no one birthing real spiritual growth.
We must be guarded against this activity. This is a time that many false teachers and false prophets will surface to offer instructions that will sound right, feel right and even be accurate occasionally. But BEWARE!!! The motive is totally corrupt.
THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING A BELIEVER CAN DO IS IDENTIFY HIS/HER SPIRITUAL FATHER.
A father will nurture, guide, discipline and pour into your life that will result in spiritual growth and maturity.
Always remember any preacher can get a word. But fathers are seed planters. Seed produces after its kind. A father will pray for those under his charge and plant proper seed for specific results. Anyone can deliver a bible lesson, but only a father can plant the engrafted Word.
In the 21st Century we have a two-fold problem.
1. Men with the fathering assignment that are sitting dormant with a bag of seed by there seat.
REASONS:
-intimidated by the assignment
-improper mentoring that has given them no direction
-too selfish to reproduce themselves, due to fear of there own importance
2. Believers that refuse to seek out and submit to their God-given spiritual father
REASONS:
-this message is not being preached or demonstrated nearly enough
-the 21st century Church has learned short-cuts to build large
organizations, fancy buildings, raise lots of money, pack out
multi services; and they go home entertained BUT EMPTY!
-submission to spiritual authority is a curse word to people today

**Burger King has spoiled the Church. We have drive through services. In fact you don't even have to assemble watch it from the Web.
And you can have it your way. In fact, 21st century modernized leadership principles have shifted from self denial, cross bearing and Christ following, to learn how todays people think and live and build a Church to accommodate them.
What's worse is we still expect the world to change!!
I believe it can and will. But the true Prophets of God and Leaders that are assigned as fathers must rise up and take our stand. I say let us rise. Let us rise, let us rise.

Pastor Marty Mason
Fathered by: Bishop Robert Christopher Brown III of KFM
Kingdom Fellowship of Ministries.
www.facebook.com/kingdomfellowshipofministries




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