God has blessed me in many wonderful ways. I have been in love with the most wonderful woman in the world for 50 years, even though we have only been married 42 years. God blessed us with 6 wonderful children, - the best in the world. Now God is blessing us with grandchildren. So far we can include 11 wonderful girls and boys among them, and we wouldn't be surprised if God blessed us with some more! Family life is joyful, dynamic and ever expanding into new families who reproduce themselves.
Every family takes its name from our Heavenly Father. Family originated in God. The church is the family of God. When we come to Christ we are born again and become children of God. In the church we meet brothers and sisters. We meet spiritual babies, who of cause are not spiritual at all, and we meet mature believers who are really spiritual people.
When the apostle John writes to the Christian communities he is addressing them in three categories:
Children, Fathers - mature, Young
12 I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.*
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith*
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.
* Greek through his name. * Or to you fathers; also in 2:14. Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. "Text edition"--Spine. (2nd ed.) (1 Jn 2:12-14). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
The apostle Pauls is calling Timothy his son in the faith. He didn't bring him to Christ, but he discipled him into maturity. Just listen to this:
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. (2 Ti 2:1-2NLT)Four of our children have been married and established their own families. I am very proud of each one of them. They have become like me and my wife, - each one a father or mother like us. Our firstborn son died at the age of 24 without leaving any children after him as he never married. When we lost him, we did not only loose a dear son, we lost many grandchildren and had many dreams shattered. The natural multiplication stopped with him, he was never able to pass on to his own children what he had learnt from home. What a sad story, far too often repeated in the church.
Paul describes himself as a spiritual father to both individuals and to churches. He was a family man even though we don't know if he ever married. He reproduced himself. He reproduced sons and daughters in the faith. He reproduced churches. He reproduced families of churches. He caused multiplication to take place. He saw multiplication of disciples, spiritual children, and he saw multiplication of Christian communities. He sowed the seed that produced many etnic grasrootmovements in the Middle East and in Europe. He spread the virus of Christ.
As a spiritual father he passed on the organic life form of the Kingdom of God. He trusted his spiritual children to pass the same life of the Kingdom on to faithful people who would pass it on to faithful people who would pass it on etc.
As I rejoice in being a father and a grandfather, a prayer is born in my heart of being able to see the same thing take place in much greater scale in the covenant community. I am thankful to God for everything I have been able to achieve so far by the grace of God, but I am longing to see much more. I have now desire to stop have new spiritual children, but I am also longing to so see them establish spiritual families of many children doing the same. I don't mind even becoming a great, great, great grandfather to great numbers of spiritual children multiplying themselves.
The Word of God has promised me:
But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.
Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.
They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!” (Ps 92:12-15).
Even with grey hair and beard like an old patriach I will still produce fruit. By the grace of God I will be vital and green, full of life and new adventures!