Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
— II Corinthians 12:14 (KJV) —
In this one verse, Paul affirms an attitude that should be evidenced by every Apostolic Father.
- I am READY to come to you (I’m “chomping at the bits”).
True Fathers desire personal contact and communion with their spiritual sons and daughters. Certainly all of us have twenty-four hours in a day and none of us can be constantly on the phone, in the car heading for a visit, or sitting at the table face to face. Yet Paul obviously misses his spiritual kids. He desires to be with them. He is anticipating their next personal time together. If someone is not accessible to you, I seriously question whether he is actually a “father.”
- I will not be burdensome to you (I willingly pay my own way).
It is amazing to me how so many ministry “celebrities” have a long list of “requirements” before they will consent to come to an assembly to minister. They MUST stay in THIS hotel, eat at THIS restaurant (dietary restrictions excepted), have THESE SPECIFIC ITEMS in a “goody basket,” be guaranteed THIS much money, or they will not come. And the list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter to them how “burdensome” they are. They want to be treated as the “divas” they imagine themselves to be. Many have truly become “legends in their own minds.” I remember one story of such a “religious celebrity” who embarrassed the host pastor at the airport with his boisterous and vehement refusal to accept a rental car that was not what he had “ordered.”
In contrast, a True Father does not desire to be “burdensome,” and he is always willing to “pay his own way” if necessary to spend time with his spiritual sons and daughters and feed something into their lives.
- I don’t seek what is yours. I seek YOU! (Relationship & communion).
While there are certainly valid principles of stewardship that all believers should walk in, a True Father will not always be talking about the offering, or about what he is seeking materially from the son. My spiritual sons and daughters have always treated me like royalty and have blessed me in ways beyond what I could ever imagine. But, as God knows my heart, I have never sought or demanded anything materially from any of them. Money has never been an issue with me and it never will. God has always provided for us in many and various ways. Recently when I offered a beloved son and daughter some of my library volumes that had been of tremendous blessing to me in years gone by, I was told that although they received and appreciated anything that I might give them, their words were, “We want YOU!” That is the kind of heart Paul expresses to his spiritual kids, and the kind of heart that a genuine Apostolic Father will demonstrate today. I am not after what belongs to you, be it your possessions or your church or ministry. I want YOU! My heart is turned toward YOU! My goal and assignment from God is to see YOU become all that God has called you to be.
Beware of those who are only after what you have. Beware of those who constantly talk about money! Beware of those whose agendas include ruling, dominating, or otherwise taking over your church or ministry. Every offer of help or assistance I have ever made to spiritual sons and daughters has not been to enrich or increase myself, but only to serve them and provide them with the benefits of my four decades plus of ministry experience in its varied aspects, and perhaps allow them some degree of rest and refreshing.
- I have “parental inheritance” to impart to you.
While I certainly do not know everything by any means, you do learn a few things in over forty years, pastoring several local congregations, and functioning in various aspects of ministry service. The Lord spoke to me while praying in the sanctuary of the last church that we pastored and said, “The ministry that I have entrusted to you will not be evaluated in the Light of Eternity based merely upon what you do, but upon the degree of impartation into others who will multiply the ministry. Paul declared that his purpose was not only to impart the Gospel, but to impart his own soul, his own life, his own experience, his own wisdom, to those assigned to him by God (I Thess. 2:8).
God sets members in the Body as it pleases Him (I Cor. 12:18). You do not “choose” your “spiritual family” any more than you “choose” your biological family. You only choose to embrace or reject God’s choice. You will only “become” all that God intends as you embrace His ordained relationships for you, whether or not they seem “cool,” “flashy,” or “popular.” Just as young ones growing up may not feel that their “dads” are nearly as “hip” as others their flesh might prefer to follow, time eventually proves to all honest souls that Dad knew what he was talking about all along. Rehoboam got an entire nation into difficulty by choosing to follow counsel born of inexperience and choosing to reject wise counsel from those who actually knew what they were talking about (I Kings 12:13). When I was sixteen, I thought my Dad was foolish and behind. By the time I was twenty-five, I realized just how wise Dad was! And the same was true in my spiritual development over the years. I have come to see that “Dad” offered me much more wisdom and insight than I was able to see forty years ago when I got started. How I do appreciate now all that “Dad” seeded into me before he departed for Heaven!
While in Kansas City some years ago participating in what has become known as the “Kansas City Forums,” I was impressed with a word from the Lord that this move of God we are entering into will combine the zeal of the youth with the wisdom of the elder. Thus, this move of God will not be side tracked or aborted as others have through lack of understanding, wisdom, and accountability.
Do not to align yourself merely with someone whom you believe will expand your ministry platform or offer you some level of endorsement so you can walk with the “big dogs.” Align yourself with a True Father whose heart is turned toward you, and toward whom God turns your heart (Malachi 4:6). Then do not allow anything to distract you or distance you from that God-ordained relationship, especially if the enemy sends “bumps in the road” to drive a wedge into what he sees God is building. Genuine relationships are mutually pursued and are built from both ends. Be Blessed!
