"FOR this reason I have sent Timothy to you, WHO IS MY BELOVED AND FAITHFUL SON IN THE LORD, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church."
1 Corinthians 4:17 (NKJV)
• Whoever you are submitting your life and ministry to, should be someone who will encourage you to do whatever God may have asked you to do.
- If you relate with someone who does not agree with your line of assignment, or calling, it may be difficult for you to fulfil the assignment—while still relating with such.
- A mentor or spiritual father may have his own definition of ministry, how a ministry should be, and look like.
- If what God has instructed you to do, does not fall in line with what such a mentor believes a ministry should be or look like, he may counsel you against what you are asked to do by God.
- If you did obey your mentor or spiritual father, contrary to what you knew God has instructed you to do, you may expose yourself to the attacks of the adversary—the devil.
- Spiritual fathering and mentoring are biblical principles (Philippians 2:22); but they have been taken to the extreme by some—they have blown them out of proportion.
• I have heard it taught that, If you were busy doing a particular thing that you were instructed to do by God, your mentor or spiritual father could send for you, and ordered you to stop.
- If a mentor or spiritual father counseled you against God's Will or instruction, and you did obey; you may have to face the consequences of it.
- You would have to answer the query before God; Why have you disobeyed or disregarded what He has instructed you to do:
18 And the Lord SENT you on a MISSION and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ 19 WHY HAVEN'T YOU OBEYED THE LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?” (1 Samuel 15:18,19 NLT).
READ: 1 Kings 13:11-26 - If God does call you to ask about how you are faring in the doing of the work, but finds out that you are doing a wrong thing completely; He would not blame your mentor or spiritual father, who counseled you wrongly, but you, whom He instructed about what to build and given the pattern with which to build it:
"WHO serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, AS MOSES WAS DIVINELY INSTRUCTED WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO MAKE THE TABERNACLE. For He said, “See that you MAKE ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN" (Hebrews 8:5 NKJV). - Some think If they did obey their mentor or spiritual father, and disobeyed God, they would not be dealt with by God.
- The truth is, God will deal with you on whatever He has instructed you to do, that is well understood, but you did, contrariwise.
- In most cases, the mentor or spiritual father who counseled you wrongly would want to stay clear from it, to save his face. Such may even pretend as if he was not the one who counseled you wrongly on it.
- Working for God, in God's Vineyard, is a serious matter that you cannot do as you like, or someone you Revere likes; BUT as He, God, has instructed you—because He is the Owner of the work, and not you.
• Those who are just coming up in the Ministry work would usually want to learn from the experiences of whoever is ahead of them, which is a good thing.
- However, whoever you are learning from, or taking counsel or instruction from, should be someone who understands what you are instructed to do by God.
- Some of the things you will pass through may not have been passed through by the person who mentors or fathers you. The reason being that, every Ministry or assignment is unique and original—not a copy of other ones.
- There may be similarities in some of the things God would ask you to do with that of your mentor or spiritual father, but your ministry or assignment might not exactly be like that of your mentor or spiritual father.
- There is safety in the multitude of counselors, and wisdom in learning from others (Proverbs 24:5,6); however, whatever you learnt or heard, and you want to apply to your work, should be in line with what you are instructed to do by God.
• If God had instructed you to pioneer a work, that is church based, and your mentor would NOT be in agreement with or support of, it; I would like to counsel you to do what you believed God had instructed you to do.
- And vice versa, if the work you were commanded to do is not church based; perhaps evangelistic or teaching outreaches, but your mentor or spiritual father would not want to believe in it, or agree with it. I would like to counsel you that you should obey what you do believe you have heard from God.
- Some in mentoring wanted whoever is relating with them to do things that are similar to what they are doing, and if a mentee or spiritual son ventured to propose a ministry that is not in line with the template which they have set for the ministry work, they would not be in support.
- The truth is, If a mentor or spiritual father would NOT believe or agree with what you are sure and fully convinced that God has instructed you to do; you go ahead and obey whatever the Lord has told you to do.
- Some may find it difficult to obey God to the letter, in what they are doing, because they would not want to disobey their mentors—they want to receive his favour and backings.
- God may not blame your mentor or spiritual father for your disobedience, or what you did wrong, but you. If at all, God does blame the mentor, you may not know about it.
- The larger part of the blame would be apportioned to you, and the discipline would be meted out to you, whom He gave the instructions to begin with—primarily.
• You will not fail in Jesus name.
Peace!