Church Fathers and Mothers
Titus 2:1-3
"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good."
There are many godly women and men who have been instrumental in my life - teaching, nurturing and developing the faith I have today. But one woman stands out in particular. Our pastor introduced us when we were first considering adoption. She and her husband had us over for dinner, shared their adoption story and introduced us to the agency that we would utilize to adopt all four of our sons.
A year later, after our first adoption failed, she invited me to go to a women's conference with her. While there, we attended a session on daily Bible reading and the intentional study of Scripture. That session set me off on a journey to study the Bible that continues to this day. Through that study, the Word of God has completely transformed my faith and relationship with God. I haven't seen this woman in over 20 years, but the impact of those two interactions lasts to this day - all because she was willing to reach out to a younger sister in Christ.
In Titus 2 Paul is encouraging Titus to teach the older men and women well so they could instruct the younger generations within their community. The family of God was to be an intergenerational community, passing on the good news of Jesus Christ and helping each generation learn to live out their faith. For over 2000 years the gospel has passed from one generation to the next. Spreading throughout the world through faithful church fathers and church mothers - mature believers willing to invest in the lives of those newer to the faith.
Today, more than ever, our churches need spiritual fathers and spiritual mothers committed to nurturing newborn believers into maturity. Guiding their spiritual growth, teaching them sound doctrine and modeling Christ-like maturity, so that together the members of God’s family begin to look more like Christ. Our current culture will not teach you how to grow in faith, how to live as a Christian in the workplace, or how to have a healthy marriage and raise godly children. Only the family of God can do that.
Have you ever considered whose faith you are influencing? Are you actively engaging with those who are younger than you, either physically or spiritually? It may look different for every
believer, but this is a task we are all called to. It may be inconvenient, difficult and require sacrifice. But there should be no “empty-nester” Christians in the family of God.
Conversely, are you willing to seek out mature Christians to parent you in your faith? Resources abound for believers today - books and videos, social media accounts, podcasts etc. But none of these resources replace the impact of a physically present believer who knows you and your situation personally.
As you consider your role in the family of God today, pray that you will be wise and faithful to the task, living out the privilege of being part of God’s great and glorious family.