The Apostle John and the Churches – The key apostle, John the Beloved, had a very close relationship with the Lord, closer than the other disciples. Through his life, we see the reproduction of the father-son relationship that he had with Christ. In 1 John 2:1, he calls the members of the church, “my little children.” This is the same reference Jesus used when speaking to His disciples in John 13:33.
He reproduced the Father’s heart of affirmation, nourishment, encouragement, instruction and guidance. His joy was the result of those that were birthed through the Gospel, through his ministry, and through walking in truth.
Paul, Timothy and Titus
We see that Apostle Paul also had father-son relationships with both Timothy and Titus. In following the Lord’s example, he laid hands on Timothy, imparting and commissioning him to do the work to which he was called. 2 Tim 1:6 recounts this: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
“To stir” in Greek (“anazopureo”) is “to arouse the life and the fire.” The “gift” (“charisma”) is the gift of the Spirit, the very life, ability and inherent strength of the Spirit. Paul was telling Timothy to arouse the life and the fire of the gift of God in his ministry and personal life that was received by the laying on of Paul’s hands…evidence of Paul’s fatherhood. He laid hands on Timothy and imparted to him a gift of the spirit that Timothy had the responsibility to stir and ignite at his will and by faith.
Paul’s other son was Titus, the bishop of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. He produced in Titus a leadership quality which allowed him to go and set up elders or pastors over churches and cities on the island of Crete. He taught Titus to reproduce himself through mentorship. Paul’s ministry was great because there was a group of ministers that had embraced his heartbeat in carrying out the will of God. This created generations of grandsons in the faith.
