This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.
All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.
In terms of spiritual maturity there are different groups, or better stages - in the biblical Christian’s journey through life here and now. 1 John 2:12-14 mentions at least three or four of those stages.
The New American Standard Bible in 1 John 2:12-14 reads:
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one I have written to you children, because you know the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
The Apostle spoke about little children, children, young men and lastly, fathers. First he says he is now presently writing each group and then he says he has, in the past, written them. He expects each group to move forward to the next stage of growth. Sadly, there are believers that never grow out of the baby, or newborn stage.
“Little children” are newborns. The word in verse 12, literally means “born ones.” They are spiritual infants. The one thing they are learning is that they are forgiven because of their relationship to Jesus Christ.
“Children" is a word that speaks of school age kids. They are under the discipline of teachers. They have learned something about being God's true child and of His fatherly care for them. They know they have been forgiven, but more they are in the process of growing up and focus on God as their teacher. This may be the same stage as the new born ones because of the structure of the writing (I am writing, then - I have written)
“Young men” are those who have advanced spiritually to the point that they have won some victories over Satan's temptations through a knowledge of God's word. They are not as weak as they were when they were newborn or like school age kids.
They have gotten strength from learning biblical truth. They are strong doctrinally and put their knowledge of God’s truth to work in combating false teachings.
But spiritual fathers have grown even further in their relationship with God to the point that they have known the deeper things of the eternal God. They know by deep experience the One who already “has been” at the beginning of time, which He also created.
They are intimate with the God that always existed before time began! They are in step with His ways.
Spiritual growth depends on three things, knowledge of the word of God; plus time; plus trials with obedience. It is putting our faith in what God has said to us consistently into action over a period of time, and coming through the trials that time in a sinful fallen world and a society, heavily influenced by the devil attacks us with, SUCESSFULLY.
Let me give you an example of a man I consider an example of a spiritual father. At a weekly prayer meeting I have been attending since our move to Washington, I have met a man who has fought cancer for many, many years.
In addition to that dread disease, he has two other debilitating physical problems. Any of the three can kill his body. He lives with the immanence of physical death. Sometimes he is so weak he cannot even get out of bed. When he is not there, his dear wife attends and shares with the group his latest physical trial.
What's different about this man when he is there is that HE NEVER HAS ASKED PRAYER FOR ANYTHING HE IS SUFFERING PHYSICALLY. Some of you dear ministering chaplains do share prayer requests with me about your ministry and I in turn ask this group to pray for those needs. This physically suffering believer faithfully prays for those requests and our ministry to you.
Recently, we were praying and he was present. There were many prayers being offered for different people's physical maladies, but when this man finally opened his mouth to pray, this is what he said: "Oh God, You are beautiful on Your throne ..." he went on to simply worship the Eternal Lord God, out loud, for many moments.
He never prayed for his own suffering to be ended. That touched me deeply. To listen to this dear believer pray, you almost feel like you don't even know God - when you compare your own anemic prayers to his. So, the next week I phoned him to tell him what a blessing he was to me. Then, he said about his life and incredibly hard trials, "I don't want to ever dishonor Him."
Another way of stating that would be - "My one heart’s desire is to never diminish God's glory through my problems." This is a man who truly walks in the fear of the LORD. This is a spiritual father. He is a true prayer warrior also. I pray your male inmates have someone like this also in their midst.
Pray for a lifer that walks close to God. He will be the living breathing example of Christ and the faith in Him your inmates need to see in action.
When inmates ask for prayer it is usually in regards to their case or the alleviation of their present suffering. If that’s all they ever pray for, it indicates spiritual infancy OR WORSE. It could be a symptom of not really being born of God.
The religious but lost are the most tragic people in all the world. To people like that Jesus said in Luke 11:35 “Take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.”
Those who truly are God's redeemed and adopted children, though inmates, must constantly be urged by you and your staff to grow in Christ. I say that knowing if they are saved, the resident Holy Spirit within them will urge them the same way - IF THEY ARE IN THE WORD. At the same time, you are there to teach them the right way. As they mature they will be more concerned with God than self.
Again, all our text says about spiritually mature “fathers” is that they know Him who has been from the beginning. They know the God who created time and everything else, and they know Him intimately. Before the beginning of time He already was! He is the Eternally Self-Existent One.
There are at least three things that are true of those that have grown up to this father stage in Christ. These things flow out of their deep and intimate experiential knowledge of God.
1. Because they have a deeper understanding of how GREAT God is, THEY ARE HUMBLE.
2. Because they understand that He wants fellowship with them, THEY WALK WITH GOD.
3. Because they have an intimate knowledge of God’s attributes, THEY EXHIBIT TO SOME DEGREE THE “COMMUNICABLE” ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.
Those attributes are His character traits that He shares and wants His true children to display and live out. Things like: holiness, love, truth, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, patience, mercy and graciousness.
The Apostle Paul was a spiritual father. He could honestly and rightly say to other believers things like “Imitate (or, mimic) me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1).
In 1 Cor. 4:15-16 he said, “”though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ (and those instructors would be spiritual “young men”), yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me.”
At first glance, it might seem that Paul was only claiming to be their spiritual father BECAUSE he brought them the gospel and they came to life under that ministry. What makes me believe there’s more to it than that is verse 16, “Therefore, I urge you, IMITATE ME.”
I also think the Apostle John was at the same level of spiritual growth, for when he wrote he often spoke about the eternal God, note John 1:1-2 and 1 John 1:1. He wrote of Jesus’ eternality in his gospel - see also John 1:30 and John 8:56-58
A Christian that has grown up to true spiritual fatherhood is the best example any other prisoner can ever have.
It could be a full time Chaplain, or another inmate or dare I even think it, possibly a corrections officer!
Of these three options, the best by far would be a fellow inmate. This is so because the other prisoners would have a living breathing example of one in their same circumstances whose life in Christ would be a great encouragement to them.
Such a man would probably have come to Christ either before or during the start of his long, long sentence.
Possibly, he would be in prison as a man serving a life sentence. But by God's grace, through His word and with the power of His Spirit to overcome many trials and temptations that come with prison life, he has grown so close to God he is in the category the Apostle John refers to in 1 John 2:13-14, a spiritual "father."
PRAY THAT YOUR INMATES GET EXPOSED TO THIS KIND OF CHRISTIAN!
Now, considering again the passage in 1 John 2:12-14, remember that John said he had written in the past and that he was now writing these spiritual fathers. The question is what was he referring to? What had he previously written and what was he now writing?
The best understanding is that the former writing refers to the fourth gospel and the present writing to this epistle. All of God’s word is to be fed on by God’s people. What’s interesting is the same passage will be milk to one and deep meat to another. Both will grow closer to the Lord the more they meditate on and do what God says.
All of the same principles apply to female prisoners. For them the greatest need next to true salvation is to see and imitate a godly WOMAN.
No, the Bible does not ever reference spiritual “mothers,” but it is full of the exploits and examples of godly women who more often than not, quietly glorified God with a meek and quiet spirit and a living faith in Him!
So, what’s my point. It should be God’s point! The point the Spirit of God makes through the Apostle John in 1 John 2:12-14, is that whatever stage of spiritual growth the believer is they should continue to read and understand and apply to their life the Scriptures so that they may grow. You should want to become a spiritual “father.” The inmates need that kind of example. Are you growing spiritually? That’s part of your ministry responsibility!
None of us can ever spend too much time with the Lord getting to know and understand Him better. After it’s all said and done our ministry to others MUST FLOW OUT OF AN OVERFLOW OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Rich Hines
Aurora Ministries – Minister to Chaplains
Chaplain Help Ministry
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