"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."
Acts 16:5
Introduction
Babies require a lot of attention...in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. If you don't believe me, ask a new parent.
Spiritual babies are the same way: They also require a lot of attention. When people come to faith in Christ, they don't wake up the next morning with all the answers. In fact, new believers' questions keep multiplying. So it's a good think there are mature Christians around to help them.
In addition to our biological parents, God provides spiritual parents to show us how to grow in Christ. Your spiritual parent may be your pastor, youth minister, or a good Christian friend. Spiritual parents are crucial to your spiritual growth.
Paul played this role for a young man named Timothy. in Acts 16 Paul, already on his second missionary journey, decided to bring timothy along. And then Paul basically spent the rest of his life mentoring Timothy. Paul became Timothy's spiritual parent and helped him mature in the faith.
As you grow spiritually, God desires for you to parent other young believers. In fact, you should always have at least two types of people in your life: Someone who's discipling you (a "Paul"), and someone you're discipling (a "Timothy"). This week we're going to see how the early Christians parented each other so we can begin to do the same.
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