Will You Be My Spiritual Counselor? Series

The call to discipleship is a call to serve as a good neighbor. This call is more than a mere social event where pleasantries are commonly shared. In the call to discipleship, we are challenged to ascend to godliness and become a spiritual friend to people in our sphere of influence.

In John 14 Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. He tells them He would not abandon them. He promises that He will make a personal request to the Father on their behalf.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth.

The Greek word for Counselor is parakaletos. The word paraclete was used for a legal assistant, a pleader, advocate, one who pleads another’s case. John presents Jesus as our paraclete. He says Holy Spirit will “be with you” (timeless present tense).

In Titus 1:9 Paul uses the Greek infinitive parakalein.

verb inf pres act, from parakale,w beg, urge; encourage, speak words of encouragement; request, ask, appeal to; console, comfort, cheer up; invite, summon

Scripture says a disciple must always seek to help others grow in their faith. Jesus spent a lot of time with the twelve disciples, modeling, training, encouraging, sending, and strengthening them. When Jesus entrusted his earthly ministry to the disciples the people of the Way/Christianity exploded in number and caring ministries.

Peterson, in his translation, The Message, captures the thought this way:

He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it. (p. 451)

Here is the question the text puts before each of us: Am I a disciple who is devoted to faithfully serve as a paraclete to others? This question moves us into chapter two and begs for answers in the contemporary church. Moves us away from self-absorption....

I. SEEKING OUT SPIRITUAL FRIENDS ENABLES DISCIPLES TO DEVELOP MATURITY

The concept of spiritual friends is a reciprocal experience. The disciples appreciated their relationship with Jesus; however, Jesus called them his friends. Jesus allowed the disciples into a unique relationship with him, one in which he had disclosed to them things birthed in Heaven. He trusted them to use what he shared for the same purpose God entrusted him (God-incarnate) to serve on earth—doing that which was for the good of people. Aelred of Rievaulx, an English Cistercian monk, pointed out that friendship is based on shared goals and distinguishes between different kinds of friendship: carnal friendship, based on shared pursuit of pleasure; worldly friendship, based on mutual advantage; and spiritual friendship, grounded in shared discipleship. (Posted: Spiritual Friendship by Ron Belgau)

Proverbs 27:9 The Message (MSG)

Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,

a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

Chapter two begins with a directive to Titus. The emphatic “but you” is in contrast to those mentioned in 1:10-16. Titus is a book about character development and the role of teaching.

1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

Character development is at the heart of the gospel.

Teaching is important for the development of disciples. The word is didaskalia which means teaching, instruction or that which is taught, doctrine, precepts.

The New Testament encourages discipleship. A disciple is a learner. A spiritual friend is one who has been taught the heart of God and desires to help others understand the heart of God. The word from which we get disciple is maqhth,j. It translates a learner, pupil, disciple.

Tony Campolo, in “Which Jesus do you Believe In?,” says that many are turned off to Jesus because they don’t really know what he is like. They are familiar with the cultural Jesus but not the biblical Jesus. He says,

You’re not a Christian in the full sense of the word until your heart is broken by the things that break the heart of God.

Paul had invested time and energy in teaching young Christian ministers how to discern the heart of God.

A. Churches must Develop Mentors for Young Christians (2:1-2)

How well have we equipped our leaders? Remember, Paul isn’t attempting to set up a class structure in the church. He did understand the order of society and encouraged the Christians to strive for excellency in the context in which they lived.

2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Any time a person steps forward and assumes a leadership position, they must acknowledge how the visibility and responsibility of the office requires they move to a higher level of godliness. Paul draws our attention to the character traits and moral behavior that is expected of a godly leader.