Good evening friends and blessings to all!
It’s been a while since we did an update and I wanted to address the very popular subject now all over face book and the theme of our group concerning spiritual fathers! And, I want to thank my colleagues and friends Apostle Michael Fram, Apostle Don Hughes, Apostle Don Crum, and several others for their many insights and wisdom concerning apostolic fathers!!
I do, however, see a trend in relating to Millenials and other younger apostles and spiritual sons that I believe needs to be balanced somewhat. The emphasis has been the “abuse” of spiritual fathering and how that it’s not about the fathers, it’s about supporting the sons, etc! And I’m in full agreement and having been involved with my own apostolic father for more than 40 years, I’ve seen the pendulum swing several times! My Father, Dr. Mark Hanby, began teaching this and implementing these powerful truths back in the late 1970’s and wrote the premier book, You Have Not Many Fathers, over 20 years ago. He and our apostolic family and company have taken many hits over the years and I have heard it all!
Let’s not forget that with every vital truth there is an equal false and undermining effort to tear it down. Yes, many prostitute this truth and take advantage as spiritual leaders of the obvious cry for spiritual fathers today. We’ve been out of the “system” of the pseudo apostolic move that empowers both networking fathers and orphan sons to use money as their means to base these false networks on. But let’s be clear, to go off balance and put all the responsibility on the fathers to support and empower the sons, which I do believe in, there is a corresponding responsibility of the sons to serve and support the fathers!!
Paul said in Phil. 2:22 speaking of his son Timothy- “But you know his proven character, that as a Son with his father he served with me in the gospel.” The hearts of fathers are first turned to the sons, and then the hearts of the sons are turned to ‘their’ fathers. (Mal. 4:5.)
In other words, sons do not pick their fathers but fathers recognize the sons first and then give affirmation of the sons to confirm it. Sons who do not share the mutual participation of sowing into fathers as fathers sow and pour into them, are not recognizing what Father God has done in their lives. The balance is, fathers sow relational and spiritual things into the sons and the sons reciprocate with love and honor to their fathers.
There will always be charlatans and thieves who take advantage of spiritual sons but let’s celebrate the true and the real relationships between apostolic teaching fathers and sons!!
Love and blessings,
Jim B
James Becton Ministries/ EaglesVision EKKLESIA! 
This is a very good and timely article concerning fathers and sons. I have never met anyone, in my many years, who stopped taking medicine or stopped going to doctors because someone told them a story about medical malpractice. But I have talked with people who do not recognize oversight, fathers and leaders because of an undesirable experience they, or someone they know, had at one time. Just because a person somewhere displayed dishonor to those who had honored them, does not give license to anyone to throw scriptural principles aside. I do know people who “link up” with leaders who are a thousand miles away. They do not know the religious celebrity they send their tithe to and that leader doesn’t even know they exist. But when they declare who their father/leader is, people stand around and “oooh” and “ahhh”. My observation is that accountability is non-existent in such a scenario. Perhaps a trip to the Bible would help some: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Hey.13:7) Someone who is a thousand miles away, and who gladly deposits your check, cannot watch for your soul and you cannot submit to them. Kathy and I have missed sleep and sacrificed since we were married (45 years now) to go where our fathers and mentors are and to give them an offering to honor them. They know who we are, where we are and what we are doing and how we are doing. In other words, they “watch for our souls”. They have stood with us through thick and thin and we have not had any need to change fathers/mentors like some change their socks. Not only have they stood with us but we have stood with them, even defending them to their detractors. We are greatly blessed.
Thanks Marty, I appreciate your response and the example you model as a leader and a man of God! Thanks again, for speaking out on this much needed subject! Blessings, Jim