A Biblical Teaching on Followership, Spiritual Fathering and the Making of Great Destinies

Adapted from the book “When Imitation Is Not Limitation” by Reverend Olusola A. Areogun

YOU CANNOT BECOME EVERYTHING GOD WANTS YOU TO BE BY FOLLOWING NOBODY!

There is a dangerous misunderstanding among many Christians today. Some believe that following another person means losing their originality, surrendering their individuality or becoming limited in destiny.

But is that what the Bible teaches?

The truth is that wrong imitation can limit you, but right imitation can prepare you for greatness.

Nobody arrives at maturity without learning from someone.

You learned to walk by observing others. You learned to speak by listening to others. Much of what you can do successfully today began with somebody showing you how.

Why, then, should we imagine that spiritual maturity, ministerial excellence and the fulfilment of divine destiny operate differently?

God has established a pattern of learning, following, training and becoming in His Kingdom.

You must understand that pattern if you will fulfil His purpose for your life.

1. THE FIRST CALL OF JESUS IS A CALL TO FOLLOW

Matthew 4:19 (KJV)

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Notice the order in this Scripture.

Jesus did not first tell the disciples what they would accomplish. He first told them whom to follow.

The making would follow the following.

There is something God wants to make out of your life, but there is also a divine process through which He intends to make you.

Many people desire the results of spiritual greatness without submitting to the process that produces it.

They want the anointing without the training.

They want the authority without the discipline.

They want the platform without the preparation.

They want the results without learning the ways of God.

But Jesus said, “Follow me.”

You cannot separate what God wants to make you from the process He has appointed to make you.

Before Peter became a mighty apostle, he was a disciple following Jesus.

Before Joshua became the leader of Israel, he served under Moses.

Before Elisha carried the prophetic mantle, he followed Elijah.

There is a divine wisdom in followership that this generation must recover.

2. GOD COMMANDS US TO IMITATE THE RIGHT EXAMPLES

Ephesians 5:1 (KJV)

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

The Bible does not condemn imitation. It commands the right kind of imitation.

Our first and greatest example is God Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect pattern of the life God wants us to live.

But God also places human examples before us to demonstrate what obedience, faith, holiness, discipline and spiritual maturity look like in practical life.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV)

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Consider the statement of Apostle Paul carefully.

He did not say, “Follow me regardless of what I do.”

He said, “Follow me, even as I also am of Christ.”

That is the divine safeguard in biblical followership.

You are not called to follow men blindly. You are called to follow Christ as His life is demonstrated through godly men.

A true spiritual father does not replace Jesus Christ in your life.

He helps you know Christ better.

He does not make you dependent upon his personality.

He helps you become established in your personal walk with God.

Any form of followership that takes your heart away from Christ has missed the purpose of biblical imitation.

3. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INSTRUCTOR AND A FATHER

1 Corinthians 4:15–16 (KJV)

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

This Scripture reveals an important distinction.

You can have many instructors, but you will not have many fathers.

An instructor can give you information.

A true spiritual father goes beyond information to help form the life of Christ in you.

An instructor may teach you what to do.

A father helps you understand why, when and how to do it.

An instructor may explain spiritual principles.

A father demonstrates those principles through his life, decisions, sacrifices, discipline and relationship with God.

This is why spiritual fathering must never be reduced to titles, public recognition or religious ceremonies.

Fathering is not merely a position to occupy; it involves responsibility, sacrifice and the raising of lives for God.

And receiving fathering is not merely calling somebody your father.

It involves recognising the relationship God has established, receiving sound instruction, learning from a godly example and allowing biblical truth to shape your life.

A person can sit under a great ministry for years and remain unchanged if he refuses the responsibility of learning and growing.

The question is not simply whether you have access to a spiritual father.

The question is whether you are receiving the training God intends for your life.

4. ELISHA DID NOT FOLLOW ELIJAH TO BECOME ANOTHER ELIJAH

One of the clearest examples of profitable imitation in Scripture is the relationship between Elijah and Elisha.

Elisha followed Elijah, served him and remained committed to the prophetic relationship.

But something remarkable happened after Elijah was taken into heaven.

2 Kings 2:14 (KJV)

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Notice what Elisha asked.

He did not ask, “Where is Elijah?”

He asked, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?”

That is the heart of correct spiritual imitation.

Elisha had followed Elijah, but his ultimate confidence was in the God who worked through Elijah.

He had learned from the man, but he understood that the power belonged to God.

The purpose of following a genuine servant of God is not to become a permanent spectator of that servant’s relationship with God. It is to grow into your own genuine relationship with the same God.

Your spiritual father can teach you how to pray, but you must pray.

He can teach you how to hear God, but you must develop your own walk with the Holy Spirit.

He can demonstrate faith, but you must exercise faith.

He can show you the principles of obedience, but you must obey God yourself.

The goal is not merely to admire the results in another person’s life.

The goal is to allow God to produce His own results in your life.

5. DO NOT FOLLOW THE FASHION; FOLLOW THE FAITH

Hebrews 13:7 (KJV)

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

What does the Bible instruct us to follow?

Their faith.

Not merely their clothes.

Not their mannerisms.

Not their accent.

Not their public appearance.

Not their popularity.

You can imitate the outward appearance of a successful servant of God without possessing the spiritual substance that produced his results.

You can sound like a preacher without having his prayer life.

You can adopt the vocabulary of faith without developing faith in your heart.

You can copy somebody’s preaching style without understanding the dealings of God that prepared that person for ministry.

These outward things are not the substance of biblical imitation.

The important thing is not to look like the person God is using. It is to learn the principles of faith, obedience, character and spiritual discipline through which God is working in that person’s life.

Do not pursue the appearance of greatness while neglecting the substance that produces it.

6. THE RIGHT FATHER CAN HELP YOU AVOID WRONG TURNS IN DESTINY

One of the great blessings of godly mentoring is that you do not have to make every mistake yourself.

Some people have already travelled roads you are just beginning to walk.

They have encountered challenges you have not yet faced.

They have learned lessons through prayer, obedience, correction, mistakes and experience.

God can use their lives to prepare you for what lies ahead.

Consider the relationship between David and Solomon.

Before David died, he gave Solomon important instructions concerning the responsibilities and challenges of kingship.

Solomon was chosen to become king, but he still needed wisdom and instruction.

Divine appointment did not remove the need for preparation.

The same principle applies to your life.

Being called by God does not mean you already know everything required to fulfil that calling.

Having a vision does not mean you understand every step necessary to accomplish it.

Receiving a prophecy does not remove the responsibility of preparation.

A genuine call of God must be followed by genuine training.

The right spiritual leadership can help you recognise dangers, develop discipline, understand divine priorities and avoid errors that could damage your future.

Never despise the training that God has provided because you are excited about the destination He has shown you.

7. YOUR SPIRITUAL FATHER MUST LEAD YOU TO CHRIST, NOT REPLACE CHRIST

This truth must remain clear.

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church.

He is the Saviour, Lord and ultimate authority over every believer.

No spiritual father, pastor, prophet or mentor should take His place.

1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

True spiritual fathering strengthens your relationship with Jesus Christ.

It does not compete with that relationship.

A genuine spiritual father will teach you to love God’s Word, obey the Holy Spirit, develop godly character and fulfil the purpose of God.

He will not encourage you to place his personal opinions above Scripture or abandon biblical discernment.

This is why the person you follow matters.

Do not choose spiritual leadership merely because somebody is famous, wealthy, eloquent or influential.

Look for the evidence of Christ in the person’s life.

Look for sound doctrine.

Look for integrity.

Look for a life of obedience to God.

Look for faith worth following.

Look for a person whose example will help you become more like Jesus.

8. THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IS TO HAVE AN EXAMPLE AND REFUSE TO LEARN

Hebrews 6:12 (KJV)

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Notice the two qualities mentioned in this Scripture.

Faith and patience.

The people whose examples we are commanded to follow did not inherit the promises merely because they wished for them.

They walked with God through faith and patience.

They continued when circumstances were difficult.

They obeyed when obedience was costly.

They remained committed to the purpose of God.

Now consider your own life.

Are you learning from the examples God has placed before you?

Are you developing the spiritual disciplines you admire in others?

Are you applying the truths you hear?

Are you growing in prayer, faith, holiness, obedience and service?

Or are you simply celebrating what God has done through other people?

There is a difference between admiring a spiritual example and learning from that example.

Admiration alone will not produce maturity.

You must move from admiration to application.

If you admire a person’s prayer life, develop your own prayer life.

If you admire their faith, begin to practise the principles of faith they demonstrate.

If you admire their discipline, submit yourself to godly discipline.

If you admire their obedience, obey the instructions God has already given you.

That is how biblical imitation becomes profitable.

CONCLUSION: WHO ARE YOU BECOMING THROUGH YOUR FOLLOWERSHIP?

The question is not whether you are imitating somebody.

In one way or another, everybody is influenced by someone.

The real questions are:

Who are you following?

What are you learning?

What is that influence producing in your life?

Is your relationship with God becoming stronger?

Are you becoming more obedient to His Word?

Are you growing in spiritual maturity?

Are you better prepared for your divine assignment?

Are you becoming more like Jesus Christ?

The wrong imitation can lead to limitation, but the right imitation can become an important part of God’s preparation for your destiny.

Do not allow pride to keep you from learning.

Do not allow familiarity to make you despise the examples God has provided.

Do not allow the desire for independence to make you reject godly instruction.

And do not follow any man beyond his followership of Christ.

Follow Christ. Recognise the godly examples He has provided. Learn the ways of God. Submit to His process of preparation. And become everything He has called you to be.

Your destiny is too important to be left to ignorance, pride and avoidable mistakes.

May the Lord give you discernment to recognise the right examples, humility to receive godly training and grace to fulfil His purpose for your life.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

ABOUT THIS TEACHING

This article is adapted from the biblical teachings in WHEN IMITATION IS NOT LIMITATION, written by Reverend Olusola A. Areogun, Senior Pastor of the Life Oasis International Church.

The book explores the divine principles of imitation, spiritual fathering, mentoring, followership, and developing greatness in life and ministry.

It explains why following the right spiritual examples does not diminish your God-given identity but can help prepare you for the fulfilment of your divine assignment.

For more biblical teachings and resources, connect with Reverend Areogun through:

Website: dreamcentreoftheloic.org

Social Media: @ReverendAreogun

Remember: Follow the faith, not merely the fashion. Follow Christ in men, and never allow men to replace Christ in your life.