PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS
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On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, two things happened in the life of my church. The first and most significant was the passing of the beloved, long-time Pastor of Park Hill Baptist Church, Dr. Cary Heard. Dr. Heard served as the bond-servant of Christ and the Spiritual Father of this faith community for thirty years, retiring in 2005.
The other thing that happened on Wednesday evening was that I taught on the significance of the Apostle Paul’s role as the Spiritual Father of Timothy and the church at Philippi. I know those two events are not equal in significance, but they are both important to me as we look at the investment that Dr. Heard made into his family of faith.
In that study, I presented the following passage of scripture to those in our Bible Study:
14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
(1 Corinthians 4:14-17 NIV11)
Spiritual Fatherhood
The Apostle Paul saw himself as the father of the church in Corinth. He was used by God to build the foundations of the church alongside his good friends Aquilla and Priscilla. They toiled together, working night and day as they ran their shared tent making business by day and by night met in the house above the workshop with the small number of Christians that were in Corinth.
Paul suffered for the name of Jesus Christ in that city as he preached Christ, served the needs of the family of faith, and presented a solid Christian witness in his workplace. After years of investment, Paul had earned the place of Spiritual Father in the lives of those who had come to faith in Jesus under his leadership.
Imitate Me
Those might be the scariest words in all of the Bible. Paul wants his friends in Corinth to stay true to their faith and not stray into falsehood and worldly living. He submits his own example to the church as a tool to be used to aid in their spiritual growth.
This is the role of a Pastor. This is the calling of the minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called by God to lead by example. Paul knows this truth, and after years of his own growth and spiritual maturity has come to a place of full acceptance of this important task.
Timothy
Paul presented his Spiritual Son, Timothy, to the people of the Corinthian church as a surrogate. Paul could not be with the church due to his impending trial before Caeser, but he could send his protégé and fellow worker to the church to carry on the ministry that Paul started.
Timothy was sent to remind the church of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was to lead the church, teach the church, and to set an example for the church in all of his ways. Paul wrote to Timothy about this important task of leading by example in his letter to Timothy:
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
(1 Timothy 4:11-16 NIV11)
Today
While I never had the privilege of meeting Dr. Cary Heard in this life, I do have the honor of carrying on in the mission that he began. In many ways, I am a Spiritual Son to this man who served as a Spiritual Father to the people of my church.
As such, I desire to set an example for the believers of Park Hill (and for you) in my speech, conduct, demonstrations of love, exercise of my faith, and in my pursuit of purity. No doubt, Dr. Heard too made these essential elements of Christian leadership priorities in his life. I can see the fruit of his labor of love and faithfulness all around me.
I am grateful to follow in the footsteps of such a man as I have the privilege to serve the Body of Christ today.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Works at MTN. CHURCH
Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church
Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at Baylor University
Studied at Texas Tech University
Went to Castle Hills First Baptist
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