1 Corinthians 4:15-16

1 Corinthians 4:15-16
"For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me."

Christ redefined how we think about family and relationships when he made it clear that those who do the will of the father are his sister, brother, mother (Matthew 12:47-50).  Those, like Paul, who take time to disciple and make disciples become the father's of those they disciple.  The disciple becomes the imitator of the father, however we must be careful in how we approach this thought.  We are not called to worship man or hold him any higher than our Lord.  Consider Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 18:4-9
"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period-- if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD."

Our faith must be sincere before God and not before those that may disciple (1Timothy 1:5; 2Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:22).  God is the keeper of our soul's and the judge (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:7).