Empowering Discipleship

By Dan R. Eide

Table of Contents

Preface (not the typical blah, blah, blah).............................................................................................3Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................5Getting the Most from Empowering Discipleship...............................................................................6Introduction..........................................................................................................................................13

Part 1 — Growing Up in Christ..........................................................................................................16

1. Making Disciples.......................................................................................................................162. Being a Disciple..........................................................................................................................213. Quiet Time.................................................................................................................................244. Bible Study.................................................................................................................................265. Prayer.........................................................................................................................................316. Worship......................................................................................................................................347. Tithing........................................................................................................................................37

Part Two — Becoming Christ-like.....................................................................................................41

8. Baptized with the Holy Spirit...................................................................................................419. Witnessing..................................................................................................................................4310. Gifts of the Holy Spirit..............................................................................................................5011. Fruit of the Holy Spirit.............................................................................................................5912. Spiritual Authority....................................................................................................................65

Part Three — Serving Christ..............................................................................................................72

13. The Church................................................................................................................................7214. Ministry Gifts.............................................................................................................................7615. Spiritual Warfare......................................................................................................................7916. Replication.................................................................................................................................83

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................85A Disciple’s Covenant..........................................................................................................................87Bibliography and Works Consulted.......................................................................................................88

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Preface (not the typical blah, blah, blah)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ” (Discipleship 64). Without discipleship, Christianity doesn’t exist, because following Jesus activates the Christian faith. Unfortunately non-discipleship “Christianity” dominates much of the thinking of the contemporary church in America. It seems pervasive that church leadership and lambs alike have embraced a two-tiered understanding of discipleship. We have made discipleship for super-Christians, not for ordinary believers.

Michael Wilkins, professor of New Testament and dean of the faculty at Talbot Seminary, regularly asks two questions when he speaks to groups about discipleship. The contrasting answers to these questions give us insight into the way that people understand discipleship. The first question is, “How many of you can say, in the humble confidence of your heart, that you are true disciples of Jesus? Please raise your hand.” Wilkins says that people are genuinely confused as to what they should do. Most do not raise their hands. Some put it up hesitantly and then quickly pull it down. Then Wilkins proceeds to a second question: “How many of you can say, in the humble confidence of your heart, that you are convinced that you are a true Christian? Please raise your hand.” Immediately most hands go up without hesitation (Ogden, Transforming 48).

This confusion has been changing over the past 20 years as the church is confronted with the statistical data that the Church is not making the impact on our culture as anticipated when reading of the New Testament accounts. Somehow discipleship for someone who wished to go deeper spiritually was seen as a “super-Christian” desire and not as essentially equivalent to being a Christian. Discipleship and being a Christian goes hand in glove with salvation. The early church and its leaders “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The upheaval observed by those near and far was not a revolution through the scholarly or necessarily the intelligent. Rather Acts records that, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) These men had been with Jesus resulting in a supernatural perspective that was extraordinarily exceptional for the times. On the day of Pentecost a band of 120 meeting in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem were filled with the Promise of the Father, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It was these men and those who followed who turned the world upside down.

The challenges confronting making disciples of Pentecost are substantial. It is highly likely that we were not discipled and so we are understandably uncertain if we are doing it right. Second, because we were not discipled we have difficulty in interpolating necessary adjustments to discipling newbies or those who have been in ministry for a long time. The third important challenge in many ways is the most significant, witness.

The present generations of Christians have numerous issues pressing us to conform to the current expectations of what it means to be an American Christian. We are largely theorists rather than practitioners. We love theory, knowledge, and knowing the right answers, we have become hoarders of information. A survey conducted by George Barna indicated that only 23% of Protestants who regularly attended church have shared their faith with a non-believer in the past 12 months (Barna.org 49 Million). I believe the mandate given by Jesus to the first disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until the Promise of the Father comes, empowering us to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth, is no less mandatory than for us to make disciples. I hold that First Century Disciples are the prototype of disciples we should be making today. If we want to know what our disciples should look like, so that we know we are making Biblical disciples and not denominational disciples, we should look to the first

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disciples of Jesus and of the Book of Acts. Being a witness of the 21st Century that reflects First Century Christianity traits is not primarily a programmatic and systematized process.

This Empowering Discipleship Guidebook is assembled to address the mandate to make disciples who are supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to be long-term witnessing disciples. I rejoice that much awareness and change is happening in our ecclesiology, which is being recalibrated through the Holy Spirit to reflect First Century discipleship principles for the 21st Century. I rejoice disciples are being made today, but it seems that the larger body of work written on this field is classically Calvinistic in its doctrine. This is a very good and the Baptists have done much in the Kingdom of God to make disciples of Jesus Christ. However, it is incomplete as I see it, because Baptists typically do not believe in the current baptism of the Holy Spirit and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today, although there are exceptions. What is lacking today is a discipleship that is spirit-filled discipleship and this perspective is interwoven throughout this guidebook to be a measure for spiritual growth. This guidebook is not laid out to be theory, but to take the knowledge that is being learned and put it into practice. Becoming a growingly supernatural witness for Christ is an imperative. In the witness section of this guidebook we will look at scripture to help shape our expectations for anticipating the fruit and effects of being Pentecostal witnesses.

Discipleship is relational and not some program that people are pushed through and 13 weeks later out pops a disciple. Just as we are not matured by some program after a few weeks, neither will our disciples be, discipleship is a lifetime resolve to be formed and transformed into a Biblical disciple of Jesus Christ. There are however disciplines employed by disciples that position them for maturing and growing in knowing Christ. Many of these disciplines are honed in private and made sharp to greater effectiveness in our public walk.

Of the many discipleship materials written for the Christian community, noting that Amazon lists better than 7,000 books on this subject, I was able to locate one that was Pentecostal in its focus. The book, “Living the Spirit-Formed Life”, by Jack Hayford included the Pentecostal experience as a part of discipleship. In a search of the internet on discipleship I could find no substantial treatment of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit by any Pentecostal denomination or fellowship. There were a few that offered some light reading material on this subject, but even then they focused on weak definitions for each of the nine gifts and seemed to me to indicate the author did not personally operate in gifts! (Life2o.org). It is my intent to have this guidebook used as curriculum for individuals and churches to help make Biblically sound disciples of Jesus Christ.

Having been profoundly impacted through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit I am troubled by my observation of the dearth of Pentecostal discipleship materials available and seemingly few Church leaders who regularly and currently operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in church services and in life. This has ignited in me a passion to raise up a people who are like the First Century disciples of Pentecost. This is the impetus for me writing this guidebook. It is my hope that people will take hold of the heart of what the Lord has imparted into me and make it their own.

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AcknowledgementsThe achievement of any goal is not attained solo, but it is in many ways a collaborative effort. It

is a pleasure to thank those who made this book possible. First I must affirm my partner in life and ministry, my wife Jan, who faithfully edited my papers along the way to help bring greater clarity to the articulation of my thoughts on paper. Not a few late nights were spent editing my papers while I slept in preparation for an early start for the day that lay ahead.

I would like to say thank you to my parents who in many ways are a tangible example of people who are pioneers, not just being first generation immigrants to America. They have lived in the same house for almost 50 years, but have remained spiritual pioneers who are always looking forward to the Promise of the Promised Land now and have embedded that same DNA in me as reflected in this paper.

I appreciate my supervisor, teacher and friend Avril VanderMerwe who helped sharpen the focus of this paper. Her father, Bill VanderMerwe, who I was privileged to have as instructor in a number of classes, also left an important legacy with me. His life is a compelling example of finishing strong in our discipleship.

Special thanks goes to Dr. Bryan Johnson and his leadership at Cross National Graduate School of Leadership as President and his friendship over the years.

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Getting the Most from Empowering Discipleship

The larger printed body of work in America on making disciples predominantly focuses on making disciples with an American Baptistic distinctive. This in no way is to be construed as a slur or criticism on the Baptists in America or any other denomination. I simply desire to highlight the incompleteness of a disciple of Jesus Christ who has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit and is not operating and maturing in his manifestation gifts (1 Corinthians 12). This is not to say someone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit is more favored by God, or more mature. Salvation is not established in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but in finished work of Christ on the cross. Stripped of any expectation of supernatural power manifesting today in the disciple, the disciple maker is left with a large vacuum due to the ineffectiveness of American disciples of Jesus Christ. Can we consider ourselves 21st Century Christians without 1st Century power? Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, discipleship today is making disciples that are intellectually developed, but unlikely to operate in supernatural manifestational gifts or reaching maximum effectiveness when active in sharing their faith (Acts 1:8). Disciples of the past were effective evangelistically in reaching the lost for Christ. This is not true of the discipleship of today which produces disciples who have internalized their beliefs, with little external impact in the local church and virtually no impact on the broader culture where the church is located. The American Church is exporting this brand of discipleship and I fear is negatively affecting the contagious nature of Christianity the indigenous Church has established. Transformational discipleship turned the first century world upside down because they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49) and used that power to evangelize their world.

The Biblical norm of the developed disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is an empowered, growing and replicating Christian. They are a force to be reckoned with in the kingdom of darkness and a tangible presence in the Kingdom of Light. Dr. Gordon Pennington, speaking on the topic “Advertising in Society” in “The Truth Project” powerfully proclaimed, “We are challenged to either confront culture, abandon it, or transform it.” True Biblical discipleship transforms!

This Guidebook is meant to equip the kind of disciple that Jesus died to produce. In setting out to make a disciple we must ask, “What will this disciple look like?” We must begin with the end in mind when making a disciple. When this disciple matures what will his conversations, life outlook and faith look like? What would be said about a mature disciple? What descriptives would be used?

The desired outcome of this project is to move disciples from those who are passively discipled and/or products of non-Pentecostal discipleship to an army of disciples of Jesus Christ raised up in these last days that are uniquely Pentecostal in their theology and demonstrative in expressing Kingdom power in their private life, at church and in the marketplace. The goal in creating a Pentecostal Discipleship Guidebook is to put into the hands of people this curriculum to equip disciples who are powerfully and overtly expressive in their demonstrations of God’s Kingdom message, each in their own unique way, at church, home, work, and play.

The equipping of the disciple is achieved through this Pentecostal Discipleship Guidebook through personal example, class time instruction, altar ministry and practicing in the marketplace with regular evaluation of personal growth and progress, all as integral components to the making of and equipping Pentecostal disciples.

Let me be clear, it is not this guidebook that will transform any person or region. No program, church or person can bring about the transformation of a person of God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord does use programs, ministries and churches to assist Christ followers in the journey toward becoming more like Christ. But ultimately it is a person’s daily obedience and submitting to Christ and the Holy Spirit whereby we become like him. At the same time the leader must give much

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care to grow by putting this material into practice in his own life. Let me highlight the truth of the current condition of the church in America. The church today has the best technology, access to the internet and all it affords the minister; spectacular speakers can be watched or listened to online 24/7 who are the finest communicators of almost any age of the church; and yet the American church today has produced the weakest specimens of disciples it has ever produced, perhaps in the history of our nation. The impact of the church on our culture is at a standstill, if not worse. It has been some decades since the church has been growing in America. Most believers feel no compulsion to witness for Christ and so darkness is advancing. The American church is in decline, not advancing as in decades past. This is unfortunately the real situation in the American church today (djchuang.com).

The anticipated result of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that of a people who are mighty, victorious, overcoming, and witnessing in demonstrative power of the gospel of Jesus. If a farmer plants a corn seed into the ground, the anticipated result will be a stalk with many ears of corn. The farmer doesn’t expect an apple tree or wheat grain to come out of the ground, but corn. Why? Because within that kernel is the entire DNA necessary to produce the corn stalk and fruit. The farmer is so confident that when the agricultural prognosticators say this is the year to plant corn, they make all the necessary preparations in the field and purchase the corn seed and when it is time to plant the corn they commence the sowing. They know that if they do their part the corn will produce the anticipated crop. What is true in the natural it is true in the spiritual. The preaching of the seed of God’s Word has anticipated results. We should not anticipate a weak, feeble, anorexic and anemic Christian, but one who is above all transformed. Why then is this often not the case today? The sum of this work is to address this lack in the preaching and teaching of the gospel today. We will focus on directing people to Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, staying dependent and reliant on the Holy Spirit and employing and deploying the disciplines of a Disciple in this manual. This is part of the process of preparing for harvest to see the achievement of the anticipated results from the seed of God’s Word.

The critical issue to be addressed in discipleship is not just growth for “Joe or Josephine Christian”, but the pastors of the local church. This guidebook will likely find its way into the hands of the lambs but it is the shepherd who should be the one to find and use this manual. Pastors are making disciples in their own image acquired in their personal life and ministry training experience and this is a big problem. These resultant disciples know all about the weaknesses and frailties of the flesh and end up with a focus on behavior modification through Bible reading and memorization and practicing the spiritual disciplines through self-will alone. Too many pastors have fallen into a spiritual malaise with expectations for disciples who have little or no distinction in their thinking, lifestyle choices or morals than an average unregenerate person. The Christian will go to heaven and the non-Christian will go to hell, but other than this there are often no other distinctions. It is as if the Christian has no greater expectation of success or failure, health or sickness, victory or defeat compared with the non-Christian. Such a lack of expectation of God’s unchanging power has produced poor specimens of First Century disciples. This is not to be the case and much deliberate and strategic work must take place to reverse this current trend.

The Shepherds must do everything in their power to throw off this malaise and return to their first love. Was Jesus really shooting for a pastor that sits in his office, crunching financial numbers and solving people problems? Is this the situation that God envisioned when he sent his Son to us? Was part of his grand plan to have pastors sitting behind their desks with the glow of monitors shining on their faces rather than the Shekinah Glory? I don’t want to be found behind my desk when Jesus returns. I want to be on the streets witnessing about him. I want to be setting people free and not designing a ministry program that has little potential but to give emotional comfort for the oppressed. If there is no manifest power in the minister there will certainly be no manifest power in the program they design, use

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or implement. The Western church must work doubly hard to anticipate manifest and visible power verses being content with invisible and mysterious power. They must return to first century Christianity thinking about Pentecost power and preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). All through the New Testament the disciples are the ones who are victorious minded and demonstrating visible power. The issue of lack in ministry effectiveness is not resolved by the right seminar, conference, ministry program, curriculum or church management system, but by falling back into a childlike first love for Christ that is full of power and passion for the message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God to spread. It’s not a new revelation that is needed to address the crises confronting the church today, but an old commandment. The command of Jesus is that we seek first the Kingdom of God. I would suggest that many pastors have forgotten what it means to seek the Kingdom of God practically or manifestly demonstrate that they are seeking the Kingdom of God. The Old Testament Shema commanded God’s people to love him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and to teach that to their children. How do the pastors and followers of Christ today know that they are loving God and seeking him in this way? For Israel and 1st Century Christians the proof was in the manifestation of the power of God in their actions in the world in which they lived. The hour is urgent for the ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to return to demonstrating the Kingdom of God and making the kind of disciples he did.

In this guidebook I seek to add uniquely Pentecostal components not found in other discipleship works. These components include: Witness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Warfare and Replication.

The events we are seeing in the world seem to indicate that we may well be living in the last days. Agreement is broad in our nation and among the World’s Christians that Christ’s return is drawing close. Wars, rumor of wars, famines, earthquakes, droughts, the love of many growing cold, Christians not putting up with sound doctrine, denying the power of God and his gospel and throwing out key doctrines such as hell for those who reject Christ and that Jesus Christ is the only way to get to heaven are undeniable Biblical evidences for Christ’s Return (Matthew 24:4-28).

The essence of transforming Pentecostal discipleship finds explanation in a Christian because of Christ’s finished atoning work on the cross, obedience to the teachings of Jesus, entering into water baptism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Church and in the market place, being Spirit led, and living a life of holiness for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

This Pentecostal Disciple Guidebook is not intended to imply that upon completion of the material a completed and matured disciple has been achieved. It did not happen in the life of the first disciples of Jesus Christ, it certainly did not happen in my life, and I know of no individual that has achieved maturity in a few months. To be a transformational disciple that Jesus went to the cross to produce requires a life surrendered in dependence on the Holy Spirit, to giving evidence that they are producing the fruit of the Kingdom and seeking to live a life of holiness all of their days. Waxing and waning interests compete for our attention, which is why disciplines are a part of the discussion when talking about discipleship. Our flesh screams for attention and for immediate self-gratification (1 John 2:15-17). Our Adversary does not want us to give our all to Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). But our God calls us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Luke 10:27). So we live to enjoy and please our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:7-9).

I love scones, strawberries and whipped cream. Because of my desire for this treat, no one has to tell me, “Eat all of your strawberries and cream!” I’ll finish all of it because I love it so much! It doesn’t require discipline to begin to eat and endure to complete my dessert. Discipleship and the spiritual disciplines are necessary ingredients in following Christ and should be like eating dessert. We should never confuse discipleship and the spiritual disciplines with loving God for if you are not careful a

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Pharisee may be in the making! Stay in love with God and may your resolve to love and follow Christ be matched by your faithfulness to him and may you daily enjoy his Love, Grace and Mercy!

Can Pentecostal disciples still be made today that impact their region of the world and not simply the local church? The answer is not a slam dunk “yes”. If the process of making disciples as the first century made disciples who “turned the whole world upside down” was simple, then our world would be much different than it is. Many disparate forces interplay in our spiritual formation and development. But the answer must be yes. The Church has always been resilient and strong. The Church is always strongest and best when challenges are the greatest. It is for these days that the Lord has designed us and called us to be at our best.

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Going forwardDisciple Maker:

Over the years my travels have led me to many places that have required me to fly. I love to fly because it announces a change is about to take place. Even now thinking about going on a flight to anywhere evokes dreams of new encounters, new people with varied needs that need to be touched by the Spirit of the Living God. I think it was on our return flight from Hong Kong in 1999 heading home for a furlough in Washington State that I heard, as if for the first time, one portion of the instructions given by the stewardesses. The part of the flight instruction that stood out was that if a sudden loss of cabin pressure caused masks to fall from the ceiling put the mask on yourself first, then on those needing your assistance. It feels more natural to put the mask on the young kids first, and then put it on yourself. But what experience teaches is that if you are unable to have sufficient oxygen supply to breathe, you will not be in position to help anyone. Ensure you have your mask on and then you will be able to assist others who are unable to help themselves. This guidebook’s intent is to help ensure that ability to help those in distress become strong toward their destination…Heaven.

Do not attempt to force each lesson into a single meeting. The dynamics of the people in your group will slow or speed up the pace according to their learning styles and ability to assimilate the material. I anticipate you will spend two to three meetings for each lesson.

I have attempted to write the guidebook in a logical and sequential layout with each section preparing the participant to maximize the fruit of the following lesson. However, this is a guidebook so you should not feel constrained to rigidly follow the order prescribed. Pick up the pace, slow down or back track on the material as you unpack this guidebook while you are on this journey.7 steps to maximize your effectiveness as a disciple maker.1. Listen activelya. Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers before listening — that is his folly and his shame.”b. Listen more than you talk.c. Listen for feelings as well as facts.d. Listen to the spouses of ministry leaders.e. Listen and work with what God is already doing in the disciple-ees life.2. Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirita. Your ability to lead others is closely linked to first developing a listening/understanding heart for the Holy Spirit.b. Seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing infillings of the Holy Spirit.c. Jesus said, “My sheep know and hear my voice” (John 10:27), and the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you into all truth (John 16:13).d. Hearing the voice of the Spirit is a skill that is developed and matured as you actively seek to see it matured.3. Celebrate Winsa. Celebrate progress.b. Celebrate personal achievement.c. Celebrate God.4. Strategize plansa. Eliminate roadblocks.b. Focus priorities.5. Develop Charactera. Leadership produces character.b. Good disciple makers help identify character issues first in self and in the disciple.

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c. Provide guidance and resources of your own in addition to what is provided in this training manual.6. Train skillsa. Demonstrate the Kingdom of God and minister together.b. Recommend others to relevant seminars.c. Take advantage of other resource people to build others.d. Establish action steps before learning is lost.7. Challenge specificallya. Clarify vision and goals as you progress through this manual and your relationship.b. Weekly evaluate effectiveness of activate/assimilate.c. Confirm next steps (assignments).d. Set the next meeting.e. Review spiritual progress, evaluate action asked for during the lesson.8. Summary — These seven things should be a part of every meeting.

Disciple:You must be Spirit empowered in order to be the person Jesus has called you to be. We affirm

with the Scripture that every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. We also affirm that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace that is subsequent to salvation or at the point of salvation.

Each lesson will last two to three weeks, and contains at least five elements to be completed prior to the disciple training appointment:

Core Truth — The core truth is the main thought built into each lesson.Memory Verse —Commit the Bible to memory and God’s perspective on life will slowly

become ours. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. This discipline will help us to be grounded in the Truth and encourage others with God’s Word.

Reading — Each lesson includes a teaching guide to help lead a discussion to challenge our thinking and lifestyle to conform to 1st Century Christian effectiveness. The reading should challenge you to build on the foundation of your life and challenge your current thinking on that subject matter.

Inductive Bible Study — The place to discover the only reality that counts is from the Bible. We are not interested in simply stowing away truth like a hoarder just to acquire more knowledge. The object of the study is to encounter reality through God’s Word and power, bring our life in line with it and then bring the message of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Activate/Assimilate — During the week, specifically during the Altar Ministry time and at the Sunday evening outreaches with your mentor, seek to activate what was learned from that week’s lesson and review lessons learned. The activation/assimilation process steps include involvement as a part of the Altar Ministry team and Outreach. The third step is with your disciple-maker to discuss concrete steps to assimilate the week’s lesson into your ministry DNA. This step is critical because we affirm the importance to put into practice both the sharing of your faith and ministering to the local body of believers.

Part One: Growing Up In Christ1. Making Disciples2. Being a Disciple3. Quiet Time4. Bible Study

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5. Prayer6. Worship7. Tithing

Part Two: Becoming Christ-like8. Baptized in the Holy Spirit9. Witnessing 10. Gifts of the Holy Spirit11. Fruit of the Holy Spirit12. Spiritual Authority

Part Three: Serving Christ13. The Church14. Ministry Gifts15. Spiritual Warfare16. Replication

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Introduction

Many in Christianity have great difficulty in measuring spiritual growth. How do you know that you have been growing? Is there any objective measurement or are their only subjective elements like, “I feel like I’ve grown”? It seems that most of us assume we’ve grown because we’ve survived another year and are still standing. After completing my first year as an adult Christian I resolved that I would never want to look back to the previous year and find, after honest assessment, that I’ve not grown. I wanted then, and want now, for me to sense progression in my walk internally and for the people around me to discern I am growing as a man of God. A recent George Barna survey and resultant article entitled, “Many Churchgoers and Faith Leaders Struggle to Define Spiritual Maturity” highlights this significant issue that demands an urgent response. In part the article says that:

The Barna Group identifies an underlying reason why there is little progress in helping people develop spiritually: many churchgoers and clergy struggle to articulate a basic understanding of spiritual maturity. People aspire to be spiritually mature, but they do not know what it means. Pastors want to guide others on the path to spiritual wholeness, but they are often not clearly defining the goals or the outcomes of that process.The research was conducted by Barna Group in partnership with Living on the Edge (www.livingontheedge.org) and included a nationwide, random sample of adults and a similar national survey among Protestant pastors, exploring definitions of, perceptions about, and perceived barriers to spiritual maturity.The study showed five significant challenges when it comes to facilitating people’s spiritual growth.

1. Most Christians equate spiritual maturity with following the rules.

One of the widely embraced notions about spiritual health is that it means “trying hard to follow the rules described in the Bible” – 81% of self-identified Christians endorsed this statement, and a majority agreed strongly (53%). Even among those individuals defined by their belief that salvation is not earned through “good works,” four out of five born again Christians concurred that spiritual maturity is “trying hard to follow the rules.”

2. Most churchgoers are not clear what their church expects in terms of spiritual maturity.

An open-ended survey question asked churchgoers to describe how their church defined a “healthy, spiritually mature follower of Jesus.” Half of churchgoers simply said they were not sure, unable to venture a guess regarding the church’s definition. Even among born again Christians – that is, a smaller subset of believers who have made a profession of faith in Christ and confessed their sinful nature – two out of five were not able to identify how their church defines spiritual maturity. Among those who gave a substantive response, the most common responses were having a relationship with Jesus (16%), practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study (9%), living according to the Bible (8%), being obedient (8%), being involved in church (7%), and having concern for others (6%).

3. Most Christians offer one-dimensional views of personal spiritual maturity.

A second open-ended question probed self-identified Christians’ personal definition of what it means to be a healthy, spiritually mature follower of Jesus, regardless of how they believe their church defines it.

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One-fifth of self-described Christians were unable to offer an opinion. Other identified elements included: relationship with Jesus (21%), following rules and being obedient (15%), living a moral lifestyle (14%), possessing concern about others (13%), being involved in spiritual disciplines (13%), applying the Bible (12%), being spiritual or having belief (8%), sharing their faith with others (6%), and being involved in church activities (5%). Born again Christians were similar in all respects to self-described Christians except they were more likely to mention having a relationship with Jesus (30%) as the sign of spiritual maturity. Further reflecting a lack of depth on the subject, the open-ended questions typically produced, on average, just one response from survey respondents, despite the fact that interviewers repeatedly probed for additional or clarifying comments.

4. Most pastors struggle with feeling the relevance as well as articulating a specific set of objectives for spirituality, often favoring activities over attitudes.

The research among pastors highlighted several inter-related challenges. First, while nearly nine out of 10 pastors said that a lack of spiritual maturity is the most significant or one of the largest problems facing the nation, a minority of pastors believe that spiritual immaturity is a problem in their church. A second challenge is that only a minority of churches has a written statement expressing the outcomes they are looking for in spiritually mature people. A third challenge is that pastors often favor activities over perspectives in their definitions of spiritual maturity. Their metrics for people’s spirituality include the practice of spiritual disciplines (19%), involvement in church activities (15%), witnessing to others (15%), having a relationship with Jesus (14%), having concern for others (14%), applying the Bible to life (12%), being willing to grow spiritually (12%), and having knowledge of Scripture (9%).

5. Pastors are surprisingly vague about the biblical references they use to chart spiritual maturity for people.

One of the reasons churches struggle with making disciples may relate to the lack of clarity that pastors have about the underlying biblical passages that address the process of spiritual maturity. This is most clearly reflected in the huge proportion of pastors who give generic responses when asked to identify the most important portions of the Bible that define spiritual maturity. In fact, one-third of pastors simply said “the whole Bible.” Other generic responses included “the gospels” (17%), the New Testament (15%), and Paul’s letters (10%). In all, the survey showed that three-quarters of pastors mentioned some type of generic answer to this query. In addition, one out of every five pastors gave a semi-generic response, such as “Romans” or the “life of Christ.”As for verse-specific responses (mentioned by just one-fifth of pastors), the most common passages included: Galatians 5, John 3:16, Ephesians 4, Matthew 28, and Romans 12:1-2. Just 2% of pastors specifically identified the Galatians 5 passage relating to the “fruits of the Spirit,” which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Theme specific answers represented just 7% of responses, including the Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commission, the Great Commandment, and the Beatitudes. (Barna.org Churchgoers)

This guidebook will provide objective and subjective means for measuring spiritual growth in disciples of Jesus Christ. Measuring spiritual growth is quantified by faithfully applying the steps of Part One; by understanding, deploying and stepping out in faith in Part Two; and engaging in Part Three. Each step of the three parts demands evidentiary fruit. Just as Jesus said you can judge a tree by its fruit, we can judge our spiritual growth by the fruit we produce. This guidebook will help you make the tree

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and its fruit good (Matthew 12:33). The process contained in this work measures some of the necessary elements and fruitfulness gained in living out the classical spiritual disciplines, character developments seen in the fruits of the Holy Spirit, greater understanding of Spiritual gifts, spiritual authority and spiritual warfare resulting in greater victorious attitudes because of the abundance of fruit. The measuring stick is not:

How many times a week do you read your Bible? How many minutes a day do you pray? How many people do you invite to church?

The better measurement is:

Are you becoming more patient? Are you becoming more zealous for the Church? Are you becoming more active in sharing your faith? Are your known gifts of the Holy Spirit bearing fruit?As you navigate through this material you will discover that discipleship progress is measured

better as you look from where you have come from to where you are now…from a distance. I’ve found looking back 1-2 years is a healthy backward look to assess spiritual movement and progress. Together with your leader and others joining you on this journey, you will help one another make assessments of your progress, laying foundations toward a lifelong habit of evaluating your spiritual progress.

The rate and the areas that any disciple will grow vary from person to person. The working of the Holy Spirit in the life the individual, the time and prayer they put into studying the material, how long they have been a follower of Jesus Christ, gifting and aptitudes will bring their influences to personal discipleship and affect their rate of progress in spiritual maturity.

Measuring spiritual maturity is not a simple matter. The issue is not whether someone is saved, but whether there is growth after salvation. There are many necessary behavioral changes and understandings that must be diligently pursued (1 Timothy 6:11-15; 2 Timothy 2:22). To say our discipleship takes place because of our private and personal time spent with the Father and in relationship with the local church is incomplete. Our discipleship must also find expression in powerfully influencing the unregenerate of the communities where we live. The weekly meetings you will engage in will provide the group with opportunities to personally assess growth in its members. Some weeks will be marked by powerful progress. Other weeks may seem like much spiritual ground has been lost. It is the very relationships that are built here that help to monitor spiritual growth and help stabilize our walk and future decisions.

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Part 1 — Growing Up in Christ

1. Making Disciples

What’s Ahead? — What is discipling?

Core Truth — Discipling is an intentional relationship committed to walking with other disciples to equip, challenge and encourage one another to grow up in Christ to become mature in operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This includes equipping disciples to commit to teach this to others as well.

Memory Verse — Hebrews 5:14

Reading:

In 1937 Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a shocking statement to wake up the 20th Century church from its slumber. He wrote, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” (Discipleship 64). There can be no true Christianity without discipleship. Discipleship is not a program, not a production line, not just for beginners, nor leaders, the highly literate or just people who like structure (Hull 36). Discipleship is about being in relationships with people who will help guide you to develop your spirit awareness — to develop greater intimacy with him so you know him better so that you can in turn disciple others.

It is the area of developing our spiritual senses that is critical to understand if we intend to communicate with each other and with God. Let me explain. We have five physical senses necessary for communication: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. What we have in the natural we also have in the spiritual. Hebrews 5:7-11 says,

“Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:7–11, NKJV)When the Spirit here says that they had “become dull of hearing” he was not saying they needed

hearing aids! At one point they were growing and hearing the leading of the Lord, but had now become dull in hearing from the Lord. Let’s take a look at the five spiritual senses from the Bible to help gain a better understanding of the reality of these truths.

5 Spiritual Senses1. Taste “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

(Psalm 34:8, NKJV)“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103, NKJV)“Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV)

2. Touch

“Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV)

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“Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.” (Isaiah 52:11, NKJV)

3. Smell “Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed.” (Jeremiah 48:11, NKJV)“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2, NKJV)

4. Sight “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18, NKJV)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, NKJV)“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18, NKJV)“having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.” (2 Peter 2:14, NKJV)

5. Hear “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”” (1 Kings 18:41, NKJV)“It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 14:35, NKJV)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7, NKJV)

The next few verses of Hebrews contain a couple phrases I would like to highlight.“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:12–14, NKJV)

Reason of use or reason of practice explains how we can develop our spiritual senses. I know of people who from a few sips of wine can tell you where the grapes were grown and even what the weather was like that year. All this because they have trained their tongues to distinguish taste. I know of perfumers who can tell you what is in the perfume because they have trained their noses to smell. A jeweler at the church I pastor has trained his eyes to see what our untrained eyes fail to see. He is able to look at what you may think is a highly valuable diamond and see that it is actually an inexpensive engineered stone. When you were three years old it took you forever to button your shirt, but now you don’t even think about it and can do it with a cup of coffee in your hand! You are able to do this because you have become mature and by reason of practice you have grown in your abilities.

Here’s my point: if you can’t see, feel, hear, taste, or smell, I can’t communicate with you. I can jump, but you can’t see; I can shout, but you can’t hear; if I touch you, you don’t know it; if I put

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something in your mouth, you can’t taste it; if I pass something fragrant past your nose, you cannot smell it….I cannot communicate with you! Failure to develop our spiritual senses helps to explain why many Christians say God never speaks to them. Discipleship, in part is to provide a relationship for a mentor to help instruct, establish and develop our Christian senses.

Once you recognize your need to develop the five spiritual senses the next question is, “How do you develop your spiritual senses?” Because Westerners have largely been unaware of these senses it will initially feel strange to openly lead and/or discuss them. Like learning a second language you must actively seek to become more aware and step out. In the same way you must actively become aware of your surroundings and use them as you talk with people, pray to God, when you go shopping or go to various events. Begin by talking about what you are sensing with your group. This will help clarify if what you perceive agrees with Scripture and that you are keeping these matters in proper balance. The temptation can be that you will over emphasize your feelings and amplify them so much that you miss the point of what God is communicating for you. In becoming aware of the ways God communicates to us; let’s begin to give some examples of each one as I previously laid them out. Then ask him to help you grow in these areas and have these things manifest around you.

5 Spiritual Senses Awareness

1. Taste Recognize things like the sweetness and the bitterness of God’s words when he asks for obedience or when he is correcting us.

2. Touch Sensing his Presence, recognizing situations where the “hand of God” is directing circumstances.

3. Smell Ask the help to recognize fragrances of his Kingdom.

4. Sight Like the servant of the prophet who didn’t initially see God’s army until prayed for, ask to see the unseen.

5. Hear In the heart; through prophetic words; through voices of others speaking spiritual truths that God uses to teach us.

Even though God loves to speak, I know many Christians don’t “hear” the voice of the Lord by their spirit even though Jesus said ‘my sheep hear my voice’ (John 10:27). They have not sufficiently trained their spiritual senses to hear the Lord. Many times I have smelled the fragrance of the Lord but have found that others consider this unusual. The degree to which we develop our spiritual senses increases the likelihood for the Lord to communicate with us because we have matured and by reason of practice can growingly distinguish his ways of communicating his presence and guidance. The underdevelopment of our spiritual senses has left a legacy not only on our own walk, but it has adversely impacted the local church body and society at large. Discipleship in part is about developing these senses so we can better communicate with God and God with us so we may know his Kingdom ways and him better.

Jesus was discipling when before Pentecost he gave the disciples clear marching orders as recorded in Matthew 10 regarding bringing the gospel to the world. Let me point out that this is before the outpouring of Pentecost. Many of the qualities that are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit are given by Jesus to the disciples to perform as they went out to share his message throughout the countryside, including enabling them to heal and to do miracles! These marching orders are intensified after Pentecost! The disciples are told they have been given authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) not for the purpose of addressing legless reptiles and arachnids, but to show we have power to overcome all demonic strategy. When seeking

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God’s word on our authority to demonstrate his power, there are those who want to malign the scriptures, nullifying selected portions. One example of this is Mark 16:17-20. Despite the notation in the NIV that these verses are “not in the most reliable manuscripts” they are in complete harmony with other scriptures in declaring there are signs that will follow those who believe. Unfortunately well intentioned people have counseled others to not use this passage simply because a footnote was enough to negate its truth in their eyes. These people likely hold to some standard of textual purity but show no signs of 1st Century Christianity as they rush to erase signs and wonders from the Word.

Jesus demonstrated you cannot be a victorious disciple without first being a victorious thinker and you don’t have the effective potential to maximize being a right victorious thinker without first being baptized with the Holy Spirit. We are victorious by God’s Power not our own. However this does not preclude the ability to live victoriously as a Christian without being baptized by the Holy Spirit, it simply asserts the maximizing effect of Pentecost for all believers in all ages.

Jesus never implies disciples are the first tier of a two tiered Christianity. Disciples are not a higher form of Christian. Disciples and discipleship are not just for the serious and determined believer. Nor is it only for those who become fulltime workers in expanding his Kingdom. Disciples are Christians and Christians are disciples. Disciples, or followers, are those who have committed their lives to obedience, to knowing and doing the commands of God. Jesus wanted self-initiating, reproducing, fully devoted followers (Ogden, Transformational 40). This is discipling.

Inductive Bible Study —

1. Before Jesus ascended up into heaven He charged the disciples to teach people to obey everything what Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20). What does this mean to you?

2. What do the words of Jesus mean when he told his disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils? (Mark 16:17-20) Have you done any of these commands? When are you going to next make opportunity? (The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing — Matthew 11:12)

3. Jesus said that He has given us authority to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). In what specific ways is this practical to you? How will you practically grow in understanding your authority over the devil and how do you measure that growth?

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4. The Bible in Mark 16: 17-20 says that there are certain signs that will accompany disciples as they follow Christ. What are the signs, what do they mean and what assurances does this give you as a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Activate/Assimilate —

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2. Being a Disciple

What’s Ahead? — Who is a disciple?

Core Truth — A disciple is one who has accepted the call of Jesus Christ to follow him. This lifelong process is fueled by the baptism of the Holy Spirit enabling the disciple to bring supernatural transformational power into their life and others.

Memory verse — Matthew 22:37-38

Reading:

First, a disciple is one who always strives to love the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. I’ve never heard an entire sermon preached on the Greatest Commandment (Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:37; Deuteronomy 6:5). I find it ironic that what Jesus said was the greatest command is the single most glaring neglect of the preaching and teaching in 21st Century Church. If we want to get discipleship right we must get our understanding on this command clear and right. How does anyone know that they are loving God according to the Scriptural command? Can we know, this side of heaven, that we are loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength? Obedience to God’s word, direction and commands are a necessary part of demonstrating this love. Manifesting his power and influencing people around us with his presence is another piece to knowing we are loving God with all we are. Jesus explicitly states that extending our love of him to those around us is a necessary second step to living in and revealing our love for him.

Second, a disciple is one who has fully committed their obedience to God. It is one thing to know what a disciple is; it is another thing altogether to know what it means to live as disciple of Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is not like one slipping in and out of life’s roles as one moment in the role of a husband and then the next moment an aeronautical engineer and on returning home back into the role of husband. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ doesn’t stop at the office door or at the front door of the home. Living as a disciple of Jesus Christ is the resignation that my life is no longer my own. This is the precise reminder from the Holy Spirit when he said, “…you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). Jesus gave several parables highlighting the surrendered resolve that every believer makes when they confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This truth bears exploring in detail and re-evaluating our personal commitment to go all out for the Kingdom of God. Total lifelong commitment is seen in Matthew 13:44 (buried pearl found) and in Luke 9:62 (putting one’s hand to the plow, not looking back). The story of Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26) also highlights this principal of whole-hearted commitment. Being a disciple means that I am obsessed with being obedient to the teachings of Jesus. The Bible talks about the cost of being a disciple, the chief of which is found in Luke 14:25-35.

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten

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thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

The ability of a disciple of Jesus Christ to remain true to him by sheer willpower is not possible, but we are expected to remain humbly surrendered to him till we stand before him (Micah 6:8). The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 compares the Christian to an athlete runner who trains to win. Because he is resolved to be focused and purposed in his training, he disciplines his mind and body to submit to the object of his goal—the prize. Jesus’ often overlooked, but important, parable of the wise and foolish house builders (Matthew 7:24-27) falls into the category of children’s Sunday School songs. This parable is not child’s play. It ultimately is about being a wise house builder because we both hear the words of Christ and put them into practice. All other builders are foolish. Without surrender to obey God, his Word and his Spirit leading you, you likely will be someone who becomes lukewarm in discipleship. Indeed many have willed self to be obedient to the spiritual disciplines but lacked the anticipated life change. Many pastors go through an ordination process or must prove their dissertation or both and are plied with many important questions. Doctrinal questions to prove Christ’s deity, to demonstrate why the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Other practical questions on how to counsel divorced people, how to resolve other personal problems, but no one asks if this person measures up to the qualities they will teach or of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. These latter two passages Paul uses to evaluate men to determine which were qualified to lead others. A disciple is one who is growing quantitatively in the necessary qualities that may qualify a person to lead others.

Richard J. Foster in his seminal work, “Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth” lists key disciplines to be followed. Among the disciplines listed are meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission service, confession, worship, and guidance. This work does not mention supernatural power for the believer to demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven. No mention is made of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to enable us to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:4-5, 8). I affirm that “Celebration of Discipline” should be in the read section of every disciple’s library. But even a Christian who employs these disciplines will not see spiritual growth based on the disciplines alone. It may engender deeper knowledge, but not necessarily any greater depth in their discipleship. Adherence to Christian Orthodoxy has never been the kingpin for determining discipleship. Satan is probably more orthodox in his understanding of theology than most believers, but this does not save him. Strict orthodoxy produced Sadducees and Pharisees in the first century because it was not coupled with the right kind of faith. Samuel the prophet was an exceptional example of the Old Testament modeling starting strong and finishing strong. I’m sure the prophet employed many of the disciplines listed in Foster’s book, but he also moved in the supernatural operation of the Spirit. Can we obtain our goal of being a New Testament disciple of Jesus Christ and display no manifest supernatural power as in 1 Corinthians 12?

Third, a disciple of Jesus Christ always reproduces others who will be like him. This should include being and reproducing people who witness supernaturally to reach and impact a region. Borrowing from the Genesis account where God commands Adam and Eve to “increase and multiply” their seed, we have been created to reproduce and increase and multiply. The discipled looks for others to disciple, establishing both a legacy and a lineage of well discipled followers of Jesus Christ.

Inductive Bible Study —

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1. Read Matthew 7:24-27 and note what was common to both houses. How can you know you are the kind of house builder Jesus wants us to be?

2. Read Luke 14:25-35 and discuss if you are able to be faithful to Christ until you meet Jesus. What assurances might you have?

3. Read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and list 20 qualities of being qualified to lead others.

4. Discuss Matthew 28:18-20 on what we are to make and teach.

Activate/Assimilate —

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3. Quiet Time

What’s Ahead? — How does a disciple grow daily?

Core Truth — Jesus frequently withdrew from the people to spend time with his Father (Matthew 14:13; Luke 5:16; 22:39). So the disciple should follow Christ’s example and pull away daily from activities to encounter the Living God, allowing him to refocus and recalibrate us to our personal mission. Memory Verse — James 1:22-25

Reading:

Daily quiet time is a private meeting time between Jesus and his disciple. Although we can and should meet Jesus at impromptu times, there needs to be a time set aside in advance for the purpose of building our relationship with him.

Daily quiet time consists of at least four parts:

1. Reading the Bible not to simply study it, but to encounter Christ through the written word and adjust your thoughts, attitudes and actions accordingly (James 1:22-25).

2. Meditating on the Word is when we marinate and saturate our minds, wills and emotions in his Word (Joshua 1:8; Psalms 119; Psalms 143:5-6).

3. Praying to God is where we thank him, praise him for who he is, confess sins and affirm/confess what He has given us, and who we now are in him, naturally supernatural.

4. Hearing or listening for the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12) of the Lord is a necessary discipline in order to grow up in our relationship with Christ. Without this our prayers are nothing more than a monologue where we simply reassure ourselves that the Lord has heard our requests.

How do you begin?

First decide on a time that best works for you. There is no hard and fast rule, but what seems to work best for most people is beginning their day with their quiet time. I do not believe this is a “morning person or night owl” issue. If you are a night owl, set aside time to have your quiet time in the evening. Perhaps your work schedule doesn’t give you the morning or you begin your work at 11 o’clock at night, make time in your schedule and be consistently faithful. Remember, true disciples are neither legalistic nor fudge on this issue of having daily quiet time.

Second, invite the Holy Spirit into your time. Revelation is the just work of the Holy Spirit. Biblical insight is not revelation. Insight that you receive through reading God’s Word may simply be valuable new information revealing more of him or more of you. Romans 12:2 says that we must have our minds transformed by the renewing of our minds with his Word. In the same way we must develop our spirits to communicate with his Spirit. The Scriptures say, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Being led by the Holy Spirit does not happen automatically. We must develop our spiritual senses, just as we can in our natural ability develop our sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. These senses are what God uses in the natural and spiritual to lead and guide us into knowing and doing his Will as discussed earlier in section 1 page 26. This development process first takes place and is nurtured in your quiet time.

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Third, because you have answered his call to be a disciple you must give care that you are getting the rest you need. Staying up late will work against you. You must determine to get to bed early enough that you are getting about eight hours of sleep so you are prepared to spend quiet time with your Savior alert. Being disciplined means that you are getting your necessary sleep so you are prepared to hear from the Lord so that you can be ready to serve others. Special care should be given not to expend your focus or energy on Saturday nights so you are too tired to receive or minister on Sunday mornings. The discipline best illustrated in the Bible that expresses the resolve necessary to succeed in prayer is seen in Paul’s example of the runner in training (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Fourth, make your quiet time truly a quiet time. Turn off your radio, TV, cell phone, texting alerts. The Enemy of our souls does not want us to engage in quiet time. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God”. Recognize that once you resolve yourself to have quiet time, every distraction will come to bear. Phones ringing, knocks at the door; children screaming; an argument with a family member; you name it, it will arise. You must stand guard and be vigilant to pray against every hindrance and opposition to keep you from that Strength God offers. (Isaiah 43 They that wait on the Lord will mount up with wings as eagles…).

Fifth, keep a notebook handy to write down ideas you want to remember or impressions from the Lord or questions you would like to ask your mentor. Write down your prayer requests and intercessions and note when the prayers are answered. This will boost your confidence and faith.

Inductive Bible Study —

1. Read Romans 12:1-2 explain how this passage fits into our quiet time

2. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and discuss with the group your efforts to finish well your race in Christ and describe your challenges as you see them.

Activate/Assimilate —

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4. Bible Study

What’s Ahead? — What place should the Bible have in your quiet time?

Core Truth — The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Words of God and the standard of truth in all matters of faith and practice. Each day you should read his Word which equips you for that day.

Memory Verse — Psalm 119:11

Reading:

The goal of any Bible study is not to plow through Scripture or the slow and methodical dissecting of passages to unlock its veiled truths. Rather the goal is to know God and to put into practice what we are learning (Matthew 7:24-27).

If our goal of study is the accumulation of more knowledge, we run the risk of falling into Jesus’ dire warning to the religious elite of his day. Jesus warned of the disease of “Scripturitis” when he bluntly said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life but you do not come to me that you might have life” (John 5:39). Since the Bible is a spiritual book and not simply a historical book our approach must be with an ongoing dependence on the leading of the Holy Spirit to unlock our understanding. We should like the apostle Paul pray,

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:17–23, NKJV)

It is through revelation given by the Holy Spirit that we are able to comprehend and apply the spiritual principles learned.

Begin your study with inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal his truth to you. Ask him to bring you understanding. Ask him to reveal any hidden faults or sins you may be committing in ignorance or any willful sins (Psalm 19:12-13). The Holy Spirit longs to fulfill his work in you (John 16:8-11) as you submit to his leading. Ask the Lord to give you an insatiable thirst for the Bible.

After years of Bible study I must confess I have found that there is not one right approach in how you go about reading the Bible. It always surprises me when I hear of long believing Christians who have never read through the Bible. There is a seemingly endless litany of excuses for why people have never read the Bible in total. I hear them say things like, “I don’t like to read,” “It’s boring,” “It’s too hard to understand,” or “I start to fall asleep after a few minutes.” Other well-meaning believers recommend friends should read the Bible if they battle insomnia or just can’t get to sleep. Once you start to read the Bible, they say, it will put you right to sleep. Satan has so blinded the eyes of some that they don’t recognize they are being used by our Adversary as Peter was in the garden with Jesus (Matthew 16:23). The Bible should never be used as a substitute for Nyquil™ or melatonin to help us sleep. Reading of the Bible should be a NoDoz™ or an energy drink exciting us with the truths we are reading.

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Let me suggest three ways you can address reading the Bible, keeping it fresh, and meaningful and getting a whole view of Bible History. In no particular order:

1. A straight read through from Genesis through Revelation. This gives a fairly close chronological timeline of the Bible. This is being mindful that beginning in the Old Testament God is laying down foundational truths for who he is and how we are to live. This method allows us to see that God did not wait 4,000 years and then give us the good stuff found in the New Testament. To read through the Bible in one year you would need to read three chapters each day, five on Sundays.

2. Split the reading of the Old and New Testaments beginning in Genesis and Matthew reading at least one chapter from each testament every day. By the time you complete one reading of the Old you will have completed a reading of the New at least two times.

3. Divide the Bible into five major sections: History Books (Genesis through Job); Poets (Psalms through Song of Solomon); Prophets (Isaiah through Malachi); Gospels (Matthew through Acts) and Epistles (Romans through Revelation). The first day in this reading plan you would read Genesis 1, Psalm 1, Isaiah 1, Matthew 1 and Romans 1. Following this pattern you would take two years to read through the entire Bible one time.

Let me reiterate that the goal of studying the Bible is not to read it through one time in as short a time frame as possible. Interact with the Word. If you find you are captivated by a word, phrase or story then by all means linger where the Spirit has you. You will find times you may linger hours, days even weeks at one place so you can meditate on God’s words and/or dig deeper into commentaries, Bible dictionaries, or Bible encyclopedias. While you are reading the Bible affirm its commands, promises and declarations for you. For example, using Deuteronomy 28:1-14 you would accept and affirm these blessings should follow you because you obey his commands and hold to these promises by faith. In Proverbs 3:25 you would affirm, (insert name here) has no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked”. This will help you to ensure you are reading the Bible to accept God’s decree to you his child.

The Bible is our primary source of understanding the Lord, his ways, and receiving and using the equipping power He offers to us. Since this chapter’s focus is on Bible Study I have given some critical passages on the importance of the Word for our discipleship.

Inductive Bible Study —

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1. How does Scripture equip us for every good work?

2. Studying Scripture can increase information, but how do we move from information to transformation?

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2 Timothy 4:3-5 says,

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

1. Who does the gathering according to this passage?

2. What do these verses imply for you?

2 Timothy 2:15

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

1. Read 2 Timothy 2 and express why we should do our best to present ourselves to God as an approved worker.

2. What happens if we are not diligent in correctly handling the word of truth?

2 Timothy 3:1-5

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

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1. What does the phrase, “having a form of godliness but denying its power” mean to you?

2. Can the gospel lose its power? How? (see 1 Corinthians 1:17)

READ — 2 Peter 1:2-111. How many times is knowledge used here and why is this important?

2. How do you increase this knowledge?

3. What are the qualities that are to be increasing?

4. What can keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord?

How to prepare and proceed in inductively studying God’s Word:First, ask the Spirit to open your eyes, heart, ears and mind to comprehend and retain what you

are about to read.

1. Observation: (Context)2. Overview

a. Note the broader text passage. It may include the previous or preceding paragraphs or even chapters.

b. Re-read in different translations and note any differences.3. Ask six Investigative Questions:

a. Who are the main actors. How are they described?i. Note any description of Jesus, God or the Holy Spirit.

b. What is happening in the passage?

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i. Key verbs, phrases, repeating phrases or words, promises/conditions implied.c. Why do the events occur?

i. Have they (someone) failed to do something?ii. Have they (someone) done something they should not have done?

d. Where do the events occur?i. Note distances from one place to another.

ii. Does it indicate direction or elevation change?e. When do the events occur?

i. Is it seasonal?ii. If so, when did it begin?

4. Applicationa. What is the Spirit saying to you?b. Apply the main point.c. Repentance means to change my wrong thinking and so change my behavior direction. How

can I make that change?d. How will my neighbors, co-workers, friends be affected by what I’ve read or how I am

changing?

1. Read Acts 17:11; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:15 and see how God wants us to study his Word!

Activate/Assimilate —

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5. Prayer

What’s Ahead? — What is prayer and how can I pray effectively?

Core Truth — Prayer is invading the impossible. It is a conversation with God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit to know him and cooperate with him to fulfill his mission through me.

Memory Verse —Matthew 6:9-15 in the KJV or NKJV and Compare NIV or ESV with the KJV or NKJV.

Reading:

“Prayer and a holy life are one. They mutually act and react. Neither can survive alone. The absence of the one is the absence of the other….A holy life does not live in the closet, but it cannot live without the closet.” (Bounds, Complete Works 318)

Arguably one of the greatest authors on prayer said, “Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God. How great — without qualification or limitation — is the power of faith! If doubt be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, and a believer hath vouchsafed to him “whatsoever he saith.” (Bounds, Complete Works 13). Heaven seeks pray-ers and Hell seeks to keep us silent. Growth in effectiveness in prayer takes not just time and experience, but acquiring knowledge to help grow our faith thus increasing our effective and fervent prayer.

Greg Ogden in his book, “Discipleship Essentials” wrote, “There are four types of prayer which are summarized by the acronym ACTS.

Adoration: appreciating God for who he is apart from what he has done for us.Confession: acknowledging to God our specific sin and seeking his pardon.Thanksgiving: appreciating God for his benefit to us.Supplication: interceding for ourselves or others according to God’s will. (Ogden, Essentials 46)This acronym speaks directly to my point, which is that far too much about prayer is put forward

within Christendom which is largely one-way or monologue-ish. ACTS is essentially a one way conversation and implies God is not expected to respond directly to our prayers or speak to us while we are in conversation with him.

“H” stands for hearing: listening to his response to your conversation and his initiation to tell you what is on his heart for you or others. Our ability to listen and hear him needs development, just as our other spiritual senses. This is a good opportunity to review the spiritual senses and what God has to say about them (see Part 1 — Growing Up in Christ: Making Disciples, page 26).

Adding this “H” to ACTS will change it to CHATS and expresses in a memorable way that our relationship with God is a two way conversation.

It is here that we must be committed to hear God’s voice. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Earlier I mentioned that there is no specific priority of the disciplines listed. My inclination is to have this listed first as the starting place to begin for a simple reason: Prayer is how we began our life in him, by surrendering our life to him! Until recently, there was no segment of the living Church that even questioned the matter of people hearing God’s voice. Of course, there have always been those rare and isolated cases of error, always peculiar and often sad instances of individuals straying far claiming, “God told me to do thus and so”. But their ignorance or foolishness is not an argument against the biblically valid experience of hearing and following the voice

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of God! Because individuals misinterpret the Bible we don’t tell people to not interpret the scriptures as they read, rather we tell them to learn biblical hermeneutics.

Under the Bible’s authority, millions often hear the voice of God speaking within their hearts. Sometimes he speaks instructively, correctively, directively or protectively. Sometimes he speaks with thoughts we sense are his, as the Holy Spirit ignites what we are reading from the pages of the Bible. Sometimes he speaks with the inner promptings that come as divinely given intuition, insight or warning. Sometimes he speaks with prophetic words which draw our attention to a larger, clearer understanding of his will as revealed in his eternal Word (Ogden Essentials 27). In speaking of hearing from the Lord we are rejecting the idea of “continuing revelation”, meaning new revelation that is not in agreement or harmony with the Scriptures. The kind of revelation that he does give us today (Ephesians 1:17-23) is not equivalent to the “closed canon of the Scriptures”.

There are a number of ways God speaks and has spoken to mankind:

1. He speaks through creation (Psalms 19:1-6; Romans 1:20).2. He speaks through the moral sense in human conscience (Romans 2:14-15).3. He speaks through the evident instance of his providence that affects us (Genesis 28:10-17; Acts 16:7).4. He speaks through signs and wonders or prophetic promptings by the Holy Spirit (2 Kings 2:15; Acts13:12; 1 Corinthians 14:5, 22-26).5. He speaks through his still small voice that sometimes speaks to people in their hearts (1 Kings 11:12; Isaiah 30:21; Acts 10:9-12).6. He speaks through his Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:14-17), which he has given to us through prophets and apostles by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21).7. He ultimately speaks through the living Word of God, Jesus Christ (John 14:1-12; Hebrews 1:1-4).

But it is here that I welcome you to commit to hearing God’s voice. Let me provide some scriptures that make a clear path for preparing to hear from the Lord:

Inductive Bible Study —

READ: James 1:21-25 and Romans 10:17

These two passages reveal that a person’s willingness to be changed by what he or she hears brings about a living faith. Our willingness to be changed through obedience to the truth of the Word determines our ability to see things changed around us by the power of applying God’s promises.

Mark 4:21-25This is an important and foundational lesson on how God’s word is to be approached. This is a

sobering warning against indifference or a predisposition that says, “I already understand this or I have this down pat or I’m right and I know it and nothing or no one is going to change my mind!” But the glorious promise and reward is Mark 4:20, “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

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It is not recorded in the Bible where the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to heal the sick or how to preach, but it is recorded in Luke 11:1 that the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray.

1. Why is this a helpful model for prayer?

The impossible faces us all. It storms, fumes, looms before us, stalks our days, presses upon our minds, bends our plans, stands formidably across our future, pierces our present, reaches out from our past. But there is a way to face impossibility. Invade it! Not with a glib speech of high hopes. Not in anger. Not with resignation. Not through stoical self-control, but with violence. And prayer provides the vehicle for this kind of violence (Hayford, Prayer 5).

Prayer, as Christianity, is not for the timid or faint of heart. Our strength, passion, joy, our marching orders from our Master are obtained and understood from our times of intimate conversation in prayer. It is in prayer that our faith is established and built up, which explains why a prayer-less saint is a powerless saint.

E. M. Bounds wrote, “Faith is the foundation of Christian character and the security of the soul. When Jesus was looking forward to Peter’s denial, and cautioning him against it, He said unto His disciple: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, to sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fall not.”

Our Lord was declaring a central truth; it was Peter’s faith He was seeking to guard; for well He knew that when faith is broken down, the foundations of spiritual life give way, and the entire structure of religious experience falls. It was Peter’s faith which needed guarding. Hence Christ’s solicitude for the welfare of His disciple’s soul and His determination to fortify Peter’s faith by His own all-prevailing prayer. The faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful Person. Faith in Christ’s ability to do and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly (Bounds, Complete Works 14).

Activate/Assimilate —

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6. Worship

What’s ahead? — What defines the primary purpose of the church and the person of the church?

Core Truth — The function of the church has been defined variously by others as observing the sacraments of water baptism and communion, teaching, preaching, outreach and worship. Of these worship is the primary purpose of the church because it is what we begin here on earth and continue eternally in Heaven.

Memory Verse —

Reading:

“The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal reminds us of a truth most worshipers of the Lord God have discovered: worship can be explosive. The early Jerusalem Christians discovered it when they prayed and “the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Hayford, Mastering 7) Israel sent out the worshippers in front of the army and as they began worshipping the Lord set ambushes against their enemies and the incident is recorded in this way,

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:21–22, NIV)

Preparing for worship — Romans 12:1-2 represents best how to prepare for and what it means to worship. It says,

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

For you see worship is not simply the singing of songs, though it most certainly includes this. According to this passage, worship is the surrender and dedication of your mind, will, emotions, your attitudes and life choices to conform to God’s will in all known areas. It is Luke 9:23-26 in action of “taking up your cross to follow Jesus”. It is the putting of your hands to the plow and not looking back (Luke 9:57-62). It is the humble surrender of all your faculties to be used for his purposes in all ways and always.

True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how the worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things completely misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means we worship from the heart and in the way God has designed. Worship can include praying, reading God's Word with an open heart, singing, participating in communion, and serving others. It is not limited to one act, but is done properly when the heart and attitude of the person are in the right place.

But to remain fresh and alive in the singing of worship has been a challenge to many Christians. How easily I can begin to process worship like a caterer who’s served a thousand meals and now can do

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it blindfolded, who knows precisely how many gallons of anchovies and olives he needs for the salad trays and how many mousses and strawberry parfaits for the desserts. I can begin to approach worship with the nonchalance and casualness born of years in the ministry, no longer stopping to wonder if what I’m doing is pleasing to God, or if God is going to work mightily in the souls of the people as they worship (Hayford, Mastering 18) Cultivating and keeping the thrill of worship means one is daily ensuring worship is not getting blurred by life’s distractions.

One of my greatest lessons learned while serving as a missionary in China during the 1990’s came from watching beggars pawing through garbage and rice boxes and seeing them sucking off the last pieces of cartilage and gristle from their finds, consuming bones, marrow and all. They were so hungry they could care less that someone else had already put their mouth, teeth and saliva on those same bones! They wanted their stomachs filled! Many believers have become such sophisticated connoisseurs of worship that they reject the worship because it is not up to their standards! We say, “I don’t like that worship song” or “I don’t like that style of singing”. The issue isn’t if I like it, it is will I sing what is set before me. When people who may complain about the worship come to me with complaints I say, “Do you know what my favorite worship song or style is? The song that’s being played”. The issue is not my personal preferences, but my determination to worship God according to what is being played. Worship is not for our entertainment, but for his joy.

An important sidebar on this topic of worship is that we are called to be theologians and students of God’s word so that we may offer up worship to the Lord that is Biblically sound. Not all worship songs sung in the Church today reflect the truth found in his Word. We must learn to be critical (discerning) to sing what agrees with the Bible. Worship is holistic in that it calls us to love God in our worship with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. On this point we should be diligent to love God with our intellect as well as our heart.

Inductive Bible Study —

There are several expectations in worship for the Pentecostal Disciple:

1. Worship God privately and daily — Luke 5:15-16A reading of the Bible gives a clear impression that followers of God in both the Old and New

Testaments focused on their relationship with him. While there is little explicit evidence that they had a private worship time every day, it is clear they often did. Christians who practice daily private worship consistently far exceed others in their discipleship. Some key passages to read to reinforce this daily expectation:

Genesis 6:9; 12:1-5; 32:24-30; Exodus 3:1-6; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10; 1 Samuel 3:1-15; Matthew 1:18-25; Acts 16:24-25; Revelation 1:9-11

2. Worship God publically and weekly — Hebrews 10:23-25There is no substitute for private worship, and it is directly affected by public worship and vice-versa.

The seriousness the Spirit places on gathering together is noted when looking at the broader context of Hebrews Chapter 10. It should also be noted that regularly gathering with a worshipping local church is God’s idea and not man’s. Weekly public worship is taught in several passages in the Bible as Jesus was in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16), and the first century church worshipped not only weekly, but daily, at least for a period of time (Acts 2:42; 20:47). Additional passages suggesting this early practice of weekly worship are 1 Corinthians 16:2 and Hebrews 10:23-25.

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Additional key passages please read the following references to fortify this expectation of daily and weekly public worship. Be prepared to discuss each one:

Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 27:12-36; Deuteronomy 31:11-13; Joel 1:14ff; Matthew 21:23; Luke 4:16-17; Acts 20:7-20; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 4:13

Activate/Assimilate —

Make yourself available to serve during Altar Ministry time and Sunday Outreach and Prayer meetings to reinforce this week’s lesson.

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7. Tithing

What’s ahead? — What defines the primary purpose of tithing and the person of the church?

Core Truth — Though giving a tithe to the Lord is largely an Old Testament practice, mentioned sparingly by Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23-24), it is still the foundational starting point to guide our obedient giving. The tithe has never been set aside and both Jesus and the New Testament church support its continued practice. This study will introduce us to the importance and meaning of the tithe in three Old Testament passages and three New Testament passages.

Memory Verse — Psalm 119:33-35

Inductive Bible Study —

1. Read Leviticus 27:3-33. Who does the tithe belong to and what does the tithe apply to? a. Why do you suppose the Lord chose this process for the selection of animals to be tithed?

Why such a precise approach?b. How might we fail to practice giving our best to the Lord?

2. Read Deuteronomy 14:22-29. What are the ways for the tithe to be used in these instructions?a. Who were the Levites and why are they chosen for special provision?b. Why, do you think “aliens, fatherless and widows” were selected as recipients of the

tithe? 3. Read Malachi 3:7-12. The Lord calls the people to return to him. In what ways are they

required to return? a. This is one of the rare times revealed in Scripture the Lord asks to be “tested”. What is

the Lord’s promise for those who tithe?4. Read New Testament passages Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42. What is common to both

passages?5. Read 2 Corinthians 9:2-15 and note key words and phrases regarding behaviors, attitudes and

results of giving.

In the New Testament the issue on tithing seems to take on a sharper focus from tithing “stuff” to life stewardship. Let me put it another way, a key teaching is that God is the owner of everything.

Read these key scripture verses of the Old Testament: Ps 119:33-35; Ps 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Leviticus 25:2-3; 1 Chronicles 29:14-16; Ps 24:1.

Reading:

I believe stewardship is, ironically, one of the most neglected topics discussed in the church today. Pastors seem reticent to talk about people’s money, holding it to be a private matter. Good shepherds will be attentive to the lamb’s obedience or disobedience to the entire Word of God. Just as a shepherd would not sit idly by knowing that someone is committing blatant adultery in their congregation, so he should address neglected areas in the life of the lambs under his care (Proverbs 27:23). When I use the word stewardship, I don’t use it to mean exclusively tithing. I use it to describe an aspect of the person who views themselves as a manager, trustee and steward of 100% of what God

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gives during their lifetime. This is not just dealing with material possessions, but includes the people God has given us to nurture and to build up to maturity. This becomes more relevant in light of the fact that one day we will have to give an accounting to the Lord for our fidelity in the handling of people and finances.

I prefer to call stewardship “life stewardship” because it encompasses every facet of life and not just soundness on fiscal responsibilities. It includes the development of the total person, their home life, work life and church life. The church of America today seems to see a distinction between a Christian’s sacred and secular self. They seem to unintentionally take the view that they are sacred at church, but once they leave the church they are secular, and therefore free to live their life according to the standard of the people who live around them. The Bible does not make this type of separation. If we are Christ followers, then all we are and do is sacred because we live harmoniously to his teachings. We will one day give an accounting to God for how we handled our affairs with the people and things that God gave us the responsibility to steward.

Therefore a bifurcated disciple in any arena, and especially in this area of stewardship, is a failing disciple. What the disciple is at home he must be in ministry. Far too many disciples have been shipwrecked in ministry because of the disparity between their public and private personae. It may seem easy to talk about life stewardship and easy to acknowledge that all belongs to God. We can say “I am trustee, manager and steward of 100% of what God gives during my lifetime” and then live as if it all belongs to me. I heard a leader who asked an insightful question when talking about ownership of our finances, “If I have $430.00, how much of it belongs to God?” If the people say $43.00 then they are affirming that only 10% belongs to God, the rest belongs to them to use as they wish. If the answer is all of the $430.00 belongs to God, they might well understand that all of their possessions belong to God, and that they are stewards of his possessions.

Over the years I’ve discovered that there are few biblically balanced people in this area of stewardship. I’ve seen tenacious people who are strict with church finances; they look to getting the cheapest items available, not simply the least expensive—which is not the same as the cheapest—for the church. However, when the same person is purchasing something for themselves they will spare no expense, they will never settle for cheap, and their personal finances are often in shambles.

Personal credibility becomes important for the leader to grow in maturity in this area of stewardship. People are watching and God is watching. People watch how many pairs of shoes, outfits, watches, etc. you have. It may not be obvious, it might not be spoken, but notes are being taken to see if there are excesses in the leader’s life. God watches a believer’s life. In fact the Bible says in Matthew 25:14-30 that what may be holding a believer back from reaching the next level is nothing more than being slothful or cavalier with money. Luke 16:10-13 says if you are trustworthy with a little of the world’s wealth, you will be trustworthy with true Kingdom riches.

Question: Are you a person who views your possessions as your own or do you see yourself as a manager, a trustee and steward of 100% of what God gives during your lifetime?

Question: What do you need to change in attitude and behavior at home regarding your possessions and money?

Question: Is your public and private persona in agreement? What steps do you need to take in making attitudinal/behavioral adjustments between your public and private persona?

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Discuss: In what ways can you best incorporate this session into your life.

Discuss: Do you agree with the statement, “You are only poor when you want more than you have.”? Why or why not?

Within this section a key issue in stewardship focuses on being content with God’s daily provision. Key scripture verses: 1 Timothy 6:6-8; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Proverbs 30:8-9; Matthew 6:9-11; Philippians 4:11-12.

It has been said that you are only poor when you want more than you have. In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance. It didn’t matter if he was living in spartan conditions or first class. There is a secret to be learned here that many fail to grapple with.

In 1995, my family moved to Chengdu, China, which lays geographically in almost the dead center of China, onto a university campus as part of our visa requirement. We moved into housing quartered among the professors and their families. We lived on the seventh floor (144 steps to our front door). It would not be an exaggeration to say that about one fourth of the window panes were missing. This might be nice if it was summertime, but regrettably it was the dead of winter. Our bedroom was missing quite a few window panes and it was very cold in this room. This region of China does not have central heating, designed that way by rule from Beijing, which only added to the effect of the cold weather. Our bed sat on a bed frame much like in the West, however the mattress was unlike anything found in the West. The bristly hard one inch thick coconut hair mattress sat on wooden slats. A bed sheet, provided by us, was used to cover the coarse and bristly coconut hair. I remember when my derriere hit the hard mattress my first reaction was a smile. You see, I was in China, I was stepping into a new destiny. I was freezing cold climbing into that bed with all my clothes on, including shoes and my leather jacket. I recall the first thought, after my smile, was thanking God for providing me with the best living conditions! One-hundred and forty four steps, missing windows, no heat and a hard bed, and I was content. I didn’t consider myself abused or suffering unjust punishment. I didn’t consider myself poor, because I knew that He had tailor made the housing conditions for me. I was rich indeed!

1. How about your living conditions? Are you content knowing that what you have has been considered, delivered and tailor made for you?

2. Discuss what you find difficult in being fully content in your circumstances.

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3. Why do you think God gave us this command to be content?

The lust of the flesh, eyes and the pride of life will push us to possess more. There is in this world a constant press to get more. Advertisements have one goal: that is to make us discontented so that we will be driven to go out and buy what they are selling.

Roman Catholic priest, scholar, and author, Henri Nouwen, does a splendid job of analyzing, then illustrating, the downside of what he calls “our wordy world.”

“There was a time not too long ago without radios and televisions, stop signs, yield signs, merge signs, bumper stickers, and the ever-present announcements indicating price increases or special sales. There was a time without the advertisements which now cover whole cities with words.

Recently I was driving through Los Angeles, and suddenly I had the strange sensation of driving through a huge dictionary. Wherever I looked there were words trying to take my eyes from the road. They said, “Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.” (Way 50)

These messages, as expressed by Henri Nouwen, scream incessantly at us to satiate our pride, flesh and lusty eyes. Do you need to realign and reorder your thoughts and reevaluate your life choices? It is foolishness to sit back and wait until the winds of this world shift and blow us in God’s direction. It’s not going to happen. We must resolutely set out to jettison faulty thinking and worldly baggage to hasten our goal of Biblical contentment.

How about your ministry conditions? Are you celebrating his provision for you to carry out ministry? Does contentment characterize your ministry DNA? Do those around you make the observation that you are a contented leader?

Paul echoes his own words when he stresses that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

1. Why do you think 1 John 2:16 fits into the discipline of tithing?

Activate/Assimilate —

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Part Two — Becoming Christ-like8. Baptized with the Holy Spirit

What’s ahead? — Empowered to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Core Truth — The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary for today’s Christian.

Memory Verse — Acts 1:4-8

Reading:

I heard John Bevere speak on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit around 10 years ago saying, “The most neglected person in the church today is the Holy Spirit”. (JB, Holy Spirit DVD) The trend, even in Pentecostal churches, is that there are fewer recordings of Baptisms in the Holy Spirit. I believe the decline is closely related to ministers personally drifting away from operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and so there are fewer teachings being given on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The ministers affirm the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today, they simply no longer regularly and obediently yield to the Spirit’s leading. As a result people have not been hungering for the Spirit baptism and so Power is rarely manifested in the Church people.

There is not universal agreement in the American Church about the validity and evidences of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for today’s Christians. As we enter this discussion let me be clear, those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit are not superior Christians from those who are not baptized in the Holy Spirit and I know of no persons who hold such a view.

This lesson on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not intended to give the student a full and comprehensive treatment of this subject, but to give you an overview and the key passages in the Old and New Testament that address this baptism. The following are the references and evidences to people who were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. It is instructive that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit seen in 1 Corinthians 12 were in operation in the Old Testament except two: tongues and the interpretation of tongues. I once had a pastor say that Baalam’s donkey that spoke (Numbers 22:1-35) was an example of speaking in tongues, but I said, “No, that was a miracle”! The evidence in Acts is that people who were baptized in the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues or in a heavenly language. This is the normal and anticipated result of someone baptized in the Holy Spirit. If someone says you don’t have to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to this I say then there must be some evidence. You can’t say you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and give no evidence, just as you cannot say you are a Christian and give no fruit or evidence from your relationship with Christ. I believe that the initial manifested evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in a new heavenly language or speaking in tongues.

What are the key scripture passages that talk about the Promise of the Father, The Day of Pentecost and speaking a heavenly language as the anticipated evidence of being Spirit Baptized subsequent to salvation?

1. Acts 1:4-9 - Promise of the Father – wait for the promise of the Father. Don’t plant a church, don’t witness, don’t start a program, don’t do anything until you’ve been empowered…received the Promise of the Father…then and only then would they continue in the ministry of Jesus and “turn the world upside down”. Please read each of the following scripture references and discuss in your discipling session:a. Joel 2:28-32 – Sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams and young

men will see visions…I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

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b. Acts 2:38-39 — This Promise is for you, your children and all who are far off, all whom the Lord will call. The Promise has come.

2. Acts 2:2-4 – The Day of Pentecost (they explicitly spoke in heavenly language).3. Acts 8:15-17 – Samaria believed on Jesus Christ and so were saved and had already the Seal

of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John were sent to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. It is implicit that they spoke in heavenly languages since Simon saw something that he was willing to pay for!

4. Acts 9:5-6; 17-19 - Paul’s Conversion does not explicitly say he spoke in a heavenly language when he was baptized in the Holy Spirit, but Paul is explicit in 1 Corinthians 14:18 when he said, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you”.

5. Acts 10:1-2, 24, 34-35, 44-46 – Cornelius (gentiles), his household and all who were with him receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is explicit they were speaking in heavenly languages as on the Day of Pentecost.

6. Acts 19:1-5 Ephesus “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed”? Eventually these people accepted the message of Christ were saved and at that point had the indwelling of the Spirit. Shortly afterwards they were water baptized. After this, Paul lays his hands on these believers and explicitly says “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

Inductive Bible Study —

What should our attitude be to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

1. Develop a desire for the Spirit — Read 1 Corinthians 12:31 & 14:1, 12 2. Thirst for the Spirit like a parched wilderness traveler — Isaiah 55

How to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

1. Repent - Acts 2:38-39 “repent and believe”.2. Ask - Luke 11:5-13 He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. 3. Empty - 4. Obey - Acts 5:32; John 14:15-17. The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey him.5. You can’t speak two languages at the same time, don’t use your native language while waiting to

speak your heavenly one.

If you are not already baptized in the Holy Spirit, are you now willing to pray and to receive the Promise of the Father?

Activate/Assimilate —

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9. Witnessing

What’s Ahead? — Have you made witnessing with power to God’s work in your life a priority?

Core Truth — Witnessing is a discipline that is often overlooked. Witnessing is a command of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:19, 20. The “going” for many has meant crossing oceans, but it may also mean crossing town to another ethnic group or crossing the street to help a neighbor. The Biblical example of evangelism is power evangelism versus program evangelism.

Memory Verse — 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Reading:

It is rare to find a person who comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus without the help of a messenger of the gospel. God has entrusted himself to his children to fulfill the Great Commission. The truth is when a person finds the wealth of this Treasure, they want to share it with others. Paul exhorted Philemon to be active in sharing his faith because in doing so he will obtain a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (Philemon 6).

Maximum effectiveness in being witnesses is actuated because one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). We must ask ourselves if the power of the Holy Spirit would come without tarrying why did Jesus emphatically command them to wait? They could have not waited for the Promise, they could have commenced their witnessing and establishing disciples before the great outpouring of the Spirit. But at what expense to the Church of Jesus Christ? Jesus told his disciples to wait for his divine enablement when he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV) Our ability to be witnesses is not due to verbal skills or good deeds, but it is from the supernatural manifestation of the power of the Spirit. The manifestational gifts of the Holy Spirit expressed in 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11, which we will discuss later, empower the Church to be witnesses to reach the lost, but too many pentecostal churches seem to believe these gifts are to be exclusively used to encourage the reached!

In Christian witnessing we are called to share as we walk resolutely in step with the Holy Spirit of God. At its basic level Christian witnessing is merely sharing our heartfelt faith in Christ - what he's personally done to change our individual lives! We are not primarily called to argue or debate anyone into heaven. We are called to share what we have personally experienced of the Good News of his supernatural power naturally! As in the courtroom, we're called to be a witness for the Gospel, not the lawyer, judge or jury…we leave that up to God. You see Christian witnessing is not about intellect or debate skills, although these may help. In his letter to the Corinthian Church Paul addresses the heart of Christian witnessing:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).Sharing your faith —

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I remember reading, “Look below the surface and see that the person you are witnessing to is basically Adam, naked and running for cover”! In this section we will look not merely at the objections to Christianity that we commonly face when witnessing, but at the motives behind the raising of these objections. These insights are not only encouraging, they can further empower our witnessing. First, let’s set the scene: when witnessing, our ultimate goal is not to win arguments, but to win souls. This is not a contest but a compelling urge to share the love of Jesus with others. Now for someone to fall in love with you how many arguments do you have to win? That’s worth thinking about. Respect non-Christians.

In this discussion I will mention non-Christians, or I prefer pre-Christian, but we do so without any feeling of superiority. After all, each of us was once pre-Christian. And in the following I can only speak of typical reactions and motives. When witnessing, we must listen carefully both to the person and to the Holy Spirit to see how we should tailor what we say to meet that person’s specific needs. The Spirit alone fully understands the person and has the answers to humanity’s deepest needs. In the course of being a witness, if someone has an objection that you have no answer to, don’t make one up, rather let them know that you will find out a response to their good question, get their contact info, and get back to them as soon as you have a response. This one fear is what runs off more Christians from witnessing than any other thing. I constantly return people to the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s work through us to reach the lost.

We often focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life, but the Spirit also has a vital role to play in the lives of non-Christians. The Holy Spirit ‘will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment,’ taught Jesus (John 16:8). When we witness, the Spirit of God is not only working within us, prompting us as to what to say, but he is also working within those we witness to, convicting them of the truth of what we share and of their need of salvation.

To understand a small part of the processes at work, we’ll look at Adam and Eve. Adam was not just another human. He is the human from whom all humanity came. All human genes (even Eve’s) come from him. Our entire genetic make-up was incorporated in him. So his reactions are likely to be typical of all human reactions.

When Adam and Eve sinned, the first indication that they were under conviction was that their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked. Conviction is God in his mercy opening our eyes to the reality of our spiritual condition. Without this conviction we would be blissfully unaware that we are sinners. We’d be on our way to hell and not even know it. When we’re under conviction there are two possible reactions:

1. Seek God for forgiveness. 2. Try to squirm our way out of our guilt.

We know Adam’s choice and, being the father of all humanity, we can expect his reaction to be similar to all human reaction. Adam tried to minimize his shame by: trying to cover his nakedness; running from God; and trying to hide from him. First he tried to blame others for his sin – Eve and God (and Eve blamed Satan). Virtually all objections to Christianity fit these categories.

Next he turned to covering up. Using fig leaves, Adam and Eve did their best to cover up their sin, desperately trying to hide the extent of their shame. Non-Christians today try to cover up and hide the extent of their moral shame. ‘I’m as good as the next guy,’ they say. That’s probably true, but what a pathetic way to try to minimize our guilt. Another way in which people attempt to cover up their moral shame is by putting on an air of respectability and/or engaging in lots of good deeds, such as social or church involvement.

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Then came hiding. Adam tried to run and hide from God. When we’re witnessing, people often say things that indicate they are running from God. ‘There is no God,’ say some. They won’t even face the fact that there is a God that they are answerable to. Other responses include:

“Don’t ram religion down my throat, you Bible-basher!”“All religions are much the same.”“It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.”

What most people really mean when they say such things is, ‘I don’t even want to think about God.’ Another way people run from God and stop themselves from thinking about him is to fill their

lives with so much activity that they have little chance to think about life’s most important issue. Our witnessing ally, the Holy Spirit, convicts not only of sin and righteousness, but of judgment.

‘A loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell’ is the sort of straw people cling to in their attempt to hide from the fact of judgment.

We need to get below the surface questions to understand what’s happening at the spiritual and heart levels. That’s where the action is.

It’s too easy to be content with dealing with superficial issues when witnessing. For instance, some Christians have complained that I don’t go into Creation Science deep enough. But rather than focus on the ages of rocks, I believe God is more glorified, and people more helped by talking about the Rock of Ages.

Behind door number four we come to the blame game. When finally cornered, Adam tried to blame another human. Common ways people of today try to blame other people are:

“It’s not my fault I had rotten parents.”“The church is full of hypocrites.”And Adam blamed God (‘The woman you gave me.’). Here are some things people say to blame

God: “If God made me, my sinfulness is his fault.”“If there were a God of love the innocent wouldn’t suffer (i.e. God is as morally corrupt as I

am).”Guilt, like pain, is a lonely thing. It makes us want to drag as many people down with us as we

can. The biggest intensifier of guilt is the thought that someone is more moral than you. It implies we could have done better. That makes it so important to muddy other people. That’s the pleasure of gossip and slandering the church. People know they stand guilty before a holy God. One of the few sources of comfort they can get is to reassure themselves that no one has done any better. And if they can blacken God’s name, dragging him into the mud, that’s the ultimate way to quiet the screams of a tortured conscience.

Finally, Eve blamed Satan. ‘The devil made me do it.’ That’s so unfashionable that it’s become a joke, but the need to excuse our actions has not diminished in the tiniest since Adam and Eve.

Denial: The critical point is that all of the above things are a reaction to guilt. Non-Christians are like burn patients smashing mirrors; like people who fear they’ve got cancer refusing to see a doctor. They are living in denial. No matter how sophisticated they pretend to be, in spiritual matters they are driven by fear and guilt. Inside, they’re Adam, naked and running for cover. The reason people don’t flock to Jesus is not because people believe in evolution, nor because they think there are errors in the Bible. The reason, in the words of Scripture, is that they love darkness rather than light (John 3:19) because their deeds are evil. It’s astounding people prefer remaining in the darkness. Why? Because it’s largely the only “light” they know and the light of the truth exposes their sin. It reveals that they stand exposed in the presence of Almighty God, to whom they must one day give account. They want to run from that and live in denial. If we can understand what’s going on inside them, we’ll be much better

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equipped to help them. Let us remember that the Lord’s love for his Children continues to unabashedly demonstrate his Power and Love to show he doesn’t want to condemn them, but to love them!

Clever arguments will never win anyone for Jesus. However, when you encounter a question that you have no answer for, don’t try to figure out one on the fly (you might be dead wrong). Instead get contact information from them and let them know that you will do your best to find the answer and get back to them. And pray for a demonstration of the Spirit’s power to manifest through you to reach the pre-Christian.

Sharing your faith supernaturally —

Our Western emphasis on knowledge, the acquiring, study and pursuit of knowledge has been very important. The assumption has been knowledge equals power. The more knowledgeable and educated people are the ones who rule in the positions of power and influence. Knowledge results in the ruling class. The church has become conditioned to this same system. But James says to hear and not do is incomplete, therefore knowledge without acting on that knowledge is incomplete. Jesus came and spoke the Word so that we could hear the Good News. The word illuminates so that we may hear, but the works illustrate and complete the Kingdom of God. To say that I love you, but do nothing is incomplete. To tell someone that you will pray for them, but not pray is incomplete. To say that Jesus heals and not pray for their healing is incomplete. To say that God is the God and Lord of our lives and not live congruently is incomplete. To say that Jesus saves and not witness is incomplete. Therefore the power of the Kingdom of God must not only come with words, but with works as well.

Program evangelism is weighted on having the right organization, a structured format and is often characterized by one-way communication. My contention is not so much that this has been wrong, but rather, it has been incomplete. Program evangelism is good, but I want to suggest a step beyond, power evangelism. This is a witnessing which includes but also transcends the rational. This kind of evangelism occurs with demonstrations of God’s power through signs and wonders and introduces the numinous as well as the claims of God (Wimber 7). This presupposes a presentation accompanied by the manifest presence of God. This power witnessing is spontaneous and must be directed by the Holy Spirit. Below is a chart of contrasts of program versus power witnessing.

Program Power

1. Method centered/focused. 1. Methods are subordinate to spontaneous initiation by God.

2. Proclamation centered/focused (Decisions are the goal).

2. Persuasion centered/focused (Disciples are the goal).

3. Initiated on a human level with good intentions.

3. Often divinely inspired and initiated (Dreams, visions, etc).

4. Emphasis on organizing. 4. Emphasis on the individual with organization subordinate.

Supernatural witnessing or gifts of the Holy Spirit operating in witnessing is the anticipated result in proclamation of the Good News and seeing new disciples folded into the local church. Acts is an obvious place to begin to observe the effect of their witness:

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Geographic Area

Summary

Jerusalem; 1:1—6:7

6:7 — And the word of God increased; and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Judea and Samaria; 6:8—9:31

9:31 — So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

Gentiles; 9:32—12:24

12:24 — But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Asia; 12:25—16:5

16:5 — So the churches were strengthened in the faith and they increased in numbers daily.

Europe; 16:6—19:20

19:20 — So the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily.

To Rome; 19:21—28:31

28:31 — Preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ openly and unhindered.

The anticipation of supernatural power should follow every believer as they launch out to proclaim the Good News. There is far too much emphasis placed on a program based evangelism. I am deeply indebted to Evangelism Explosion for what it taught me in how to share the gospel. Unintentionally, the driving power of EE, as it is called, lies in the outline and the simple proclamation of the gospel. But today in the teaching of evangelism there is no anticipation of the power of Pentecost to bring about changes in lives and areas we’re about to examine. I’m not sure people typically view the passages we will view as “How to Witness” examples, but I believe the fruit will clearly reveal the impact of witnessing with supernatural power. The gospels and Acts demonstrate what happened when Jesus or his disciples were witnessing with supernatural power attendant.

Mark 5:22-43 — Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers came to Jesus with an urgent plea to come lay his hands on his dying daughter. A large crowd gathered as they were on the way to his house and a woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus in faith, bringing about her healing. During this delay people from Jairus’ house came and told him not to bother Jesus anymore since his daughter was now dead. Jesus ignored what they said and told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. Arriving at the house, where the Wake was in full swing, Jesus takes Peter, James and John, the father and mother and went to the girl. Jesus took the dead girl’s hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” Immediately the girl got up. Now this passage does not explicitly state that the household was saved, but I believe it is implied.

John 4:1-42 — Jesus and his disciples arrive in Samaria at around eleven o’clock in the morning and while the disciples are away getting food Jesus meets a Samaritan woman. There are questions about water and Jesus offering living water with Jesus eventually asking her to call her husband. She says she has none, but Jesus says she has had five husbands and the one she now has is not her husband! She declares that Jesus must be a prophet! Eventually she returned to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Many people from that town became believers because of that woman’s testimony and after two days more even more became believers, not just because of what the woman said, but because of what Jesus said! One encounter with a woman led to many coming to the Lord from one town!

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Acts 9:32-35 — Peter came to a town in Lydda to visit the saints and found a man named Aeneas who was a paralytic and had been bedridden for eight years. All the emotional decay and muscle atrophy was well set in this man. The despair must have been profound! Peter said to the man, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately he got up. The result was the two towns of Lydda and Sharon saw the healed man and turned to the Lord! One miracle and the preaching of Jesus and the supernatural manifestation changed the legacy of two whole towns.

Acts 9:36-43 — Not far from Lydda was a town by the name of Joppa where a lady named Dorcas lived and did much good helping the poor. She became sick and eventually died, upon which they washed her body and placed her in an upstairs room. Hearing that Peter was nearby they sent two disciples to Lydda and urged him to come at once. When Peter arrived he was brought to the upstairs room with all the widows displaying to Peter all the things she had made while she was alive. Peter sent everyone out of the room, went to his knees and prayed, got up and turned toward the dead woman said, “Tabitha, get up.” She looked at him, took Peter’s hand and she got up and Peter presented her to the widows alive! This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord!

I remember the founder of the Vineyard movement, John Wimber saying he was on a five hour flight to Chicago. Returning from the magazine rack mid-flight and taking his seat he looked over at the man next to him and saw the word adultery and a name of a woman written across his face. He kept looking at the man until finally the other man asking John what he was looking at? So John said that he was wondering who, and he named the lady’s name, was. The man barked, “We’ve got to talk”. The plane had an upper level with a bar and so they went up the stairs to the bar and the man said, “How do you know her name?” Well John said that he saw the word adultery and the lady’s name and that if he didn’t turn from his adultery God would take his life! He asked what he should do and John said, “Repent.” The man asked how? “You have to pray,” upon which John helped start the prayer and the man cried in a loud voice pleas for mercy and repentance with tears. Everyone in the bar heard, everyone was crying, including the stewardess and John Wimber. Still wiping his tears away he asked, “Now what should I do?” John told him he needed to tell his wife. Well his wife was in the seat next to him in the plane, which was why he was so quick to get out of his seat and get upstairs to the bar to talk. They both returned to their seats with the man telling his wife about his affair and eventually leading her to Christ in a sinner’s prayer! The last time John saw the couple was at the Chicago O’Hare airport while giving them his Bible since they did not have one. (Wimber 25)

I question this couple’s receptivity to the gospel if John had presented the gospel with a Roman’s Road tract. When John followed through with what he “saw” it led to repentance and tears of a couple and a beginning of a restored relationship! How do you program this? How are any of the previous examples applied today through a program or a methodology that makes no such allowances? It is the power that comes with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that equips and positions the disciple for the potential to be greatly used beyond the typical means of American Christianity (Acts 2:8). We must now open our minds and hearts to the gifts of the Holy Spirit empowering us to move beyond “ordinary” means in witnessing to have First Century witnessing results!

Questions:

1. What has the Spirit been speaking to you about sharing your faith?

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2. What are your top three concerns regarding sharing your faith?

3. Read Philemon 6. What do you anticipate to be the fruit in active faith sharing?

4. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in sharing your faith with the pre-Christian?

Activate/Assimilate —

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10. Gifts of the Holy Spirit

What’s Ahead? — The role the Holy Spirit plays in empowering us to be witnesses to the end of the earth.

Core Truth — The Holy Spirit’s baptism empowers the believer to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ supernaturally.

Memory verse — 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Reading:

In all humility we must first acknowledge that these gifts of the Holy Spirit originate in Heaven and not with man. They belong to God and not man, but those who have been given the gifts are to use them to edify others, whether that is one person or the body of Christ. It is not one’s natural feelings, emotions or personality that determines the time of application of a gift. The motivation comes from Heaven and moves on a person of Christ regardless of age.

A prophetic word must encourage, exhort and strengthen or foretell events yet to come. However giving an encouraging word, or giving an exhortation to someone is not necessarily an operation of the gift of prophecy. In the same way the Word of Wisdom is not just good counsel when someone is in a jam, nor is a Word of Knowledge a hunch or premonition that something wrong has been hidden or the true nature of a situation is cloaked.

For those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and seek to operate and grow in the gifts of the Spirit a word of caution here is advised. The third of the Ten Commandments reads, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7 KJV). NIV reads "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." These two versions of the third commandment help to shed light on its meaning. Does this then mean that Heaven doesn’t want anyone to use any name of the Trinity as a swear word? I’m sure God doesn’t want people to use His name as a cuss word, but I seriously doubt that this is the point of the commandment. We won’t get into a long theological discussion of the understanding of the phrase “taking the Lord’s name in vain” which is not the purpose of this guidebook. But we do assert that the phrase ‘misuse the name of the Lord’ includes living your life in a way that it does not contradict what the Scriptures clearly declare to be how a Christian is to live his life. This includes putting words into God’s mouth by saying, “God said” when he has not said. This was important in the Old Testament and in the New as well.

Not only is the third commandment not a matter of putting words into God mouth, but our life and actions may also break this command. How strongly I feel the compassion of Christ in the injunction Paul gave, "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19). We are called to be "followers of God, as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which is not convenient, but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:1-4) Because so many Christians misuse the name of the Lord, Paul wrote, "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you" (Rom.2:24; Isa.52:5).

However the third commandment is not just about lifestyle change to live as Christ, but it also expresses the importance God places on the words we speak to others that we represent as being found

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in God’s Word. Because for many we are speaking the very oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11) we must always be mindful that we are speaking as if it is God himself speaking through us. It is as if our words are saying, “Thus saith the Lord…” in our conversations and prayers over others. When it comes to the gifts of prophecy, wisdom and knowledge care must be given not to “put words into God’s mouth” in declaring in these gifts of the Holy Spirit, “Thus saith the Lord”.

There are several key passages that address the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. It is on this latter passage we will be focusing our attention. These gifts of the Holy Spirit are classified as manifestational gifts or power gifts. They are so defined by me because they are a tangible, visible demonstration of the Spirit’s power flowing through one of his servants and demonstrate a power that does not originate with mankind.

About one year ago I contacted the General Secretary of a Pentecostal denomination expressing my concern of the lack of both the teaching and manifestations of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in congregations of the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, the fellowship I had served as President. I had suggested that perhaps the lack of or the diminishing manifestations were because the pastors of these congregations were themselves not living expectantly in dependence with the Holy Spirit seeing all the gifts of the Spirit in operation. Many could name the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12, but they have long since ceased to anticipate the manifestations and have also ceased to even seek and pray for the lambs to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that the most neglected Person in the American Church today is the Holy Spirit. So I asked this important Pentecostal leader if he was seeing the same situation in their denomination as in ours and if so, what were they doing to address this concern. He affirmed what I suspected, that the recordings of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit has been steadily dropping over the past two decades. To combat this trend a number of key persons of that denomination, including the General Secretary have written books specifically about the Baptism and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, after looking at the books he specifically referenced none of them gave any instruction in how to grow in the gifts and how to recognize them, having Word of Knowledge for example. They gave rather forensic definitions of the gifts and gave a few examples of operating in these spiritual gifts.

The tendency to memorize or acknowledge the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but fail to personally operate in and mature in developing these gifts is seen in the books that were referenced and in many Pentecostal churches today. To address this and bring this operation of the gifts into focus, I will handle each gift separately by giving a definition for each gift. I will identify biblical examples for each gift and give a personal example to help you gain a practical understanding in how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, becoming more proficient in these gifts.

My great concern today is to reach pastors and key leadership within the local church and encourage them to demonstrate the Power of the Holy Spirit and not simply affirm its existence. It is insufficient to reach the masses and miss the local shepherd. I have much firsthand knowledge of lambs who are mature in their gifts, but whose pastor is paranoid and controlling when it comes to the expression of the Holy Spirit in their services and subtly squelches its operation. I must acknowledge that at some level the congregation I shepherd is in some ways a growing reflection of their shepherd, me! I need not look further than me if I am to discover the reason for diminishing expressions of the Holy Spirit in the services. This is a reality every shepherd must face as he guides the flock God has put him in charge over.

After many years of being used in these gifts in church settings and in the marketplace I have discovered that it is not unusual to have a variety of gifts concurrently overlapping each other, virtually at the same time. One gift will naturally lead to another. A Word of Knowledge may lead to a Word of Wisdom, or a Word of Knowledge may lead to the gift of Faith. For example the Lord may give a Word

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of Knowledge that someone’s kidney is damaged as happened a few weeks back. Well, “where the Lord reveals, He heals”. There was one person who fit the bill and she came forward, we prayed and God healed her! The Word of Knowledge led to gifts of healing. The faith builder here is that God does not begin a revelation and then does nothing else. He has given the information to bring healing. Even scriptures said, God sent forth his Word and healed us (Psalm 107:20). Many times the Lord has revealed to me to change weather patterns and what followed was beautiful weather while all around is driving rain. This should be no surprise since Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves (Matthew 8:27) and is still the same miracle speaking God for “where He reveals, He heals”.

1 Corinthians 12: Manifestation Gifts of the Holy SpiritIn the public operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, your delivery of that gift must be handled

gently and humbly by you. The impressions you feel seem huge and immaturity in expressing your gift to others may have the same effect that Joseph of the Old Testament had on his siblings! It only spurred his brothers to further hate him! (Genesis 37)

Avoid saying, “God said”, rather say, “I believe the Lord is saying…”. It may seem like a small trivial thing, but when you say, “God said…” that is an absolute statement and one glaring thing happens, your word cannot be judged fairly since it must be taken as 100% truth or 100% false. Humbly and compassionately you can say, “I believe the Lord is saying…” giving the hearers opportunity to judge it without being taken as not only rejecting you, but God as well!

Before we unpack the gifts of the Holy Spirit let’s get an assessment on your present understanding of how to distinguish some events and place them into a category gift. For each descriptive illustration select which gift it belongs with.

Event Gift1. Jesus walks on water.2. Demons are cast out of person.3. Family protected from plague.4. Old man raised from the dead.5. Medicated for depression instantly and

permanently leaves young girl.6. Man calls for eagles to come out and from

“nowhere” they come.

1. WISDOM - a spiritual utterance at a given moment through the Spirit, supernaturally disclosing the mind, purpose, and way of God as applied to a specific situation.

a. Jesus & the woman caught in adultery — John 8:1-11b. Paul being transported to Rome caught in a storm — Acts 27:21-26c. God will give words to speak in the future — Acts 21:14-15A Word of Wisdom can come in a variety of impressions on your physical body, thoughts,

feelings, visions or dreams that are leading you to give your impressions to the people to judge if what God is saying through you is correct.

During a Sunday school class a vision was given that turned out to be a word of wisdom for a couple in the class. In the vision a piece of land was fenced with a stream running through it. The fenced land was muddy and the trees were dying, the stream was muddied and stagnant. Suddenly the fence was removed and the land instantly became green and lush and the trees were bearing fruit. The stream was running quickly, clean and clear. Then the fence came down around the land again the land and

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stream returned to the dead state at the beginning of the vision. For the couple who received this vision its interpretation was clear, they were in the midst of deciding if they should continue an expensive lawsuit to regain an orchard that had been taken from them through fraud. With this Word of Wisdom from God they decided to drop the lawsuit, let the land go and trust God to bless them instead. The next year saw a great increase in value of other lands they owned, beyond their expectations and more than replacing the value from the land they released.

2. KNOWLEDGE – an initial supernatural revelation of information pertaining to a person or an event, given for a specific purpose, usually having to do with an immediate need.

a. Nathan uncovers King David’s sin — 2 Samuel 12:1-14b. Jesus with the woman at the well — John 4:39-42c. Ananias sent to Paul to give guidance and direction — Acts 9:11d. Minister encouragement — 1 Kings 19:9-18e. Impart knowledge of future event of famine — Acts 11:27-28I believe many Christians have Words of Knowledge without ever discerning they are having

one. Common is the person who has a thought about someone who they haven’t thought of in a long time and thinks this is quite natural, simply a weird thought we sometimes have, and dismisses it out of hand. Later on, in a few hours or a few days, they hear about some tragedy or event that happened to that person and say, “Wow, I was just thinking about so and so.” What we must train ourselves to do is when we recognize we’re having some thoughts like this is to call that person and see how they are doing and let them know that the Lord has laid them on our heart.

We must always remember that “where the Lord reveals, He heals”. Therefore when He shows you the beginning of a potential problem, the solution is certainly around the corner! This is where one gift, like a Word of Knowledge, will lead to another gift, like a gift of healing. You typically will only have partial initial information and must step out with the little you have. The fact that God reveals situations or symptoms through these gifts and raises faith in a person needing healing does not mean that one can have no expectation of healing without a manifestational gift in operation. God wants us to bring his Kingdom power to all encounters, with or without a gift of the Holy Spirit in evidence. However, specific revelation is very faith building for all involved.

3. FAITH - is a unique form of faith that goes beyond natural faith and saving faith. It supernaturally trusts and does not doubt with reference to the specific matters involved.

a. Elymas the sorcerer is blinded — Acts13:8-11b. Lame from birth, a 40 year old man walks after Peter and John command man to walk — Acts

3:1-10c. Three young men thrown into furnace survive — Daniel 3

While we were living in Asia we never had a problem with mosquitoes, roaches or any rodents. Why? In part, because we take to heart that none of the diseases that came on the Egyptians should come on those who belong to God (Exodus 15:26). While I was explaining this principle to an underground church leader in China, the first cockroach I’d ever seen in our apartment had walked into our living room, rolled over and kicked its last few kicks and then died. My friend was shocked, I was amazed and God made his point. Faith activates his promises and whatever is in agreement to his Word which is after all the heart of Jesus’ instruction to “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).

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4. GIFTS OF HEALING - are those healings that God performs supernaturally by the Spirit. The plural “gifts”, but singular “healing” suggests that as there are many sicknesses and diseases so the gifts are related to healing of many disorders.

a. There are at least three purposes for healing:i. Deliver the sick from suffering —

1. Luke 13:162. 1 John 3:83. Acts 10:38

ii. Prove Christ is God —1. John 10:36-38

iii. Confirm God’s Word —1. Mark 16:17-202. Acts 4:29-33

While I was sitting in my study at church a knock at the door got me up from my computer to find two ladies standing there, one of which was suffering from a rather large and painful growth in her hip area. I was asked to pray for her and after talking to her about how Jesus always loves to heal, prayed for the cancerous lump to go in Jesus Name. I asked her if she could still feel the lump and as she dropped open her mouth and desperately searched without success to locate that lump. With tear welling up in her eyes she said she “did not cry”! To which I replied, apparently you do!

5. WORKING OF MIRACLES - manifestation of power beyond the ordinary course of natural law. It is a divine enablement to do something that may even violate natural laws as an edifying revelation of the Spirit causes a power encounter in nature or the human condition.

a. Paul’s cloths heal — Acts 19:11b. Tabitha is raised from the dead — Acts 9:40c. Paul raises Eutychus from the dead — Acts 20:9-12d. Joshua prays for the sun to stop — Joshua 10:12-14e. Jesus walks on the water — Matthew 14:25

One Sunday we were having a large church BBQ at our home and a very wet and stormy day threatened to cancel the event. Knowing God loves it when his children are together we rebuked the clouds and rain and commanded them to keep away. A circle of blue sky remained over our house while dark clouds all around our location poured out onto the already saturated earth. Cars on the interstate less than two miles away had to pull off to the side of the road because of the downpour. Meanwhile we were BBQ-ing, the kids were playing in our yard running through the sprinklers and the adults had peeled off their sweaters and were sitting around the tables outside under the umbrella being protected from the glaring sun. Close to 100 people saw and experienced this. At the conclusion of this BBQ I announced it was time to leave since we had to get to church for the prayer meeting. Three minutes later, when literally the last person got inside the house, the clouds let go their fury and dumped rain onto our property! This is a fairly common experience at our church, but as always, holy!

6. DISCERNING OF SPIRITS - is the ability to discern activity and schemes or plans occurring in the spirit world, and especially to detect the true source of circumstances or motives of people.

a. There are three sources of spirits. They are divine, human and Satanic.i. Girl prophesying by demons the ministry of Paul and Silas — Acts 16:16-17

ii. Jesus rebukes Satan when Peter said Jesus would not be crucified — Matthew 16:22-23

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iii. Distinguish servants of righteousness and Satan himself masquerading as an angel of light — 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Discerning of spirits can be a gift that has a few landmines that need to be sidestepped. Many do not mature and prosper because they become critical of persons of authority, the church or individuals because of the revelation that comes from this gift. This is not “a gift of discernment”. The Bible does not mention such a gift of discernment. This gift discerns spirits not people. As King Solomon asked God for a discerning heart (1 Kings 3:9) so should the one who has this gift. Wisdom is needed with this gift to help direct the believer how to respond to each revelation given in this gift. The person with this gift can also become overwhelmed with what they perceive and not knowing what to do with information they are receiving from the Spirit they ask for the Lord to turn off this gift. Extreme attention to personal attitudes must be used with this gift. It is not unusual that because of what is shown with this gift that a domino effect is activated where criticism leads to judgmentalism which leads to isolationism. This gift typically comes leading us with black and white answers. Nothing is gray. Discerning of spirits can be like trying to drink out of a fire hose. Sometimes you can look at a person and you know what is going on in their life. Sometimes there may be lightness or darkness that seems to surround a person or a place. This is a sense gift in that the Spirit gives awareness of something beyond simply what the eyes and ears may be able to perceive. Because there is a susceptibility to fall into criticism due to what they perceive it is not unusual for them to leave the local body, become disgruntled toward all Christians, rather than judging rightly out of the blessing of the gift, they become judgmental and live spiritually isolated. Not only does this gift function by impressions, but also in visions and dreams. Because the Spirit speaks to us in dreams, the person with the dream may become prone to overstate the importance, urgency, and significance of the revelation. This gift seems to be a stealth or silent gift where intercession and discernment co-exist together. Intercession, although not a gift, is an important piece to bring to completion what the gift of discernment has disclosed. Where the Spirit of the Lord discloses, his will is to reconcile (2 Corinthians 5:18).

A young lady came to my office that had been having sleep deprivation and was not doing well in her studies at the University she attended as she had been earlier in the quarter. She was becoming growingly muddled in distinguishing between her own thoughts and irrational thoughts. She came to my office at church and as we talked at length I felt that she was under demonic influence. As I began to pray she fell to the floor and began to slither like a snake and after a few minutes rose up to her knees and began beating her clenched fists at me without contacting me as if I was behind an invisible shield. With my wife in the room we prayed and commanded the evil spirits to leave. They obeyed and this girl was given a course of action steps she needed to take to distance herself from sinister situations and susceptibility to the activity of evil spirits in or on her life.

7. PROPHECY - The purpose of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage, comfort and edify the local body and Church or individual (1 Corinthians 14:3).

a. Edify — Acts 9:10-17; Acts 16:9-10b. Exhort — Acts 5:3-4; Acts 8:20-23c. Comfort — Acts 15:32; Acts 27:31-34d. Foretell — Acts 11:27-30; Acts 21:4: Acts 21:10-11

The final three gifts of the Spirit have very common features. In many ways prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues operating in the public arena are similar. At times the revelation comes

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on you suddenly, other times the words come days, weeks or longer before the prophecy, tongue or interpretation is given.

Often prophecy presents itself as an impression or a thought that is not a part of your current thinking patterns. The Holy Spirit may use general feelings, impressions, visions or phrases, for example to initiate your spirit to explore for further revelation and clarification. It encourages, comforts and edifies. It’s to a wider audience than just yourself, although it may not be applicable directly to you.

As you initially begin to manifest this gift there may be physical manifestations of the Spirit on your body such as sweating, heavy beating heart, shaking, and increased breathing for example. They may be as subtle as ordinary feelings that you have when you think or see some person, local church or situation or they may come in dreams or visions. These early physical indicators are given to help clarify that what you are experiencing is not originating in you but these are letting you know that your “revelation” of exhortation, edification or encouragement is from him. As you progress in discerning the word of the Lord for a specific situation you will likely begin to become less dependent on the physical promptings and with greater familiarity with the inner promptings of the still small voice of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-13).

8. DIFFERENT TONGUES - is the gift of speaking supernaturally in a language not known to the individual.

a. There are several uses for tonguesi. Private use

1. Build yourself up — 1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 202. Intercedes according to God will — Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

ii. Rest and refreshing — Isaiah 28:11-121. If you pray in tongues long enough your soul will quiet down. — Jude 20

iii. Public use — guidelines1. Motivated by love — 1 Corinthians 13:12. Interpreted — 1 Corinthians 14:5; 13 & 283. Limited to three — 1 Corinthians 14:274. Are a sign to unbelievers — 1 Corinthians 14:22

The previous seven gifts of the Holy Spirit were in operation in the Old Testament. Tongues and the interpretation of tongues are new gifts that are given to the church that first manifested on the Day of Pentecost. Every believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit is anticipated to speak in a heavenly language, but not necessarily during a public service where the tongue must be interpreted. When Paul asked “Do all speak in tongues?” the context is the public use of tongues, not private use (similar to “…are all prophets?” 2 Corinthians 12:29-31). Public use of tongues manifest in largely the same physical manifestations and impressions as in the gift of prophecy. It is not unusual for the tongue (language) that presents in the public use of the gift to be different from the tongue of the private prayer language.

9. INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES - gift of rendering the transrational (but not irrational) message of the Spirit meaningful to others when exercised in public and private. This is not translation of, but interpretation of a previously spoken word borne out of a gift of tongues.

This is one reason for a common phenomenon wherein a gift of tongues is spoken during a church service and the interpretation given is much shorter or longer than the framework of the gift of tongues. We are called to test to see whether words spoken in the vocal gifts are from the Lord. In manifesting these vocal gifts it is important to have a willingness to interact with others to identify if the

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interpretation was Spirit initiated or if there was a point, and if so at what point did the interpretation (or prophecy) move out of the spiritual and into the flesh. This conversation is never intended to be critical of a person but to help identify a rather subjective process of discerning the voice of the Lord in the operation of this gift. The goal is to help you and the body to recognize a need for greater growth in this area or awareness of spiritual slippage in self.

Inductive Bible Study—

The Old and New Testament worldview contained both the works of evil and the Evil One and the good works of God. We have been commanded to do good works as Christians and learn how we are to see his Kingdom advanced as we daily follow him with supernatural power.

1. Read Matthew 10:5-8 and in your own words put down the nature of the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom.

2. Read Mark 16:9-20 and note the characteristics of what should follow those who believe. What do you understand “believe” here to mean?

3. As you read Luke 10:19-21 and explain why you believe some Christians are living as if they are under powered, under supported and under resourced in following Christ and bringing his message to the lost.

4. Read John 2:1-11; 21:1-14 which are the first and last miraculous signs of Jesus recorded in this gospel. What is the significance to you and your ministry if you rightly comprehend these passages?

a. The significance is the same in each case, as to Messiah. In the first he "manifested forth his glory" (2:11); in the last he "manifested himself" (21:14, note the same word in each): as to Israel, it was to manifest the depth of the nation's destitution. He alone could supply that need by becoming "the glory of his People Israel" (Luke 2:32). Apart from Messiah, Israel could have no joy, no supplies, no blessing, and no glory.

b. The first sign signified the need: "they have no wine" (2:3), while the last signified that with all their toil they had "caught nothing", and had "no meat"; but it signified also that Messiah could supply both the one and the other -- sustenance and joy.

5. Discuss what gift(s) of the Spirit you feel the Lord has given you and what you need to do to see measurable growth in each gift.

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Activate/Assimilate —

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11. Fruit of the Holy Spirit

What’s Ahead? — What role does the Holy Spirit play in transforming us into the image of Christ?

Core Truth — The Spirit is holy, for he produces the character of Christ in those in whom he dwells. These character qualities are known as the fruit of the Spirit.

Memory verse —Galatians 5:22-23

Reading:

It is not uncommon to have people confuse the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit and use these terms interchangeably. Where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are subsequent to salvation or when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is received at the point of salvation. What is common about the nature of the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit is that they all come ready for growth, but not fully mature. We must cooperate with the Spirit by yielding our natural need to control to let the Spirit lead. The fruit of the Spirit is not fully ripe by any measure. Some of this fruit seems to grow faster or slower according to personality and our cooperating with the Spirit to see each fruit become mature. In this age of self-improvement programs, self-help books, makeovers and behavior modification, we may think we can grow the fruit of the Spirit through sheer willpower and personal discipline: grit your teeth and out pops patience. We can try to act out the qualities that we think make up love, joy or peace, but this will be artificial fruit.

Coupled with the lack of teaching and failure to understand the importance of uniting with the Spirit the fruit in many remains tart, unripe and un-matured. In each disciple the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are the fruit we are to diligently see mature. It is not a work for the slothful or the faint hearted. The unsaved can produce all the character qualities found in what the Spirit gives to Christians at salvation, but they are not the same! The nine fruits of the Spirit are fueled and empowered by the Holy Spirit whose fruit matures in the believer as he yields to the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit that are to be ripening and maturing in every believer’s life. There are a couple of fruit characteristics that are worthy of special attention for me that I trust are relevant for all people for all time. Through the years of serving Jesus I have found one of the fruits of the Spirit that people are virtually warned from pulpits and testimonies not to ask to be developed in them. It sounds surprising if not unbelievable that a pastor or a follower of Jesus Christ would caution others to carefully reconsider such a request of God! What is that fruit that people warn or caution against asking for God to increase in maturity? Patience. We will take a look further at this when we discuss the third fruit of the Spirit.

The first fruit is love (ἀγάπη) — agape. Love is not produced by man, rather it is given by God by way of the Holy Spirit. Vine’s Dictionary says agape is, “the characteristic word of Christianity, and since the Spirit of revelation has used it to express ideas previously unknown, enquiry into its use, whether in Greek literature or in the Septuagint, throws but little light upon its distinctive meaning in the N.T.” (Vine 20). Suffice it to say that we may have been assuming that the love we are demonstrating is agape love when it has been a love that any unregenerate man can show. Paul, during his imprisonment in Philippi prayed for the saints, “…that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Philippians 1:9, NIV). For the saints in Ephesus he prayed in part, “... And I pray that you,

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being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17–19, NIV). Paul clearly believes agape love comes at the asking for God’s love to be established in each disciple, for revelation is needed even for the regenerate to see this love comprehended and set on the path of true maturing. Could it not be said that there is so little love in the Church today is because we have neglected to ask God to mature this fruit in us? With a language reminiscent of the list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit the great apostle Peter says that everything we need is given to us through his divine power according to our knowledge of him so,

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5–8, NIV)

The spirit’s intention is that we know with certainty that our growth in all the fruit of the Spirit, and in particular love, comes by asking him and remaining yielded and surrendered all our days.

The second fruit of the Spirit is joy (χαρά) — chara. Joy is not gauged by the absence of unpleasant circumstances. Joy is independent of our circumstances since it is grounded in God. It is not based on our personality type or upbringing, although both may help nurture or hinder its development.

The concept of Biblical joy is an ever deepening awareness that you are hidden in Christ and the Spirit will guide you through anything, as a result establishing trust and hope. So you experience joy. Our joy comes from abiding in our Lord and choosing to remain filled with the knowledge of his presence (John 15:11). When his presence consumes us, circumstances may bring sorrow, or anger, or pain, or frustration, or whatever else - but all the emotions that accompany these situations are unable to diminish the joy we have in the presence of the Lord. In his presence there is forever an abundance of joy. Since Biblical joy is based in heaven, the turmoil of earth’s chaotic situations should not diminish it. So important is this joy that Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy and it distinguishes him above all others (Hebrews 1:9). Since the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) we can see its importance in our life and can understand the significance of Satan’s strategy in attacking this joy. Because of this we must remain vigilant to guard the fruit of joy. King Solomon said that joy has a medicinal quality to it (Proverbs 17:22). Jesus said that it is his prayer that his completed joy would be in every disciple (John 15:9-11). Even though this is the prayer of Jesus (Hebrews 7:24), his kind of joy doesn’t come automatically. We must submit our circumstances and personalities to him so that joy may mature becoming ever sweeting fruit of the Spirit.

The third fruit of the Spirit is Peace (εἰρήνη) — eirene. This peace is not contingent on pleasant circumstances, it is based in Jesus who is our peace (Ephesians 2:14-15). Peace is God’s very nature as his name is Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Because we have the peace of Jesus, he tells us that we should not let our hearts be troubled (John 14:27). When anxiety presents itself to be in our heart we are to cast anxiety away (1 Peter 5:7). The assurance of God’s Word is that it is a gospel of peace that goes with us everywhere we go, because the imagery is that we go nowhere without our feet (Ephesians 6:15). The perfect peace of Heaven guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7) which is the fruit of a trusting steadfast mind (Isaiah 26:3; 2 Corinthians 13:11). Disciples of Jesus receive God’s peace fruit, but are also carriers of his peace.

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The Beatitude given by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount soliloquy for roughly two thousand years has been waiting for the saints to rise up in mass to affirm we don’t just accept and receive peace, but we make peace. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Georgia in Europe found impotent results in the U.N. Peace Keeping Mission from1993-2009. Bosnia and Herzegovina were the recipients of the U.N. Peace Keepers from 1995-2002, which was a complete debacle. Each of these peace keeping missions failed for a variety of reasons, chief among them, in my opinion, was that U.N. personnel could only function as observers. They were not the peacemakers of Matthew 5:9, they were merely peace keepers. The Bosnia and Herzegovina situation was inflamed by years of ethnic animosity fueled by generational hate. What was needed then and what is needed today are not peace keepers, but peace makers. People who know him and who they were created by bring the fruit of Kingdom Peace. Many families have at least one peacekeeper, someone who will agree to about anything so that they can keep the peace! We are to be people bearing mature fruit of peace, making peace by stepping into situations and reconciling conditions (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) to harmony as much as the people involved are willing (Romans 12:18). The properly maturing fruit of peace will create atmospheres of peace, first because he is our peace, so then we accept the provision of his peace for us and then we bring peace into our circle of influence. May disciples always let the peace of God rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).

The fourth fruit of the Spirit is Patience (μακροθυμία) – makrothumia. Patience or longsuffering is that quality of self–restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger and is associated with mercy. Patience is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope. Saint Francis of Assisi (C. 1181–1226) said, “No one will ever know the full depth of his capacity for patience and humility as long as nothing bothers him. It is only when times are troubled and difficult that he can see how much of either is in him.”

Our culture does not endear itself to patience, but it has wholeheartedly embraced impatience. Impatience works for us, gets things done, helps motivate others toward greater efficiency. It doesn’t tolerate the slow start off the green light at the intersection. It gets irritated when one chooses the “wrong” and slower line at the store. Hearts race with frustration when they have someone blocking them from getting to their destination, in the carpool lane, going the exact speed limit. So the wisdom of the sages today is, impatience is a character quality to develop so you can be elevated up the corporate ladder. The startling fact is impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit. I’m not sure how many people really felt my impatience, but I knew it was always brewing, ready to confidently reveal its presence! Impatience was a friend I loved. I hurt and offended people needlessly, perhaps at times with a flair of justification. When the Spirit confronted me that impatience is not the fruit that I should be developing, it really rocked my world. To this day, when I sense that old “friend” rearing its ugly head in my attitude I say, “Impatience is NOT a fruit of the Spirit!” Impatience is a form of unbelief, because it says I don’t trust in God’s timing so I will force my time to materialize my own results.

Well-meaning people urge others never to pray for patience, because this is the one prayer the Lord is always ready and faithful to answer by sending “messengers” to bring trouble to mentor patience in them. These counselors are inadvertently telling others to plug their ears to this fruit and the Holy Spirit. Let it remain under developed and sour is the effect of their counsel. When we rebuff this fruit of the spirit we step out from God’s provision covering our nakedness when the Spirit says we are to clothe ourselves, in part, with patience. Paul says,

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever

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grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13)

If we have refused this fruit we must repent of grieving the Holy Spirit, ask for his forgiveness and pursue this fruit to mature in us. Time is short, Christ’s return is drawing close and people are waiting for us to snatch them from the flames of hell.

The fifth fruit of the Spirit is Kindness (χρηστότης) — chrestotes. Vines says chrestotes is “Goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence, kindness, affability. The word describes the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience. The Holy Spirit removes abrasive qualities from the character of one under his control.” Kindness is doing something and not expecting anything in return. Kindness is respect and helping others without waiting for someone to help one back. It implies kindness no matter what. We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left".

“One scholar has noted that when the word chrestotes is applied to interpersonal relationships, it conveys the idea of being adaptable to others. Rather than harshly require everyone else to adapt to his own needs and desires, when chrestotes is working in a believer, he seeks to become adaptable to the needs of those who are around him.” (Renner 537). It’s going the second mile when it is not required! (Matthew 5:41).

The sixth fruit of the Spirit is goodness (ἀγαθωσύνη) — agathosune. Goodness and kindness have subtle differences and popular English Bibles (e.g. NIV, NASB, NLT) translate the single Greek word chrestotes into two English words: kindness and goodness. Where there certainly are those whose inherent disposition is more compliant and willing to please others, this is not a purely human character trait. To demonstrate goodness and kindness rightly we must ask God to lead us into the path where goodness and kindness dwells and so we can discharge Kingdom goodness and kindness to those in need.

The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. “This word (Πίστις) — pistis is common in secular Greek for trustworthiness. It is the characteristic of the man who is reliable” (Zodhiates 905).

The eight fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness (πραϋτης) — prautes. Prautes is getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, and for the right reason. It is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character

The ninth fruit of the Spirit is self-control (ἐγκράτεια) — enkrateia. It would seem that many disciples do not believe they possess this character trait. Enkrateia is a compound Greek word composed of en meaning “in” and kratos which means “strength, might, power and dominion” Therefore enkrateia means “strength within”.

Let us examine what self-control is not. Consider the plight of a person in a television Western who has been shot. Lacking adequate medical care or even the presence of a doctor, a friend takes his knife to cut the bullet out of the person’s body. Knowing that this will be painful, he gives the victim a stick to hold between his teeth to help him keep from screaming and losing self-control. The image is one of grim determination and resolution to the fateful pain. Fortunately, this does not depict the concept of self-control Paul discusses.

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The biblical understanding of the term requires crucifixion of the sinful or lower nature by divine grace as we surrender ourselves to the Lord. In Galatians 5:19–21, Paul contrasts the sanctified life with characteristics of the old life: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness and orgies, and the like.” All these categories reflect behaviors that are out of control and were common in New Testament times.

Living the overcoming Christian life was no small problem for many in the congregations to whom Paul wrote. Yielding to sinful passions was the order of the day. Believers who did not come from a Jewish background, where the precepts of the Old Testament were rigorously followed, probably found the level of personal restraint required of a Christian especially difficult to sustain.

The self-control however which derives from the presence of the Spirit in our spirit, thoughts and emotions, is undergirded by the power of God as believers yield themselves to the Lord in obedience to his will. (Consider also Romans 12:2 where Paul refers to the transformation of the mind.) Several verses help us understand this better:

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16).

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2;13).

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).

Self-control enables the believer to overcome sinful and destructive habits, focus on ministering to others, build up the body of Christ, and live in mutual submission to others (Ephesians 5:21), thereby leading a life that is positive and productive in the family, the neighborhood, the church, and place of employment.

To the Galatians he wrote: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:13-14).

Inductive Bible Study—

We are called to exhibit in our lives the fruit of the Spirit found listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

1. Examine the larger context in this passage of Galatians 5:16-26 and note the principle force in opposition to the fruit of the Spirit.

2. Why is fruit in the singular instead of the plural?

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3. Are the characteristics of the fruit equally present in our lives? Why or why not?

4. What does Paul mean by the phrase, “against such things there is no law?”

5. Where do you sense Jesus is stretching your character to be more like him?

6. Can you identify a particular fruit of the spirit that is underdeveloped in your life? What must happen to make a course direction change in this matter?

Activate/Assimilate —

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12. Spiritual Authority

What’s Ahead? — What role does understanding and functioning well within my spiritual authority have in advancing my spiritual maturity?

Core Truth — When in submission to spiritual authority or divine authority there is freedom, but there is bondage in rebellion.

Memory Verse — Romans 13:1-7

Reading:

There are two aspects of spiritual authority that seem to be greatly neglected today. God’s delegated and direct authority. Delegated authority is the authority established by God as governing authorities at home, church and government. Direct authority is the authority God has given each believer enabling us to be his people and fulfill our mission. The discussion of delegated spiritual authority is not about a power trip, or even control over another. The topic of spiritual authority is not about chest thumping, or working one’s self into a spiritual fervor. It is not a false bravado barking at Satan as if he’s a dog and nothing more.

Understanding spiritual authority is found in the assurance of your faith in the Scriptures and is based in unshakable Heaven. It is intelligent faith that clarifies and strengthens your spiritual faith because it is based in the Bible.

Ultimately your neglect or attention to this discipline will have a profound impact on your life. As you grow in understanding spiritual authority and living rightly under authority you will be in position to operate your base of missions – of spiritual warfare - from the foundation of Heaven. Rather than assuming you have authority, you will know that you are rightly positioned to oppose those resisting forces coming against you and others.

Inductive Bible Study—

1. Read Romans 13:1-7. Who has established authority? What happens when someone rebels against authority?a. What, according to Scripture, is a correct attitude for a Christian to have toward authority?

b. When we resist our earthly authorities, how are we disobeying God?

In his book, Under Cover, John Bevere says the command of God reads, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive.” As I previously stated, people often ask me with all sincerity, “Where do we draw the line? Does God expect us to obey authorities, no matter what they tell us to do? What if I am told to do something that is sin?” The Bible teaches unconditional submission to authorities, but the

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Bible dos not teach unconditional obedience. Remember, submission deals with attitude, and obedience deals with fulfillment of what we are told. Submission doesn’t even begin until there is disagreement!

Discussion Question: What if leadership tells you to do something opposite to what you felt led to do in prayer?

We had been called to ministry in China and spent four years preparing for a life to be expended for Christ in Asia. Our first two years in Hong Kong were spent in language learning and learning the Asian way of learning and living. We had made much progress in being faithful to our responsibilities to our work in China and to our sending church in America. After a couple of years in Hong Kong the Senior and Executive/Missions pastors and missions team of our sending church came to Hong Kong for a gathering of the missionaries based in South East Asia. Unknown to us at the time the leadership had decided that for very significant reasons they felt the Lord asking them to pour the resources the Lord had given to them into a new field of work in India. This included our family! This was a total surprise that they would call us away from our Call from the Lord to switch fields and move all missionaries to India. To go to China was a Call full of divine visions of multiple confirmations to us, friends and those of the sending church leadership. It was a few days of suffering through a death of the vision God had given us as a family of three. I remember well sitting in the hotel conference room in Shatin, Hong Kong with the Senior Pastor and leadership along with us missionaries sitting around a massive table strategizing the pros and cons of China/India missions. The “logical” move was an Indian focus. I put forward my best shot in expressing the great opportunity set before us in a rapidly changing China. The People’s Republic of China was no longer communistic, but in reality socialistic in many ways. My greatest pleas and attempts to express the Call God had given us and how we had never wavered in this Call fell largely on deaf ears. We concluded this day’s meeting and upon returning to our room I felt the crushing loss that was greater than a death of a close friend or relative. My wife and I spent the night in intercession, pleading with the Lord to change the minds of the leadership.

The next morning we again gathered around the same board meeting table, but this time we would be making unified plans on reaching India for Christ. I asked for permission to speak one last time in favor of a China missions focus. I prefaced what I was about to speak about China with the declaration that I would gladly submit to the authority of my church and leadership. I could not in good conscience submit to their leadership only when I agreed with them, but depart from their spiritual covering when their leadership direction or style did not fit my expectations. Who knows, perhaps twenty years later some Chinese would come to India and there we would lead them to Christ and they perhaps would return back to China where they would reach the lost for Christ. The outcome of our future ministry was not my concern, I would gladly submit my family to our church leadership wishes. I would not rebel by being a fair weather follower of Jesus Christ. Only, let me one more time talk about China missions.

I do not recollect much of what I said, or questions raised by the leadership team. All I know is that when I finished was there were tears in the eyes of some and a strong sense of the Presence of the Lord filled the room. The missionaries were asked to leave the room as the church leadership would discuss missions planning privately. After what seemed like hours, but in actuality was only about 45 minutes later, we were invited back into the room with the leadership deciding no decision would be made at that time and we should continue in ministry and they would let us know of their decision in the near future.

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Our call to China missions was firm and strong, but my resolve was to submit to church leadership, because God saw this event coming while I was a little kid sitting in the pews at church when he called me to China. Was he surprised by their plans? Emphatically, no! He saw that day coming and the years yet to come and I had resolved to trust in him to fulfill his will for my life. I must submit and wait patiently for his timing and way for me.

Were they calling me to commit a sin in moving to India and away from China? No. The only time—and I want to emphasize the only exception in which we are not to obey authority is when they tell us to do something that directly contradicts what God has stated in his Word. In other words, we are released from obedience only when leaders tell us to sin. However, even in those cases we are to keep a humble and submitted attitude.

2. Read Daniel 3:16-18 and explain why this type of disobedience is acceptable to God.

3. What was their attitude toward the King in this situation? Explain.

4. What kind of guarantee do we have that God will deliver us from affliction if we obey him?

5. If there is no guarantee, then why should we follow the example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and obey even unto death?

6. In the area of spiritual authority there are two types of authority that will be tested in us. Direct authority is where the Lord calls us to obey him. Delegated authority is where we are challenged to see his authority in our spiritual authority. (see Romans 13:1-7)

What do you do if your spouse, child, friend, grandchild tells you that God told them to do something, but it doesn’t agree with you in your spirit? Far too frequently I’ve heard youth returning from a retreat, conference, or service proclaiming that they have been called to ministry in some capacity. It could be to be a worship leader, missionary, pastor, or to go to a discipleship training school for example. On hearing this there may be a check in your spirit that you agree or that you do not agree. The issue comes to an important head when you do not agree with their belief. If it is not a call to ministry that raises a check in your spirit, it may be with the friends that they keep, the friend they want to date, who they want to marry, the school they want to attend or a purchase they want to make. In any of these issues, if you, as their delegated authority do not bear witness to their desires you are obligated to speak up as soon as you hear about it (Numbers 30).

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Far too often parents are unwilling to tell their children they are wrong or believe they are wrong in “hearing” from the Lord in a particular issue because they do not want to crush the young person’s hopes or dreams. Let me be clear, Christians do mishear the leading voice of the Lord. Other than Jesus Christ, no one has always been 100% correct in hearing the voice of the Lord. Spiritual authority has been established by the Lord to help believers mature in discerning the voice of the Lord, the flesh and the devil. It is the obligation of the spiritual authority to raise up those under their care to submit to their spiritual authority covering and trust that since God chose to delegate his authority in that person, they can trust in the person and in God. The pediatrics of growing up in hearing the voice of the Lord directly and through his delegated authority in our lives begins at home. The degree that teaching this is neglected in the home will likely retard the spiritual maturing of the one who is to obey. Everyone must learn to gladly submit to the delegated and spiritual authority God has provided for them.

7. Read and interact with the following verses. Numbers 30:2-16; Deuteronomy 23:21-23 & Ecclesiastes 5:2

8. Locate in the Old Testament the passage to honor our father and mother. What promise is given?

The second aspect of spiritual authority is the direct authority God has given every believer enabling us to be his people and fulfill our mission. Many people can speak quite eloquently about the spiritual authority God has given every believer, but few show demonstrations of his kind of authority. Jesus was constantly on a mission to bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth. In the gospel of John no fewer than twenty times Jesus says, “… the Father has sent me…”. John, of the James and John sons of Zebedee — the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), boldly declared in 1 John 3:8 that, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”! Jesus said that he did nothing on his own.

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30, NIV)“So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John 8:28, NIV)

“Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:16–18, NIV)

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The people challenged his authority asking, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such a right?” (Mark 11:28; Luke 20:2). These people were questioning his right to help, his right to heal and free people from the clutches of Satan. How ironic! Those appointed to serve God and demonstrate his care for his chosen people were opposing the One who was doing what they were supposed to be doing. After Jesus began to publically minister he delegated his authority to his disciples and commanded them to go out and preach the Good News of his gospel by declaring the Kingdom of Heaven is near, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils and raise the dead. During his ministry, he sent them out to heal and cast out demons in “power and authority” (Luke 9:1; Luke 10:9, 17). Luke 10:9 says that we have been given authority to overcome all the power of the enemy! This is a far cry from the impression given by many believers today. One would think that the order of authority is God, Satan and far down the ladder is the saint. But Ephesians 2:6 says, “…God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”. The order of spiritual authority is first the Trinity, then the Saints and a distant third is Satan and his demons. The disciples had worked in Jesus authority while he was on earth, and he had promised them that when he left, he would send them the Holy Spirit, the One who had empowered him, to enable them to do all he had done and more (John 14:12). So, just before Jesus left, he instructed them to wait in Jerusalem “for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised…the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). And he commissioned them to carry out certain tasks:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

The Great Commission, however, is prefaced by this statement: “I have been given all authority in heaven and of earth.” Matthew 28:18. Jesus’ final command to us, as well as our commission to represent him, is grounded in the authority he won through obedience to the Father. His command that we bring all peoples into a discipleship relationship to him, initiating them into the family of God and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us is made on the basis of the incredible authority given him by his Father. The Great Commission implies that Jesus’ authority will underlie ours as we obey.

The empowerment of all believers comes from one of the first uses of authority which was to give us the Holy Spirit, as he had promised in John 16:7. In anticipation of this empowerment of his followers, Jesus told them, “As the Father sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21), and, “Whoever believes in me will do what I do-yes, he will do even great things, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Jesus says, “I will do whatever you ask for in my name” (John 14:13), meaning, “I will back up with My authority whatever you say and do that is in accord with My will and the Father’s purposes” (Mark 11:22).

As disciples we are to imitate our Master. The right to use our authority is to bring about whatever is in accord with his will (1 John 5:14). Our task is to get our wills lined up with the will of Jesus and the Father, and on that basis to exercise the authority they have given us. This comes through our time in prayer and fellowship with God in private listening to him. Our aim in our relationship with God should be nothing short of total intimacy. Out of that intimacy flows our understanding of both his will and our authority. Jesus is our model.

We must not only understand, accept, and receive authority, but we must use his authority. The Spirit clearly instructs us that:

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“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5, NIV)

Not all our thoughts are exclusively our own, they can be influenced by Satan or his minions. As in the dialogue between Jesus and Peter near Caesarea where Jesus told Satan to ‘get thee behind me’, at Peter’s declaration that what Jesus said would happen would in fact not happen! I’m sure Peter thought his comments were his own, but Jesus accurately declared it was Satan. As we press on in knowing and doing the will of the Father, we will absolutely encounter a barrage of thoughts that are counter to the knowledge of God. Our responsibility is not to negotiate with those thoughts, we are not to try and mitigate the liabilities of those thoughts, but to take them captive and “make them obedient to Christ”. We must not just acknowledge our real authority and power, but we must use our authority. In Jesus’ wilderness temptations with Satan, each temptation was countered with Jesus speaking to Satan the truth of Scripture. So we must open our mouths and speak to those thoughts and the source of those thoughts and declare them illegitimate. Don’t chew on them for one moment; don’t ruminate on them giving them both legitimacy and opportunity to become imbedded in the heart and mind. Use your spiritual authority and take them captive.

Dads and Mothers use to say to their children, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you sure can keep them from building a nest in your hair”. All kinds of thoughts are bound to barrage our souls. I contend that many of our struggles begin in our thoughts. If the adversary can keep us destabilized and uncertain in our thoughts in regards to our direct spiritual authority, he will keep us being ineffective and unproductive of our knowledge of God. Originating from World War II bomber pilots, there is a saying, “If I’m catching a lot of flak it must mean I’m over the target”. This is quite insightful for the believer being besieged in their thoughts. It is the privilege of every believer to use their God given direct authority, recognize the strategic plan and source of the attack, take it captive and win the battle over Satan. When the flak is increasing about your mind, be encouraged, you’re over the target, use your authority, it’s time to unload your authority and overcome.

The epistle of James says that when we are in submission to God and we resist the Devil, he will flee (James 4:7). It is an absolute certainty that your spiritual authority is developed and exercised in an experiential context. It is incomplete to just talk about your authority; you must use it and see its fruit. There would be little disagreement that one of the most influential persons ever to have lived was the Apostle Paul. Paul was not a theorist, but a practitioner of the message of the Kingdom. Paul sheds light on his effectiveness when he said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). In the same letter to the Corinthian church he reiterated this truth when he states, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

As we seek to live rightly in God’s Kingdom ways we will discover that we can fall short of the expectations of what that Kingdom might look like according to the Scriptures. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 goes into great detail of the fruit that comes to those who belong to his household. The remaining verses of this chapter go into even greater detail of the consequences if we harden our hearts and begin to follow our own paths and ways. Clearly the way of the Lord should be the only option. However we can often be slow to acknowledge that the sin we committed may be the only reason we come under diverse attacks. It is entirely possible that we are resisting Satan, claiming God’s Promises, confessing we are in submission to the Father, but are completely blinded to our own sin or refuse to repent of our sin. Psalm

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66:18 says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…” David also said, “…When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah. Then I acknowledged my sin…” (Psalm 32). Psalm 32 is an important psalm dealing with the confession of our sins.

A cautionary note is that many have fallen prey to traps and have shipwrecked their faith by thinking the fruit of their use of authority and power is sourced in them! The path of Christ, sad to say, is littered with the rotting carcasses of saints once mightily used by God to advance his Kingdom. Remember humility.

On one occasion the disciples returned to Jesus rejoicing that the demons submitted to their commands to leave people. Jesus immediately cautioned them not to rejoice that the demons submit to their commands, but that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20). The Spirit expressly says that it is not our righteousness or our integrity which caused the Lord to drive the enemy away from us, but it is on account of wickedness, and his will to see it defeated through us, that we are overcomers (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).

Read and Discuss: Deuteronomy 28; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 and Ephesians 6:10-18

Activate/Assimilate —

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Part Three — Serving Christ13. The Church

What’s Ahead? — How does Jesus continue to make himself known?

Core Truth — Jesus continues to live out his life on earth through his Body, the Church.

Memory Verse — 1 Peter 2:4–5

Reading:

Your attitude about Church and the local church is important. The local church is the place the Father has established to be the place where equipping, mentoring, fellowship, communion, baptisms and worship take place. You can’t both love God and hate his Church. Church is about the people and their growth. The body of Christ is an organism rather than an organization. And life gets messy sometimes. It’s easier for us to deal with organizations because we can control organizations.

Using language once reserved only for Israel, Peter wrote of the church as a “holy priesthood” and a house of “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:4–10). Indeed Peter, echoing Hosea (Hosea 1:9), reminds Gentile believers that “once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people” (1 Peter 2:10). The Church was never intended to be treated as an organization with all of its polity, programs, flow charts and hierarchy. “Think of it this way: organisms are to organizations what the horse is to the cart. Many churches “put the cart before the horse,” building facilities and programs before they have adequately taken care of the needs of the people. It’s not the cart that will get things moving —it’s the horse that provides the power to move the cart. We need to feed and care for the horse, but instead our energy goes into the cart, so the horse ends up too weak to pull the cart” (Breen, Passionate Church 175). It is easier to focus on the cart, because if something breaks on the cart it can be replaced or repaired. If the cart gets weathered, a fresh coat of paint will do the job. So the focus of the church can be to keep building carts and ignore the horses. In this “church as an organization” mindset, people burn out slaving to serve the program. But what good is the program with burnt out people pulling the ministry along? The church must be a living organism because this is what a body is...living! Many people have given up on the church because of its organizational structure emphasis. People are lonely and are looking for relationships, for friends they can connect to, to be with. People need to be connected together both to receive life and give life to others.

After the great tribulation, it will not be the program materials and buildings that are standing before the Lord, it will be people! It will be people who are sent from the local church to bring the Good News to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). It will be people who will be standing before the Throne of God with those they had led to Jesus Christ for Salvation. John’s end-time vision is of a vast multitude from every “tribe, people, and language” standing redeemed before God’s throne (Rev. 7:9–10). The multinational, multi-ethnic character of the New Testament church testifies not only to the universality of the gospel message (Rom. 10:11–12) and to the personal reconciliation accomplished at the cross (Eph. 2:14–16), but also to the global extent of the coming reign of Christ (Ps. 2:8). Thus, obedience to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16–20) is not simply a function of the church but is essential to her identity as the people of God (Brand 295-296).

It is in the church where the people are equipped through the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to be built up in the faith. It is at this point we must recognize that these ministry positions that have been given to the body have been neglected and as a result the body has suffered.

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Largely the western church has cast aspersions on apostles and prophets; questioned the emotional stability of the evangelist; and exalted the pastors and teachers as the only real role for the Body today for the equipping of the saints. The pastors and teachers from their positions declare apostles and prophets extinct positions, knowing not what they so confidently proclaim. Casting aspersions on those who say they are an apostle or a prophet and automatically suspecting the other person’s motives and authenticity. But if someone stands up and says that they are a teacher or a preacher, they are immediately embraced as authentic and one of their own. To me, it is just like someone who denies the current operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and will yet give you extinct and dead definitions of each gift based on how they think they operated 2,000 years ago.

The five-fold ministries are still in operation and none of them are born mature. Each individual who holds these positions must grow and become mature. Just as some persons are pastors by self-proxy and so spiritually illegitimate, so are teachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles. The five-fold roles given to the church to equip and prepare the saints for works of service so that the body may attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ have never ceased, contrary to the proclamations of a confident few. In some circles individuals are viewed as progressive and open minded if they accept a watered down definition of the positions of apostle and prophet for today. They water them down because some hold that once the Bible was canonized only those two offices became unnecessary. Other progressives will redefine the meaning of these two offices and say apostles are those missionaries in a new field where the church is yet to be established and the office of prophet is reduced to being a preacher. It does seem strange to me that as there is already an office of “pastor” why add a redundant office for the same thing? Of course the office of Apostle I am talking about is not the unique 12 Apostles of the New Testament. The Body has suffered the consequences of this neglect long enough. It is time for the spiritual fathers of each of the five-fold roles to rise up and equip the saints. Rise up from within the local church, be recognized from within the local church and sent out from the local church. As this takes place, spiritually healthy people will be the result. Spiritually healthy people will begin to flower, first as a flowering cactus in the desert then transforming the dry places to become a place of pools (Psalms 84:5-7).

It is in the church where messy people learn to live and grow together. It is where Matthew 18 is lived out because we don’t always live as we should and so relationships reconcile us back to God and his Body (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). The five-fold ministry positions as well as the lambs put into practice living and growing together through the vicissitudes of life. It is in the church where we see relationships established for the long run. We must not give up on God, his people or the local church, ever. The call to persevere in church is as old as the Old Testament and as current as the call in the New Testament book of Hebrews commanding us to not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:19-25).

The church is the place where people commit faithfulness to him and his Bride. I’m getting a little rough here, but many American Christians are whoring around. They run from one church to another as they get offended or see something more exciting or scintillating down the street. Lambs were never intended to be uprooted and transplanted every few years. They were made to be planted in the house of God and flourish, bearing fruit, in season and out of season. The church is the place where faithful people are made and are seen. We are a people who are faithful because of Who we know, what we know and by our visible and transparent outreach outside the walls of the local church reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus.

Inductive Bible Study —

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1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-12. What is the subject matter and why is it important?

2. Paul says a surprising phrase in verse 12 “so it is with Christ.” What does this tell us about the relationship between the body - His Church, and Christ?

3. How is the confession “Jesus is Lord” an operational reality in the Church? Do you think Jesus is still portrayed as Lord in the church today through the lifestyle of his followers? Why? Be specific.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. How is the human body a good comparison to the church?

5. What harmful attitudes undermine the body’s proper functioning?

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6. Celebration of diversity leads to diversity seems to be Paul’s focus. Why do you think this is true?

7. Who do you think Paul had in mind when he spoke of the weaker and less honorable?

Activate/Assimilate —

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14. Ministry Gifts

What’s Ahead? — How can we know our part in the body of Christ?

Core Truth — The Holy Spirit gives gifts enabling every Christian to contribute to the health of the body of Christ.

Memory Verse — 1 Peter 4:10-11

Reading:

We’ve discussed baptism of the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Here we will take a flyover view of the ministry gifts given to the Body of Christ. The main places in the Bible where we learn about Spiritual Gifts are:

1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4From Scripture, we learn the following key information about Spiritual Gifts:

Biblical Summary about Spiritual Gifts:

1. Every Christian has at least one Spiritual Gift (1 Peter 4:10). 2. We cannot choose our gifts; God does that job (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). 3. There is no gift that every Christian possesses (1 Corinthians 12:29-30). 4. Believers will account to the Lord for how they use their gifts (1 Peter 4:10). 5. Spiritual Gifts indicate God’s call and purpose for a Christian’s life (Romans 12:2-8). 6. Gifts used without love do not accomplish God’s intended purposes (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 7. Spiritual Gifts are for the common good to build up the Body (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Biblical Guidelines for using Spiritual Gifts:

1. Usage of the gift(s) conforms to Biblical teaching (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4).

2. There is affirmation and positive feedback within the Body of Christ for the expression of the gift (1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:16).

3. There is agreement within the Body of Christ that the Holy Spirit is at work (1 John 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

4. The Holy Spirit provides peace in our spirits as we offer our gift(s) to the Body of Christ (John 15:26; Romans 8:16).

5. There is evidence of godly fruit in the life of the Body (John 15:8; Matthew 7:16-20). 6. Believers offer their gifts for the common good as others have need (Acts 2:44-45; 1 Corinthians

12:7). 7. Unless gifts are offered in love, there is question of their worth (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 8. We should strive to live a life worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1)

How Many Different Spiritual Gifts Are There?

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There is little agreement among Christians as to exactly how many different Spiritual Gifts there are. Some people look at the key Bible passages on Spiritual Gifts and limit the Gifts to the ones listed there:

Romans 12 - Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Encouragement, Giving, Leadership, and Mercy 1 Corinthians 12 - Message of Wisdom, Message of Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous

Powers, Prophecy, Distinguishing between spirits, Speaking in Tongues, and Interpreting Tongues Ephesians 4 - Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher Some believe that certain Spiritual Gifts were only given to people by the direct laying on of

hands of the original Apostles and that these Gifts ceased to exist after the first century.

Some add the possibility of other gifts: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 - Celibacy 1 Peter 4:9-10 - Hospitality 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 - Martyrdom Ephesians 3:6-8 - Missionary 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 - Voluntary Poverty Ephesians 6:18 - Intercession / Prayer Luke 1:1-3 - Writing

Some of these "gifts" are obviously Spiritual Gifts. Others are debatable. The thing that is important is that we discover what Gifts are more pronounced in us and to learn how to use them to serve God. God is just as pleased when we use a learned ability to serve him as He is when we use a Spiritual Gift to serve him. The key is to discover our abilities (Spiritual Gifts and Talents) and learn to use them to Love, Worship, and Serve God.

Inductive Bible Study —

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-12, 27-31; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:10-111. After reading the above passages list the gifts and restate the purpose of the gift.

2. Ephesians 4:11-13 mentions offices given for the body of Christ. What should be the effect on the body of Christ from their ministry?

3. List the gifts mentioned in Romans 12:3-8 and explain what attitude should accompany the operation of the gifts.

4. What Character quality should the servant manifest according to 1 Peter 4:10-11?

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5. Take a spiritual gifts survey online @ churchgrowth.org and when you have completed the questionnaire, you will be able to view a bar graph of your scores for each gift, a description of your dominant gift, and several pages of personal analysis. You will also have the opportunity to print out the results. Print out your results and bring them to the meeting for discussion.

6. Supplemental Workbook: Discover Your God Given Gifts, by Don and Katie Fortune.

Activate/Assimilate —

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15. Spiritual Warfare

What’s Ahead? — What opposition can a disciple of Christ expect, and what resources are available to overcome all opposition?

Core Truth — A disciple of Christ should expect both spiritual opposition and the resources to overcome all opposition.

Memory Verse — Ephesians 6:10-18

Reading:

This would be a good place to review direct and delegated authority as both must be understood and humbly subjecting ourselves to his ways to properly and effectively engage in spiritual warfare. There are many pictures of God’s people in the New Testament. In Ephesians, for instance, God’s people are presented through the following pictures: a legislative assembly, a family, a temple, and as the bride of Christ. However, the final picture of God’s people in Ephesians is that of an army (Prince Spiritual 7). The quintessential Bible passage in the New Testament on spiritual warfare is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. It is far from the only passage on warfare, but this passage offers insights into the nature of our human and ministry struggles. The Western Church has essentially either ignored or exaggerated this issue. Either way, few seem able to mature in this critical area of the life of a believer. We will explore a number of important spiritual warfare passages of the Old and New Testaments beginning with Ephesians.

Paul did not write this letter to the church in Ephesus then run out of space on the parchment and decided to fill the remainder of the letter with whatever came to his mind. I believe what Paul previously wrote was laying the preparatory ground work of understanding for healthily engaging in spiritual warfare. The body of this letter focuses on relationships, healthy relationships are at the core of a healthy disciple. From the beginning of this letter Paul articulates that: we are prepared with spiritual blessings because of our relationship with Christ (1:1-3:13); we have unity and stability in the body through walking in obedience to Christ (4:1-32); we are prepared for spiritual warfare by wives submitting to husbands and husbands loving wives (5:22-32); we are prepared by children obeying parents, fathers not exasperating children (6:1-4); servants, slaves, workers are prepared to engage in spiritual warfare by obeying masters or bosses and bosses are to treat slaves with respect, fear and with sincerity of heart (6:5-9). If we get these relationships right, we are fitted to engage in spiritual warfare. This is the practical essence of the application of spiritual authority which is walking submissively to God and one another.

I’ve heard comments from fellow Christians that they and God are very close, yet they are surrounded by fractured relationships, burned bridges and seem to reflect an “operation scorched earth policy” attitude toward many relationships in their lives. Like the horizontal and vertical beams of a cross, if we are to have a healthy vertical relationship with God, we must have healthy horizontal relationships with people. It is unlikely that a person can have the one without the other. If we have healthy attitude relationships with man, we likely will have a good relationship with God. The main body of the book of Ephesians requires us to apply it to our lives if we are going to have success in spiritual warfare.

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Confusion seems to exist among some Christians who reason that engaging in prayer is the same thing as spiritual warfare. Prayer is not spiritual warfare, although spiritual warfare is involved. Prayer is always directed toward heaven and God, while spiritual warfare is always directed at our Adversary or his minions. To the western American the thought of speaking out loud to Satan or demons is more than uncomfortable. It seems more like something seen in a Hollywood blockbuster movie, but not in the real world. Jesus directed his words at Satan in the wilderness experience (Luke 4:1-13) and to demons many times (Matthew 8:28-32; 9:32-35; 17:18; Mark 1:24; 7:29; 9:25-29; Luke 8:2; 11:14; 13:10-13). Paul had no compunction rebuking a demon (Acts 16:16-18). If we are to be like Jesus, then we cannot ignore the very things Jesus encountered and engaged in to defeat.

The putting on of the full armor of God is not first the visualizing of putting on the armor for protecting against the onslaught of attacks of the Evil One, nor the verbalization as we put on each piece of the armor as some have suggested. Rather the pieces of the armor are “put on” by living obediently to the Will of God in our walk with him and our brothers and sisters in the Lord and the people of this world. The degree to which we fail to obey Scriptures may well reveal chinks in our armor for the adversary to take opportunity to gain inroads into our lives.

The Spirit through Paul says that our personal struggles, health issues and relational challenges are not from our bloodlines, weaknesses in our DNA, upbringing, or our character flaws; but from demonic strongholds that worm their subtle influences into our lives. And our struggles get imbedded into our thoughts and physical bodies by failing to recognize the source of our struggle and directing our warfare through our spoken words to the Enemy of our soul, thus breaking the stronghold that would seek to become entrenched in our lives.

Jesus walked seamlessly in and out of direct spiritual warfare at a moment’s notice to speak directly to Satan in his wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:1-8; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1-13): to demons by name (Mark 5:1-20; Mark 9:17-26): to demons that would blurt out their presence in others with Jesus then casting them out (Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:24; Luke 8:28): to casting out demons that had no visible manifestation other than a physical ailment and rebuking the source of the disease so that people were healed (Luke 13:10-13). The Kingdom that we are commanded to preach is a supernatural Kingdom with weaker supernatural powers opposing his Kingdom. John the Apostle said whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6). Jesus said anyone who has faith will do even greater things than Jesus did (John 14:12). Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and if we are to engage in the same kind of works as Christ we certainly must overcome the enemy by the same supernatural power as Jesus Christ. We certainly can and must engage because we have been authorized and deputized to destroy the works of the devil (Luke 10:19). And this is spiritual warfare!

Are there fewer demons today prowling and seeking to devour believers than there were two thousand years ago? If we are never aware of personally encountering or directly opposing demonic strongholds and knowing they are fleeing from us, then something is badly askew. One of the greatest assessment scriptures in the entire Bible to measure personal effectiveness in this warfare comes from Jesus’ brother (or half-brother) James when he said that if we are in submission to Christ and resist the Evil One he will flee. Not stroll away, not back off, but flee! (James 4:7-8). Flight is the only anticipated result.

Inductive Bible Study —

Read 2 Chronicles 20:15-23; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Luke 10:19; Daniel 10:1-14; Mark 16:14-20 & Ephesians 6:10-18.

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1. What can we expect to happen when we worship the Lord according to the 2 Chronicles passage?

2. What are our weapons useful for according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5?

3. What is the import from Luke 10:19 and what does it mean to you practically?

4. The Daniel passage reveals that delayed answers to prayer may be the result of demonic opposition, even though God has given an answer. What does this mean to you?

5. Mark reveals signs that should follow the believer who is following Christ. What are those signs and how long should they last? Explain.

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6. Ephesians 6 echoes and agrees with the rest of the Bible. List all seven armor pieces. What do you see as being defensive weapons and what, if any are offensive?

7. Explain the significance of each piece of the armor and how to strengthen and grow each piece.

Activate/Assimilate —

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16. Replication

What’s Ahead? — What is our role in discipling others?

Core Truth — We must look to disciple others, but seek to encourage our disciples to find disciples they will mentor, keeping the cycle advancing.

Memory Verse — Mark 10:42-45

Reading:

The disciple making model is formed and fashioned within the context of the local church. The core idea of teaching is the making of disciples, of pouring the knowledge and experience of the teacher into the one seeking to follow in his footsteps. The word that is translated “observe” is used 75 times in the New Testament, translated 57 times by the word ‘keep’ or ‘obey’. This participle focuses on the fact that we are to teach people to obey all of the commands that Christ gave. This involves teaching them what Christ taught and then showing them how to obey those teachings by our own example. Many Christians as they grow learn what Christ taught but are never shown how to obey what they learned. That is why our Great Commission emphasizes that we are to teach them how to obey what Christ has commanded.

First, discipleship is modeled so that others with me can watch while it is done by me, the mentor. Second, I monitor you as you lead others. Third, you minister as a mentor by discipling another. Fourth, you monitor that disciple as he leads others. Now you have come full circle and have replicated a reproducing Pentecostal disciple.

We must be re-producing disciples of Jesus Christ that develop habits that are in conformity to the character and will of Jesus. “Men decide their habits; their habits decide their future.” (Murdock, Keys 13) Instilling the disciplines or habits of this guidebook into those you mentor should produce replicating disciples of Jesus Christ. This is the anticipated result of raising up a maturing follower of Jesus Christ.

Inductive Bible Study —

The first century Church grew in eight key areas:

1. They grew in the knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18).2. They grew in love (John 13:35).3. They grew in the Word of God (Acts 19:13-20).4. Because of the increase of God’s Word, the people’s faith increased. (Luke 17:5; Romans 10:17).5. The New Testament believers were measured by their lifestyle. (1 Thessalonians 4:1).6. They grew because they were reproducing new disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).7. They grew by sharing their faith (Acts 1:8).8. They grew through the empowerment of Pentecost and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2; 1

Corinthians 12).

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Discussion question: After reading these passages out of these eight areas of growth seen in the first century disciples which areas do you find easier to do and which areas are more challenging to manifest so that others around you can measure your growth?

Read 2 Timothy 2:2; 2 Timothy 1:1-18 & 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1. How does Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:1 address the fears that Paul identifies in 1 Timothy 1?

2. Timothy is to look for reliable men. What qualities should you look for in a future discipling partner?

3. William Barclay has said that every Christian stands as a link between two generations. How do you feel about being in that link? What does this practically look like for you?

4. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 & Acts 16:11-40. What character qualities does Paul exhibit that are worthy to imitate?

5. While you have been witnessing have you been looking for others to disciple to pass on what you have been learning? Who are you praying for to contact?

Activate/Assimilate —

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ConclusionMaking disciples is no small order. What will disciples of Pentecost look like? How will we know

that we have made a disciple? The measurement should not only be the completing of a curriculum, the espousal of orthodoxy or doctrinal truth. Simply knowing the material in this guidebook or being able to have right answers to the questions and concepts contained here is incomplete. We must couple the knowing and doing of the Word. As James says, to hear and not do is incomplete. Jesus came and spoke the Word so that we could hear the Good News. To say that I love you, but do nothing is incomplete. To tell someone that you will pray for them, but not pray is incomplete. To say that Jesus heals and not pray for their healing is incomplete. To say that God is the God and Lord of our lives and not live congruently is incomplete. To say that Jesus saves and not witness is incomplete. The words illuminates so that we may hear, but the works illustrate and complete the preaching and teaching of the Kingdom of God. Therefore the power of the Kingdom of God must not only come with words and knowledge, but with works as well.

We must also evaluate our own spiritual progress. This is the critical importance of the Activate portion of each lesson. Together we are encouraged to self-evaluate how we are moving forward in our maturation process. We also should evaluate whether there may be roadblocks to our moving forward spiritually. Busyness can leave a person too exhausted to focus on their spiritual formation. Busyness may be an obstacle holding a person back. They may have time for the spiritual disciplines, operate in their spiritual gifts with power and share their faith with others, but have no time for their family due to their lack of life management.

The prototype for measuring disciples today is seen in the First Century disciples. They were those who understood what Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared years ago in his masterful work, The Cost of Discipleship, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die”. The first century Christians were cross carrying Christians who were resolved to be and do what Jesus Christ died to produce. We surrender self to the Lordship of Jesus and to his delegated authorities in our life. This is what the early Christians did.

The first century Christians were empowered through the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to be witnesses for Christ. The evidence of receiving the Promise of the Father was not just speaking in a heavenly language, but manifested gifts of the Holy Spirit. These nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to empower us to be like the disciples of the first century church - whose lives turned the whole world upside down by witnessing to the Good News. They did not have some systematized evangelism program to run new believers through. They had the baptism of the Holy Spirit to empower them to know what they ought to do and say. These were disciples who demonstrated supernatural power both inside the church of their day and in the marketplace. They did not function from an evangelistic program as they deployed the gospel message. Rather we see them focused on keeping in step with the Holy Spirit and as they were living out their lives, they were obedient to follow the Spirit’s leading. This led to physical healings, people being raised from the dead and words of knowledge resulting in entire towns coming to the Lord. Their witnessing didn’t only expect to see people coming into the Kingdom one at a time; whole families, communities, regions and individuals accepted Christ after one divine encounter with a disciple of Christ. This is not the anticipated result today from our efforts of evangelism. The expectation of the early disciples was to be active in sharing their faith. While the Apostle Paul was in prison he wrote to Philemon. He said that he had heard about his faith and his love for the saints and wrote, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”. Paul linked the sharing of our faith with a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. There is fresh revelation or insight, that is not beyond the Scriptures, which is produced as we share our faith with others.

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The rate of spiritual growth in making disciples of Pentecost is not monolithic. Each person grows through both their understanding and application of the truths contained in this guidebook. John Wesley’s heart passion to make disciples can be felt when he said, “Give me 100 men who hate nothing but sin and love God with all their hearts and I will shake the world for Christ!” Transformational disciples are made through years of investing into people. Be patient in the process, tireless in the journey and supernatural in all you do.

It is my desire that many will be impacted by this work, first the individual, then groups, then the local church, and finally its region, thereby turning the world upside down. Let our aim be high in making Pentecostal Disciples for this is the heart of our Heavenly Father. “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psalms 2:8)

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A Disciple’s Covenant

In order to grow toward maturity, I commit to the following standards:

1. Complete all assignments each week prior to appointment to be fully contributing.2. Meet weekly for 1 ½ hours going over content.3. Pray daily for personal and group growth.4. Daily yielding fully to the Lord for transformation during our period together.5. Contribute to a climate of honesty, trust and vulnerability.6. Join regularly in the Altar Ministry and Outreaches as part of the activation process.7. Consider continuing the replication chain by committing myself to invest in at least two other

people for one year using this training guidebook.

Signed:Dated:

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