Faith, purpose, and knowledge are not enough to achieve further progress in Christian growth. It is fully possible to know the power of Christ, understand and embrace God’s purpose, know what is right and what to do, and yet to miss the mark of what God wants to do in and through our life. Someone who has achieved a measure of victory, who has a clearly defined purpose and the knowledge wherewithal to fulfill that purpose can tend to throw caution to the wind, thinking that they are invincible. They can tend toward brashness and impatience in fulfilling their God-given tasks. Two aspects of growth thus emerge as necessary, temperance and patience. This is why Peter wrote,

Add to your…knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; 2 Peter 1:5-6

Personal limitation and patience in growth are essential to accomplish God’s purpose for the Christian’s life. Therefore, we must recognize the necessity of limiting ourselves for our own protection and for the propagation of the gospel. We also must understand that patience is necessary to fulfill any life-long vision for ourselves or for those with which we are working.

Goal #3: Limitation – “add . . . temperance”

Limitation for sake of protection and expediency

Temperance literally means “holding one’s self in.” It has the idea of limiting one’s self to fulfill a particular purpose. In this process of Christian growth, personal limitation is the next necessary step.

In the previous lesson, we discussed how knowledge shows us what is right and wrong–right doctrine and wrong doctrine, right convictions and wrong convictions. While it is true that we need to know what the Bible says about how our lives should be lived, we must understand that personal limitations are not “weird” when seen in light of the purpose that has been given to each of us. This is especially true in the life of a new believer. They must first have a vision for their life or else giving up “temporal” pleasures or matters will make no sense.

Paul in Hebrews 12:1 urges every Christian to lay aside every weight and sin that would keep us from the ultimate goal that Christ has given us. An athlete may “give up” many things to accomplish his goal, whether it be a race, the Olympics, or just getting a spot on a sports team. His determination to succeed makes these decisions a normal, obvious choice.

This leads to an important question about which there is much confusion today. What is the difference between a standard and a conviction? Simply put, a conviction is something that is squarely based upon a command or principle in scripture. To cross the line of a conviction is to sin. God says, do not commit adultery–physically (Exodus 20:14) or mentally (Matthew 5:27-28). Therefore, to commit immorality outside of marriage is a sin. Likewise, lusting over pornography is also a sin.

A standard, however, is a a preventative measure set in place to keep one from violating a command or principle of scripture. In other words, a standard is a fence that keeps us from falling off the cliff of our convictions. The previously mentioned conviction about adultery would be well protected by setting standards. For instance, one might set a standard for themselves that they will never go on an unfiltered internet connection, or that they will never surf the web alone, or that they will never have cable. Some might scoff at this person and call him a legalist, old-fashioned, or a stick-in-the-mud. Say what they may, this man is in a safer position than they are. You see, personal limitations as found in standards are not matters of sin, but matters of protection from sin. All would be wise to set them.

Yet also, sometimes God may ask us to limit ourselves in an area, not because it is a wise protective standard or because it violates our convictions, but because it has no place or purpose in accomplishing our vision. Weights are beneficial for the weight-lifter, but are silly for a sprinter to use while running a race. So many times, a Christian may be faced with a flurry of opportunities that are healthy and good, but he must remind himself that there is only enough time for the will of God. He must keep his vision clear in order to keep on the path that God has set before him.

Be warned. Many Christians have given up on the vision that God has set before them and consequently standards and convictions have started to become a “big deal” to them. Whereas before, they had no problem with limiting their television viewing, or in saying no to a particular movie because of its offensive content, when they have lost sight of God’s vision, their temperance wanes and they set themselves up for a fall. When an athlete refuses to give up something in order to be the best, he has ceased to value the goal he has set before himself. Keep your purpose in the forefront of your life; don’t devalue it!

Limitation for sake of propagation of the Gospel

Many times a Christian is called to limit himself in something because of his ministry to others. Paul, in I Corinthians 9, speaks of many things in which he had to limit himself in order to have a ministry with the widest group of people.

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I Corinthians 9:22-27

This was not a move of Paul to compromise in order to have a “larger following,” instead he was willing to limit himself in many things in order for the Gospel to have free course in hearts. He did not want anything he did personally to limit his message publically.

Goal #4: Longevity – “add . . . patience”

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Hebrew 12:1-4

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. I Corinthians 9:24

Why is patience so important to learn after temperance?

Patience in the face of obstacles

It is temperance that reveals to others the sincerity of our Christian faith. It is one thing to say that you have become a Christian, it is another to radically change your lifestyle. These are the steps that many times will invoke the most controversy from others.

The believer needs the quiet patience of Jesus Christ for himself because many times it is after major life changes that Satan will attempt to discourage him from finishing and accomplishing all that he was called to do. Often Satan uses other people, whether saved or unsaved, to cause the new believer to doubt the necessity of the temperance he has applied to his life. Satan loves to destroy the believer at this point because it keeps him from fulfilling the potentially powerful plan of God for that believer’s life.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Corinthian 4:16-18

Paul often endured much because of his ministry and the race that he was running. The outward man may faint, but focusing on Jesus Christ will give us the strength and perspective to finish well.

Patience in the face of immaturities

Another aspect of patience in the race is that which we should have with other “runners.” Especially in the discipleship relationship, patience with the new believer is key. Our frustration and impatience can undo much of what God is doing in their heart. Often when the Lord has showed us something we must change, we immediately become impatient with others.

Once we have learned our purpose, given ourselves to it, learned how to accomplish it, we must also set limits upon ourselves for our own personal protection, focus, and productivity. These limitations will doubtless make waves, and therefore must be coupled with real, enduring patience in our own life and also for those that we are leading. Temperance and patience are essential to further progress in Christian growth!

Please prayerfully reflect on these questions:

• What are some limitations God has shown you that you need to put upon yourself?
• What are some things that God may have you give up for the sake of another in ministry?
• Are you willing to give anything up for the sake of the ministry?
• In what areas are you impatient in the Christian life?
• Are you a “short-distance” runner or are you in the race to fully attain your purpose?

The post Cultivate the Vision: Limitation and Longevity appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

Please note that there are still some open weeks for both teams this summer. If you are interested in one of them, please click on one of the open weeks and fill out the form. We will get back to you promptly.

Date	Organization	Location	Ministry
Jun 2-7, 2013	OPEN (CANCELLATION)		The War
Jun 2-7, 2013	Emmanuel Baptist Church	Omaha, AR	Cola Clash
Jun 9-14, 2013	Bluegrass Baptist Church	Georgetown, KY	The War
Jun 9-14, 2013	Carol Baptist Church	Atchison, KS	Cola Clash
Jun 16-21, 2013	Bible Baptist Church	Creedmoor, NC	The War
Jun 16-21, 2013	OPEN		Cola Clash
Jun 23-28, 2013	Lighthouse Baptist Church	New Concord, OH	The War
Jun 23-28, 2013	Troy Baptist Temple	Troy, OH	Cola Clash
Jun 30-Jul 5, 2013	OPEN		The War
Jun 30-Jul 5, 2013	First Baptist Church (NETS SEMINAR)	Woodridge, IL	Cola Clash
Jul 7-12, 2013	Bible Baptist Church (Family Feud)	Hilton Head, SC	The War
Jul 7-12, 2013	Maranatha Baptist Church	Grayslake, IL	Cola Clash
Jul 14-19, 2013	Bible Baptist Church	Hampton, GA	The War
Jul 14-19, 2013	OPEN		Cola Clash
Jul 21-26, 2013	East Park Baptist Church	Decatur, IL	The War
Jul 21-26, 2013	Landmark Baptist Church	Clio, MI	Cola Clash
Jul 28-Aug 2, 2013	OPEN		The War
Jul 28-Aug 2, 2013	First Baptist Church	Napoleon, MI	Cola Clash
Aug 4-9, 2013	Tomah Baptist Church	Tomah, WI	The War
Aug 4-9, 2013	OPEN		Cola Clash
Aug 11-16, 2013	Windsor Baptist Church	Loves Park, IL	The War
Aug 11-16, 2013	Grace Baptist Church	Kettering, OH	Cola Clash

The post Summer 2013: Openings and Opportunities! appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

In the previous article, we examined the tension between the immediate provision of the Christ Life and the process of applying His provision in every new circumstance. Having laid this foundation, we will examine in this and future articles the progression that Peter lays out in the text of II Peter 1.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:4,

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”

Why add anything to faith? “Add” does not indicate that faith is insufficient, but that faith must be focused toward particular goals. This progression is a sequence of checkpoints which are invaluable to Christian growth. Christian growth without a plan will result in aimless wandering, unfulfilled expectations, and unrealized goals.  Christian growth without checkpoints will never reach its final destination. A Christian who never realizes these goals will never produce a reproducing disciple. Therefore, Peter lays out a clear progression of goals in the cultivation of our vision for ourselves and for others.

Having laid faith as a solid foundation for Christian growth, the focus of virtue and knowledge takes center stage as a goal to which our faith should aspire. We must understand the tension between the immediate provision of victorious faith and the expectation of finding and fulfilling our purpose. We must also begin to understand the building blocks of knowledge necessary to fulfill that purpose to which God has called us.

Goal #1: Purpose – “add . . . virtue”

What is virtue? The English term many times is defined as “moral excellence,” but the Greek word behind this word carries with it a broader and fuller meaning than our English counterpart. D. Edmund Hiebert, a well-known commentator and Bible scholar, says of the word, “The term basically denotes that which properly fulfills the purpose or function of anything. Thus generally, one may take it to denote one who fulfills the purposes and implications of the Christian calling, hence, the general gloss, ‘virtue’ or ‘moral excellence’ [emphasis mine].”¹ Therefore, the broad meaning of the word “virtue” is to fulfill your purpose.

Find your purpose.

In these milestones of Christian growth, virtue is first in the list because it is important to know why we are growing. People will never progress until they have a purpose. Shortsighted discipleship that focuses exclusively on the here and now without first giving the big-picture perspective often fails for lack of purpose. The proper perspective for discipleship needs to begin with God’s vision for our lives and how that vision can be accomplished. Necessary sacrifice and change will not always make sense without finding God’s purpose for their life first. Before one can fulfill their purpose, first they must find out their purpose. So then, what is God’s purpose for our lives?

God has a general purpose for every Christian.

There are some purposes that God has for every Christian, regardless of age, location, wealth, race, or social status. These universal purposes of God are important to understand to put Christian growth in perspective. Here are a few of those purposes:

• To know God (John 17:3; Phil 3:10) – The call to discipleship is to get to know God. As was studied in a previous lesson, God wants us to know about Him through His Word. He wants us to get to know him personally through fellowship and communication. He also wants us to learn how He works through the daily circumstances of life. Every Christian is called to know their God!
• To be Christ-like and holy (Rom 8:29; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Thess 4:7) – The call to discipleship is also to become like Christ, who is holy. God has predetermined that every believer must become holy; that is His calling and His general will for every believer. God did not call believers to become saved and remain in their filthy lifestyles. His intention for all is that they grow to become as holy as Christ is—in fact, it is His holiness!
• To be a witness (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15) – It is God’s will for every believer to be a witness of what God has done for them and what Jesus has done for all. God’s purpose for every believer is to share the gospel with every person within their sphere of influence and beyond. This is God’s plan to reach the entire world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Many other purposes could be stated here. The Bible abounds in statements of God’s purposes and expectations for His people. Therefore, in order to know what God’s general purposes are for us, we must search the Bible diligently for these nuggets of purpose. These statements need to be found, understood, and applied.

God has a specific purpose for every Christian.

Though God has general purposes for all Christians, God also has a specific purpose for each Christian. There is a reason why God created you. While it is true that God could use anyone to accomplish certain aspects of His will here on earth, it is also true that there are some people that God created perfectly fitted for a specific task. This is more specific that the general purposes objectively laid out in the Word of God. These purposes are communicated to us subjectively by His Spirit in our hearts and in our God-given desires.

The prophet Jeremiah was a child of Israel, and therefore had a place in the general purposes of God for the nation. However, God communicated to Jeremiah that He had more specific purposes for him that just that.

• God had a specific will for Jeremiah’s vocation. God had a very specific will concerning what He wanted Jeremiah to be. God said, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).
• God also had a specific will for Jeremiah’s location. God went on to say, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee” (1:7). God had very specific places He wanted Jeremiah to go.
• God had specific tasks for Jeremiah’s ministry. God had very specific tasks which God wanted Jeremiah to do. He said, “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (1:10).

These matters were not God’s will for all Israelites; but they were for Jeremiah. He could not necessarily point to a chapter and verse in Genesis or Deuteronomy to show him God’s will concerning these things. God had to tell him.

Likewise, God has a specific vocation, location, and tasks in mind for every individual believer. There may not be a specific verse in the Bible that says, “Thou shalt be a missionary to the albino pygmy tribes of Peru.” Yet, as you get to know God, He might speak to your heart with or without a Bible verse that He wants you to do just that. This finding out of God’s general and specific purposes for your existence needs to be first and foremost in this process of Christian growth and discipleship.

Fulfill your purpose.

We saw earlier that the word “virtue” meant something that “fulfills its purpose.” Of course, one must find out its purpose in order to fulfill it. However, finding a purpose is only a part of this concept. That purpose for existence—that reason why God created you—must be realized and worked out in your life.

Along these lines, another nuance of the word “virtue” is reflected in the typical definition of our English word: “moral excellence.” Really, this English definition does not so much define the Greek word as it illustrates it. In other words, a person who has “virtue” in the sense of “moral excellence” is a person who purposes to be moral and excels at it. There is a sense of drive, of inner compulsion, a desire to do God’s will and to do it right. Virtue carries not only the idea of finding your purpose, but fulfilling it excellently. This specific will of

God therefore demands close fellowship with God, a will that wants God’s will, a heart of surrender, and a willingness to change the course of your life, career, or family to accomplish that task.

Goal #2: Knowledge – “add . . . knowledge”

A common problem with discipleship is that we teach knowledge first, instead of faith and virtue. We learn the facts first, such as Baptism, church membership, etc., instead of “how” and “why” these things should be accomplished. This gives the disciple a cerebral outlook, but does not explain what the purpose of discipleship is or how it may be accomplished. Those who have begun with the knowledge often are very shallow and unproductive in their growth. This is why faith and virtue—power and purpose—must be covered first.

However, Christian growth and discipleship will not go far without knowledge either. Even specific goals and purposes can be thwarted without the practical, step-by-step knowledge of how to carry them out. This is why Peter tells us to “add…to virtue, knowledge” (1:5). Hiebert says that this knowledge “speaks of a practical knowledge that admits of expansion and enables its possessor to discern between right and wrong in facing the duties of life. In order to maintain a balance, practical intelligence and moral insight must govern a resolute and aggressive faith”². In other words, knowledge keeps faith and virtue pointed the right direction. Knowledge lays out the right steps and warns of the wrong steps. This would be where a proper understanding of doctrine, convictions, and standards would come into play.

• Doctrine is what is true about God, the Bible, the church, man, sin, salvation, etc. Doctrine is absolutely necessary to progress in the Christian life, to recognize and avoid error, and to stay focused on the tasks that God has created you to fulfill. May people have strayed into false views about God, the Bible, or any of these other areas, and therefore have become sidetracked from the course that God intended for them.
• Convictions are what the Bible says about my lifestyle. What does the Bible say about drinking? What does the Bible say about pornography? What does the Bible say about child-rearing? What does the Bible say about marriage? These questions and more are answered in the Bible, which offers clear, objective, and relevant instruction on how these matters should, and should not be handled. Convictions are not a matter of culture or preference; they are what the Bible directly says about my life.
• Standards are matters of personal limitation willingly placed upon one’s self or those for which one is responsible for the purpose of protection from sin. These matters may not be direct commands in the Bible, but rather are “safeguards” or “preventative measures.” More will be said about this is the next lesson.

Knowledge follows virtue because knowledge adds objectivity, intelligence, and protection to fulfilling the purpose God intended for every believer to fulfill.

The process of Christian growth begins with virtue, which is finding and giving one’s self to fulfilling God’s purpose for one’s life. This process continues with knowledge, which lays down the necessary facts to stay on course to complete God’s will in these areas.

Please prayerfully reflect on these questions.

• Do you understand God’s universal purposes for all Christians?
• Do you look for these universal purposes as you read the Word of God?
• Do you wander aimlessly through your Christian life, never sure what to do next?
• Have you found God’s specific purpose for why He created you?
• Have you wholly given yourself to fulfill these purposes?
• Do you take care to understand the doctrine of the Word of God?
• Are you following God’s clear instructions for your lifestyle?
• Have you been willing to place “preventative measures” into your life to protect you from sin?

Footnotes

1. D. Edmund Hiebert, Second Peter and Jude, Greenville, SC: Unusual Publications, 1989, 52-53
2. Hiebert, 53

The post Cultivate the Vision: Purpose and Knowledge appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

We had an outstanding time recruiting. Brother Taylor knew the schools so well, he directed the guys when to go and where to look for teens. God opened tremendous doors of opportunities for recruiting. God opened the heart of nearly every coach we spoke to. Therefore, we were able to recruit nearly every sports team we encountered. I got to go inside the school building and talk to an entire room full of ROTC students. The whole room signed up. Many attended. One of the young men in the youth group picked up our recruiting lines very quickly. He began to get names and numbers along with the team captains. The final day of recruiting, he was competing with the Navy Team captain to see who could get the most. Our total amount of names and numbers ended up being 504–the highest week of the semester. One of the team captains had a teen ask him about the gospel while he was recruiting. One thing led to another and the young man bowed his head on the street and trusted Christ as his Savior!

The War nights were outstanding. Each night was well attended. On the final night, the mud pit was classic! The mud for the mid pit that night was so thick, it resembled a Wendy’s Frosty–perhaps even thicker. It was so think, when teens were pulled through it, the mud globbed out on the side like freshly mixed cement. It was so thick, teens who finished a tug in the pit had to get pulled out–they could not do it themselves! Over the course of the week, over 109 teens attended. God worked in hearts every night. One young lady left without Christ the first night, but trusted Christ later on that night at home. She came back the next night to make sure she “got it right.” Another young lady told my wife that she had learned more about the Bible in the previous three night at The War than three months at her church! A total of 29 young people trusted Christ for the week. Praise the Lord!

This week was also our final week of the tour. Navy was under pressure because they needed the win this week to end the semester in a tie. After the first two nights, it looked like that would be the case. However, on the final night, Army won both outside competitions and ended barely up winning the week on the big bonus question. Our week at this church was wonderful in so many ways, I couldn’t think of a better church at which to end a semester. I hope to be back again!

The post The War Week #8 – Chesapeake, VA appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

Peter did not want his readers to mistake diligence for the engine of the Christian life. He wanted them to understand that faith accesses the power of God by depending on the promises of God. Yet, Peter also realized that Christian growth and discipleship also have aspects of progress and process involved. Whether the discipler or the new believer, both need to understand the power that faith accesses as well as the process that faith demands.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:4,

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”

The vision of the Christian life and discipleship must include the concept that faith and growth work together. Power and process are not contradictory concepts, but can and must work together. Therefore, we must understand the tension between the immediate provision of victorious faith and the process that conforms us to Christ’s image.

Understand the Power of Faith in Christian Growth

As has been mentioned in a previous lesson, there is an incredible power available to every Christian. It is an awesome power because it is a divine power. It is God’s ability. This divine power is limitless because God is limitless. Why did Peter start his appeal to Christian growth with faith? Simply put, because without faith, growth is impossible! Faith is the starting point, the foundation, the catalyst. Faith is the connection to the power source of growth—Jesus Christ!

How does a believer access this power? What does this power accomplish? What happens when we access this power?

Christ’s life is always victorious

Charles Trumbull said in his book Victory in Christ, “There is only one life that wins; and that is the life of Jesus Christ.” To win is be victorious over whatever the obstacle. What better starting point to growth than to realize that Jesus is already living unto God! Jesus life is a life wholly dedicated to the will of the Father. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me” (John 4:34). Paul said of Jesus, “In that he [Jesus] liveth, he is living unto God” (Rom 6:10). Jesus always lives for God and always does what is right.

Why is faith key, then? Because…

Faith accesses Christ’s life

Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ.” That is to say, I have been united together with Christ and therefore have been united to His death, His burial, and His resurrection (see Romans 6). The verse goes on to say that “yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” The life that he was living was not his own, it was Christ’s life. How did that take place? He goes on again, “And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” The way that one accesses Christ’s life is by exercising faith in Christ to live His life through us.

So what happens when we access Christ’s life by faith?

Whenever we access Christ’s life by faith, we are victorious.

It is not enough just to know that Christ is victorious himself. It is not enough just to know that accessing Christ’s life accesses His victory. The bare facts of these logical components can become dry and stale in the unexercised faith of familiarity. Christ wants us  to be victorious!! When we access His life by faith, WE WIN EVERY TIME! “Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (2 Cor 2:14). Christ is the way of escape (1 Cor 10:13)! This is what our text is speaking about when it says,

According as his divine power  [Christ’s power!] hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness [everything we need to be victorious!], through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature [participating in Christ’s nature—Christ’s life!], having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust [His life brings victory!].

The converse of this thought would be that when we are not victorious, we did not access Christ’s life by faith. Sometimes, we think that we are exercising faith, when the fact of the matter is that we are simply exercising familiarity. When frustration, impatience, lust, anger, or bitterness manifest themselves in our lives, it reveals the cold, hard, ugly fact that we were not accessing Christ’s life. No matter how familiar you are with the “Christ life,” no matter how much you preach, teach, or talk about “victory,” no matter how much you have read about sanctification, when you sin, it is because you failed to access the provision of Christ’s life. Period.

So then, if faith in Christ always, unconditionally accesses victory, why is this passage telling me to add to my faith?

Understand the Process of Faith in Christian Growth

Typically it is easy to think that in living the Christian life faith is all we need to complete the picture of sanctification. However the process of Christian growth and discipleship does not end with faith, but rather begins with it. Faith is “the Victory,” but over what is faith the victory? There are many areas to which our faith should be supplied—new levels of victory that can be won by “adding to our faith.” How then does the power of faith relate to the process of faith?

Christ’s victory must be applied to every new circumstance

If you have heard any preaching on the Christ life, no doubt you have endeavored to step out in faith and experience Christ’s enablement for victory. However, have you ever experienced thrilling victory in one area and embarrassing defeat in another area? Does this mean that the thrilling victories you were experiencing were really counterfeits, and that really you experienced no victory at all?

Unfortunately, some have gotten so excited about the all-encompassing victory that Christ has secured for every believer that they have forgotten that they must choose to access this victory for every new circumstance in their life. Victories in one area of your life do not guarantee victories in other areas of your life. Christ’s victory is not just for victory in general, but the victory you need for the new problem that is staring you in the face right now. Paul spoke of the journey of Christian growth as being “from faith to faith” (Rom 1:17), that is, from one faith decision to the next. So then, the question to ask yourself would not only be “Am I depending on Christ’s victory?”, but “What am I depending on Christ’s victory for?”

Therefore, the first key area of the process of faith is to depend on Christ’s victory for every new circumstance that comes your way.

Christ’s victory must be applied in increasing consistency

Another misconception about Christ’s victory is that once a person has experienced victory in an area, they never need to worry about that area again. However, the truth is that past victories do not guarantee future ones. Scripture warns us against this thought process, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). Christ victory never changes us intrinsically. We are never left with a residual immunity to sin after experiencing Christ’s victory at some point in the past. Just as much as we needed to depend on Christ for His victory the first time, so we need to depend upon Christ every time for His victory. So then the question to ask would not only be “What am I depending on Christ for victory for?”, but “Am I still depending on Christ for victory?”

No doubt, the Bible tells of a wonderful provision that sets us free from self and sin—this provision has a name—His name is Jesus Christ. Christ’s life always wins, and so do we when we access it by faith. However, this provision must be accessed and applied to every area of our lives. Not only must this power be applied once, but continuously. When we depend on Christ for every new circumstance with increasing consistency, we have just begun to grow!

Please prayerfully reflect on these questions.

• Are you depending on Christ for victory?
• What areas in your life are you depending on Christ for victory?
• What areas in your life are you not depending on Christ for victory?
• Are there areas in your life that you are no longer depending on Christ for victory in?

The post Cultivate the Vision: Power and Process appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

By the time the weekend rallies were to take place our team had already been burden for individuals as well as encouraged by the excitement and participation by the students during the day.

We had around twenty teens saved for the week and every one of the decisions had an amazing story behind it; however, one testimony sticks out concerning the week. Among those that received Christ on Saturday was a young man, I will call his name John. John came every night. He was very thankful for the team coming. At the close of the final night of our outreach John approached me. John stated to me that he had been telling a friend of his about the decision that he made for Christ. His friend expressed that he wanted to come to the nighttime events but was not able to. John’s friend also expressed that he needed and wanted to ask Christ to save him. John asked If I would be willing to come to the high school on the following day during a study hall and speak to his friend. Instead of coming into the school the following day, I encouraged John to take two tracts to school with him the next day and show his friend how to be saved. John agreed. The following day, I received a call from John and his friend. John’s friend had just been born again. They were both excited and thankful for their new found faith. John had been saved four only three and a half days and had already led his first soul to Christ. Jesus promised fruit that will remain.

We are rejoicing at what God has started in Red Oak, IA and we look forward to hearing updates in the days ahead.

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Recruiting went well and some of the teens in the church were pumped about inviting their friends. The team captains were able to invite several sports teams. I was able to invite the football team, part of the basketball team, and a portion of the local ROTC group.

The event was well-attended, bringing a total of 69 teens from the community. Though the competition was fierce, and the spirit high, the most exhilarating thing was what God did in hearts. The first night, a number of teens responded in the invitation. One young man told his counselor in the counseling room that he had already made the decision. the counselor assumed he had come back with questions on assurance, so he dealt with that and some verses on dealing with sin. The teen came to me for follow up questions. The counselor made sure to tell me he had been saved previous to his conversation with him. I asked, “So then, what are you depending on to get to heaven.” He said, “Jesus.” “Anything else?” “No.” “When did you start trusting Christ alone.” He didn’t even hesitate, “Right after you told the story about the guy who got hanged tonight.” Praise God for the conviction of the Spirit!! He trusted Christ before the invitation!!

Another junior higher refused to get saved in the counseling room. He kept saying, “I’m too young! I’m too young!” I challenged him that he was not too young to be saved and if he left without Christ and died, he would drop straight into Hell. He left with a heavy heart. Outside, he stood around, not wanting to go home. After a few minutes, he came back to his counselor and said, “I’m ready now” and trusted Christ! The counselor brought him to me for questions. While he was waiting to talk to me, I was following up with his little brother who was 7 years old and had been listening to the preaching from the back. He had so obviously understood the gospel and trusted Christ, everyone listening said later they were astounded by the clarity of the little boy’s answers. As I was turning to his older brother, I said, “Praise God that he wasn’t too young to get saved!”

Also that night, two teenage boys had been brought by their father, who had been invited by one of the teen girls in the youth group. The father listened from the back of the room as I preached the gospel. He raised his hand at the invitation along with his two teen boys. All three went back and trusted Christ. Praise God for saving an entire household! We were all amazed as we recalled that earlier that day in our team prayer meeting we had asked the Lord to save an entire family. Ten people were saved that first night.

The second night, God worked again. One young lady who had resisted The Lord the first night in the counseling room came back in the invitation again. Our team had specifically prayed that day for the Lord to convict her of her need to be saved. While the counselor was explaining the decision to make sure she understood, the young lady abruptly cut her off and said, “I’m ready.” She bowed her head and trusted Christ to save her! Nine more teens were saved the second night.

The final night, the weather was horrible. It was rainy and cold. At 5:40pm, the thought crossed my mind that if I were a teen, I wouldn’t come out. I saw the three or four teens who had showed up and told the Lord that I’d trust Him with what He’d give us. Before we started the competition, teens seemed to arrive in droves. God had delivered! That final night, six more teens were saved, totaling 25 saved for the week.

Though the week had its challenges, it was a week of encouragement and victories. We praise God for the work that He did!

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Because of the nature of the church property, the three-way games will not work. Last time we were here, we moved to two teams and were able to do the whole event on the church property. This is what we did this time as well. The Navy Seals and Marine Recon squared off for a great week of competition. (Sorry, Army Rangers!)

The team did a wonderful job recruiting and many teens were invited. Over the three nights we had over 60 teens show up. On Wednesday night we had several visitors and when the invitation was given four young men responded. One was from the school and he dealt with the important issue of assurance. I ended up dealing with two young men. After presenting the Gospel, I invited them to pray. When one of the boys prayed, he wept as he confessed many different sin issues in his life. I found out later that he had been suspended that very day. His great grandmother had brought him that night. When he was done, I had him hold my Bible and encouraged him to claim the promise of salvation based on John 3:36. He did and I could tell it clicked with him. The other young man also claimed God’s promise of salvation with tears in his eyes. When I took the one young man to his great grandmother and he told her what he had done, she had tears in her eyes. There is nothing like seeing the Lord work.

On the second night some new recruits came. When the invitation was given, you could tell God was working, but there was little response. Later when I came downstairs I saw one team captain dealing with two and another dealing with one. The team captains had been “fishing the parking lot.” What a joy when these teens came to Christ! One young man was out of High School. When I asked about his salvation, I wish you could have seen the confidence he answered about his surety of sins forgiven and eternal life.

Although the students in the school were definitely into the week, our team could tell there was resistance to God’s working in their hearts. There was very little visible response to God’s working. On Friday during chapel, I sensed the need to preach from Proverbs 29:25 on the “fear of man”. I was thrilled when most of the students responded to the invitation indicating they had been guilty of the “fear of man” and wanted to be done with it. I asked them if the “fear of man” was a private sin or a public one. They responded that it was public. I then invited them to pray if they sensed the Lord wanted them to do so. Many prayed broken prayers confessing to God their lack of courage and need of Him. It was a time of heaven on earth.

On Friday evening, there were over 50 teens who attended. The competition was intense and the Navy Seals ended up winning the week on the final trivia question. It was a nail biter. More importantly though, several teens responded to the invitation to get saved. Also, several teens gave testimony of God’s working in their hearts. It was a great week.

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Thus far in the series, we have seen that the casting of the discipleship vision first demands clarification. The clarification process begins by knowing God in a real and intimate way. The vision is further clarified by understanding the omnipotent power available to accomplish the vision. The vision becomes crystal clear when we understand the plan of God as revealed by God’s promises. Clarifying the vision, however, is only the beginning of accomplishing God’s vision.

Peter transitions from the divine potential of the Christian life to the individual responsibility for each Christian to diligently accomplish in order to be a fruit-bearing, world-changing discipler. Peter knew the meaning of diligence in God’s work. In fact, Christ had done an effective job in bringing all of His disciples to spiritual diligence and urgency through the power of the Spirit.

All too often, Christians may KNOW what their potential is in Christ and know what they should be doing in His plan, but meander aimlessly hoping to someday become a fruitful disciple. There is a persevering aspect to being a successful, fruit-bearing discipler. God’s big picture of the Great Commission will never be fulfilled if each does not “give diligence” to their own Christian growth and obedience to Christ’s commands. This is the need of the day!

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:5,

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.”

God’s vision for discipleship will never be realized unless we learn what it means to give diligence to our own personal growth and effectiveness. We must recognize the deep level of urgent commitment that must be in place in order for this vision to be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of those we are discipling. This vision will not be fully realized in a week.

The Definition of Diligence

Diligence is an urgent commitment to accomplish whatever task is at hand. It involves a commitment to a long-term goal; it won’t give up. It also involves an urgency to accomplish the goal; it can’t give up. Many Christians may catch a vision for something God wants them to do or for someone they could disciple, but many times they fizzle out in the work before God is done. This is not because the Christian failed to exercise faith, but because he failed to “stick with it” until God was done accomplishing all of His will. Diligence does not equal fleshliness. If anything, it takes the Spirit of God to retrain our weakened character to be as consistent as God wants us to be.

The Duty of Diligence

Why is diligence necessary?

Diligence Must Be Purposeful

First, diligence is necessary because God’s vision will not happen by accident. Therefore, any spiritual growth must be purposeful. Spiritual growth, unlike physical growth, does not automatically happen. Just as a house will never be built by accident, so spiritual growth does not happen by accident. God often chooses to bring growth catalysts into our lives such as trials and tests, but we still must choose to respond to these with consistent choices that result in spiritual progress.

It takes a whole new level of diligence to see another believer grow to spiritual maturity. If we do not have the spiritual diligence it takes to grow ourselves, we will never have the diligence it takes to see someone else grow. Diligence in personal growth is the necessary prerequisite to leading another believer on to diligent personal growth.

Diligence Must Be Enduring

Second, diligence is necessary because God’s vision will not always happen right away. We are obligated to have diligence because of the very fact that any sort of growth takes time. Though God promises immediate, over-coming victory to every Christian, there are some lessons that intrinsically involve an extended period of time. The very essence of the word “endurance” demands time.

While some new believers may take a shorter amount of time to become fruit-bearers, many need someone to encourage them for longer. If we are not willing to do endure and be committed to someone for as long as it takes to complete the job, we may give up before the job is done.

Diligence Must Be Determined

Third, diligence is necessary because convenience and feelings may not always line up with God’s vision. The road of Christian growth and discipleship is never smooth. Our flesh does not always feel like doing God’s will. If Satan and our flesh have anything to do with it, they will throw any obstacle possible to impede progress and make God’s vision terribly inconvenient.

True diligence will not give up. True diligence will overcome any obstacle, any challenge, any set-back. True diligence will not give up because of failure. Often new believers need this kind of discipler on their side or they will never reach the potential that God has for them.

Diligence is an urgent commitment to do God’s will. True diligence will be purposeful, enduring, and determined for whatever God has called His disciple to do. Diligence is absolutely necessary for personal growth and discipleship.

Please prayerfully reflect on these questions:

• Am I reticent to make spiritual commitments because of past failures?
• Do I lack urgency in fulfilling spiritual commitments?
• In what areas does my spiritual life need to be more purposeful?
• How long does it take me to give up?
• What does it take to stop me when God has called me to accomplish something?
• Do I decide what I will and won’t do based upon how I feel?

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The week brought a daunting challenge; for the first time in my experience, we were completely shut down at the only public school in the area. We could not recruit in the lunch room nor could we even approach school property. This was discouraging, to say the least. However, we did our best at finding the teens through other means in the community. It was a battle, but the Lord provided contacts as we trusted Him for every one.

The Lord did a work in hearts at the actual War events. Though we had a lower attendance than usual, eight young people trusted Christ as their Savior. One of the young men resisted the Lord at the invitation the first night. One of the team captains talked to him afterward, but he and his friend refused to trust Christ. The next night he came, but did not respond again even though both of his friends responded. The same team captain approached him afterward to see what God was doing in his heart. He came to find out that after their discussion the previous night, the young man could not stop thinking about the gospel. God was “all over him.” That night, after he got home, as he put it, “It clicked!” The team captain questioned him, and he had clearly transferred his dependence to Christ alone! Praise the Lord for the conviction of the Holy Spirit!

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The Lord led the team captains in a marvelous way in the recruiting effort. Many teens were invited. When Wednesday came, we had well over 70 teens. The next night we hit 100! It was thrilling to have a room full of many young people. We ended on Friday with over 80 teens.

In the Christian school, the students began to get involved in the War of Special Forces, but I began to sense and notice a resistance to responding to the Lord’s working in their hearts. On Friday, God burdened me to deal with the “fear of man” (Proverbs 29:25). Although this is a problem in any school, I sensed it might be one of the major obstacles here. The Lord worked and we had well over 50 percent of the students respond. We had a wonderful prayer meeting and many teens with tears asked the Lord to forgive them for their failure as a result of the fear of man. Many of them gave testimony that night. Perhaps the most thrilling thing was that two students that morning got saved. I asked to speak with one of them and asked him what the Lord was doing in his heart. His eyes filled with tears and he pointed at the word, “salvation” on a verses sheet in his hand. A little while later he settled it!

About nine months ago, I had the privilege of being at this same church for a short time. I preached an evangelistic activity and several were saved. It was great to talk with some of them at this event. Many of them brought friends out to the War of Special Forces. On Wednesday, one of those friends heard the Gospel. God particularly dealt with him about his taking God’s name in vain. He responded to the invitation and one of our team members dealt with him. He wept his way to salvation. Afterwards, he still could not talk. He was overwhelmed with what God did. On Friday he gave a testimony and again broke into tears as he testified of his salvation. On Friday evening another friend of this group was brought. He also wept his way to Jesus. That will keep you going!

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As we have seen thus far in this series, God has an incredible vision for discipleship that he wants us to catch. We must begin to clarify this vision by knowing God and thus gaining his heartbeat for His vision. We must also grasp the unlimited nature of His power granted to enable us to complete His will. However, there is one more piece necessary to fully clarify the vision that God is setting forth for us–the plan.

Having laid the foundational perspective of knowing God and the limitless nature of His power, Peter now endeavors to share the wonderful magnitude of God’s plan. He knew that God had a very specific plan which has world-wide ramifications. God’s plans were too numerous to ennumerate in the flow of his thought process, so he simply mentions them in general by way of the promises of God.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:4,

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God’s vision for discipleship will only work according His plan. God’s promises reveal to us His plan. Therefore, we must come to understand the plan of God by observing the promises of God and carrying them out by faith.

God’s promises reveal the significance of His plan.

God’s Plan is Big. – “great…promises”

The word for “great” is megas, which has the idea of “large, big.” God has given us big promises that reveal that God has a big plan. As has been mentioned in previous lessons, many times we limit what we think God’s intentions are based upon our own limitations, ability, or experiences. However, when we observe the promises of God in Scripture, we realize that God’s plan is “exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think” (Eph 3:22). God has a plan that is worldwide in scope and yet is so specific that it impacts every individual here at this table.

Perhaps you can relate to it this way. Several times as I have met with God in prayer and laid my eyes upon His promises, God has given me a glimpse of the sheer magnitude of His plan. I remember being in several prayer meetings with my team, claiming the implicit promise of Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” God met with us and gave us a vision of worldwide impact that claiming that promise would make. I have no doubt that our sacred transaction with God from that day will impact the world. Exactly how or when or where, I do not know. But God showed us through His promises a very big plan and convinced us of its reality.

God’s Plan is Important. – “precious promises”

The word “precious” carries the idea of something that is “valuable.” God places a high value on the promises—they are extremely important! God has given us important promises that reveal that God has an important plan. This plan is not a nice, optional, extracurricular activity that we may avail ourselves of if we have enough spare time on the weekends. There is a sense of urgency embedded in these important promises. If these promises are not stood upon and acted on, we are not the only ones who miss out on them. Millions or perhaps billions of people will miss experiencing these great and precious promises for themselves. In other words, the spiritual, therefore eternal, fate of the world is at stake.

God’s promises reveal the specifics of His plan.

What are these promises to which our text is referring? There are hundreds of implicit and explicit promises in the scriptures. God has given us a treasure trove of verses and passages through which we may understand His plan and therefore experience His divine life as they are made reality in our lives and through our lives.

For sake of our study, let us examine a few of the explicit and implicit promises that touch God’s plan for evangelism and discipleship.

God has a plan for world evangelism.

One of the greatest, most precious promises contained in all of Scripture is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God recognized that without a direct intervention from Himself, this world would “perish” because of its sins. Revelation 21:8 says, “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” Sins such as lying, stealing, taking God’s name in vain, adultery, among others, have brought eternal condemnation in the lake of fire upon each individual in this world. Nevertheless, this promise (John 3:16) shows us that God has a plan for eternal life for everyone on the face of the globe. It says that “God so loved the world.” Though His plan is worldwide in scope, it is also individual in its specificity. “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.” The simple solution for the sentenced sinner is trusting Christ alone to wash his sins away and to give him eternal life. God’s plan involves every person on the face of the earth hearing and heeding this simple message of how to get eternal life. Billions need to hear it, and therefore Christians need to tell it. Therefore, God intends for every believer to bear fruit by preaching the gospel across the globe (Mark 16:15).

God has a plan for world discipleship.

“Who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Here in this implicit promise, we find once again that God desires the entire world to be reached with the gospel message. However, just as much as He wants the whole world to be saved, He also wants the whole world to “come to the knowledge of the truth.” This truth includes much more than the gospel message. It includes everything that is true about the Christian life. This happens through discipleship. Therefore, this verse indicates that with the same fervor and passion that God wants the world to be saved, God also wants the world to be discipled. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God intends for every believer to produce fruit that would remain (John 15:16). God intends for every believer to teach those they are discipling to observe Christ’s commands, which would include producing reproducing fruit (Matthew 28:19-20).

God’s promises reveal His plan. His plan has world-wide impact and eternal importance. God’s plan involves world-wide evangelism and world-wide discipleship.

Please prayerfully reflect on these questions.

• Have you accepted the magnitude and eternal important of God’s plan as revealed by His promises?
• Have you realized God’s plan for world evangelism in your own life by trusting Christ alone to be your Savior?
• Have you accepted your responsibility in world evangelism to share the good news across the globe to others?
• Have you realized that God’s plan includes discipling men and women to know the truth just as much as you do?

The post Clarify the Vision: Know the Plan appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

The students in the school immediately threw themselves into the week. They assisted in inviting other teens and were responsive to the Lord’s working themselves. It was an encouraging week. For the record, when the dust cleared, the Navy Seals team took the week.

A young lady on the Ranger team went around her neighborhood and invited area teens for the Wednesday night rally, but none could come. When she was getting ready to leave, there was a seventh grade neighbor who was locked out of his house. Evidently he called his parents and they said he could come to the rally that night. The young man came and was wondrously saved. On Friday night he brought several friends as well as giving a testimony of his salvation.

A student in the school invited several public school friends, but on Wednesday none of them came to the rally. He knew that he had some things about which he needed to get right with his dad. He realized that was a hindrance in the Lord using him. The Lord used Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” to convict him of why he was not prospering. On Thursday afternoon he decided he was going to talk to his dad and get everything right. He did and that night several of those he invited came and several responded to the invitation to be saved.

On Friday during the invitation most of the students responded to an invitation for those who had said “yes” to the Lord’s working publically or privately during the week and wanted their decision to last. Many of them indicated the Lord had worked in their hearts about a right attitude towards their parents. Many gave testimonies that night and a theme definitely was the joy that had come as a result of responding to the Lord and getting things right.

This week Aaron Fenimore came in to pinch hit for the Recon team captain slot. Aaron was a veteran from the Real Character team last fall. On Friday a teenage relative of his was able to come and be on his team. Although that night the young relative did not get saved, Aaron was able to lead him to the Lord the next day. We all were thrilled!

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So far in this series, we have seen that before you can cast a vision for discipleship, you first must catch the vision. God is trying to communicate his vision to us constantly. Yet still, this vision needs to be clarified. The way you begin to clarify the vision is by getting to know God. When you get to know God, you see and feel God’s passion for discipleship. However, knowing God is only the beginning.

Peter knew that the vision he was casting before his audience was impossible. No doubt, he remembered the feelings of inferiority and insecurity that swept through his heart as he heard his Lord command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” No doubt, he remembered thinking how impossible it would be to “Go ye therefore and teach all nations.” He knew that the human tendency was to think, “Yeah right, that’s impossible!” In fact, he remembered those very thoughts passing through his own mind.

Yet Peter also heard Jesus’ encouraging words when He said, “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49), “Wait for the promise of the Father”, (Acts 1:4), and “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). Human ability, or a lack thereof, was no limitation to accomplishing God’s plan. God was making His own infinite power available to His servants to accomplish His will!

Indeed, the plan of God was big, important, and glorious—impossible from the human standpoint—but there was no excuse. What God had commanded him to do, God had also prepared the power for him to do it!

It was likely with these thoughts in mind that Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:3-4,

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”

The vision of growth and discipleship is only possible by the power of God. We are able to do everything that God has called us to do through His “divine power.” Therefore, we must endeavor to understand the “divine power” that is available to accomplish God’s vision for discipleship and purpose to access that power and lead those with whom we are working to access that power.

His divine power is awesome – “divine power”

What does the word “power” mean? Whose “power” is in view here? The word behind the English word “power” is dunamis which in its essence means “ability.” In this case, “power” or ability has nothing to do with our human ability. It is God’s ability that is in view here.

God is able to do anything! God can create things out of nothing (Gen 1:1). God can overcome the forces of nature (Nah 1:3). God can heal incurable illnesses: he can heal brain tumors (Ps 103:3), make lame men walk (Luke 7:22), make blind men see (John 9:25). God can even raise the dead (Matt 11:5)! God can overcome sinful habits (2 Cor 2:14)! God can free men from gambling, drinking, smoking, pornography, lying, cheating, and stealing (1 Cor 10:13)! God can free men from frustration, impatience, jealousy, insecurity, and selfishness (Rom 8:37)! God can do what is impossible with man!

When we think of God’s ability, the word that best describes it is “unlimited.” God’s ability is not limited by probability, feasibility, or possibility. God’s ability is not limited by obstacles, challenges, or circumstances. His ability is not limited by family backgrounds, personality traits, or human weaknesses. God’s ability is not limited by past experiences, past failures, or past successes. God’s ability has no limits!

To see someone brought from being a worldly, money-minded, self-focused, pleasure-oriented lost person to become a godly, heavenly-minded, Christ-focused, others-oriented Christian is humanly impossible. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). Like the disciples, we see the utter impossibility of such a task and therefore conclude, “It is impossible!” However, many times we miss the fact that we are not talking about our ability. If that were the case, then it would be impossible. We are not talking about our ability, but God’s ability! Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:26).

His divine power is allocated – “life and godliness”

According to our text, there is a specific purpose toward which this divine power is to be focused. The purpose of God’s divine power in verse 4 is to give “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” In other words, God’s power makes it possible to live for Him and be like Him. To state it more broadly, God’s awesome, unlimited ability has been given for a specific purpose: to do His will. Therefore, this “divine power” grants us the ability to do everything that God wants us to do. To apply this specifically to our focus on discipleship, God’s power gives us the ability to be a successful, fruit-bearing discipler.

Many people want God’s power, but not many people really want His purpose and His focus. Galations 2:20 says that Christ’s life is available to every believer, but it must be Christ’s life, not mine. Seeking God’s power must be preceded by seeking God’s will. God is not interested in bestowing His power for purposes other than His own. For instance, God would never grant His “divine power” to aid someone to steal a car. Why? Obviously, because it is not His will and it is sin. Likewise, God does not give us His power so that we can do “our own thing.” God’s power is not some force that we harness to accomplish our own will, it is God’s divine ability accessed for the exclusive purpose of accomplishing His will! Therefore, if we want His power, we must first want His will.

His divine power is available – “given unto us”

Verse 4 says that this divine power has “given unto us all things…” Who is this “us” that is being referred to here? It would seem that Peter is including himself and his audience. But who is his audience? Back in verse 1, Peter tells us that he is writing “to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Simply put, this power is for those who have placed their trust in Christ to be their Savior! If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, God’s “divine power” is not available to you. All you have at your disposal is your own ability, which can’t accomplish anything for God (John 15:5). Trust Christ today!

However, is being a believer all it takes to access this power? As was mentioned previously, God is not interested in bestowing His power on someone who is “out to do their own thing.” The purpose of God’s power is to do God’s will. Therefore, one prerequisite to accessing God’s power is surrendering to God’s will.

Is being a surrendered believer all it takes to access God’s divine power? No! Like a crane operator steps into the cockpit, pulls the levers and twists the dials to accomplish the job at hand, so we must use the divine power that is at our fingertips to get the job done. However, suppose the crane operator says, “I could never lift that massive load!” Why, he would be completely discounting the power of the crane. And because he is discounting the power of the crane, he would not be utilizing the power of the crane to get the job done. Suppose the crane operator realizes that it’s not up to his ability—the power of the crane is more than sufficient—yet he does not pull the levers and twist the dials, but passively trusts the crane to do it all. The job will not get done! He is neglecting his responsibility to utilize the power. To sum it up, if the crane operator is going to get the job done, he must believe that the power is there and act as if the power is there.

So it is with us; to get God’s job done, we must believe that the power is there! Peter said that it has been given! We have all the power we need available to us to do whatever God wants us to do. We also must act as if the power is there. We must not sit back and wait for a new or better power to show up on the scene, we must go and act upon the power that is already present! If we believe God in simple faith, acting on what He says while staying focused on His will, we will see God’s unlimited power demonstrated in supernatural ways in and through our lives.

Human ability is no limitation to accomplishing God’s plan. We are able to do everything God wants us to do because we’re not talking about our ability, we’re talking about GOD. However, God is only interested in bestowing His power to accomplish His purpose. The only limitation to accomplishing God’s will is our willingness to believe Him and work for Him.

Please prayerfully reflect upon these questions.

• Do you tend to limit your vision for discipleship based on your abilities, constraints, and limitations?
• How does God’s limitless power change your perspective on personal growth and discipleship?
• Have you found yourself desiring God’s power but not desiring His will?
• Do you trust God for His power but neglect to act as if you have that power?

The post Clarify the Vision: Know the Power appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

In the last post, we saw that casting a vision is absolutely essential to effective discipleship. However, before we can cast a vision, first we must catch the vision. Jesus is the One who creates and casts the vision before us. Therefore, we must understand, submit to, and internalize that vision. Peter is an excellent example of this process, because we have biblical record of Jesus casting the vision before Peter, Peter catching the vision, and then Peter casting that vision before “them that have obtained like precious faith with us“ (2 Peter 1:1). However, the very fact that we must catch the vision demands that we clarify the vision. How is this clarification accomplished? Peter tells us how in 2 Peter 1:2-4.

Peter was watching Christianity deteriorate before his very eyes. Error was creeping into the church at an alarming rate. Though Peter was approaching the end of his life, he was burdened to confront the error and to combat the heresy. The vision that Christ had cast before his eyes for the church was not one of infighting, error, or heresy. The church was to attack the gates of Hell and win! Peter well remembered Christ’s persistent admonition that day on the shore, “Feed my sheep.” Christ had laid the responsibility upon him to lead the church in victory. Peter also remembered Christ’s final challenge before he went back up to heaven to go and make disciples. He knew that the only way for Christ’s church to win was for it to multiply. The stakes were high.

Peter knew he served a great God. Peter knew that God had given him everything he needed to do the job. Peter knew very well what the job entailed. But Peter knew that if it all stopped with him, it would all be over. God’s people needed to catch the same vision that he had caught, and therefore needed to know the same God that he knew. It was with this in mind that he set his pen to the paper to write the second epistle of Peter.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:2-3,

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

Our God has a great vision for discipleship. This vision is clarified first and foremost by knowing Him. If you want to clarify God’s vision for discipleship, you must first endeavor to know the God of discipleship and purpose to lead those whom you are working with to know Him as well.

What does it mean to know God?

The word for knowledge is epignosis. Various lexicons define this word as “recognition”,¹ “precise and correct knowledge.”² The verb form epiginosko sheds even more light on the word. The verb form is defined as “to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly…to know accurately, to know well…to recognize by sight, of certain signs, to perceive who a person is.”³

Therefore, knowing God means to become more and more acquainted with Him, to become familiar with who He is and how He works, to recognize His hand in your life. To know God means not only to commune with Him and communicate with Him, but also to know what He is passionate about, what His focus is, to become thoroughly acquainted with His very heart. When you get to know God, you learn, feel, and see that his heart is passionate about discipleship.

How do I get to know God?

Learn about Him from His Word

An objective understanding of God is a necessary foundation for knowing God. If we do not understand who He is or what He is, we will have a difficult time in furthering our relationship with Him. This is how all true relationships begin. We experience this all the time. When we meet a new person, we ask them what their name is, where they are from, how many kids they have, where they work, etc.

Likewise, when we begin a new relationship with God, we should learn what is objectively true about Him. The source of this information is the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible teaches us who and what God is. The Bible teaches us that God is the originator of the universe (Genesis 1:1). It teaches us that God is eternal (Deut. 33:27) and that He is a Spirit (John 4:24). The Bible teaches us that God is faithful (1 Cor. 10:13), truthful (Deut. 32:4; Tit. 1:2), holy (Isa. 6:3), just (Deut 32:4), and love (1 Jn. 4:16). These objective facts are an important foundation upon which we must build our relationship to God.

Furthermore, these objective truths are an important protection from the whims and wanderings of unfettered subjectivity. In other words, they are the rails that keep us from getting “off track” in our understanding of God.

Many people have formulated many ideas about God. Many of these ideas are intellectually appealing and make human “sense.” Many of these ideas spring from sincere, hopeful hearts. However, many of these ideas contradict what the Bible clearly says about God. Many enter a relationship with God believing these errant views about God. Whether caused by false teaching, “supernatural” experiences, or family backgrounds, these incorrect concepts about God can take them down a road of confusion, disappointment, and disillusionment in their pursuit of God. If, however, we seek to understand the objective truth about God contained in the Bible, we can recognize the error and reject it. The greatest protection from error is keeping our subjective understanding of God within the framework of the objective facts contained in the Word of God.

Purpose to learn as much as you can about God from the Bible. Read the Word of God daily. Study the Word of God intelligently. Meditate on the Word of God constantly. When you find out about God from His Word, you will find that He is passionate about His vision for discipleship.

Learn Him from Communion

Facts don’t make a relationship. It is entirely possible to know all about a person and yet not to know the person at all.

Back in the old days when the West was still “wild”, men on the frontier would send for “mail-order brides.” They would see an ad with a basic description of the woman. “5’ 4”, Brown hair, blue eyes, does windows, good cook, likes children.” They might have some limited correspondence or even send a picture or two of each other. The description may be entirely accurate, yet this objective description does not fully communicate who the woman is, what she loves, what she is passionate about. The only way to really know her would be to meet her, spend time with her, and learn her.

Likewise, though the objective statements of the Word of God are entirely accurate about God, understanding these statements alone does not constitute a relationship. In order to know Him, we must meet with Him, spend time with Him, and learn Him.

To view it another way, a blueprint shows us how the building is composed and how it should be framed. One can know the blueprints inside and out, but still not know the building. Likewise, the studs and beams create the framework for the building. One can walk through a partially framed building and see the basic structure of the rooms, almost envisioning it completed, but still that person does not know the building. It is only when one walks through the framed, finished, and furnished building that one begins to know the building. Though it is entirely in line with the blueprints and with the framed studs of the walls and ceilings, it is not truly known until it is entered and experienced.

Likewise, in order to know God, we must enter into a real, experiential relationship with Him, walking with Him, talking with Him, kept in line by the blueprint and studs of the Word of God.

Purpose not only to look at the Word of God as a list of information about God; purpose to seek Him. Seek Him in the Scriptures. Seek Him in prayer. Walk with Him. Talk with Him. Meet with Him. As you see Him, you will also feel the throbbing of His heart and vision for discipleship.

Learn of Him by Experience

God does not only want us to know Him in the prayer closet or in our Bible study times; He wants us to know Him in everyday life. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” Here Jesus says that one way we must learn of Him is by yoking up our lives in service co-laboring together with Him.

You may have a co-worker that you have known for twenty years in the work place, but when you and he go on a fishing trip together, I guarantee you will learn a whole new level of that person’s personality, character, and passion—whether for good or bad! While it is true that relationships are built upon two people spending time together and communicating, it is also true that one learns so much more about a person as they experience new things together.

One way in which we know God more deeply is through suffering. Philippians 3:10 says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Some of the nearest experiences Christians have ever had with God have been through the valley of suffering and trial. It is during these times that God wants to manifest Himself and His vision for our lives in a new and deeper way than He has ever done before. This is why James tells us to “count it all joy” (Jas. 1:2). God is giving us a greater opportunity to know Him! Let us not fight our way out of the trial, but let us find a deeper understanding of our God and His vision for our lives.

Another way in which we know God more deeply is through supernatural deliverance. Sometimes we find ourselves with our backs up against a wall, with no other hope or help other than what God promises in His Word. In these crises, when we trust Him, banking on His deliverance through some step of faith, God delights in showing us Himself by delivering us in supernatural ways. In Malachi 3:10, God challenges the children of Israel to “prove” Him. Likewise, God wants us to learn of Him and His vision for us through supernatural deliverances.

Another way in which we know God more deeply is through service. Once again, Jesus told His disciples to take His yoke upon them so that they could learn of Him (Matt. 11:29). What were they to yoke up with Him to do? Surely the intention of His imagery was not to go and plow a literal field. Instead, Jesus’ intention was to get His work done, which in another place is described as reaping in the harvest fields. Jesus has a great plan for the harvest fields of the world. His master plan includes reaping and reproducing. Jesus wants us to see souls saved. Jesus wants us to disciple each one of them. Jesus wants those souls to see souls saved and discipled. Jesus wants this cycle to be reproduced time after time until the whole of this world is reached. When we see our place in this master plan, and we see God doing it, we gain a whole new level of understanding of God’s vision for discipleship.

What happens when I get to know God?

By reading God’s Word, you will learn about God’s vision for discipleship. By communing with God, you will feel the heartbeat of God’s vision for discipleship. By yoking up with God in day-to-day life, you will see God’s vision for discipleship unfolding before your very eyes.

God is trying to clarify his vision for discipleship to each one of us. We will never be equipped to disciple another until we know Him. It is out of this relationship with God that this passion and vision for discipleship will spring. None of us would admit that we are the disciplers we need to be, but if we choose to seek God in His Word, in communion with Him, and in service for Him, you will discover that God is very passionate about His vision for discipleship.

Do please prayerfully reflect on these questions.

• Do you spend regular time studying what the Bible says about your God?
• Do you know God factually, but never spend time with Him personally?
• Have you experienced the throbbing heart of God for discipleship in your times of communion with Him?
• Do you know what it means to experience the God of discipleship through your life to others?
• Are you willing to let God make you this kind of discipler?

Footnotes

1. Mickelson, Jonathan Kristen, Mickelson’s Enhanced Strong’s Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries, s.v., ἐπίγνωσις (G1922). 
2. Thayer, Joseph Henry, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, s.v., ἐπίγνωσις (G1922).
3. Ibid., s.v., ἐπιγινώσκω (G1921).

The post Clarify the Vision: Know the Person appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

Discipling anyone is tough stuff. To put it in skiing terminology, if evangelism is a blue square, discipleship is a double black diamond. Discipleship requires a plan, skill, determination, and much patience. However, even more than those necessary qualities, discipleship requires a vision. Many people begin discipleship with the wrong vision. Their goal is to communicate mere information to the other person. The result is, quite frankly, boredom. One tiring lesson after another bores the disciple to tears while the discipler gets frustrated by his lack of interest. The whole effort is shortsighted and bound for failure before it ever begins.

True, effective discipleship must begin with a vision. The discipler must have a vision for himself and for his disciple. A vision is a God-given, bird’s eye perspective on where we are going, how we are getting there, and why we are going there in the discipleship process. This vision will provide the inspiration and motivation necessary for both the discipler and disciple to carry the process through to its completion. This series will study Peter in His pilgrimage from disciple to discipler and the vision he acquired to accomplish so great a task.

So then, if vision is required for successful discipleship, how do we get this vision?

God Must Cast the Vision

God has a vision for everyone. Countless times throughout the Bible, God steps on the scene of someone’s life and says, “I have an incredible plan for your life.” God cast His gracious vision before Noah so he could avoid judgment and repopulate the earth. God cast His gigantic vision before Abraham and told him that his descendants would touch everyone on the face of the earth. God cast a revolutionary vision before Moses that he would deliver God’s people from the most powerful nations in the world. God cast a conquering vision before Joshua that he would lead Israel’s armies in unmixed victory over Canaan’s inhabitants. God cast a delivering vision to Gideon that he would defeat the oppressive Midianites using a small band of choice warriors. God cast a vision before Jeremiah that he would proclaim embarrassing judgment upon His rebellious people. God specializes in taking ordinary people and calling them to complete extraordinary tasks.

God’s vision is made specifically for us. God’s vision for our lives is not limited by our background, race, wealth, or intelligence. In fact, the peculiarities of our life qualify us for His incredible plan. To Jeremiah, God said, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Here we find that God had formulated His plan before Jeremiah’s birth, and yet He knew everything about Jeremiah. He knew where he would live. He knew what his personality would be like. He knew his mental abilities, his natural gifts, abilities, and his weaknesses. God used all of that to fit Jeremiah perfectly for the task He was calling Him to. God perfectly fits every one of us to fulfill His vision for our lives.

God’s vision is completed supernaturally by Him. Jeremiah responded to God’s vision by saying, “Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). Jeremiah knew that he did not have the natural ability to fulfill God’s vision. Yet, God did not reply and say, “Oops, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll find someone else.” No, instead He said, “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:7-8). Where physical abilities are lacking, God will make up with His own supernatural strength and presence to accomplish His vision through our lives.

God’s vision is constant despite weakness and failure. Thus it was with Peter, the object of our series. Throughout Peter’s training, Jesus was constantly casting His vision before Peter. After Peter’s confession of Christ as Messiah, Jesus praised Him and spoke of wonderful leadership potential for Peter. Yet Peter missed it and within a short time ended up rebuking Jesus for wanting to go to the cross. Later in his life, after he had experienced humiliating failure, Peter felt that God was done with Him. Yet even there, Jesus appeared to Him by the sea and affirmed His intense desire for Peter to feed God’s sheep. Despite weakness, denseness, and failures, God’s vision remains constant for our lives.

We Must Catch the Vision

So we see that God has a vision for everyone. It is perfectly suited to us. It will be completed by God himself through us. It doesn’t change when we mess things up. Wow. So then, what does it mean to “catch” this vision?

We must comprehend the vision

One of the reasons why it took Peter so long to catch God’s vision for his life is because he didn’t get it. Peter was pretty fast at catching on to certain things, but there were other things that went completely over his head. For instance, Peter caught on to the fact that Jesus was not only the Messiah, but that He was God. Yet, when it came to Christ offering himself as an atonement for the sins of the world, he didn’t get it. On the eve of Christ’s arrest, Peter was still trying save Israel from its oppressors by cutting off the servant’s ear. Peter could not reconcile the Conquering King with the Suffering Servant. It was not until after the resurrection that the pieces started to fit together in his brain. Before Jesus ascended up to heaven, He had to spell things out for Peter and the other disciples to get it.

Likewise with us, many times we do not catch Christ’s vision because we are hung up on some other truth or thought pattern. Sometimes we spend our efforts in the wrong direction because of misunderstanding and just need clarification before we can catch on to God’s vision for our lives.

We must submit to the vision

Another reason perhaps why Peter took time to catch Christ’s vision for His life is because of pride. Peter was a very impetuous, self-motivated individual. He would frequently jump into situations half-cocked and make a mess. I’m sure that the very thought of Jesus’ predictions that he would be arrested, falsely accused, and crucified was utterly repulsive to the proud, self-starter Peter. In fact, it was so repulsive to Peter’s pride that he actually rebuked the one whom he confessed to be God. The truth is, Peter needed to be broken so that he would submit to God’s plan regardless of how much better he thought his own plans were.

Likewise, one of the reasons why we do not catch God’s vision for our lives is because we are too set on our own vision for our lives. We actually think that we know better than God! What we really need is to be broken of our own self-will and to submit to God’s will.

We must internalize the vision

There came a point in Peter’s ministry where he no longer sat around, waiting for step-by-step instructions to accomplish God’s vision for his life. There came a point where Peter was so passionate about God’s plan, so interested in its accomplishment, and so enthusiastic about communicating it to others, that one would find great difficulty in differentiating between God’s vision for Peter and Peter’s own vision for himself. You see, there came a point in Peter’s ministry where he so caught the spirit of His Father in heaven and internalized it that it was his vision, too!

Likewise, if we are going to catch the vision God has for us, we need to wholeheartedly take on God’s vision as our own, not out of constraint or external pressure, but because we want it, too!

We Must Cast the Vision

Peter, the author of 2 Peter, was discipled by Jesus. The aim of Jesus’ discipleship was to make Peter a discipler. Multiple times throughout his ministry, Jesus cast a vision before Peter.  However, because of setbacks, misunderstandings, and failures, Peter did not fully catch the vision until later on in his ministry. Yet, at some point in Peter’s ministry, he finally caught Jesus’ full intent of his vision for him and for this age. Having caught the vision himself, Peter began to cast that very vision before those whom he was leading. Here recorded in this passage, Peter casts this vision before a select audience in faith-filled, swelling words, which will also be the text for the remainder of this series:

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.Simon Peter, 2 Peter 1:1-10

Just as Peter first had to catch the vision that God had for him before he could ever communicate it to others, even so, before you can ever cast a vision before a disciple, first you must catch the vision for yourself. Once you have caught the vision for yourself and your disciple, you must cast it before that disciple. It is only as you catch God’s vision for your life and cast it before another that you will have successful, effective discipleship taking place.

Please look for the next installment of this series as we begin to clarify the vision that God has for us.

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Five days before the week began, we were scheduled to go to a church in Georgia. That day, I received a call from the pastor, who had to cancel the meeting for various reasons. At this late of notice, a cancellation is a guaranteed hotel bill for a week with nothing to do and no souls to be saved. After the disappointing news, I sat in my truck and told the Lord, “I don’t just believe that you can work this together for good, I thank you that you are working it together for good.” God gave me peace in my heart. Two days later, Pastor Michael Barnett in Tarboro, North Carolina was on his knees in the woods crying out to the Lord for some way to reach the youth in his community. The moment after he said the words, “Lord! What can I do to reach them?!”, he got a text on his phone. The text was from Jim Van Gelderen. It said that one of his teams had a cancellation and was available if he was interested in taking the week. This news was such a clear answer to prayer, that he jumped on it.

When we arrived at the meeting, the Pastor shared with us what God had been doing in his heart. In the past few years, God had been doing a deep work in his heart, preparing him for great blessing. His church had been through some challenging times and God had recently given him a vision for rebuilding. This opportunity, he believed, was going to be the catalyst that he had been praying about for years. As a team, we knew that his expectations were so high, it had to be God.

Our team went out recruiting on Thursday and Friday. The team put forth a great effort, but our numbers were very low. So low, in fact, that I was very worried about our turnout on Saturday night. We got on our faces and God met with us. Saturday night at 5:45pm, we had a small handful of teens on the field and it looked like not that many more were going to show up. I stepped into the auditorium and sat on a pew. I felt horrible because of some sickness and nerves. I told the Lord I was trusting Him. After all, He brought us there and He would have to deliver us. I stepped outside, saw the crowd had not grown, and said in my heart, “Well Lord, let’s see what You can do with the kids you gave us.” We began our first competition, Big Ball Volleyball. Before the first competition was over, many more teens had arrived. In fact, by the time we all came inside, we had nearly 60 teen in attendance, almost all of them from the outside of the church!

Though God had delivered in our attendance, Satan was fighting. Right before the guys finished singing the message in song, a little 15-month old jumped out into the aisle and began to dance like a fiend. This amused the crowd so that they began to laugh at him. Someone picked him up and he stopped. As I began my opening illustration, some of the teens had taken him on their lap and began to play with him. He was an obvious distraction to the whole room. Stopping mid-story, I kindly asked if someone could take him out of the service and then prayed for God to bind the devil’s distracting devices. Immediately, I sensed the presence of God on the place. I opened my mouth to preach, but my voice could hardly produce sound due to my sickness. I asked God for strength and began to preach. My voice never really got better, but God gave great liberty and boldness to preach the gospel. At the invitation, nearly the whole room raised their hand that they needed to be rescued from the wrath of God. I gave the invitation, and 31 teens stepped out into the aisle to be dealt with. Before the night was through, 24 had placed their faith in Jesus alone to save them. As we all were wrapping up the night, the pastor’s wife summed the night up to me and said, “Preacher, do you realize what happened here tonight? This was the single most incredible thing our church has ever seen the entire time we have been here. God is answering our prayers!”

We had a total of 74 teens attend the events, despite cold and rain over the next two nights. Each night, God kept on working. 10 more teens trusted Christ as their Savior on Sunday and Monday nights, bringing the total harvest for the week to 34. God did a great work in Tarboro and His work is not through. If you are reading this post, please pray for Mike Barnett to have power, love, and success in discipling these young people to become effective servants of Jesus Christ. God did it all last week, and He will have to keep on doing the work the next week. To God be the glory!!

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The Lord gave us a harvest of souls during the evening rallies. We had a high night of 142 with over 180 different teens attending. There were over 40 teens who responded to the Gospel invitation. The church folks visited every home the next Saturday and found 100% of the teens home. Several came to church on Sunday.

The following is a testimony from one of the team captains that travels with the team. I believe it will encourage your heart.

Early Monday morning before school had begun, I was out in the wet and cold recruiting high-schoolers on their way to school. Two of the most enthusiastic teens I recruited were Carlos and Jimmie (16 and 15). They were so into what I was saying, I was convinced they would not only come out, but get saved. Sure enough, Wednesday night, both of the young men responded to the invitation and got saved. I told them to invite other friends, and the following night they brought out a friend of theirs named DeShawn (16). That night, DeShawn raised his hand in the invitation but did not respond. As Pastor Goode closed down the service, I could see Carlos and Jimmie speaking to DeShawn. I caught DeShawn before he left and began to speak to him about his need to be saved. Carlos and Jimmie soon came and told how that they had gotten saved last night and how their day at school had already been different. Carlos encouraged DeShawn that if he did not want to get saved right then, he should to come out tomorrow night and do so. Just before he left, I warned DeShawn that Satan was real and would certainly do everything in his power to keep him from coming out tomorrow night. DeShawn had no problem believing in Satan since he had encountered demonic activity in his home. Friday came, and I did not see DeShawn during the competitions, until late in the evening, during the testimony service (it had just begun). He told me he had come by himself and he told me that a number of things had happened to keep him from coming out. He could not sleep all night, there was a break-in at his mom’s restaurant, and at school, the next morning, he surprised himself and his class with a sudden burst of hatred. He knew he was on his way to hell. He could find no ride to the church, but he paid a cab and arrived just in time for the testimony service. I told him to listen to the testimonies, and after a good many of them, he came back and told me he wanted to be saved. We found a warm room and DeShawn prayed to trust Christ as His Savior.

Then he sat there without saying a word and I asked him what he was thinking about. He said, “My brothers.” I told him how God could use him to witness to his brothers just as Carlos had tried to explain the gospel to him last night. I also had him thank God what for He had done. Choked with emotion, he thanked God for washing his sins away and forgiving him and for eternal life. Glorious!

We were also grateful for the Lord’s working in the hearts of the Trinity Christian School students. On Friday night, several gave powerful testimonies of dealing with bitterness, clearing their consciences about hidden sin and getting right with God. It was a wonderful week!

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We had some definite challenges in the week. None of the schools in the area permitted us to recruit in the lunch rooms. On top of that, we just had some challenges getting the amount of contacts that we like to get in recruiting. Furthermore, we had additional logistical challenges like an off-site field for competitions that could have easily caused problems. Sufficed to say, before our first night of competition, we felt very, very weak. However, God was working behind the scenes and He delivered!

The first night, we had 88 teens attend the events. Things went smoothly throughout the night, team spirit was great, and 10 trusted Christ. The second night, our crowd increased to 112. Again, enthusiasm was tremendous, and 7 more trusted Christ.

The final night, we ran into some challenges with the weather. Rain drove us to compete inside for the first competition and was still coming down in sheets when it was time to go back outside for Tug O’ War over the mud pit. The scene was incredible–a busy highway below a muddy cliff, a strip of land at the top with just enough of a flat for the competition, torrents of rain pouring from the sky, lightning flashing from one corner of the sky to the other, 111 teens tugging on a 2-inch rope trying to pull the other team into a mud pit the consistency of concrete-mix. What a night! More exciting than the competitions, after the preaching, 7 more teens trusted Christ.

Overall, 143 teens attended and 24 of them trusted Jesus to save them during the week. For such a challenging start, God sure did show that He still delights in delivering those who admit that they are weak!

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We also were grateful for the Lord’s working in the Christian school. A week before the team was there, many of the seniors came to the Victory Conference at Falls Baptist Church (home church to Minutemen Ministries). It was neat to have some ministry with them during the conference and then have the week of Special Forces as well. God was working in many of the lives of the seniors and I understand several of them have given testimonies in school after the team left.

One upperclassman responded during the split session (the guys and girls are separate and the team captains preach to the guys), and before the team captain could even sit down he began to thank him profusely, “Thank you so much. You have no idea how good this feels!” He explained that he had given everything over to God’s keeping and now was free. He told the team captain how he had just made up his mind that he was to be a lawyer, but in all his plans he had never consulted the will of God. Now he had given it all to God for Him to decide what He wanted Him to do. What liberty he had found!

Perhaps the following quotation from one of the testimonies on Friday night epitomizes what the Lord was doing. “I’ve gotten right with those people that I needed to get right with and I’ve gotten right with God. And so I’m just sayin’ that today like I feel amazing! It’s like a huge burden came off my shoulders and it’s like I’m free, again!”

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As was the case the previous week, we encountered some spiritual opposition immediately upon stepping on the church property. However, we were not fooled this time, and we resisted it. God broke through and began opening doors wide. We were able to recruit in two lunch rooms. We had an excellent number of recruits by the time Saturday came around. We were expecting a harvest.

The first night came, and so did a good number of teens. We had 87 teens over the three nights. There were some very athletic young people at our event as well! I have never seen a more athletic game of Big Ball Volleyball and Basketball as I saw there! Sunday morning we had some heavy rains, so the field was very soft for our second night competitions. Basketball with the Big Ball turned the field into a slip and slide covered in two inches of thick mud. Sufficed to say, spoke tackle was messy. We had one large, athletic young man pushed over and he must have slid 10 feet! The young people got more muddy in spoke tackle than they did in the mud pit!

God did a great work all three nights in the preaching. The first night, we had 13 young people trust Christ as their Savior. The second night 5 were saved. The third night, I asked Michael to give his testimony. He gave it with power. After the invitation, 8 put their faith in Jesus alone! Praise the Lord, overall 26 teens got saved!!

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Christ, our spiritual example, introduces us to the Lord of the Harvest. What becomes obvious is that Christ is our example in every way. Christ is the ultimate soul-winner. You will not find a better soul-winner than Christ Himself.

A Vision For The Lost
(He saw the multitudes)

The first thing to note is Christ’s vision for the lost. Christ saw the multitudes. I remember reading an illustration a long time ago about a discouraged pastor who went to consult with D. L. Moody. This pastor was not seeing the results in his ministry that he wanted to see. Moody was in Chicago in a high-rise office building. The pastor met with Moody, and poured out his heart in regard to his discouragement. Then Moody asked the pastor to do something that seemed odd to the pastor. He asked him to go to the window, look out, and explain what he saw. The pastor did not understand this request, but he went to the window, looked out and explained that he saw cars, and streets and buildings. Moody said, “There’s your problem. You don’t see the lost people that are dying and going to hell.” We need a work of the Spirit in our own lives to have a vision of the lost and to develop soul-consciousness.

A Compassion For Souls
(He was moved with compassion)

The second thing to note about Christ again in Matthew 9 was that Christ was moved with compassion. Christ had a compassion for souls. An illustration who helped me understand this is an old story about a blacksmith who was a notorious atheist in a small town. Many people tried to witness to this man, but he was a devout atheist. God burdened a particular deacon’s heart in regard to this man, so the deacon began to pray. The deacon wanted to witness to the blacksmith, but before he went he practiced over and over the presentation of the gospel and the things he wanted to explain to the blacksmith. Finally, he drove his horse and carriage to the home of the blacksmith and knocked on the door. He began to go through his presentation, but before he could really start he broke down and began to weep. He was disgusted with himself, so he tried to regain his composure. Again he tried to witness to the blacksmith, and again he broke down in tears. He was so discouraged as he tried again a third time. Realizing that all he could do was weep, he turned around and walked away defeated. That Sunday morning, the blacksmith came to church. He listened to the preaching, and afterwards responded and asked the Lord to save him. The deacon that had tried to witness to the blacksmith went to speak with him and said, “I don’t understand. Why did you come to church today? Why did you get saved? Many people have come to talk to you and tried to witness to you. Why today?” And the blacksmith responded to the deacon, “No one ever witnessed to me like you did. You had compassion.”

Compassion does make a difference. I pray that we will have a vision for the lost, a soul-consciousness, and a compassion for those who are without Christ.

The Need For Laborers
(The laborers are few)

The third thing to note from Matthew 9:36-38 is that the laborers are few. There is a need for laborers. The Lord did not instruct his disciples to pray for a harvest. Christ said, ”’The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” God did not instruct the disciples to pray for the harvest, but to pray for laborers. There is nothing wrong with the harvest; the problem is with the laborers. Note that soul-winning is labor. It takes time to go. Today there is such little time spent soul,winning although it is such an important Bible principle and truth. I believe we spend more time eating than soul,winning. I believe some of us spend more time shaving than we do soul,winning. I would imagine there are some people who spend more time brushing their teeth than they do telling other people about Jesus Christ. Soul,winning is labor. It is a work. God has instructed us to pray for laborers to be raised up.

An Expectation of a Harvest
(The harvest truly is plenteous.)

The fourth thing to note from Matthew 9 is that the harvest truly is plenteous. We can expect a harvest! In John 4:4 in the story of the woman at the well, it says, “He must needs go through Samaria.” The Lord lived expecting a harvest. He knew that the  woman at the well would be saved, and that she would go back into the city and tell others. The Lord saw a tremendous harvest of souls there in Samaria. The Lord lived in expectation of a harvest.

After attending a recent FBF meeting, I was waiting in the airport to board the plane. My flight had been delayed an hour, and in that time I had begun a conversation with another pastor in the terminal and was thinking that it would be nice to continue that conversation on the plane. When we boarded the plane, it was very full. While I was waiting in my seat, I was wondering who would be assigned to the seat next to me as I was watching people come down the aisle. A young woman came down the aisle, and took the seat next to me. While I was thinking and worrying about how to start a conversation with her so I could witness, the woman fell asleep. I got out my New Testament, and these notes on soul-winning fell from my Bible. Soon the stewardess came down the aisle offering refreshments, and the young woman woke  up. She looked over at me and said, “Are you a minister?’ That made it easy for me to begin a conversation! The young woman opened her heart, I explained the whole plan of salvation, and while the plane descended she accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. We can live in expectation of a harvest. The Lord can work through us to see people saved.

The Preparation of the Harvest
(The Lord of the harvest)

The next thing I’d like you to note from Matthew 9 is the preparation of the harvest, or that the Lord is the Lord of the harvest. It is important to know that God is preparing a harvest. God is responsible for the harvest of souls. He is, in every generation, preparing a harvest of souls to be reaped. I don’t believe that this passage was exclusive to the day of Christ. I honestly believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. God was preparing a harvest in that  generation the same as he is preparing a harvest in every generation. To illustrate the preparation of the harvest, I’d like to tell you a story that happened recently in our church. There was a young man in our community who was debating whether or not to go to his high school reunion. He felt badly because he didn’t feel that he had accomplished in life what he had hoped to by this time. He was having some physical difficulties, and was very discouraged and depressed. There was a lady in our church also debating about whether to go to this same reunion. She finally decided to go and when she arrived she began talking to old friends. She wanted to be a good testimony and a witness. Following the reunion she had planned to get together with some friends from church but as the night wore on she realized she would be late. She called the house of her friends to let them know she would be late, and while she was on the phone the person on the other end asked if she was witnessing. She wasn’t, but she knew she ought to. After hanging up, she went back into the reunion and met the young man who also had debated whether to come or not. He explained the sorrowful and discouraging things that had happened in his life. The young woman knew that he needed to be saved so she gave him a tract. He went home that evening and read through that tract and began to weep. The next Sunday morning he came to church. Following the services our song-leader introduced himself to this young man, and explained the plan of salvation to him, and he accepted the Lord as his Savior. Just 70 days later, that young man died and went home to be with the Lord. During those 70 days he was faithfully in church. He had a burden for his family, and brought our song leader to meet his sister who also prayed to be saved. Those salvation decisions made a huge impact on that family. During the funeral, the young man’s father, who was not saved, testified that his son’s salvation decision had made a difference and greatly influenced his life for good.

This is the Lord of the Harvest preparing the harvest. Can you see the orchestration? Can you see the young, discouraged, empty man? Can you see the Lord use a young woman to give him a tract? Can you see God dealing and working through that tract? Can you see God bringing that young man to church? Can you see a church worker being soul conscious and witnessing to that young man? Can you see that young man being saved, and impacting his entire family? And, 70 days later God took him home. That is the Lord of the Harvest. There are many that God is preparing for the harvest.

Matthew 16:18 says, “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I know that we’ve read these verses over and over again, but there was a time in my life that I was so frustrated with soul,winning that when I read, “I will build my church” it changed my life. I understood that I didn’t have to do it. The Lord said that He would build His church. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” I took the principle from this passage that no matter how hard I labored I would labor in vain unless the Lord built the house. God drove that truth deep into my heart that it was His responsibility and not mine. What a relief! What a joy! What an exciting truth.

I Corinthians 3:6,7 says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” It is a tremendous comfort, and a transformation in my life to realize that God is responsible, and that God is preparing a harvest. However, we must be very careful that we do not place blame for the failure of people being saved on God, but on our unbelief and on our lack of dependence upon the Lord of the Harvest. I wonder how many people have died because we did not believe that the Lord was preparing a harvest. John 4:35 says, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” We must believe that God is right now preparing people to be saved because He is the Lord of the harvest.

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Our week began with somewhat of an unusual spiritual heaviness and lethargy. After a day or two of confusion and dryness, our team recognized the hiss of the serpent and asked God for specific deliverance from his devices. An obvious lift occurred in our spirits. Following this breakthrough, God began to do a real work, as you shall see by the following accounts.

On the first night, God moved in the preaching and a number of young people came back in the invitation. One young lady spoke through tears as she told me what God had done for her moments before. In an unexpected turn of events later that night, her mom went into the hospital with chest pains and vomiting. She was kept in the hospital throughout the next day, but insisted that she and her brother go to The War, even though she was still being hospitalized. That next night, her brother got up at the very end before the invitation and tried to walk out. My wife stopped him and encouraged him to stay as the service was almost over. He stayed and ended up responding in the invitation. He was under conviction and I believe that is why he tried to walk away. Monday night, this same young man brought a friend and encouraged him to respond to the invitation, he even walked him back to the counseling room! His friend was saved as well that night.

The final night, two young men walked in after the competitions were over. They got some food and stayed for the inside competition. Humanly, when the young people have not been involved in the competitions, it is hard for them to be as “plugged in” to the inside events. Even so, one of them responded in the invitation and the other one responded to one of our team member’s one-on-one confrontation afterward. Both of them were saved! Before they left, one of them said to their team captain, “You know, I know this sounds bad, but we really only came for the food, but am I sure glad we came now!”

Pastor Cover has his hands full in following up with the 24 young people that trusted Christ this past week, but he is bound and determined to do everything he can to reach out to these young people and their families. To God’s glory, even already, many of those who were saved expressed interest in discipleship and in attending church. Praise the Lord!

Also, the competitions were close all week long! Navy won the first night by just a couple thousand points. The second night, Army barely won the night, surpassing Navy by 800 points. However, on the final night right before the final score was posted, the score was a dead tie. There was only two more opportunities to be awarded points for the entire week. Each team had two opportunities to guess a digit that was going to be in their final score. A correct guess would get them 500 points added to their score. Navy got both of their guesses correct, but Army only got one out of the two right, which secured a Navy victory at 49,300 to 48,800. Unbelievable!!

The post The War Week #2 – Humble, TX appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.

The students were into the week from the start. The Rangers jumped out early, but on Wednesday the Recon team took the lead. Although both Rangers and Seals made a decent comeback attempt on Friday night they were turned back by the victorious Recon team.

On Wednesday several teens in the school responded to the message on Bitterness. On Friday about two-thirds of the students responded when we gave an invitation for those who had responded to the Lord during the week and knew they needed Christ’s strength for the decision to last. We had a wonderful prayer time as some of the students prayed about their need.

We did not have as many lost attend as we would have liked, but we were thankful for those who did and responded to the Lord. One young man who responded to the Gospel invitation told me he had never heard the message of salvation before. He got saved and the next day came back with a Bible his grandmother had bought for him! Another young man got saved and the next day was in the hospital with an appendectomy attack!

On Friday, many of the young people gave testimonies. When we started the testimonies, it looked like we were only going to have a few, but more young people kept coming and in the end we went for at least 30 minutes with testimonies of dealing with bitterness and other issues. The Lord was definitely working in hearts.

We are looking forward to March of 2015 when the War of Special Forces will return to Calvary Baptist Church in Greer, SC.

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All of us are familiar with the command God has given each one of us to “be filled with the Spirit.” What we may not readily remember is that this mandate is followed by five participles. Each of these participles hinges off the verb “be filled.” There is a language link here. I believe they are participles of result. Perhaps a Greek scholar would argue for another usage, but that is not the point. The action of “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” is related to being “filled with the Spirit.” In other words, Spirit-filled believers are involved with “spiritual songs.”

One of the earmarks of a Spirit-filled believer is that his music is spiritual and not carnal. Often in the New Testament the word “spiritual” is contrasted with the word “carnal.” Obviously when God by inspiration put the adjective “spiritual” on the noun “songs,” it was for a reason. Spirit-filled people are not involved with carnal, fleshly or sensual songs especially in a worship context. They are involved in singing “spiritual songs.” Someone might well ask, “What is spiritual music and what is fleshly music?” Simply put, spiritual music appeals to the spirit and fleshly music appeals to the flesh. Why does a barroom use the music it does? It is because that music is consistent with its appeal to the flesh. Why does a nightclub use the music it does? It is for the same reason. Think how humorous it is to imagine John Phillips Souza playing in a barroom. The music is obviously inconsistent with the atmosphere. In 1975 Time magazine did a poll of 1,000 unmarried girls in North Florida. The poll “revealed 984 of the 1,000 unmarried girls sampled had become pregnant listening to pop songs during fornication, of course.” That is astounding! The tragedy is the pop style of the 70′s is what is being played in our churches. And as a result the flesh is being fed right in our churches. Of course this is not new. In Exodus 32 you find the golden calf incident. The New Testament calls it idolatry. Why was it called idolatry? I Corinthians 10:7 answers that question. “Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Note what God called idolatry. It was not the making of the golden calf. It was their sensuality in the context of worship. “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Remember, this was “a feast to the Lord.” Folks, when we bring the flesh and sensuality into so-called worship, it is idolatry!

That means if one is involved in listening to or performing or singing sensual, carnal music, he is not Spirit filled. That is God’s Word. People “filled with the Spirit” use “spiritual songs.” One might say, “Well, I went to this Christian concert and one hundred teens were saved. How can that be wrong?” Or, “I feel so close to God after listening to this music. How can it be wrong?” And the answer is obvious. It does not matter how we feel or what are the visible results. Objective truth of God’s Word supersedes the vacillating subjective experiences of man.

One may be sincere. He may be genuine. But if he is involved with carnal songs, he is not filled with the Spirit, and therefore he is not spiritual. You see, you can judge a person’s spirituality by their music. Ephesians 5:18-19 tells us so.

The post You Can’t Judge Someone’s Spirituality by Their Music or Can You? appeared first on Minutemen Ministries.