DISCIPLESHIP: GOD'S HEART REGARDING THE GREAT COMMISSION

By: Tim Bauer, Pastor

MAKING DISCIPLES ... ARE WE?

   One of the last instructions Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended to the right hand of the Father is found in Matthew 28:18-20. He said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

   The Greek word that is used for making disciples in this passage is "matheteuo", which means "to make a disciple, to teach, to instruct". Jesus never commanded us to make converts, that is His job. We share the good news of the Gospel, and the Lord gives birth in their hearts through His word of truth (see James 1:18). He then turns to those of us who are already following Him and says, "Raise these little lambs for Me." This is seen in John 11 where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Verse 44 says, "He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings (grave clothes); and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them (those standing nearby), "Unbind him, and let him go."

   The disciples standing nearest to the new Christian have been given the responsibility of caring for, and nurturing the Lord’s new born lamb to maturity. We are to help them remove the “death wraps”. Like a newborn infant, immediate care is crucial. According to their past, some require more help than others. All of this is determined after those who are called come forth by the living word of the Lord. If we do not assist in unbinding them, they will continue to stumble and fall in a state of immaturity. As a whole, I believe that we, the church, have neglected our God given responsibility. Much of this is due to the lack of teaching by those in leadership positions within the Body of Christ.

   As a pastor of a new fellowship, I have been very concerned about our readiness in taking care of new converts. What will we do with new believers birthed in the flock? How will we handle taking care of them? What about those who have been believers for awhile, but were never discipled? The Lord has been revealing to me some powerful truths that I would like to share with you. Let me start by asking you a question. As a parent, would you entrust your children with someone who you knew would not take good care of them, and might possibly even abuse them? Of course not. It is my belief that the Heavenly Father, who is the wisest of all parents, will not entrust His children with these types of people either. A group of believers who have no concern for discipleship will not be receiving many new converts. They can't be entrusted with them. The Lord specifically told Peter three times in John 21:15-17 that if we love Him we will show it by tending to His sheep.

   In Genesis 24, Abraham sent out his servant to look for a bride for his son, Isaac. This unnamed, humble servant had proven himself to be faithful because Abraham had put him in charge of everything he owned. Isaac is an Old Testament picture of Christ because two chapters earlier he had been raised from the dead, so to speak, when a ram was sacrificed in his place. In chapter 24, the father sends out the trusted servant to look for a bride for his “resurrected” son. This is what’s happening today. Proven servants, ones who can be entrusted with the Father’s authority, are being sent out with “gifts” looking for this bride of Jesus. He will guide them by His Holy Spirit to the ones who will receive what the servants bring. Only the Lord knows who they are. We could waste a lot of time and energy looking for them by ourselves. In a divine appointment, led by the Holy Spirit, the willing disciple and the trusted servant’s paths cross.

   Once they are found, and choose to willingly follow the servant back to the Master, they need to be taught who He is and what He is like. This is called the process of discipleship. On the way, there will be many questions from these new disciples that we are to answer for them so that when they draw near to Him they will be familiar with Him, like Rebekah. All disciple-makers need to be careful that on the way to the Master they don’t gain the new disciple’s allegiance. We must always point to Christ, and not look for any self-glorification. When we arrive, there will be great joy as we present them to their Bridegroom, pure and spotless.

   A different story is told in Ezekiel 16. The Lord is crying out through the prophet against the unfaithfulness of those living in Jerusalem. They had forgotten what the Lord had graciously done for them. He tells them in verses 4-6, “As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!'”

   Unfortunately, some of our disciples are like this when they first come to Christ. No one is there to have pity on them and help cleanse them through the washing of water by the word. They are just left alone to defend for themselves. In this same chapter you see God’s people abusing the gifts that were given to them by the Lord, as they grew up, for their own glory. How many times have we seen or heard of God’s servants using the gifts that He gave them to manipulate others and gain a name for themselves? It is a great temptation that will prove our faithfulness. We must be very careful how we handle what the Lord has entrusted to us. Our newborns need our giftings to help them grow in the true knowledge and understanding of the Lord.

   As if this wasn’t enough, later on in the chapter they are accused by the Lord of spiritual adultery and child abuse. He says to them in verses 20-21, “Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children, and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.” What are we doing with the Lord’s children? Are we sacrificing His children for some idol in our lives? In some cases, we have turned our back on them, making us guilty of spiritual abuse and abandonment. We must come to their aid before it’s too late and the Lord demands us to give an account.

   The fact is the majority of believers in the church are not being closely discipled by anyone after turning to Christ. Is it any wonder that we have so many drifting away from the faith, falling into all kinds of error and foolishness? We have been guilty of spiritual neglect and abandonment with the Lord’s little lambs. We must repent and then obey the Lord's command of getting involved with the process of making disciples. To disciple someone does not mean handing them a book or pamphlet and telling them to read it with no intentions of follow-up. It involves hands-on work with a commitment to their maturity that will cost some of your time and schedule. It is an apprenticeship kind of learning where the new student is taught by a more learned craftsman in a practical on-the-job type of training.

   In his letters, Paul often spoke of following his example of the way the Christian life should be lived out. He said in Philippians 4:9, "The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you." Could you and I ask others to look at our lives and then do as we do? If not, we need to repent. To Paul, teaching was never a matter of speaking only, but of modeling that teaching in his life to show new believers how it was to be worked out in their every day life.

   My wife, Shelley, is a parent educator in the “Parents As Teachers” program within our local schools. They know and teach the importance of early interaction between children and their parents, especially from birth to three years old. An incredible amount of brain development occurs within this time period. Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience have revealed that brain connections develop especially fast in the first three years of life in response to stimuli, such as someone talking to, singing to, reading to or playing with the infant or toddler. If children do not have these early interactive experiences, they end up with learning difficulties due to the lack of proper neural connections being made within the brain. This process is called "the wiring of the brain" and it is very much influenced by these experiences within the family structure. Society then ends up spending millions of dollars in programs to fix what could have been avoided through the proper training of both parent and child.

   Now, let’s apply this to the church. When we do not disciple our new converts, the majority inevitably end up with many "learning disabilities" that we try to fix with different "programs". Many even fall away from the faith due to our parental neglect. Recent studies tell us that the single biggest factor in a child's health development is the quality of parenting. I will get more in depth into this subject in the next portion of this writing. Our spiritual children MUST be discipled. This is not, nor ever has been, an option. We, the church family, will give an account to Him who has entrusted us with His children. Seeing the problem, let’s work together and seek the counsel of the Lord for the proper answer. We must not delay anymore. Our spiritual children need us to quickly respond for their spiritual health and well being.

 Early Interaction

   As I previously stated, my wife is a parent educator within our local school system. There have been times over the past few years when she has come home all excited over some new information she just learned concerning some type of recent research in the field of neuroscience and its connection with a child’s well being. I must admit that at first I didn’t quite share the same excitement as her about neural pathway development or synapses connections, whatever that was, but was glad to see that she was so passionate about her work. The more we talked though, the more the Holy Spirit began to reveal some incredible truths in the spiritual world paralleling all of this confusing terminology. I began to see something within all of this directly relating to the process of making disciples that made me excited also. I do not claim to be any type of expert in the field of neuroscience, but I do believe that if you will carefully meditate on these insights that the Holy Spirit will begin to open your eyes to see “great and mighty things you do not know.”

   In a speech at the George Hull Centre Annual General Meeting in Canada on June 18, 2001, Margaret Norrie McCain, co-author of “The Early Years Report” shared some interesting facts and insights that I would like to draw from concerning discipleship. In the beginning portion of her speech, she states that “the technology we welcomed with open arms- computers, faxes, emails, voicemails, cell phones- have not eased the burden on human performances. On the contrary, they have placed increased pressure on human productivity and capability. The drive to produce more; to produce better; to produce faster and to produce cheaper, forces men and women to work harder, longer and more intensely in order to stay ahead of the competition.”

   All of this has had serious repercussions on the stability of the family structures within our nation. The more we try to get ahead, the more stress we are placing on our relationships with spouses, children and friends. McCain states, “Never before have parents been so stressed and stretched. One of the greatest concerns expressed to us by parents during the Early Years Report was the challenge of finding a balance between work and family.” Every American parent who cares about their family would agree with this statement. There is a “busy-ness” amongst most in our society, both in and out of the church, which is destroying the overall stability and well being of many of our vulnerable children. Unstable children can lead to unstable adults if no one intervenes in their behalf. We are then faced with multiple problems and issues in our society and churches that could have been relieved, if not eradicated, at an early age with proper care and intervention. Millions of dollars and energy are being allocated toward “fixing” the damage that now inflicts so many. How did this all happen and is there a parallel in the spiritual realm?

The First Three Years

   The article goes on to say that “up until 10 or 15 years ago, it was believed that the architecture of the brain was set at birth by a person’s individual genetic programming and that a child’s experiences before the age of three had limited impact on his or her later development.” Recent studies now prove that the brain is not fully formed at birth. A tremendous amount of brain development occurs from conception to year three, making this a crucial time period in every child’s life. It is a window of opportunity that can have grave consequences in their future if left abandoned or ignored. Like every child, new converts need someone to come alongside them and lead them in the paths of righteousness. Within the church today, our spiritual orphans and homeless testify against us. Left to themselves, without any Godly nurturing or support, many have wandered away from the faith disillusioned and discouraged. When someone falls away from the faith, we sometimes blame them for their lack of commitment and then justify our lack of interaction by saying, “the reason they left us was because they were never really of us.” Maybe they were like those disciples in John 6 who quit following Jesus when He confronted them with an all or nothing commitment, but maybe it was our lack of commitment to them that added to their flight.

   Unfortunately, not that many people in the church were closely discipled by someone during the first three crucial years of their Christian life when so many new spiritual connections are forming a foundation within them. Without proper nurturing and guidance, led by the Holy Spirit through a loving relationship between disciple and disciple-maker, abnormal connections can easily develop, manifesting themselves in many strange ways. Our enemy knows the vulnerability of new converts who, because of their great love, can sometimes be easily influenced by a fine sounding argument from just about anyone who appears to be more “spiritual” then themselves. Like children, they can be extremely naïve and trusting of just about anyone who comes along with “a word from the Lord” for them. 

   The right pattern was set by our Master at the very beginning of the New Testament. Jesus public ministry was approximately three years long during which He closely discipled twelve men. It’s amazing that at the most crucial time of our spiritual infant’s lives we practically leave them alone to defend for themselves, with little or no genuine concern for their welfare. The first few years of a person’s being birthed in Christ is when we often spend the least amount of time teaching and caring for them. We get them busy doing “good things” that distract them, and us, like Martha from the most important thing which is obeying the command of Jesus to love and feed His little lambs and make disciples. We must lead by example to those who are observing and repent of our sin of apathy and neglect.

   In Luke 13, Jesus told a parable about a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. After three years he came looking for fruit on it but found none. Verses 7-9 tell us, “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

   The man who owns a vineyard represents Jesus. The vineyard-keeper is all of us, not just the pastor, who are already in the body of Christ. He interceded for the fig tree when the man was about ready to cut it down. It’s interesting to note that the time period for when it should have been producing fruit was three years. I believe that this is the plan of God for us too, as revealed in the scriptures. The vineyard-keeper asked for one more year of “digging and fertilizing” which represents the process of discipleship. How many “fruit trees” in the Lord’s vineyard have been, and will be, cut down for lack of fruit bearing?

   In Paul’s farewell address to the elders of the church in Ephesus, he warned them in Acts 20:28-31, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”

   He was warning these leaders in the church to protect the sheep that he had discipled for a period of three years from those who would try to come and harm them. It is our responsibility to watch over and protect those within our midst, especially the newborn converts, among whom the devil prowls about. He is looking to devour those who have wandered from the safety and protection of the flock.

   The book of Daniel tells us of the capture of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He chose some of the more handsome and intelligent young men to serve in his court. Among those chosen were Daniel and his three Hebrew friends. Daniel 1:5 tells us, “And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service.” They could not enter the king’s service until a three year period of training that involved daily food and wine straight from the king’s table. All disciples chosen by the Lord must also spend some time eating and drinking that which comes directly from our King’s table. It is our education period called discipleship, and it prepares us for the time when we will be called to serve before the King. The church must quickly begin to recognize the awesome responsibility given to us by the Lord in the development of His children and then fully commit to its completion. Our children’s future service depends upon it.

Neurons, Synapses, and Brain Development

   Within the human body, the nervous system includes vast circuits of delicate cells that are incredibly interconnected. The brain, spinal cord, and nerves throughout the body are made up of one kind of cell. These nerve cells are called neurons. Their specific function is to allow our brains to learn, reason, and remember. Through the activity of neurons, the body responds and adjusts to changes in the environment. The importance of their development, and ability to function properly, becomes quite obvious.

   Neuroscience research now shows us that a baby is born with billions of neurons that will, over the first three to four years, form trillions of connections called synapses to form eight neural pathways. It is interesting to me that reading is especially important because it stimulates five to eight of the pathways. Remember this with our new converts to Christ and the development of their new spiritual pathways. We must encourage them to read the scriptures, stimulating the proper growth and development of their inner man.

   According to Harriet Shaklee, an extension family development specialist at the University of Idaho, “Synaptic development in the prefrontal cortex, the site of higher-level cognition, takes place over a longer period, peaking at one year, but continuing strong through much of adolescence. Over the teenage years, unused synapses are “pruned”, i.e., eliminated, to result in a leaner organizational structure- cerebral downsizing, if you will.” These synapses are selectively eliminated or amplified in large part as a result of experiences the infant undergoes. This is true for the infant Christian as well.

   Jesus said in John 15:2, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.” The pruning process of God is for those who are already producing some fruit. It gives us the ability to produce an even greater amount, with higher quality. Unnecessary connections in our hearts must be removed due to their hindering nature in our spiritual growth. When necessary, the Lord allows us to go through certain trials for the purpose of pruning. We must sometimes be cut back in order to go forward.

   While infants come into the world with plenty of these cells, to function properly they must get connected to each other. It is the experiences of everyday life that prompts this critical developmental process. In the body of Christ it is also vitally important that each person become connected to each other in order for the body to function properly. This must be taught verbally and then modeled to our new converts. They must be shown the importance of the Body of Christ living out the many “one-another” commands contained within the scriptures. These committed connections to each other for a healthy body produce the correct manifestation of Christ to the world.

   Within the human body, these new brain cell connections form the brain’s physical “maps” that govern such things as vision, language, and hearing. When these pathways are not properly connected through positive stimuli, the result, if not corrected early, is many learning disabilities with abnormal responses. The synapses, or connections, develop especially fast in the first three years of life in response to stimuli such as someone talking to, singing to, reading to, or playing with the infant or toddler. How we react to future life experiences, apart from the intervention of the Spirit of God, is largely determined by the pathway that is established in our brain through early experiences. This is why proper early interaction, and more important, positive parental involvement, is absolutely critical for our children and society.

   It is the same in the church. Neglecting the commands of Christ concerning the nurturing and care of our “toddlers” has resulted in many learning and reasoning deficiencies (lack of discernment) amongst our disciples. When difficult experiences occur in young Christians lives that are a direct result of following Jesus, they can miss the purposes of God that are there for their growth due to the lack of development in their “sensory abilities”. No one is close enough to help them learn more quickly what is happening, and why.

   Because of their new relationship to the Lord, they do not “sense” the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives as He conforms them to the image of Christ. This will always involve some purposeful, fiery trials sent by God that are necessary to burn off the fleshly nature and break down our stubborn wills. It can make even the more mature wonder what is going on at times. If no one is there to explain and guide them through, they will most likely begin to become discouraged or even fall away from the faith.

   If this is the case with you or someone you know, and you don’t know what to do next, there is good news. Healing the adverse affects of neglect from our childhood, and early Christian experiences, may be impossible for man, but nothing is impossible for God. He is more then able to restore what the enemy has robbed from you through deception. Deceiving, or seducing spirits in the Body are there to keep us in a state of immaturity. They use manipulation and control to keep us from growing up in Christ. As with a child, they are then able to keep us under them. When we grow up into Christ we will be strong and wise enough, like an adult, to expose their lies. Satan fears this because of the consequences to his kingdom. Ephesians 4:13-15 speaks of the building up of the body of Christ, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” It is at this point that Satan will be cast down from his heavenly control over mankind.

   According to an article titled “Brain Development In Infancy”, “Information flows easily into the brain through “windows” that open for varying duration. These windows of development occur in phases from birth to age twelve when the brain is very actively learning from the environment. It is during this period, and especially the first three years, that the foundations for thinking, language, vision, attitudes, aptitudes, and other characteristics are laid down. As these windows close, much of the fundamental architecture of the brain is completed.” Spiritually, the Lord can open another window of opportunity for those of His children who were never taught the “foundational” truths at birth. For those who truly want to be set free, the Holy Spirit will guide them into the truth they need.

   The proper growth of the Body involves purposeful dedication and commitment by those whom the Lord originally called to get involved. Brothers and sisters that is you and me! We need to seek the Lord for His direction in doing what is most important. If it involves dropping something “good” to do what is “best”, then let go of it and let’s gather around our spiritual children. They desperately need us to show them some genuine love and concern. If we don’t move close to them, our enemy lurks nearby looking for an opportune moment to move in with all of his lies and deception.

Quality Child Care

   In a report on a video called “In Our Hands”, several factors were listed that affected family child care quality. The video focused attention on “the harmful effects of poor quality child care on infants and identifies critically important steps our society needs to take to improve infant care.” They stated that quality appeared to be higher in settings in which the providers were trained. There are many in the church today that should have been already active in discipleship, but were never properly discipled themselves. They, as “caregivers”, will need to be trained first before they can properly care for others. Training for new disciples as well as disciple-makers needs to be considered. We need both to take place to insure that disciple-makers disciple others in a way pleasing to the Lord.

   The video also stated that “intentionality” was identified as an important factor. Intentionality was referred to as “the group of family child care providers in the sample who are committed to caring for children, who seek out opportunities to learn more about child care and education, and who seek out the company of other providers to learn from them.” All of these obviously apply to the church as well. Our commitment to the Lord’s children is directly in proportion to our commitment to Him. There is no way that we can be committed to the Lord and not His body. If we are not caring for the young disciples closest to us, we are selfishly deceived, serving our own interests first before the Lord’s. We must continue to seek out the counsel of the Lord regarding the care and nurture of His children, listening for His word of knowledge and understanding to come through others in the body also.

   They went on to say that “this type of responsive care helps infants feel secure and supports healthy development.” Is it any wonder that there is so much sickness and insecurity in the church today in the United States? Could this lack of true intimacy, or communion, among the body be the reason that “many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep? (1 Corinthians 11:30)” May the Holy Spirit reveal the truth and convict us to act before it’s too late.

   Another interesting insight involves what they call “primary care”. It involves the assignment of caregivers to specific infants in a group setting. “The primary caregiver is the person who is mainly responsible for the child, builds a relationship with the child’s family, and most often carries out day-to-day routines with the child. The relationship is not exclusive, another caregiver or two may also care for the child, but it is a special one. With primary care, programs are structured so that the infants know that someone who understands them well is emotionally available for comfort and nurturance.”

   Within the church, the Holy Spirit will assign us to certain “infants” to build a close relationship with. They are determined by the Lord. As above, others will also come along side the new disciple, but yours will be a special relationship. They need to know that, until they grow up, they can depend on you to be there for them when necessary. It is a great joy to watch them mature, and then in turn, disciple others.

   An important term also explained in the video is “the policy of continuity of care”. Once a primary care relationship is established for an infant, “this ensures that programs will attempt to keep caregivers and children together throughout the three years of the infancy period. This policy prevents the child from repeatedly grieving the loss of a caregiver that results from being switched from one caregiver to another. An additional benefit of continuity is that the children develop strong friendships with each other.”

   Once again, the importance of the first three years is emphasized in a newborn’s proper development. Not being bounced around from leader to leader is also very important. When our new converts feel neglected, they begin to look elsewhere, trying to find a place they can call home. Some begin the never ending journey of “church-hopping”, hoping to find that right place that feels safe. It all affects their future outlook on the church and the way they view relationships within the family of God. Often, they end up with problems “bonding” to other family members in the church, not seeing the “one-anothers” modeled in a positive way.

   Staying put for awhile in a “safe” environment also helps them to develop strong relationships with one another. It all plays a vital role in the understanding of the vertical and horizontal relationships when in covenant with the Lord. When you come to Christ, you not only enter into a binding covenant with Christ, but also with His body, the church. A dysfunctional church family creates abnormal thinking processes that affect all relationships in the future, if not delivered from.

   There are those who leave the family of God because they are rebellious children, just as there are in the world, even when all is right in their situation. In these instances we need the heart of Samuel towards the rebellious children of Israel. When they wanted to have a king like the rest of the nations around them, God gave them Saul. Their rejection of God being king over them grieved Samuel, but he told them in 1 Samuel 12:23, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” We need to be in prayer over those who have walked away from the "caregivers” given to them by the Lord for their proper spiritual development.

   Samuel’s birth holds another Biblical example of discipleship. His mother, Hannah, was barren for years bringing her much grief. Not only was her soul grieved over not being able to bear children, but her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, would also taunt her because of her condition. 1 Samuel 1:6-7 says that Peninnah “would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. And it happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her, so she wept and would not eat.” The shame of her barrenness caused her to become more drastic in her actions.

   In her distress, Hannah cried out to the Lord and wept bitterly. She made a vow and said in verse 11, “O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget Thy maidservant, but wilt give Thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head." Oh that we would be more like Hannah, praying and fasting with all of our hearts for the Lord to give us children!

   The Lord rewarded her seeking of Him with all of her heart by giving her a little boy, Samuel, whom she gave to the Lord, just as she had promised. But she did not give the boy to the Lord right away. The Bible tells us in verses 21-23 that her husband “went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever." And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word." So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.”

   According to ancient Jewish customs, the boy was probably weaned around the age of three. In an article titled “Weaning: What Does It Mean?”, it is stated that “weaning is a journey from one relationship to another. The Hebrew word for wean is gamal, meaning "to ripen." In ancient times, when children were breastfed until two or three years of age, it was a joyous occasion when a child weaned. It meant the child was filled with the basic tools of the earlier stages of development and secure and ready to enter the next stage of development. A child who is weaned before his time may show anger, aggression, habitual tantrum-like behavior, anxious attachment to caregivers, and an inability to form deep and intimate relationships. We call these traits diseases of premature weaning.” I wonder how many of our infants in the church have “diseases of premature weaning”?

   The “basic tools” of the earlier stages in spiritual infancy are also necessary for a child of the Lord to enter the next stage of spiritual development. In the church, we need to be as determined as Hannah was to stay with her child until our “newborn” infants are ready to move on in their next spiritual stage of growth. That growth from one stage to the next, by the way, is not to be determined by us, but by the Lord. He knows perfectly well when His children are ready to move on into deeper things. As with the Israelites, this should be a joyous time as we observe the growth in others lives. We shouldn’t try to be controlling parents who don’t know when to let go of their children, but rather rejoice with them as the Lord moves them on into greater depths of spiritual freedom within Himself. Genesis 21:8 tells how Abraham held a great celebration the day his son Isaac was weaned. It says, “And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.” In a healthy relationship, growth and maturity are to be praised. We are to raise up our spiritual infants, longing for the day when they will be able to walk on their own.

   I find it fascinating that the world sees this need to closely nurture an infant while the church appears to be in the dark concerning the care of our spiritual children. Blindness to our true condition is evidence that a form of judgment is already upon us. Like the Pharisees, having eyes to see, we do not see. As the Lord began to unravel all this before me, I wondered to myself why we now have to look at the world to understand these things when they should have been looking at us as we, instead, modeled it for them to observe and learn from! We serve the God of the universe who is all-knowing, with wisdom beyond man’s ability to comprehend. They should have been asking us for advice. In all honesty, respect is something that we in recent years, with all of our scandals and flat out foolishness, have not earned from them.

   In Deuteronomy 28, the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land. The Lord was warning them concerning the importance of walking in obedience. The first 14 verses are all about the blessings of obedience. The next 54 verses are all about the curses of disobedience. One of the blessings of obedience was that the Lord would make them the head and not the tail concerning their influence over those other nations living around them. The opposite would prevail if they began to walk in disobedience. Today, the church has become the tail in this nation, looking to the world’s models on how to do things. The world’s now the head, out in front leading us in their ways and methods. This is proof that we have rejected, as a whole, the Lord as being King over us. We are living in disobedience to our Lord’s commands and ways. We must quickly repent, before the judgment arrives and it’s too late. Time is quickly running out. His merciful light is quickly fading in our midst.

Environmental Factors

   Healthy environments and positive experiences are critical factors in the establishment of healthy neural pathways within our bodies. So are they within our spirits. Society used to hold the assumption that all infants are born with a fixed intellectual capacity. It was assumed that most children are born with average learning capacities, while a few are born with either enhanced or limited capacities to learn. New research, however, shows that much of the “wiring” of the brain’s neurons comes after birth, as previously stated, and depends on the experiences infants and children have.

   Brain development continues at a high rate until around age eight or ten and then slows, suggesting that there is an optimal time for certain cognitive (thinking) functions to be established. Even though an infant cannot speak, their brain is developing in response to sounds in their environment, creating within them a structure that allows them first to comprehend language, and then speak. According to the environment in any church, the new converts begin to develop a structure within them also to comprehend all the new language, and then to speak out. This is why the first step in discipling should always be to teach new Christians the vital importance of dependence upon the Holy Spirit to interpret His word. This involves learning to listen to His voice, and then to speak as He leads us to. James 1:19 reminds us, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” There would be much less “vain babbling” going on in our meetings if this was taught and observed.

   Recent research has also revealed the importance of “interactive” environments in the development of the brain and neural connections. Children who are placed in an environment where their only stimulation comes from a television set or a computer do not develop the proper reasoning skills due to the lack of interaction and hands-on experiences. This is a major problem within many churches in the United States. Our experience in church is normally one where a pastor or Sunday school teacher stands in front of everyone, in a monologue situation, with little or no chance for interacting. If, as a new believer, this is the only interaction with the body of Christ that you encounter, “learning deficits” are sure to develop, hindering your growth in Christ.

   For instance, the gift of discernment is developed quicker through experiences that you are helped through by a more seasoned brother or sister. Your reaction to adverse situations, unfamiliar to you in this new walk, needs Godly guidance and nurturing to ensure healthy spiritual growth. Not that the corporate setting is wrong, but this is all many ever know or experience in any type of group setting. The home church movement, which is growing in this nation, is beginning to force, for the better, how we look at this. With it’s usually more interactive setting, all become involved, ministering to one another, growing in their gifts as the Bible teaches.

   Small groups have the structure which allows for much more spiritual intimacy and group interaction, which is what true Biblical fellowship is all about. If you are not involved in some type of small group, interacting with fellow believers, your growth will be stunted to a large degree. Learning abilities are greatly enhanced as the body interacts with one another. It will produce the proper spiritual connections needed to stimulate learning of our new, and old, converts. We are to humbly learn from one another lest pride and arrogance are allowed to control others in our midst. It can create learning disabilities in many disciples who never have to think or speak as they routinely sit in a dumb stupor under this type of teaching environment. My own personal belief is that we have this all backwards. Instead of the large corporate setting being the driving force for small groups, I believe that we should meet in small groups that empower the corporate setting. The intimacy developed within the small groups will carry over to the large setting, creating a much more Biblical fellowship where Christ is exalted through His many-membered body.

   The Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia”. It is also interpreted as “communion” or “to communicate”. The literal definition means “partnership, joint participation, social intercourse, community”. There is no way for this to happen in any meaningful way in the big group setting. Is it any wonder that there is so little real intimacy between the members of the body? The present leadership within many churches doesn’t teach or even know, in some instances, these basic truths. In fact, they might even be offended by this statement. I am reminded of the time in Matthew 15 when Jesus called the religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees, hypocrites. His disciples then came up to Him and said, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

   Concerning the vital importance of small groups, the video “In Our Hands” states that “group size influences the quality of infant’s experience in child care in numerous ways. In a small group there are fewer distractions, and the children’s activities are focused. It is easy for children to be heard and understood.” I can testify to this. In our small fellowship group, I have watched “children” who came in not saying much, gain new confidence in themselves and the Lord as they began to interact with others, feeling safe to share without being belittled. Some of these are people who have been in the church for years, but were never in an environment to be stimulated towards growing up in Christ.

   They go on to say that “infants are better able to develop a strong relationship with their primary caregiver, and the caregiver has the flexibility to manage the needs of all the children.” This becomes very obvious especially within the “mega-church” setting. There is simply no way that one man can adequately care for thousands of sheep. They most often appoint this personal side to other under-shepherds, who are assigned the care of the flock. The ratio of leaders to followers can be quite large and burdensome due to a lack of quality leadership people. Due to the need for someone to “fill-a-spot”, there is the danger of these key positions being filled by those who are not called by God. Getting people to get “plugged-in” to small groups is most often difficult, especially those who have been used to a non-interactive system for years. Due to the deadness developed within their hearts over a long period of time, they are much more difficult to teach then the new converts. Useless religious traditions with no Biblical basis have deep roots within them, hardening their spiritual arteries which in turn plug the flow of the life of Christ in their lives.

   The report also states that “the younger the infant, the more crucial having only a few people to relate to becomes. For young infants, a small group provides a feeling of protection that encourages exploration. It is not surprising that every major research study on the quality of care for infants and toddlers has shown that small group size is a key factor.” Did you notice how they state that a small group appears to encourage exploration which comes through the feeling of protection? Encouraging the freedom to discover new things in a child’s life provides a good foundation for continued learning.

   According to an article entitled, “Freedom To Discover”, there are “great differences between parents and caregivers who encourage and share the toddler’s curiosity about the environment and those who are indifferent or who stifle the child’s impulse to peek, peer, or poke into interesting openings…The mother or caregiver who observes the child with interest in the child’s-eye view of the world finds delight in his or her unexpected and original ideas.” We need to be encouraging our new converts instead of stifling their new discoveries in the Lord with a “we’re the experts here” attitude. Nothing will shut their mouths, and hearts, quicker then when they feel looked-down upon, or belittled by those over them. When they feel like no one cares or takes them seriously, they will begin to build protective walls that may never come down. Developing a close relationship with others becomes too risky in their minds, making it safer to just keep quiet, never coming to their full potential in the Lord.

   Disciple-makers (and parents) need to learn to be very patient, listening to the new disciples instead of always having to be the one speaking. You can see the importance of commitment and dedication to this whole process of discipleship. It is what Jesus commanded us to do, ensuring the stability and health of His children. The way we treat them is the way we are treating Him. We must not hinder the little children from coming to Him. It is a very serious matter.

Walking In The Light

   I John 1:6-7 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Malcolm Smith in his book “Follow Me” tells the story how when he was reading this passage one day, verse seven in particular struck him “like a bolt of lightning”. He said “I had read the phrase thousands of times, but it was as if I had never seen it before. It was saying that walking in the light who is God, is expressed in fellowship with other believers. The reason we gathered together was that, in that fellowship, we express our union with God.”

   The scriptures are saying that if we say we have “fellowship” with Christ, or are a Christian, and do not have true Biblical fellowship (“koinania”) with others in the body, we are liars. What we claim to be with our mouths is not what we are in practice. Our public relationships with others in the Body of Christ reveal to everyone the true state of our private relationship with Jesus Christ. You cannot separate the Body from the Head. The way I treat the brethren publicly is evidence of the way I am treating Christ privately. The two are interconnected. We are walking in His light according to the degree that we are having fellowship with each other.

   In this close, corporate, intimate fellowship, the searchlight of His Spirit exposes the darkness within our midst. When the sin is repented of, the blood of Jesus is applied to our hearts, purging and cleansing us from all wickedness. According to the verses in 1 John, if we are not fellowshipping (true communion) with other believers, we are walking in darkness. Remember, the Biblical definition of fellowship is not a Sunday morning “hello” to someone and singing a hymn or two together, but involves intimate commitment towards one another. This takes time and sacrifice for everyone involved. We are called by Jesus to count this cost to see if we truly want to be a disciple of His. Anything else becomes dead religion that affects nothing because it cost nothing.

   Commenting on 1 John 1:6-7, Peter Marshall and David Manuel write in their book “The Light And The Glory”; “…the true measure of our commitment to Christ is revealed in the horizontal aspect of our covenant: How willing are we Christians to be servants of one another?... in Christ, we are called to be our brother’s keeper, to walk and live in the light with one another.” Jesus said in John 6:53-54, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh (body) of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Eating His flesh is partaking of His body. This is the outworking of the horizontal aspect of the covenant in Christ with one another. Drinking His blood involves the forgiveness and cleansing of our sin as we walk in obedience to His word. This is the vertical aspect of the eternal covenant in Christ. You cannot have one without the other.

   They go on to tell how the Pilgrims knew the value of becoming one body. They state that “with the Mayflower Compact, they chose to relinquish their individual independence, and as a covenanted people, not only survived but established our basic American spiritual and civil institutions. The first Puritans knew it, too- that the very survival of their little towns depended upon the depth of their covenant relationship with one another… God has called us Christians to a horizontal as well as vertical covenant. But the cost, of turning from our independent ways, of being willing to hear God speak to us from the lips of others, of coming into the light by exposing the hidden sins of attitude or thought, of humbling ourselves by admitting where we are wrong, is more than most of us care to pay.”

   In Genesis 3 we find Adam and Eve hiding among the trees in the garden of Eden from the presence of the Lord because of their sin. Their sin-consciousness had become aroused due to their partaking of “forbidden fruit”. The result of their rebellion was an awareness of their fallen, naked state. They proceeded to sew fig leaves together in an attempt to cover their sin. Man’s great “cover-up” had begun. Ever since then, mankind has been following their example. To keep from being exposed before God and others, we try to cover our guilty conscience with a garment of “fig leaves”, held together with a belt of pride. Through this rebellion, the enemy blinds our understanding from the truth of God’s light lest we see our shameful state and repent.

   The only covering for sin accepted by the Father is the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is revealed for the first time in Genesis 3:21. It says, “And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” The garments He made were from animal skins. It was the first shedding of blood through an animal sacrifice used to cover man’s sin. This was God’s covering for us, done His way. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

   Man’s covering for himself was out of guilt and ignorance. He wasn’t yet aware that there was a better way for him. The Lord mercifully came looking for them, as He does for us while we’re in hiding. He desired to reveal to Adam, whose name means “mankind”, that He would provide a covering for them that would restore their broken relationship with Himself. It would be for their salvation.

   This was the first picture of the coming “atonement”, or covering, for mankind. Through the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, our naked state in sin is clothed, or “covered”. The problem, though, is that many would rather continue under some type of “fig leaves” than turn to God’s provision in His Son. In some passages, the Bible refers to men as being like trees (see Mark 8:24). There are many sitting in large churches that are aware they have sinned, but would rather stay hidden amongst the “trees” then come to Christ. If possible, they would like the guilt of their sin removed without releasing the forbidden fruit. They would rather hide in a large crowd, not wanting to come into the light of a small group where they feel vulnerable and exposed. Because of our leniency on lovingly judging those within the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:12-13) and the lack of true intimacy, they are allowed to stay, spreading leaven throughout the rest of the body. It’s what I call “the pharaoh syndrome”. They would like their problems to be solved without any change of heart.

   I heard a discussion on the radio recently concerning the problem of illegal immigration within our nation. The comment was made that many of these people want the benefits of living within our society without adhering to the principles that govern it. I believe that this is the same problem in the church today. Many would like to partake of the benefits of being within the Kingdom of God, but are unwilling to live by the principles that govern it. They have tried to enter by a different way than through repentance of sin and submission to the Lordship, or government, of Jesus Christ over them. They have entered into the assemblies of God’s people through “illegal” ways and will end up being deported. If we would practice this ourselves, judging the body rightly, the Lord would not have to step in and act. Our government’s actions reflect the heart and attitude of the church. They would deal with this issue properly if we were modeling it for them. As the church goes, so goes the world.

   The fear of being exposed after eating a “forbidden fruit” is what drove Adam and Eve into hiding. In Genesis 3:10, when the Lord asked Adam where he was, Adam replied, “I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." In John 3:19-21, Jesus tells us the difference between those who hide and those who come out into His light. He said, "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

   All who practice the truth, being “doers” of the word, desire to be in the light. They want their deeds to be exposed in order to prove the intent of their hearts. If for selfish motives, they will repent. The Lord doesn’t want us to remain in a dark place, hiding from Him. In John 12:46 Jesus said, "I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness.” The only reason to remain hiding in a dark place is that our love for our sin is greater then our love for Jesus Christ, the Truth. We do not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:10). The word “receive” means “to take with the hand, to take hold of”. Our hands may be full of falsehood that we aren’t willing to release. Often, due to pride, we end up defending our doctrines instead of searching for the light of truth. Not wanting to admit we are wrong, having been deceived by seducing spirits, we end up being given over to a delusion sent by God. We are more concerned with our image before man then we are about being conformed to the image of God.

   I have witnessed His heart searching light come into our small group as we fellowshipped together. The light of His presence exposes the darkness that lies within each one of us. The scriptures say that in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). If repented of, the person is set free, and continues to grow in Christ. If it is not repented of, separating the sin from the sinner, the person will eventually leave. Either way, darkness flees.

   In John 13, Jesus washed the disciple’s feet in an act of humility. In their intimate gathering, He begins by laying aside His garments (His mantle of authority over them), wrapping Himself instead with a towel of servitude. He was revealing to them the importance of serving one another in love. During this time, Jesus reached out one last time to a disciple who was about to betray Him. The Bible tells us that when Jesus dipped a piece of bread and then gave it to Judas, Satan entered into him. Verse 30 tells us, “And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.” Any time you leave the light of “koinania” with Jesus and his disciples, you walk out into the outer darkness. There are disciples today with the “Judas” spirit within the Body of Christ who will betray their Lord, simply because they loved the darkness rather then the light.

   Where the love of Christ is practiced, sin is exposed in our midst. This happens so that the healing waters of Christ can be applied to the one in need. This can only happen where He is Lord of the meeting because of His individual members who have set apart Christ as Lord in their hearts. Submission to His Lordship in our personal lives will be reflected in our corporate meetings. In this setting, His authority over darkness is manifested through His faithful followers.

   Many, like Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8, would love to have this authority for the wrong reasons. According to the Bible, this man had believed and was even baptized. But there were still some “death wraps” that needed to be removed from his heart. When he witnessed the Holy Spirit coming upon people through the laying on of hands by Peter and John, he offered them money for this same authority. Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." Even though he believed in the Lord, his heart was not yet able to receive the true power of God’s light.

   The Lord is the only one who decides whom to bestow it upon. We must all be qualified by the Lord through our obedience in order to be able to receive this authority. It can destroy those who have not learned to humbly submit to the Lord’s leading in their life, and proven themselves faithful. How many stories can be told of those who used the gifts of God for self-glorification, apart from the control of the Holy Spirit, and destroyed or greatly diverted the walk of others? Thank goodness the Lord is ultimately the one in control. He will see that His way is accomplished in the end, in spite of His own children’s rebellion at times.

   A healthy body is such largely in part because of the dedication of the cells to the head and to one another. Malcolm Smith states that “we are called the body of Christ. A body is an orderly arrangement of cells wherein each one interacts with the others for the good of the whole. Every cell, organ, muscle of my body is committed in a selfless giving relationship to the rest of the body. Together in this commitment, the cells of my body had one purpose, which was to manifest me to the world. In this orderly arrangement, I was able to be in every part of my body expressed through it how I would.”

   There is not supposed to be an isolated cell, off doing his own thing apart from the rest of the body. When each cell is fully committed to the head and one another, Christ will be manifested to the world. Without this unity by the Spirit of God, they only see certain parts which becomes very confusing to them. It doesn’t make our purpose clear. We are here to reveal Christ to the world as their only hope of life. This will not fully take place until we enter that fullness that comes through this type of commitment. He is the giver of life, not us. Unfortunately, the world just sees us, or our group, and not the risen Savior. His life is the light of men. Without it, they will remain in darkness. He is manifested to the world through His body. That is His way.

   The key to having all the individual cells connect to one another, forming a proper “neural connection” in the body of Christ, is through Lordship. When He is the head of each member, then we will all hear what the brain wants to tell us. We will hear from each other the word of the Lord, with the Holy Spirit confirming it in our hearts, and then respond to changes in our spiritual environment, just like the human body. The only way that we can walk in agreement is when Jesus is Lord of each one of our lives. When one link in the chain is broken through disobedience, all are affected below.

   The Lord miraculously spared my wife from death when she had a major stroke at the age of 44. She had to learn how to walk and talk again. The neuro-surgeon was forced to remove part of her brain due to swelling, causing it to form new connections for certain bodily functions to operate as they did before. Like my wife, the Lord can reroute the broken pathways when someone falls, but it sure can cause major disruptions for awhile in the body of Christ. The higher up in leadership that a person is, the more the body will be affected by their actions.

   This is also true in our families. Breaking the God ordained chain with the father in the lead creates unhealthy family structures. His way of leadership flows from Himself, to the father, then the mother, and to the children. When any rise up against the one over them in the Lord, chaos and disorder are sure to follow. In the kingdom of God, we are not to use His authority to Lord it over those under our care, but to willingly serve them. In serving one another, the body, and family, becomes healthy because of the unhindered flow of the life of Jesus that comes through its obedient members. This life of Jesus that each “cell” can bring from the Lord when properly connected to the head is what brings His healing power to any needy parts. Hebrews 12:12-13 says, “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” “Straight paths” represents level, or firm places to stand. It is the place of righteousness. Our walking obediently affects not just ourselves, but other members in the body who might need to be restored back to health.

   Margaret McCain ended her speech with the following statements. “People all over the world are beginning to recognize that ensuring children get off to a good start in life so that they can attain their optimal potential and competence is vitally important- not only for the individual child and his or her family, but to the whole of society. Foundation blocks laid in the early years determine how children will function throughout their life cycles. Unless we are prepared to provide this firm foundation, society will continue to pay a higher and higher price.”

   We in the church must also recognize this need for our spiritual children. A firm foundation of truth established right away within their hearts will determine how they function within and contribute to the Body of Christ. We must intentionally commit ourselves to their care and protection. If we do not hear and do what the Spirit is asking us to do, decadence and chaos will spread even more in our churches, as well as society. Remember, as the church goes, so goes the world. We have no one to blame but ourselves for the low level of influence the church now has within this country. We must repent in order to release the healing waters of the Holy Spirit on our families, cities, and nation.

 Witchcraft And The Growth Of A Disciple

   According to an article entitled “Drugs may cause addiction by ‘remodelling’ brain”, an experiment on rats at Brown University in Rhode Island showed that “even a single dose of morphine physically altered the neural pathways that regulate the sensation of craving.” They stated that the change in their body continued long after the effects of the drug had worn off. Due to the access gained within the body by an unhealthy, outside influence, a healthy body’s normal response was replaced with an abnormal response. This can happen within the Body of Christ also. The way we receive and respond to the message of Christ is affected by certain demonic influences that have been given access within our minds through deception.

   Within our bodies we have two different types of synapses which are the one-millionth of an inch gaps between nerve cells where messages to and from the brain are transferred from cell to cell. One is called an excitatory synapse which increases the flow of chemicals such as dopamine, the chemical associated with a feeling of euphoria. The other type is referred to as an inhibitory synapse which is used to stop or calm such flows. It is important to have both because they create a check and balance system for us. When the God given system within the body is altered, the brain creates a reward system of its own, possibly even rewarding something that could be harmful to it. In a sense, it begins to call “good evil, and evil good”. The nervous system no longer reacts as it was originally designed, restraining the body from destructive actions or responses.

   In other words, certain drugs have the ability to alter the body’s proper inhibitive response to the presence of a destructive element in its midst by not only informing you that it’s all right, but that it desires more! The natural response is altered and replaced with an unnatural, self-destructive response. Julie Steenhuysen, in an article entitled “Addictive drugs harm brain’s natural brake: study”, says “what we have found is that the inhibitory synapses can no longer be strengthened 24 hours after treatment with morphine, which suggests that a natural brake has been removed.” These “natural brakes” have been placed within us by the wisdom of Almighty God to keep us from harming ourselves. Without brakes, we become a runaway vehicle, destined to crash.

   Romans 1:18 tells us, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” When we, whether a Christian or not, engage in some form of wickedness, the truth that could set us free is powerless because of our rebellion against the commands of God. In the original Greek, the word interpreted “suppress” means, “to hold back, to detain, to hinder the course or progress of.” Sin and its affects on the spiritual body are similar to the affects of an addictive drug on the physical body. It interferes with the Holy Spirit’s ministry of communicating the word from the Head, Jesus, with His Body, the church. The messages He delivers are intended to mature us, conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. At times He warns us to refrain from certain indulgences, while at other times urging us to get involved in a particular activity. Wicked, unrestrained behavior allows outside demonic influences to enter into our spiritual neurological pathways, like an addictive drug, suppressing the power of the truth in our lives. The original message from the Head, Jesus, gets distorted, altered, or even lost as it makes its way through the Body of believers.

   The process of carrying a message from nerve cell to nerve cell, across the synaptic gap between them, is performed by a chemical called a neurotransmitter. Drugs can interfere with just about every step in the work of neurotransmitters. These chemicals are produced within our body and stored in each nerve cell. Some are stored in the body of the cell, while others are stored near the end of a branch that extends away from the cell, called an axon, in a storage vesicle. They affect how the receiving nerve cell, or “second messenger”, in the pathway will respond and react. The chemical and electrical changes that take place within it are determined by the type of neurotransmitter that is received. If you can change the neurotransmitter, you can change the original message, determining the response and outcome of the receiving cell.

   In adults, most of the axons, which carry the messages away from one cell to the next, are covered by what is called the myelin sheath. It is an insulating coating made up largely of fat. It serves as an electrical insulator and is essential for proper information flow. The fiber bundles that are in our bodies can contain many thousands of different axons. If they were not protected, they could electrically interfere with each other causing cross-talk that would scramble the information that each is transmitting. It would be like two wires in an electrical power cable touching each other causing the wires to short out. For example, multiple sclerosis is a disease that is caused when a person’s immune system destroys his own myelin. The patient eventually develops severe sensory and motor deficits because their nerves cannot properly operate.

   Another very important function of myelination is to speed the transmission of the message. Even when neurons have grown their branches (dendrites and axons) and formed the synapses (connections) that complete the brain circuits, they will not work very well until the axons are myelinated. Myelin is produced by a special type of cell called a glial cell. They are sensitive to the quality of nutrition received in the body in our early life. Genes control the timing of myelination, but certain outside factors, such as malnutrition, have been found to negatively affect the thickness of the wrapping around individual axons. Myelin production is the main reason why pediatricians recommend a high level of fat, including whole milk, in children’s diets until about age two.

   Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:2-3, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Many of our new converts are being spiritually malnourished. They are not being fed and strengthened by the pure, unadulterated, milk of the word. Instead they are being force fed some “fat-free” substitute (false doctrine) that is destroying their future ability to receive and then send on the messages from the Head.

   Herein lies understanding of the devil’s schemes in the minds of humans. He knows the importance of “early intervention” in the spiritual life of a young believer. If he can gain entrance into the body, particularly the minds of leaders in the church, he can then corporately alter the Lord’s message and its intended transforming affect upon all who are the “second messengers”. This happens to the believer the same way it does to a drug addict the first time he decided to experiment with a drug. They both make bad choices, not listening to the “voice” of truth within that would restrain them from foolish decisions. The Holy Spirit is given to the believer as a guide into the ways of righteousness, while also keeping us from sins harmful affects. This is a God given “natural brake” system intended to keep us from harmful behavior.

   Romans 1 goes on to say in verses 21-22, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” This scripture says that they “knew God”. According to the definition of the word, this can only occur by the revelation that takes place through the Holy Spirit in close, intimate communion. When a man has sexual relations with a woman he is referred to in the Bible as having “known” her (see Genesis 4:1). There are plenty of verses to prove that there is a big difference scripturally between those who know, or have come to understand and perceive God, and those who do not know Him. Because of their rebellion AFTER gaining this understanding, not glorifying God in their hearts, the way they thought was changed. The light within them was changed to darkness, affecting their ability to reason in a righteous way. Without the light of Christ continuously guiding us, we become foolish and self-destructive in our thoughts and actions, just like those held captive by a “mind-altering” drug.

   Verses 24-28 go on to say, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” Those spoken of within these verses had clearly received the knowledge of the truth, but exchanged it for a lie that told them they could walk in unrighteousness and still remain steadfast in Christ.

   When we are given over to the control of our sinful desires by the Lord, the outcome is an exchange within our reasoning of natural, instinctive desires, for unnatural ones. We have exchanged the truth that sets us free for the bondage of a lie that we desire to obey instead. An immediate gratification of the flesh, if unrepented of, affects our future reasoning abilities, just like a drug addict. We find it easier next time to justify our abusive actions within our minds. The end is always death of some sort within us. In this passage of scripture in Romans, this all occurred because a person who had turned to Christ by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, now turns in rebellion against the commands of truth that were there to set them free. They chose to not deny their own ungodly passions and desires after having received the knowledge of the truth. You then become just like the rats whose sensation of craving was altered because of morphine.

   According to the word of God, this last state of coming to know the way of freedom in Christ, and then turning away from it with no repentance is worse then the first state of being a lost person who has never received such understanding! 2 Peter 2:20-22 clearly says, “For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it (to know exactly, to recognize), to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

   It is comparable to a teenager who will not listen to those who are there to help guide them through the traps of early adolescence. On the other hand, like some of our teens, there are those young disciples who have been placed within a church family who do not receive any encouragement or guidance in this critical stage of their life. Their “family” either does not care about them, or does not understand because of the lack of teaching. They most likely do not know how to help others because they were never discipled themselves. They do not have the skills or understanding of why they should come along side their brother or sister in the Lord and help them. They need to be helped first.

   Our churches are filled with this type of “Christian”. We have no one to blame but ourselves for this terrible sin of child abuse. We have become like those in the Old Testament who made their children “pass through the fire”, neglecting our duty of spiritual parenting for the sake of our idols. May God grant us a spirit of repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth (see 2 Timothy 2:24-26). If there is no repentance, but instead a continued arrogance within the leadership of God’s family, the judgment that is quickly approaching our shores in America will not pass over them or their congregations. He will not hear your cries for mercy when the door of opportunity has been shut. In fact, the Lord says in Proverbs 1:24-26, "Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; And you neglected all my counsel, and did not want my reproof; I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes.” God says that He will mock you when you cry out to Him in the time of your calamity, all because you would not listen to Him. Repent while it is still called “today”. “Tomorrow” will be too late.

   Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, “But whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” The Greek word interpreted “schemes” means “a perception, the mind, thoughts or an evil purpose”. Satan has an evil plan which includes placing his thoughts in our minds, hoping that we will listen and obey as Eve did. He appeals to our fleshly senses, trying to make us respond independently, apart from the will of God. His goal is to deceive Christians into disobedience, disrupting communication lines from the Head, making us open for further deception. He already controls the minds of unbelievers. What he desires is to create unbelieving believers! In this state of deception, we have exchanged the truth of God for the lies of our enemy. Paul warned the early Christians in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

   Paul went further into this subject in 2 Thessalonians 2. He begins by reassuring the church that the coming of the Lord, referred to as the day of the Lord, had not yet happened as some were claiming. It would not happen until the apostasy, or great falling away from the faith, and the man of lawlessness was revealed. There are many today in the church within the United States who have fallen away from the faith, revealing themselves as a “man of lawlessness”. They have been lulled to sleep by their own sin and are now living with a false sense of protection, not even knowing that they have been given over to a grave place of judgment. Their blood will be on the hands of the deceived shepherds who never warned them.

   In verses 8-12 Paul goes on to tell us, “And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

   When those of us who have been given the knowledge of the truth by the Holy Spirit refuse to walk in obedience, we run the risk of having God Himself send out a “deluding influence” that will cause us to believe what is false! It then becomes impossible for you to see any truth, all because you chose to indulge in the pleasures of wickedness. The end result is that we will, as the above scriptures say, not be saved. The righteous, protective covering from the Lord’s coming wrath is removed. Many in the church are not ready. They now sit with a false sense of security, believing they will be taken away to a safe place, but will instead find themselves in a fiery hell of judgment. They will end up cursing God and dieing, all because they chose to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

   In 1 Samuel 15:22-23, the Lord had specifically told King Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites. He disobeyed, sparing what they considered to be the good things they could sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel the prophet then goes to Saul with a message from God. He said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination (witchcraft), and insubordination (arrogance, stubbornness) is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." In this passage, the Lord is making a connection between the sin of witchcraft and those who reject the word of the Lord, or truth.

   In Jeremiah 14:14 the Lord said to Jeremiah the prophet, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination (witchcraft), futility and the deception of their own minds.” The prophets were speaking false visions not from the Lord, but out of the deception that filled their minds. The Lord is declaring false prophecy to be divination, or witchcraft. I am reminded of those in Galatians 3:1 who were mixing falsehood with truth and were declared by Paul to be “bewitching” the new Christians in Galatia.

   In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists witchcraft as one of the deeds of the sinful nature within mankind. He warns us that those who practice these things will not inherent the kingdom of God. The Greek word used for witchcraft is “pharmakeia”. It means “sorcery, magic, medication, the use or the administering of drugs”. It is where we derived our english word “pharmacy”. Concerning the judgment of Babylon, Revelation 18:23 says, “and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

   Babylon represents the prostitute, whore bride of Christ. These are the Christians who have committed spiritual adultery with the world when they were betrothed to Jesus Christ. They indulged in the passing pleasures of wickedness, rather then walking in obedience to the Lord. False doctrines always have this type of affect on a person’s mind. If accepted as the truth, it seduces us, like Eve, into believing and then acting upon a lie from the devil. The result is always separation from the presence of God.

   The point of the case I have been building is that false prophets, through their words, are administering demonic “drugs” to the minds of those who listen and mistakenly receive their words as truth. These deceived leaders unknowingly pass on their deadly lies to those who are naively receiving them. If received as truth in the mind and heart, the individual ends up like the drug addict who not only rejects the Head’s message of truth, but desires more of the lies that are destroying them. The false word is like a false neurotransmitter in the body that affects the understanding and response of the “second messenger” to the message. As they continue to accept the “fine sounding arguments” of the deceived leader, not listening to the check of the Holy Spirit within them, their hearts are in danger of being given over to a state of no return. They are placed under the “spell” induced through the falsehood being declared in the name of the Lord, much like a drug addict is. False prophets are, in reality, practicing witchcraft in the house of God! If they do not repent, they will be exposed and destroyed by the Lord.

   Satan has greatly infiltrated our ranks with his false doctrines. While the church was in a state of sleeping induced by the practice of unrestrained wickedness, our enemy secretly introduced his doctrines. Demons now watch over their leader’s word from the strongholds that have been firmly established right inside the sanctuary of the Lord! The result has been a great increase in dead religious rituals, totally void of the life of Christ. Like a drug addict, they foolishly crave more of that which is slowly killing them. The fruit of the enemy has infiltrated every denomination in one form or another. The “addicts” often go from meeting to meeting, looking for another spiritual fix to satisfy their “unnatural” craving.

   Satan has clouded the minds of unbelievers in the church, all in an effort to thwart the growth of the body of Christ. He continuously looks for an opening to enter into God’s people and then, like an addictive drug, change, distort, confuse, or even destroy the original message from our Head, Jesus Christ. His drug-induced state on the mind of a believer causes us to act irrationally in our Christian walk. If unrepented of, the result is sure to be separation from the Lord, and eventually death. Our ability to reason is distorted and we end up being given over by the Lord to a state like King Nebuchadnezzar who lost his kingship and glory because of pride and was placed like a wild animal in the domain of the beasts. It is the revealing of the spirit of antichrist that is already at work in the son’s of disobedience.

   Satan knows what will happen if young disciples begin to grow and mature in the light of the truth of God’s word. As we grow up into the full stature of the measure of Christ he will be cast down from his temporary rule in the heavenlies and the kingdom of God will be ushered in! The Saints of God will become strong in the Lord and do great things for His name’s sake. Often, in our present state, instead of removing the death wraps from the new converts like those standing near the resurrected Lazarus were told to do, we bind them even tighter with the ropes of falsehood. The end result is that they never get set free, but actually end up being worse off then if they never heard the truth. Praise God for His revealing word of truth.

“Go therefore…. but first, wait!”

   When teaching others about following Christ and making disciples, the first thing taught and modeled should be the necessity of being empowered and led by the Holy Spirit. The disciples were commanded by Jesus, before He ascended to the right-hand of the Father, to “go therefore and make disciples” in the end of Matthew’s account. In the end of Luke, Jesus is telling His disciples that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, but that they should first wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high.

   In the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the waiting disciples, these same men who ran away in fear just days before when Jesus was arrested, preached by the power of the Holy Spirit and thousands were birthed into the kingdom of God. They could have heard the call to go and then charged forward to proclaim the good news, but it would have been in their own strength and power. They had just spent a little more than three years observing Jesus as He ministered to the people. Billie Hanks Jr. in his book “Discipleship” tells how “the Gospels show us that Jesus trained His disciples by association before giving them the Great Commission. Being with Him was their primary means of learning how to minister. Mark tells us, “He appointed twelve, designating them apostles, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). The disciples’ evangelism grew out of a lifestyle seasoned by many hours in Jesus’ presence.”

   As they observed Jesus life, they saw His absolute dependence on the Father as He ministered to others. This was the Son of God. He could have easily gone out on His own, but He was leading by example to those around Him how the Christian life was to be one of submission to the will of the Father, not their own wills. When we walk in our own wills, and our own abilities, we will fail to make disciples for Christ. This independent spirit, apart from God’s control, comes through in the humanism that permeates today’s preaching and teaching in the form of dead theology and methodology. There is little or no life of Christ because it’s mostly based on human effort and organization with no dependence on the Holy Spirit to empower, guide, and direct. We do something and then ask God to bless what our hands have formed, apart from His will. Is it any wonder that so little of our country is influenced by our Christianity anymore? The presence and authority of Christ are not flowing through His people as they should in order to change our society. Repentance of our dead works is the only answer.

   Many within the church use worldly, man centered methods, totally driven by human effort. Church groups and individuals who do this produce fruit that will not last. They are those in John1:13 who are born of the will of man, not of God. Those who are led of God will produce fruit that lasts. Jesus said in John 5:15, “apart from me you can do nothing”. The Lord will make sure in our training that we understand the total dependence upon Him that is required for lasting fruit.

   Jesus himself did nothing on His own initiative. He said in John 5:19-20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.” Jesus modeled for us the way we are to walk out this Christian life, and minister to others. It was always under total submission to the Father. Malcolm Smith, in his book “Follow Me!”, says, “The first issue of discipleship is submission. The word means “to stand under,” and unlike the word surrender which implies being conquered, this means a voluntary act of standing under another.”

   In John 5:30 Jesus said, "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” He also said in John 8:28-29, “I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." His example of total submission to the Father’s will is the only way to walk in victory over the will of the flesh, the world, and the devil. It was the key to His authority on earth. It is also the key for us to receive His authority.

   Somewhere in the last few years, the church in America has, for the most part, strayed far from abiding in Christ and waiting for His word on where to throw the nets. In John 21:1-11, the resurrected Jesus told the disillusioned disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat that they had been fishing from. When they did it their way, without direction from Jesus, it resulted in much effort with no results except fatigue and discouragement. This is always the result apart from His divine guidance. The word from the Lord was asking them to do things a little differently then the way they had been. It took some effort on their part to change their ways to His, but the results far exceeded their wildest imaginations. This is what is sorely missing from many Christians today. They will not wait on the Lord, listening for Him to tell them what, where, when, and how to fish. He had told them when He called them in Matthew 4:19, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Many are running to and fro, not waiting for the Lord to show them the way that they are to go. They end up burned-out, discouraged and similar to the disciples in their “oh well, let’s go fishing” attitude. It stems from our independent, prideful hearts that likes to do things our way.

   When God brought judgment on His people by turning away from them in 2 Chronicles 7, He clearly told them that one of the reasons was because they had followed their own ways and not His. Verses 14-15 say, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” Like the Israelites, until we repent of “our wicked ways” within the church, our prayers will not be heard, our sin will not be forgiven, and our land will not be healed. God’s people hold the key to all of these being unlocked. Many within the church claim to want revival, but in reality they are unwilling to let go of their wicked, man made ways. The Lord knows the true motives of all our hearts. He will not pour His new wine in the old wineskins of man’s form and function. This goes for charismatic or non-charismatic. What camp we claim to be members of makes no difference to Him. He simply will not share His glory with sinful, self-glorifying man.

   It’s also interesting to see in John 21 that Jesus told them to cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat. Scripturally, the “right-hand” always speaks of the authority of God. Jesus is now seated at the “right-hand” of the Father. It is the place of His ruling authority. Remember in Matthew 28:18 that Jesus told the disciples that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth. When we obey and go where He tells us, we can be confident that His authority over all things goes with us. He will not send us on our own, but with the uncontestable authority that comes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. A person who goes on his own, without being sent by the Lord (see Romans 10:13-17), is a person with no heavenly authority. This is why the people were so shocked when Jesus came on the scene. They were used to the dead, lifeless religion from the spiritual leaders of their day. Mark 1:22 tells us, “And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

   There is very little of Christ’s life flowing through His body these days. Don’t mistake a lot of “religious” hype and activity as being proof of the Spirit’s presence. If the life of Christ was flowing unhindered through our midst, whole cities would be transformed as they were when the newly empowered disciples spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit. Haggai 1:6 says, “you have sown much, but harvest little”. This aptly describes the church in the United States of America. More “religious” broadcasting is presently being pumped through the airways then ever before. All the while, society as a whole is hardly being affected. In fact, things are getting worse within our nation, not better. More programs with better organization are not the answer we need. What the church needs to do is repent of our stubborn rebellion against His Lordship over us, and then seek the counsel of God for what He wants to do. He will build His church, His way.

   I once read of a group of believers in India years ago who became all excited about serving Christ and sharing the Gospel with others. They prayed and fasted for God’s will of where He wanted them to go. In prayer the Lord spoke to them and told them to go to the market. All excited, they went off to the market, but nothing happened. Confused, they went back to praying and fasting to find out what went wrong. The Lord spoke to them again telling them that once they got to the market they didn’t wait for Him to guide them. They had just recklessly gone off on their own with the result of nobody turning to Jesus. This time they went back to the market in small groups and waited for the Holy Spirit to lead them. The result was that many turned to Christ.

   In the early 1900’s, a missionary by the name of Jonathan Goforth returned to his beloved China mission field, dissatisfied with the progress he had made and the seeming ineffectiveness of his ministry. It would all change as he learned to totally trust in the Spirit of God to work through him. He saw the undeniable truth of Zechariah 4:6 which says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.” As he let go of trying to control meetings, and instead totally committed the time to the Holy Spirit, thousands were overcome with a tremendous sense of conviction that only He can produce.

   Often, there would be someone in the churches he was speaking at who was living their life with some sort of unconfessed sin. They were already a believer, but were hiding among the “trees”. Their unrepentant heart was hindering the movement of God to their local area. When God’s people were broken, which would often involve the combined prayers of others, suddenly God would come and everything would change. Oh do we need the Lord to grant us a spirit of repentance in our churches today! Those who do truly search their hearts and repent will remove the hindrance from within that will allow the rivers of living water to flow once again, bringing healing and salvation from the throne of the Lord to those around them. The light of Christ will then shine in the darkness, enlightening the eyes of many. Are we willing to admit and renounce the shame of our nakedness, or will we perish in our stubborn spiritual pride?

   Goforth tells at the very end of his book “By My Spirit” the story of a Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910. After witnessing the great revival that had happened throughout China, and the revival that had broke out in Wales, it seemed like, in Goforth’s words, “an incomparable opportunity for Christian leaders to get rid of their ecclesiastical idols and bring themselves into heart contact with the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Missionary leaders had come from all over the world. The subject for the last day of their meetings was “The Home Base”. Goforth said “It provoked visions of endless possibilities. The home churches, empowered by a mighty Holy Ghost revival, would send out men fitted as were Paul and Barnabas. With their enormous resources in men and means the world would be evangelized in a generation.”

   He tells of his great disappointment that day. Out of the many speakers, not more than three emphasized the Holy Spirit as the one essential factor in world evangelization. He said that as you listened to those who addressed that great gathering, “one could not but conclude that the giving of the Gospel to lost mankind was largely a matter of better organization, better equipment, more men and women.” It appeared that “the dethronement of the idol of ecclesiastical self-sufficiency was apparently too great a price to pay.”

   He ends with this convicting challenge; “If revival is being withheld from us it is because some idol remains still enthroned; because we still refuse to face the unchangeable truth that’ it is not by might, but by My Spirit.’” The Lord has made it clear that He will build His church, His way, by His Spirit. Discipleship for the safety and maturing of His sheep, in order to beget other sheep, has been the plan from the beginning.

   In a recent meeting within our town consisting of various groups and businesses for networking purposes, a life insurance representative unknowingly gave me a discipling insight. She was giving a presentation about the importance of teaching our children practical ways of handling their finances. Concerning the principle of compounding, we were told to ask our children a very interesting question. The question was; “Suppose someone offered you a job that paid $1,000 dollars a day to rake leaves. They want to hire you for thirty-one days. That means that you could make $31,000. Or they offered you the same leaf raking job that would start you off at a penny the first day, 2 cents the second day, 4 cents the third day and continues to double every day for 31 days. Which salary would you rather have?”

   It would be hard for anyone, let alone a child, to resist the $31,000. If you took the second offer, your one penny would have doubled and redoubled until at the end of 31 days it had grown to $21,474,836.48! I believe that we in the church have foolishly grabbed the first offer with its immediate gratification without understanding the spiritual principle of multiplication. When we invest our time in discipling one person at a time, who turns into 2, and then 4, the final results will be more then we could have ever believed for. It will also be fruit that will last, not stagnating and eventually shriveling up due to lack of care.

   After a night of prayer, Jesus personally chose a small group of men that He trained and taught to go train and teach others. It required a dedication of personal involvement through close contact. This would be impossible with, say, 31,000 disciples! The scriptures clearly reveal that the process of discipleship is to be committed to “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). It involves the active participation of all within His family, as directed by His Spirit. Let us walk in obedience to the Lord’s commands, for the sake of His children in our midst and the furtherance of a godly seed.

   As Ephesians 4:15-16 states, “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Doing what our Master commands, we will not shrink back in shame at His glorious return. Instead, with overwhelming joy we will hear those blessed words, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” Praise the name of the Lord!

Resources:

Internet article:

“2001 Annual Meeting Presentation” The George Hull Centre Annual General Meeting, June 18, 2001

Guest Speaker: The Honorable Margaret Norrie McCain, co-author of “The Early Years Report”.

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“Brain Research and Education: Neuroscience Research Has Impact For Education Policy”

Prepared by Janelle Miller, ECS research associate.

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“In Our Hands” Video~ Developed by WestEd, Center for Child & Family Studies and the California Department of Education, Child Development Division.

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“Cognitive Learning and Development” Lally, J.R. (1997)

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“Birth to Three: Extension’s Role in the Early Years” Journal of Extension~ August 2002, Volume 40, Number 4~ Harriet Shaklee- Extension Family Development Specialist, University of Idaho, Boise, Idaho

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“Freedom To Discover” EHS NRC Information Resources

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“Brain Development In Infancy” EHS NRC Information Resources

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“Neurons and Neurotransmitters: The Brains of the Nervous System” The University of Texas at Austin

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“Drugs Interfere With Neurotransmitters” The University of Texas at Austin

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“Drugs May Cause Addiction By ‘Remodelling’ Brain”~ by Marlowe Hood

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“Addictive Drugs Harm Brain’s Natural Brake: Study”~ by Julie Steenhuysen

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“Weaning: What Does It Mean?” www.askdrsears.com

Article:

“Adolescents: What Are They Thinking?” by Pat Crum

“What’s Going On In There?” by Lise Eliot, Ph.D.~ Bantam Books

“By My Spirit” by Jonathan Goforth~ Bethel Publishing

“Follow Me!” by Malcolm Smith~ Logos International

“Discipleship” by Billie Hanks Jr. and William A. Shell~ Zondervan Publishing House

“The Light And The Glory” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel~ Published by Fleming H. Revell

Thank You, and God bless you!