Go make disciples: Judea and Samaria - the seven mountains of influence

If our “Jerusalem” in the great commission is 'me and my house', the church and my city, then "Judea and Samaria"  is our nation, its various its people groups, and all that influences the culture. These areas of influence have been spoken of prophetically and representatively as “seven mountains” (see 30 November). They are called mountains because the leaders in these areas radically effect the culture. The “mountains” are government, media, Arts and Entertainment, Education, Business, Church and Family.  Seven being symbolic, speaks of the seven mountains as being representative rather than exclusive. There is much that's simply wrong in these  "mountains." Though we are not to use the world's dog eat dog methods, we are nevertheless told to “go” to these mountains,  not stay home in isolation. We cannot be salt and light if we remain separate, and we must not hid our light under a bowl, or inside the walls of a church for that matter (Matthew 5:15). 

Clearly there is much diversity within each of these representative mountains. Unfortunately too often we Christians have tended to think in terms of black and white. Well there is black and white, but there are also shade of grey (see 3 September post). In the government mountain, for example we need Christians in both liberal and conservative camps. Since the extremes on both sides are destructive we need voices in both camps (not that there are only two) advocating for free speech in iron sharpening iron debates (Proverbs 27:17; 18:17). Politics is not the only area where we need Christians in the various “people groups.” Where there has been historical injustices, there is the great tendency to operate out of bitterness, and part of the Christian's role is to be salt and light and to advocate for justice not revenge. 

 As another example of a people group,  take Scientists. We need respectful dignified debate, and Christians in these disciplines need to be informed, and first and foremost to be aware of the bias of presuppositions (our own, and theirs). The major Science Faith conflicts have little to do with the facts, but rather the interpretations of facts, and these interpretations often flow out of the presuppositions of the scientist. Scientists who are Christians also need to be informed of the various positions Christians take on the issues. We need to allow our neighbour (both Christians and unbeliever)  to examine us (Proverbs 18:17),  and so to find our way to truth. The issues are often complicated, and it's too easy in isolation, to take up rigid overly simplistic positions. I have found the various online debates very helpful in sharpening my thinking (Proverbs 27:17). We must however listen carefully, feeling the weight of the arguments and weighing them, not going there just to get ammunition for “our side.”

The pattern of sending the disciples out “two by two” is interesting (i.e. Mark 6:7). So often Christians in these “mountains” find themselves isolated.  And “two are better than one, for if one fall, the other will lift him up (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10). We need to pray that the Lord will send labourers (plural) into these harvests (Luke 10:2), and we must pray for the labourers already there.

Father, prayer is so paramount in all things, and we are so weak in this area. Please raise up intercessors Lord, and help us to do our part in “praying without ceasing.” But we also need a Sovereign move of God in our day Lord, even so come Lord Jesus Amen

Go make disciples teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

The idea of making disciples (Greek – learners), is that we should be teaching others to teach others to teach others. The mathematical principle of multiplication two teaching four, four teaching eight etc., with one step each year, takes only thirty years to cover the entire population of the globe. But what are we to teach others to teach others? The answer is here in the great commission “all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). So what exactly did He teach them? We can only look at a sample. The great commission starts with “All authority is given to me,  therefore go ...” (verse 18). But we don't have His authority, or do we? Well in Luke 10:19 Jesus says “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” The context of this verse is of Jesus sending out the seventy to heal the sick and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (verse 9). Expanding on these instruction, Jesus told the twelve to “raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” John Arnott calls this “the beginners list!”

So yes, he has given us authority. And it is sad to me, that there are so many Christians who claim that this authority,  and miracles that follow,  passed away with the completion of the New Testament. “We don't need them now that we have the full Bible” they say! Really, are we that blind to what's happening, and to what is not happening? And if you take this view, you have to ascribe the transformation of the cities we were talking about the other day to the devil. And well, they do! But didn't Jesus answer this when He said “a house divided against itself cannot stand, if Satan casts out Satan .... How then will his kingdom stand?” Moreover “it is by their fruit that you will know them” (Matthew 12:25, 26; 7:16). And where is the fruit? Well, under Heidi Baker's ministry, for example,  over ten thousand churches of new converts were birthed in Mozambique alone! It seems to me very dangerous to ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

On the other hand, we must not be naive, there are many deceivers wino have gone out into the world, and there will always be those who peddle the Word of God for prophet (2 John 7; 2 Corinthians 2:17). It is worth noting that Jesus adds in His instructions to the twelve “You received without paying; give without pay”  (Matthew 19:8 ESV). Abuse is not just with charismatics of course, such people exist in every theological stripe.  And  we are to test all things, but we must also also be careful who,  and how,  we judge (Matthew 7:1). We must all give an account of what we have done in the body, and “to their own master, servants stand or fall” (Romans 14:12, 4).

Father, it is pretty clear that there are charlatans out there, those who do indeed peddle Your Word for prophet.   It's grievous Lord, but it should not be that much of a shock, since Satan himself is able to disguise himself as an angle of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).  Please give us the gift of discernment Father, and help us to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship and the five fold ministry

I got into trouble years ago for preaching that most church structures are not Biblical. Many have Biblical elements, for example the Presbyterians have elders (Acts 14:23). But surly one of the reasons there is so much pastor burn out, is that pastors were never intended to be alone at the top of a pyramid of authority and responsibility! My defense, was that I was naive enough to believe they would prefer truth to tradition. That didn't go down too well either! But if the prophecy of a billion soul harvest is true (and it comes from the well established and highly accurate prophet Bob Jones – Google the history of IHOPK, for example), then we cannot do church as usual! Over the years the Church lost most, if not all, of its Biblical character. The Lord however, has been restoring the Biblical foundations starting five hundred years ago with the Bible, going on to Missions, the Holy Spirit, signs wonders and miracles, the rightful place of the Fatherhood of God in the most orphan generation ever etc., etc. And it seems to me we should open our eyes to see what God is doing in our day, and get on board with it, rather than asking God to bless what we are doing.

The fivefold ministry is a name given to the five offices apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. These offices are gifts given to the Church to edify it, and to equip the saints for ministry (verse 12). Ministry is the outward journey of discipleship. It's to the saints of course, but is not restricted to them (Galatians 2:10; 6:10). Apostles and prophets are the foundation of the household of God, and the marks of a true apostle are signs, wonders and mighty deeds (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 12:12). Among those internationally recognized as occupying this office are John Arnott (Catch the Fire), Randy Clerk (Global Awakening), Heidi Baker (Iris ministries) and Bill Johnson (Bethel, Redding). Bethel Redding is an apostolic center, operating in the fivefold ministry with Kris Vollotton as its prophet. Since all may prophecy (2 Corinthians 14:2, 31), the office is different from the gift, and apostles today don't have the authority to write Scripture (Revelation 22:18).

Clearly not every New Testament church had an apostle, and so neither should we. But since the apostles and prophets are foundational, we are the poorer if we fail to acknowledged them. Indeed “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10:41). Now there are both false apostles and false prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13; Matthew 24:24). But we must not throw out the baby with the bath water! We do not dismiss the Bible because of false teachers. In fact “there must be heresies among you, that those who are approved may be recognized" (1 Corinthians 11:19). We're told to test all things and hold on that that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). When we love the Lord with all our heart, mind soul and strength the truth will surely out!

Father, not all of us can go to check out personally the many amazing things You are doing across the globe. We can certainly Google these things but, as in the first century, there are those out there who call black white. Give us discernment Lord, help us to truly listen to both sides, and to prefer truth to tradition. Thank You for Your promise of wisdom when we ask, in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship: Transforming of cities (beginning in Jerusalem)

Since “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint” (Proverbs 29:18 ESV), I want to mention this morning a “Transformations” video that testify to the transformation of four cities where restraint was cast of in spades. They are readily available on Youtube. Common to them all is the terrible “lack of restraint” in their pre-transformation plight. This include a city dominated by a violent drug cartel (Cali in Columbia), the others include occult, witchcraft, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, violence and ignorance (Kiamba Kenya, Hemet California and Alamolonga Guatemala). The transformations were not just in the church, but also in the community at large. For brevity I will mention only Alamolonga a town of some 19,000 people. Before transformation the town had 36 bars and four jails, at the time of the documentary, there were only three bars, and no jails! On the journey, and as part of it, the town saw miraculous healings. One healing was of a woman dying of gangrene in her entire body, from a botched operation.

What was at first amazing to me, is the change in the land. Wikipedia speaks of Alamolonga as the "Vegetable Basket of the Americas." The video documents that before transformation four trucks per month left with produce. After transformation it was forty per week, and the vegetables are of “Biblical proportions” In a second video Transformations II, we hear that the berries and the caribou started to come back after the revival in Pond Inlet. But should we be surprised, the Lord did promise to heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14)? A more recent story of Bethel in Redding California is interesting. Pew research had revealed that typically when the church in a city becomes successful, the rest of the city tends to deteriorate. I am guessing that there is less salt and light in the community. Bethel set out to change that, and among other things took over the Civic centre that was causing a drain on the city's financial resources. They turned it into a profitable proposition. In addition, the current mayor of the city was persuaded to run for mayor after a prophetic word, and one of the things she managed to prevent was the building of a casino with its accompanying problems. Following the “Carr fire” in 2018, Bethel raised and gave a thousand dollars to every home owner who had lost their home in the fire.

So then what were some of the ingredients that are common to all of this? These, again according to the documentary, include prayer and fasting, unity of the church, research into the particular problems of the city (spiritual mapping), and the tackling by intercessors, of the corresponding territorial principalities. A number of questions remain. Can this happen in my city? Well, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10 ) so yes transformation of one city prophecies it can happen anywhere. Is all this sustainable? It's not easy to find out exactly what is happening now in these places (I tried). What I do know, is that the “Jesus movement,” though extremely influential (Goggle it), nevertheless produced fewer long term disciples in my city, and I suspect that that was largely because the church was not ready, and there was very little discipleship, let discipleship of the holistic variety.

Father, that You for showing us what is possible. Please raise up leader of the caliber of those in these cities, and Lord, teach us to pray like they did, in Jesus Name Amen

Demolishing strongholds in the culture

The command to disciple the nations (Matthew 28:19) underlines what I mentioned earlier, namely that in addition to our individual responsibility before God, we also have corporate responsibility for “the nations.” But we have largely abdicated that responsibility. Acts 1:8 expands on the meaning of “nations,” to include Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. In terms of application, after “me and my house ” and the church, we need to disciple the cities, provinces and nation(s). We also need to understand the times,  to know what to do and how to do it. We have the mind of Christ and He knows these things (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Understand that the world has been taken captive through deceptive human philosophy to do his will (Colossians 2:8 NIV; 2 Timothy 2:26). We need to understand its seductive nature, and the strategies of the enemy.  Since “he who speaks first seems to be right until his neighbour comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17), one of the enemies strategies is to silence the “neighbour!” He does this through the tyranny of political correctness, by having his captives noisily drown out public debate, classifying free speech as hate speech, and verbally and otherwise attacking any “neighbour” who dares to open her mouth. Of course there are “innocents” who are caught up in all of this, but let's not be naive, there are also those ready, willing and able to use these things for political, and other gain. In such a climate, it's easy to forget that  our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and that we are not to wage war with the enemies weapons (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3). We must be as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves, and we need much, much more of the spirit of wisdom and revelation if we are to answer with the grace and wisdom that Christ answered those who opposed Him.

A couple of examples. Isn't Socialism morally superior because it makes people more equal? Who but regressive selfish jerks could oppose people being equal? But is there not another side? The allure of supporting Socialism, is that you can feel good about yourself, and look down on others! And by and large it doesn't cost you anything (1 John3:18). And is there not a difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity?  Another question, has socialism worked in the past? In Cuba and Venezuela there is a great deal of equality, but everybody is poor. If we don't learn from history we're destined to repeat it! And what about the abortion issue? Are not those who are who are pro - life waging war on women? Doesn't a woman have the right to control her own body? Well again, there's another side to this. Is it only the woman who's involved here? Is the fetus part of her body? If a woman is pregnant with a male fetus, does the woman have a penis? A penis is part of a male fetus and if the fetus is part of her body, then perhaps a women can have a penis after all!

Father, I pray for us all this morning, for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You (Ephesians 1:17). That You would give us the discipline to study to be approved unto You, that You would help us to know our part in all of this, to give the courage and wisdom to act in a way that pleases You. And we'll give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Go make disciples: Me and my house ...

In Joshua 24:15 we read “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” We have already talked about the aspect of demolishing strongholds of the mind in the “me,” part of this verse. Also with respect to “me,” we have been talking about the inward, upward and outward journeys. I want to add this morning, that if we are to be His “disciples indeed” (John 8:31 NKJV), we will need include traditional discipleship, such as taking up the disciplines of Scripture reading, fostering intimacy in quiet times with God, and one I am still struggling with, taking Sabbath rest (Mark 2:27). Holistic discipleship is a trinity of journeys (inward, upward and outward), and much of this blog has been about the inward journey (inner healing). But if we are to do discipleship holistically, we also need to utilize the interconnections, working the three journeys together in various periods of emphasis. We are made for community, and though I may need periods alone in the end, I cannot do the “me” part of discipleship in isolation. In fact, the command to go make disciples emphasizes the outward journey, and that needs to start at, or close to, home.

And Joshua is telling us in the phrase “and my house, ” that he takes responsibility for his house, for his family, for his immediate circles of influence. In this post Christian culture, we can no longer rely on the media and/or the schools neither to teach our children what they need to know, nor that they will teach them what is true. In some schools, for example, experimentation with sexuality is encouraged, and children are being told that they can choose their gender, which surly encourages gender dysphoria. With respect to the media, fifty Fifty years ago through stories and other means, programs often taught family and traditional values, integrity and life lessons. No longer, it all about “me!” The Biblical antidote comes in admonitions to teach the Lord's precepts and commandments “diligently to your children, you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

But you might ask “What if our children don't want to follow the Lord?” The verse “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) comes to mind. “But what if it's too late?” I like the illustration of the oxygen masks coming down in the plane. You put yours on first, before you help others. When children are no longer under our influence, the very best thing we can do for them, is to show the way to freedom by being radically transformed as we follow hard after Him in discipleship. Another question “What if he or she didn't follow even after I did my best?” Same thing really, but we also declare Joshua 24:15 in faith, as a promise that when he is old he will not depart from “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Father, You Word tells us that in many things we all fail (James 3:2). Which one of us when are children are grown can look back and say we made no mistakes? Not me for sure! Help us to admit our mistakes and apologize where it is necessary and Lord please give them grace to forgive us, and draw each one close to You in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship: Demolishing strongholds, taking thoughts captive.

This morning we are looking at Paul's statement that the weapons of our warfare are mighty, in that they enable the demolition of ideas that war against the knowledge of God, and allow us to take every thought captive unto obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 6:4,5). In terms of discipleship we need to apply this to our inner lives, then to church, and finally to the destructive philosophies of the age. This morning, we will be looking at our inner lives. We need to realize the things we think about and fixate on, are powerful influences in our lives, on our identity, on how we see ourselves and then ultimately, on our attitudes and actions. Over against this, as human beings we have this unique ability to think about what we are thinking about. And what this means, is that we can with His help, choose to take every thoughts captive, to subjugate them and, bring under Christ's control (verse 5).

It sounds simple, and it is! But simple and easy are not the same. We all have both good and bad thought patterns which form neural pathways in the brain. Neural pathways are shortcuts that when positive, enable skill sets such a playing the piano, or reading. Negative thought patterns also form neural pathways in the brain, and can result in addictions and other destructive behaviour. Obsessive thinking is in an of itself and addiction. Part of it not being easy, is that a feature of our fallen nature, seems to be that bad habits are easy to get into, and hard to get our of, while good habits work the other way round. Negative thought patterns are strongholds of the mind, but the good news, is that He has provided weapons to defeat them (verse 4). Addictive negative thought patterns can be dealt with, as with all addictions, in twelve-step programs whose principles are in fact Biblically based. Secular versions of this scratch the surface of the resources (weapons for the battle) that are available when our “higher power” is Christ (see “The principals, promises and power trinity” from January). There are advantages and disadvantages to every program, but what I want to mention here, is the fellowship of inward journey that is available in twelve-step programs. The Lord, however, has raised up many inner healing ministries, and we need to tap into those that meets our needs.

There were several blogs in July about taking our individual thoughts captive, and I won't repeat those thoughts here. But rather I want to mention some helpful tools (weapons) that overlap with traditional discipleship models. In particular, when we continue in His Word obeying and living out His teachings, then we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free (John 8:31, 32). Since Jesus is Truth incarnate (John 14:6), we will know both His Word, and know Him in relationship. And then, in line with the first commandment , when we present our bodies as living sacrifices, we'll be in process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1,2). I can't resist quoting Einstein again “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that got us into them. ” So yes, living sacrifices, half measures profited us nothing!

Father, please teach us how to take every thought captive, especially when we find ourselves falling into old thought patterns. We are practicing, practice makes perfect, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We thank You in His Name Amen