A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

THE OUTLINE

 Jesus teaches in this order:

1.  Jesus speaks Words of instruction
2.  Jesus shows the Works
3.  Jesus sends the Workers

YOUR PREPARATION

You should prepare by praying for understanding and wisdom; read and study and apply what you are learning as you go.  And above all, endure the training to its completion.  This is the method all his disciples must use.  Lead by example.

We will use the following rules for study:

1.  What is the CONTEXT of the teaching?
2.  What does it say?
3.  What does it mean?
4.  What does it mean to me / you?
5.  How can I do it?

We will start our study and training in Matthew chapter three, in order to get the full instruction and the CONTEXT of the teaching.  (NOTE: This is not a Bible study. It is “a calling, training and a commissioning”.)

–  Chapter  1  –

REPENTANCE & THE KINGDOM

(Please note: The green text is hyper-linked to teaching details and/or scripture references.)

Matthew 3:1  says“Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is a practical truth, a spiritual truth and a mystery.

The greatest pronouncement and call to readiness for all Christians: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The hour has arrived. Final preparations are being made. You must ready yourself for the Heaven’s final assault upon the earth. Satan is to be defeated and you and I are part of God’s invading force.

This is not a metaphor. It is not hyperbole. It is the literal call from God through His Son, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent, in the Biblical sense, literally means, “To change one’s mind; to change one’s mind for the better” and it comes from two root words which mean, “Hereafter, have this understanding or perception”.

Repenting is the act of changing your mind which means your mindset, your values, and your worldview is changed. Some would say you then live by new standards. But it is much greater than just living by new standards.

A person of sound mind cannot simultaneously think one thing and do another, repentance results in a complete change of mind and direction of one’s life.

This is a mystery, an oracle of God.  Jesus is saying His Kingdom is at hand – as close to you as your hand is at the end of your arm.  Jesus is telling you, “The Kingdom of God is within you“.  This cannot and must not be minimized.  You are standing at the threshold of “doing the Works of Jesus and even greater works because He is with The Father”.

Like Joshua and the Israelites, you are in the process of “crossing over into the land He has promised you, and everywhere the sole of your foot treads is yours, declares the Lord, and no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.”

Matthew3:2 says“For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”

It is our calling to make ready the way of the Lord and to announce it to the world.  We are commissioned to tell everyone to make straight the paths, in their lives, for His arrival.

Matthew 3:3-6 “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”

Jesus told all His disciples, then and now, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.” These are our instructions to be followed carefully and exactly.

We must not watch, envy or imitate the postmodern church as it defies the Word of God, acquiring their gold, entertaining their guests, telling their stories about the Bible – “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 

Once we “repent”, new desires move us to a new way of living, new actions, which are the direct manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance means it is no longer you or me who lives, but it is Christ, literally, living in us.

Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

If you are living in the sin of doubt or fear,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If you are living under the oppression of poverty, sickness, lack or want, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Joshua 1:2 tells us, like the sons of Israel before us, to rise up and cross over!   Matthew 4:24 tells us to “Proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, help all who are ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics”.

We are on our way, now.  Read, study, pray and BE DOERS OF THE WORD:  Go, today, and tell others this exceedingly Good News.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “The teaching, training & commissioning”:  THE JUDGMENT .

(Previous episode = Following Jesus – What You Need to Know )

(Please also notice, you can go to the webpage for this podcast and click links for details and references which are necessary for the entire teaching)

A TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Teaching, Training & Commissioning

FOLLOWING JESUS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Luke 9:57 – “As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  To another, he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”  Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We need to know why Jesus came, so we are not distracted to go astray or to follow false teachers.  We need to know what He is teaching and that we are to be the method, ambassadors if you wish, by which He delivers His message, so we remember to remain yielded to Him, His purposes and His ways.

Jesus tells us that He came to earth for three primary reasons:

1. “The Son of man came to save that which was lost.  ”Matthew 18:11

2. “I have come into this world to testify to the Truth”.   John 18:37

3. “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples, gave them authority, told them to go and preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you”.  Matthew 10, Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus’ teachings are always the revelation of Truth and are meant to be demonstrated in and through our lives.  This is a primary objective when becoming a disciple of Jesus and in preparing for Spiritual Warfare.

Jesus’ method of teaching is, first He teaches with words, then He demonstrates His teaching by example, and completes His teachings by sending His disciples to apply His Teachings.  This is His method, and it is our pattern, also.

This process, this cycle of ministry, includes (1) “Being Called by God, (2) Being Saved by God, (3) Being Sanctified by God, (4) Being Taught by God and (5) Being Sent into the world by God”.

Said another way, we are (1) called by Jesus to become His disciples and when we respond (2) we will hear His Word, (3) we go with Him, and we will watch His methods and ways, (4) we will learn and apply His teachings, and then (5) we will go and make disciples of Jesus.

You will see that this training is systematic, rigorous and difficult and, in one sense, can be life-threatening.  In another sense, however, His yoke is easy and, His burden is light, as you submit yourself to Jesus, He does the work through you.  Either way, it is life changing.

THIS IS THE WAY

By way of His Words, you will begin to literally “Walk by the Spirit of God”. You will effectively engage in “The struggle against the rulers, powers, and world forces of darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.  And, you will overcome!

 This will take time, dedication and personal discipline, but, the results will astound you.  You will scarcely recognize the person you have become, and the world won’t know what to do with you, at times.  (A word of caution and encouragement:  most who start, will not ‘endure to the end’ of this process.  But, I encourage you to endure.  I encourage you to take your lifetime, if that is what is required.  It will be worth your investment, and the rewards are beyond anything, you can imagine.)

The time is now – His return is near.  We are about to begin the greatest journey of our lifetime, and in a way you may have never experienced.  Let’s place our trust in Him as we join together and do His Works and greater works as He promised.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Please bookmark this page and watch for our next chapter, “THE TEACHING, TRAINING & COMMISSIONING”

previous page at: A Tutorial on Effective Spiritual Warfare

PREFACE

I toured the Revolutionary Museum and some American Revolutionary War battlefield sites in Yorktown, Virginia.  The tour guides and docents were well-informed and helpful.  The postings and literature at the various sites which was written by experts on the Revolutionary war, was also helpful and informative.  This information was written by highly educated and informed people.  But, as expert as these sources seemed to be, none of them could actually wage a war.  They could not implement the tactics of Revolutionary warfare nor could they establish an effective government in the aftermath of such a war – despite their extensive knowledge.  (And, if you knew anything about the American Revolution, you could spot areas where American history is being revised by these same people.)

Interesting and disturbing as the tour was, it still reminded me of a funny commercial where a bank is being robbed and a fellow appearing to be a bank guard is asked “aren’t you going to do something?”  The bank guard answers, saying, “Oh, no. I’m not a bank GUARD.  I’m just a bank MONITOR. I don’t stop bank robberies, I just report on them.”  Much like the experts on the American Revolution, they don’t fight wars or establish governments, they just report on them.

INTRODUCTION

I sat in on a Church Bible study class and listened, hoping to participate in a study on “The Beatitudes”.  I want to know more about and discuss matters in the Bible.  The problem for me, as it turned out, was that this was a lecture instead of a discussion or a study.  And, it was so far out of context of what Jesus had said, according to the verses reviewed, that it made little contextual sense.

The second problem for me was that this lecture was also an example of an *EISEGESIS of scriptures.  (*The process of interpreting text in such a way as to introduce one’s own presuppositions, agendas or biases. It is commonly referred to as “reading into the text”.  It is often done to “prove” a preconceived point of concern, and to provide confirmation bias corresponding with the preconceived interpretation and any agendas supported by it.”)

The class leader was sincere, but, he taught from a book other than the Bible and only used the Bible in support of the preconceived ideas from the book he was using as his source material.  It was ‘logical sounding lecture’ using some good Biblical principles, but, it had little to do with what Jesus was teaching in Matthew chapter five.

Unfortunately, this is not unusual in this postmodern church era.  Jesus’ teachings, all-to-often, have been reduced to little more than lessons on proper Christian etiquette and cultural norms framed in Biblical terms.  The postmodern church, all-to-often, views Jesus’ teachings with human logic inculcated upon us by our present world.

Here is a message from Senior Pastor Trent Casto, of Covenant Church, Naples, Florida.  (I have cued the video to start at 13:00 minutes, at a relevant point. If it does not start at the 13:00 minute mark, fast-forward to that point)

(I consider Covenant Naples Church, Pastor Trent Casto and the entire staff as presenting and “doing” the Gospel of Christ, accurately and effectively.  I strongly recommend this church as a solid Bible based and Bible teaching church)

However, many church leaders and pastors are not capable of actually implementing or doing what the Bible says, they are just reporting.  Oh, they can come close.  But, they are blending a secular worldview with language of the Bible in order to sound religious,   The application of these revised types of religious teachings may be informative at times, but, they have no Spiritual or practical power to transform individual lives nor to reform cultures, societies and nations.  They are presenting a type of “religious humanism”.

The Teachings of Jesus, on the other hand, are antithetical to worldly standards, practices and norms.  Jesus was crucified as a sacrifice for our sins.  But, as far as the unbelieving world was concerned, it was for His controversial and counter cultural teachings.

Jesus made it clear that if you choose to follow Him, you will have to pay the price of a disciple, and that cost is high.  Both the religious and secular worlds persecuted Jesus and His followers because of His teachings.  And, they will persecute you, too, if you choose to be His disciple.

Jesus came to show us the way to Life, and He warned that the gate is small and the way that leads to life is both narrow and difficult, and there are few who find it.

I am making this meager effort, writing an outline of Jesus’ teachings about (1) what it means to be His disciple, (2) what it takes to be a disciple – a true follower of Jesus and, (3) about the rewards.  I pray God will use this plain and simple language to make it clear for all who would follow Him, regarding:

• God’s Salvation of humankind, The Cost
• God’s Redemptive purpose, The Course
• The Baptism Covenant, The Commitment
• The Sanctification process which every follower of Christ will experience and have to endure to the end, The Cause.

This is the process by which a person is transformed into a Disciple of Jesus.

This teaching can be found in the Gospels of the New Testament.  I will use chapter 3 of the book of Matthew and continue through chapter 10.  Our final instructions will be found in chapter twenty-eight of Matthew.

Please bookmark this page for future updates, and pray with me that we don’t become “hearers only” but that we remain “doers of the Word”.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Go to the next Episode here:  FOLLOWING  JESUS –WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW