Hi Folks,
I’ve attached a link here to our updated discipleship course called BIG (Beginning in Grace).
This is an excellent course to use with young believers.
Please feel free to use and distribute this electronic copy.
We have hard copies for sale; send me a message for details and costs
I’ve been known to do a bit of bird watching now and again, and used to enjoy hunting for rare and unusual ones.
Yesterday as I was sitting in my car I was watching a blackbird and thrush feeding in the grass.
These are very common birds, not rare at all, however I was really enjoying watching them find their lunch.
Through them the Lord told me to keep enjoying the simple things in life and to rejoice in the simple things.
He then told me with regards to things of the Kingdom, not to look for the “special” or for the “new”, but to enjoy the “simple”.
And more importantly He told me to tell this to His church.
Good teaching and good doctrine are simple things to be greatly enjoyed.
So with regards to teaching and doctrine we are not to go looking for the “special” or the “new”.
Good and simple teaching and doctrine (or the understanding of it) may not seem the most exciting thing in the Kingdom, however it is what will change your life for the better.
There is nothing “new” and nothing “special” that can do what the understanding of good teaching and good doctrine can do.
The “new” and “special” may give you goose bumps and make you feel good for a wee while but it will not result in lasting and permanent transformation.
Enjoy the simple things in the Kingdom, the truth of good teaching and good doctrine.
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for good and sound teaching and doctrine, and thank you for the change it will make in my life”.
Philippians 4 v 4…..Rejoice in the Lord, always: sand again I say, Rejoice
Nunsy and I are at a Minister’s Conference this week, but it is a conference that we nearly did not come to.
Due to various reasons (or maybe I should call them excuses) we had planned not to come, but closer to the event I felt the Lord prompting me to go.
I didn’t listen to Him at first, but eventually did and as Nunsy was being promoted as well we decided to come.
And I am so glad we came; I have just listened to the best teaching I have ever heard.
Or maybe I should say superb teaching that spoke right into my heart about my current situation.
The Lord knew what the pastor was going to preach and He also knew that I needed to hear it, so He prompted me to come.
He knew what I needed far more than I did.
If I had listened to my own thoughts, if I had leaned on my own understanding I would have missed a teaching that I believe is about to transform my ministry and my church.
We must get to a mind-set where we listen to the Lord more than ourselves.
We must get to a stage where we trust Him and what He says more than what we want.
I’m sure you’ve done things in your life that were wrong and say to yourself, “I knew the Lord was telling me not to do that”.
We need to get to the place in our life where we listen to Him and obey Him before we do the stupid things!
I am so grateful that we came to this conference, but am also very aware that I almost missed it due to my own thoughts and wants.
Please listen to my heart when I tell you to take everything to the Lord and listen to Him, I would not want you to miss out on what the Lord has for you.
Listen to Him, trust Him and obey Him; He knows what is best for you as well as knowing what is best for me.
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you always want what is best for me, and thank you that your plan and purpose for my life is so much better than anything I could come up with”.
Proverbs 3 v 5 and 6…..Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths
Jesus was a man (and God) who could perform the miraculous, healing people and setting them free from the demonic and from bondages.
He was also a great teacher.
The people who followed Him must have seen the miracles, but they also made themselves available for teaching (Mark 2 v 13).
This attitude has got lost a bit in the body of Christ today.
I see many, many believers chasing after miracles and the “supernatural”; now don’t anyone say I am against these things because I am not.
I do not however see many of these same people chasing after teachers and teaching.
We must all have a “teachable spirit”; in other words we must all be ready to be taught.
I have to say that one of the most ugly traits that I see in believers is an attitude where they are not willing to be taught.
Not one of us can know all that is in the Word about Jesus and His finished work and we all need teachers to help us understand and gain more knowledge.
Yes, we can learn with revelation from the Holy Spirit, however the Lord has put in place the position of teachers, and given this anointing to men and women whom we can learn from (Ephesians 4 v 11 and 12).
Never think you know it all; find teachers that can help you understand more.
It is knowledge and understanding, through teaching, that will lead you into life and godliness (2 Peter 1 v 3).
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your anointed teachers that you have set in place”.
Mark 2 v 13….And he went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them
Learning about the Lord and gaining more understanding about Him and His ways is a life long process; be aware of any man who thinks he has learned everything.
I don’t know about you, but as I understand in a deeper way about Jesus it makes me even more eager to learn.
As we increase in understanding about Jesus and His finished work we will change and live more Godly lives (2 Peter 1 v 3) and this is a process that should continue until the day we die.
In order to move on in our walk with the Lord we must remain teachable; we must retain a willingness to be taught and if required change our views, opinions, beliefs and doctrines.
As a pastor and teacher I have to tell you that there is nothing as ugly as a Christian who cannot and will not be taught.
If you will not allow yourself to be taught you will not progress and change.
I do honestly feel that I am a good and anointed teacher, but friends I am happy to tell you that I love being taught; today for example I listened to two wonderful men of God give me some great teaching.
That in my opinion makes me wise!
A wise man will want to be taught and will become wiser and increase in learning (Proverbs 9 v 9).
The Christian walk was never meant to be a lone walk.
I agree that the Lord has given us the Holy Spirit to teach, guide and direct however He has also put in place teachers and pastors to instruct and guide (Ephesians 4 v 11 and 12)
The Lord has put in place pastors who will feed the flocks with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3 v 15).
We all of course need to work in partnership with the Holy Spirit as our guide, but we also need to retain a teachable mind-set and find pastors and teachers who can help us learn more and increase in wisdom.
I hope and pray that you have found teachers who are feeding you; I also hope and pray that you are listening, hearing and being taught.
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the pastors and teachers that you have put in place to teach me more about Jesus and His finished work”.
Proverbs 1 v 5…..A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels
My message at MGF today was about Apollos; about how he was teachable and willing to change his doctrine.
Once changed he went on to have a huge impact on the early church.
He was an intelligent man who studied at the most advance centre of learning of the day yet when he came to Ephesus he put himself under the wings of Priscilla and Aquila and changed his doctrine (Acts 18 v 24 to 28).
The biggest change was that Apollos had a revelation of Jesus Christ; he knew about God and the baptism of John but he did not have an awareness of the new covenant (that is my reading of these Scriptures).
He was a man well versed in the Old Testament yet was willing to learn about new ideas and new concepts from what I believe to be brothers and sisters less educated than himself.
This is a sign of true humility; a sign of a person willing to be taught and willing to change their doctrine.
Apollos was taught a doctrine that was more perfect (Acts 18 v 26).
He was willing to admit he did not know everything and was still willing to learn.
This is an attitude that ever born again believer should have.
The Lord has set teachers in place for the good of the church (Ephesians 4 v 11).
The Lord has set pastors in place to feed their fellowships with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3 v 15).
Never have the attitude that you know everything, always have an attitude of willingness to learn; this will help you on your Christian walk.
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the pastors and teachers that you have put across my path, help me to keep alive the willingness to learn more about your Word and about Jesus”.
Acts 18 v 26….And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly
Heilan Word Ministries 