Make Disciples - Part 6: Why Should I?

This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Running with Horses, a podcast devoted to inspire you, concerning a relationship with Almighty God that empowers you to accomplish things you never thought possible.

Shirley Weaver wants to take you there. And now, here's today's episode. Hello everyone, welcome back.

I am so glad you are here. We make disciples because of the great commission, command that we do so to disciple, to mentor, to train, lead, to fellowship with, to build up, to encourage and strengthen as we begin our lives as new believers. Because we've been transformed out of the darkness and into the light, we don't automatically know what to do. Enter the role of the seasoned, the mature believer to bring forth in the life of the new person, the one who is new to the kingdom, tools and resources and words of encouragement and prayers that strengthen their faith, grow them in the way that they in turn can become those who disciple others. It is God's plan. It is an eternal plan, has been operating for centuries.

We know because our Lord Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago gave us the best of all possible examples of exactly how to disciple, how to train, how to build up and strengthen men and women in the things of the faith. Your concentration, the previous five episodes of our podcast, again today, the sixth and final episode, the concentration, Make Disciples, Build Up the Kingdom. That's why we're here. So welcome aboard if you are a first time listener or have been with us for a while. Either way, welcome. Glad you are here. The word is clear that there is a strengthening that occurs from the time that a baby is born in the process of bringing new life into the world.

God equips, especially the mother, also the father and the rest of the family to nurture and guide and strengthen and build up this little tiny human being and ultimately this very same tiny creature becomes bold in life to live alone if necessary apart from those who nurtured. So you know the example. You know where I'm going with this.

It's the same. It is so the same for those who are born again by the Spirit of God, either through just praying the sinner's prayer or being invited into the kingdom another way. You know, it is not fair, you know, just to leave them at that point. So, you know, no judgment here, but just to say we can do better than that. So for those who have been listeners for a while, I would speak to you to say this is really a solemn task for each of us, for me, for you, to reach out to those who need to be nurtured in the things of the Spirit. Certainly the Word of God, certainly the truths of how God moves really based on your own experience.

That's huge right there, but also to strengthen them in the body that surrounds, that can surround. I'm speaking potentially here. I understand that in every place there isn't this amazing group of people that we can draw from, but, and here is my take on that, there's me and I'm one. I'll do everything I can until someone else can join in and then someone else, someone else, until we build and strengthen. And you know, I'm just thinking how powerful the structure of the house church is in this regard. Our family was blessed to be part of a wonderful small group that became a house church.

We were able to do exploits. You know, it was a family. We took care of each other, actually still do to this day, but we combined our resources, talents, gifts, skills, and the blessing that resulted.

That is a great memory and I'm offering to you now the example. So don't rule that out if there isn't a strong congregation or a strong body of mature believers who are like-minded with you. Consider God may begin with you to do something that builds his kingdom uniquely. He receives the glory.

Others are blessed. It goes on and on. I love that expression throughout eternity. And on that note, on the note of eternity, it's only been, well, not just the last few years, but I didn't always understand that eternity is past, present, and future because eternity is God's timing. It has no beginning, no end. So it's not like eternity for me is out there, way, way out there.

It is now. It includes my past, my present, my future, and although there's an expanse in front of me called future, right now, right this minute, I am living in eternity with almighty God. Eternity. Eternity. These are eternal matters and it matters how I live, choices I make, decisions, lifestyle, focus, attitude, worldview.

It really matters because today's eternity becomes tomorrow, the next day, and the next. The focus, make disciples, one, two, on up to number six, is to just scratch the surface, just barely touch on the possibilities, clarifying for the generation that's coming next. Ensure they understand the basic truths. If we give them the basics, and for those of you in that age group timeframe, if we deliver to you the ancient truths that have been delivered to us, then you build upon those uniquely the way God leads you, not the way he led me or us or the past generation, which is valuable in the sense of the holiness that God blessed us with, but you have so much more, so much more. I love the expression. We are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come next are likewise standing upon our shoulders.

And it goes on and on, the expression, the beat goes on. And why make so much to do about this? Why spend six episodes of our show running with horses talking this way? Because it's absent.

It's not happening. The culture swallows up a generation that is bankrupt of the truths necessary to nurture them in the faith. For some of them, they actually think they know it all.

And I don't mean that in a haughty way. They think they know. Truthfully, they really do not know what they do not know.

And the cost is high. The delivery that God has for each generation is unique and he blesses it in a special way so that every generation builds upon the next one. And today, those who are coming of age, those who are in their teenage years, their 20s, their 30s, their 40s, and even spilling into their 50s, they need the generations ahead, those in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, to tell them the truth. Tell them the truth.

Lay it out there. They can take it. They're spunky. They are energetic. They're smart.

And they know for their age, they actually know more in a worldly sense than many of us did at that same age. They have a welt to build upon. However, without the influence of godly men and women who fear the Lord, and I mean that in a healthy way, who have a reverential awe of almighty God, to impart to them what the apostle Paul imparted, his own words defining some spiritual gift.

Some spiritual gift, meaning what is needed at the time, what is necessary. Our world is large. It's vast. And at the same time, the tools that we have to reach all around the world in a second, speaking to everybody at one time, is also vast. Surely the prophecy applies, knowledge shall increase.

The prophet Daniel, knowledge shall increase. And men will run to and fro. So there's a movement now that is not only dominated by the world system and the things that the mind and heart of man can contrive, but literally we are gifted as the church, as the body of Christ, believers worldwide, to use the tools that we have in a digital age to completely exploit the enemy's efforts and take back and to take hold of a generation whom God loves and has an individual destiny for each one. That's the assignment.

That's what's possible. And I am so after it, as you can probably hear in my voice, I couldn't be more convicted right now about anything than this particular matter because I can see it in their eyes. I see as I encounter those in the generation after me and the next and the next, you know, if we factor in 20 years for a generation, there are just a couple of decades that separate us into groups as I see what's going on. And those little minds are turning, but I see and read in their eyes, empty, empty. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go.

I don't know how to do this. And yet they can't really say that. Well, they don't even know to say that. But we see in the eye and we sense by the Spirit of God, the opportunity here, a huge opportunity. Possibly my own experience really plays into this passion.

I feel so blessed. The nurture I received as a new believer was a wealth. It was a wealth.

It wasn't perfect. There are things I've sloughed off over the years, but the wealth of what God delivered to me so that, again, the example of the new baby coming into the world, I wasn't abandoned and left, you know, in an isolated place without touch and without impartation and input. Instead, others came along a side to me, of me, to encourage me and strengthen me and say, you can do this. We'll stand with you. We'll pray with you for your family, for your children, for the blessing on your home. We will help you reach your destiny in God.

Do you know what the calling of God on your life is? We will help you. Not that they would do it for me. That's not the case. That doesn't accomplish anything.

No, we don't do that for anyone. We encourage them, strengthen them, come alongside of them. Because, you know, the definition of the Holy Spirit, the definition of the helper, the Greek rendering is, comes from the word, I'm not sure about this pronunciation, paraclete. Paraclete, it means to come alongside of, but not just that, to come alongside of, to take hold together with, and not just that, but also to come alongside of, take hold together with, against, against. Because let's face it, the obstacles are many.

The intrusions are very distracting. We need the Holy Spirit. We need the paraclete. And we need the spirit of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of others around us to come alongside of us, take hold together with us against the things in the culture, the things in just our individual world, just because of how God made us, all of that to be against those negative forces so that all that God is building on the inside of us can come forth and manifest. It's supernatural, right? I am asked, we understand that the show, Running with Horses, focuses on, originates from the belief that God is a supernatural God. He moves supernaturally in the ordinary lives of ordinary men and women every minute of every day, but we don't necessarily see it or recognize it.

We know that your show is dedicated that way, but we are not familiar with a supernatural God. We don't see miracles. We don't see healings. And so my passion and my heart is to respond to and in every way possible address that in fact you do have miracles. You do witness healings. Open your eyes because they're there. They may just be small.

They may be minor at the moment or you might not be interpreting rightly. You know, sometimes other things, entities get the credit for God's supernatural working because he always is. That's who he is, what he does, and I've seen it too many times to not believe it. So our show, Running with Horses, this podcast focuses right there and we have spoken for several episodes now, six to be exact, about the aspect of God's supernatural power that comes with making disciples and becoming a disciple. There's many more aspects of God's supernatural work in our lives and we are going to tap in, God willing, we're going to tap into every way and everything we possibly can. So join us.

Stay with us. Let us know what you're thinking. If you're blessed and enjoy the show, let us hear from you. You can contact our ministry at this address info, I-N-F-O, at acleartrumpet.org and that address, by the way, is in the show notes, always in the show notes.

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God bless you. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with others. Post about it on social media or leave a rating and review. Don't forget to check out the show notes or visit acleartrumpet.org where you can subscribe to Shirley's email list. Download the ministry app and purchase your very own copy of Shirley's 365 Day Devotional, Running with Horses. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.