PREAMBLE
Many modern day Ascended Gifted Ministers excel in their ministries. They are great orators. They never ever fail for the want of words and because of their great oratory they are able to paint vivid pictures in the minds of their audience. These great orators are sought after to speak at large seminars and conferences. They have a great following. The sad thing of many of these great ministers is when they die their ministries die with them. Many modern outstanding and gifted ministers fail to understand that their legacy left to The Church is not so much their audios, videos and books, though these are priceless. The greatest legacy that they can bequeath to The Body of Christ is their SPIRITUAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS THAT THEY HAVE RAISED UP FOR THE MINISTRY. The Word of God encourages The Leadership of The Body of Christ not just to concentrate on PREACHING AND INSTRUCTION but also the raising of Sons and Daughters in the ministry: “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15 NKJV).”
Paul, the most prolific Apostle sets forth a wonderful example for our modern day Ascended Gifted Ministers. To this very day theologians debate whether or not Paul was married. Be it that he was married then surely he would have Sons and Daughters. Be it that he was not married then being the Godly man that he was he would not have fathered any children, however when we read his epistles he speaks of two Sons. These Sons are the Spiritual Sons of Paul. These two young men were Paul’s PRODIGIES. “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord (1Titus 1:2).” “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare ( 1 Timothy 1:18).”
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord (2Ti 1:2).” “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour (Tit 1:4).” Paul chooses his words wisely to give The Modern Day Church an indelible lesson on the importance of raising up Spiritual Sons for the ministry: MY OWN SON IN THE FAITH, SON, My DEAR BELOVED SON and MY OWN SON AFTER THE COMMON FAITH Great Spiritual Fathers raise up great Spiritual Sons. Moses raised Joshua, Elijah raised Elisha, Jesus raised twelve Apostles and Paul raised Timothy and Titus. Joshua in many a way echoed the voice and teachings of Moses. Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s miraculous power. The Apostles echoed the voice and teachings of Jesus.
Timothy had the heart of Paul, who loved the unlovable and the discarded. In my early years of ministry I purposed to be an orator that would excel in expressing The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I envisioned myself ministering throughout the world, becoming a well sought after public speaker. As the years went by I realized that being a sought after orator was not the ultimate will of God for my life and ministry, though I had ministered in several countries by that time. There was that which far superseded oratory and recognition by my peers and The Body of Christ. Through trials, tribulations and failures in my ministry, I soon discovered God’s purpose for my life and ministry. IT WAS TO REPRODUCE MY MINISTRY IN OTHERS. God, through His divine call and enablement wanted me to multiply my voice and not my popularity, and to do this I had to seek out my Spiritual Sons and train and equip them for the ministry: At first I wrestled with this Revelation from God. I wanted to be a famous preacher and be it that I had to invest in other saints of God’s ministries; I felt that I would never ever be that great orator of the Gospel that would travel the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I persisted with developing my own ministry, the work of God at times became insipid.
Through this insipidness I soon discovered the reason why I was no more enjoying the ministry. I was SELFISH. THREE PEOPLE WERE PROMINENT IN MY LIFE and that being ME, MYSELF AND I. I cried to The Lord to restore the joy I once had in preaching His Word. God wonderfully answered my hearts cry and by His wonderful grace I began to see others more important than myself. God’s Word, through the abiding presence of The Holy Spirit began unveiling precious truth of The Word of how I could be THE LEADER that God had called me to be: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12).” In the early years of my ministry I could not comprehend how PREACHING and LEADERSHIP go hand in glove. I always wanted to be a PREACHER, and yet God had called me to be a LEADER OF MEN as well.
As I submitted to The Lord; God wonderfully opened The Word of God to me. I began to study the great LEADERS and PREACHERS of The Bible. To my amazement I saw how God held nothing back concerning these great men of God. Their strengths and weaknesses were as an open book to me. Absolutely nothing was withheld concerning these men. Their triumphs and their failures were openly disclosed and I soon realized why God purposely had done this. It was for my benefit and for the benefit of all those who God would place under my care for the development of their ministries. I was to emulate their strength and discard their weaknesses. In no way was I to impart to those under my care, my own weaknesses and even the weakness of God’s Bible characters. God supernaturally opened a door of ministry that propelled my Leadership qualities.
For three and half years I taught at a renowned Bible College. Whilst ministering there I saw the effect that I had upon developing the ministries of others. I soon discovered the difference between PREACHING and LEADERSHIP: PREACHERS WILL HAVE AN AUDIENCE BUT LEADERS WILL HAVE A FOLLOWING. An AUDIENCE IS HERE TODAY, BUT GONE TOMORROW. A LEADER HAS A FOLLOWING, WHERE HE GOES THE FOLLOWERS FOLLOW AND THEY NEVER MOVE ON UNTIL THE DAY THEY ARE RELEASED INTO THEIR OWN MINISTRIES. It is the purpose of this writing to influence God’s Anointed Ascended Gifted Ministries to see and understand their role as SPIRITUAL FATHERS, MENTORS AND LEADERS. We have to realize that we are not just building The Church of our day, we are building The Church of Tomorrow and we must by the grace of God make concerted and concentrated efforts to train The Leaders for The Church of Tomorrow.
CHAPTER ONE CHOOSING THE PRODIGIES
Whenever we consider training men for the ministry, we must follow the example of Jesus. Some may ask why? The answer is simple. He alone knows the hearts of men. There is absolutely nothing that is hid from God: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:9-10).” Jesus had massive audiences. At one time He fed over five thousand with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:14-21). It was from the multitude that Jesus chose the seventy preachers (Luke 10:1-17).
It was possibly from the seventy preachers that Jesus chose the twelve apostles. One mighty man of God said that there were three groups of people that surrounded Jesus: THE OUTER CIRCLE (THE SEVENTY PREACHERS) THE INNER CIRCLE (THE TWELVE APOSTLES) THE INNERMOST CIRCLE (PETER, JAMES AND JOHN) After a whole night in prayer Jesus chose His apostles: “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles (Luke 6:12-13).”
It is absolutely essential that when we consider mentoring God’s elect for active service that we consult the Lord of the harvest. God knows who has been called and set aside for ministry. When we act on our own accord, we will most definitely choose those outside of the call of Ascended Gifted Ministry. The Old Testament book of Jeremiah convinces God’s servants are elected by God: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).”
When we as Spiritual Fathers, Mentors and Leaders of The Local Churches seek God’s face through prayer to guide us in choosing our Spiritual Sons, we are simply showing respect to God’s sovereign will. We must bear in mind that it is God who sets His Church in order.
Though we believe in prayer, we yet have through various confirmations determine if we have truly heard from God in choosing our prodigies. This is said because often is the case that we enter into prayer with preconceived answers and our whole exercise of prayer is but asking for God’s approval. Whenever we seek God’s direction we never ever should enter into His presence with preconceived answers. We have to ensure that we are not requesting God for His rubber stamp of approval. A wise Mentor will always seek the advice and counsel of the senior men and women of The Local Church. Better still he will consult The Leadership of the Church and that being the Eldership and the Deaconate: “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment (Psalm 37:30).” Other than consulting other Leaders of The Local Church, it is important that certain criteria are adopted to determine a wise decision: ARE THE POSSIBLE PRODIGIES FAITHFUL IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE? DO THEY TITHE CONSISTENTLY? ARE THEY TEACHABLE? ARE THEY SUBMISSIVE? DO THEY HAVE THE HEART OF A SERVANT FAITHFULNESS: No one in their right mind would invest into a bank that has a very low interest rate.
As mentors we should seek out those men and women of God that will bring great results and blessings to the work of God. According to The Word of God: “Faith is the substance of things hoped the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1).” It is with this Scriptural definition in mind that mentors should seek out their prodigies. They have to find those men and women that are FULL OF FAITH, and this simply means they are dedicated to God in all spheres of service. They attend all duly called Church servicers. They are punctual. They express faith in God no matter what circumstances prevail. It is when the mentors see this in their prodigies that they can hope and trust God to do great exploits in the future with their prodigies.
CONSISTENT TITHER: Many a time mentors choose the wrong prodigies for the simple fact they base their chose on the abilities and personalities of people. No doubt this in a small way does help mentors in choosing prodigies however this is not the ultimate criterion. A hallmark of true Christian character that blatantly stands out is faithfulness in tithing and generosity. Persons that withhold their tithe from God and refuse to assist those who are desperately in financial need, are those who mentors must avoid as prospective prodigies. It has been said if people cannot give their money to God and help the poor then have they really given themselves to God and do they really care about people. Mentors must never ever forget that one’s VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP WILL ALWAYS DETERMINE ONES HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP.
TEACHABLE SPIRIT: Often ministers of God are asked to define humility. And often is the case that deep theological recitals are given. A precise and simple explanation of humility is but having a true estimate of who you are and what you are and what you know. Mentors should steer clear of Mr and Mrs Know It All. AS Christians we should be proud of whom we are but never express ourselves as those who know it all. A TEACHABLE SPIRIT IS A MUST WHEN SEEKING OUT PRODIGIES. SUBMISSIVE: As much as being a parent is a major blessing it comes with grave responsibility. Parents have the grave responsibility of instilling in the minds of their children the very will of God. Children like all people have a mind of their own.
Every person is born with the power of choice. Godly parenting teaches the child to make the right choices in life. At times the rod of correction has to be employed to steer the child in the right direction. Mentors are like parents and one of the key factors that will help the mentor to choose the true Prodigy is to see whether or not they refuse correction. A submissive person will always readily submit to correction that is exercised in a spirit of love and care. SERVANT HEART: No doubt we are living in a very extreme materialistic world.
Everyone wants to own and that the best. All seek the best paid jobs and careers and may I add that is not evil, however Christian Servanthood is far removed from the standards of the world. CHRISTIAN SERVANTHOOD IS NOT IN IT FOR WHAT THEY CAN GET OUT OF IT BUT RATHER FOR WHAT THEY CAN PUT INTO IT. TRUE CHRISTIAN SERVICE IS NOT MOTIVATED FOR WHAT I RECEIVE RATHER ON WHAT I GIVE AND THAT WHICH I GIVE IS ALL OF ME. The mentor must seek out those who do things for The Church and people simply because they love God’s Church and all people. They are LOVE MOTIVATED AND NOT GREED MOTIVATED.
In choosing Spiritual Sons and Prodigies Ascended Gifts, Spiritual Fathers, Leaders and Mentors must also be in mind that all not all of their choices of Spiritual Sons and Prodigies are going to excel. Sadly some will fail and even divorce themselves from the training programmes. Though this is inevitable The Ascended Gifts, Spiritual Fathers, Leaders and Mentors must take heart and not allow discouragement to reign. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, who was God in the flesh, chose an Apostle who betrayed Him. No doubt this was to fulfil the purposes of The Eternal Godhead. Many Ascended Gift, Spiritual Father. Leader and Mentor’s heart will be broken as Prodigies fail. God knew this before the foundation of the world and to console His servants, He has placed a special verse in The Word of God: “For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14).”
Too often Men of God have allowed their disappointments and hurts to rob them of the great trust God has placed in them. They give up fathering Spiritual Sons and Daughters. God has placed His ability within His Ascended Gifts, Spiritual Fathers, Leaders and Mentors. He has given them an acute knowledge of His Word. He has empowered them with The Baptism Into The Holy Spirit. A true evaluation needs to be processed and that being: HAS THE ASCENDED GIFT, THE SPIRITUAL FATHER, THE LEADERS AND THE MENTOR FAILED OR HAS THE PRODIGY FAILED? The Servant of God has always to bear in Mind: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1Corinthians 15:58).”
CHAPTER TWO MAKING DISTINCTIONS AMONG THE PRODIGIES
The Bible teaches us emphatically that our God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He does not play the favourite game, however He does make distinctions. The twelve Apostles walked with Jesus for close on to three and half years. He shared His life with them. He withheld nothing from them. He invested His life in all of them. And yet on close examination of the twelve it seemed as if there were two groups within The Apostolic Band.
Nine of the twelve were as one man of God said belonged to The Inner Circle, whereas the other three belonged to The Innermost Circle; and that being Peter, James and John. These three went where the others could not go. They went with Jesus to The Mount of Transfiguration, into the home of Jairus and into The Garden of Gethsemane. They saw and heard what the others had not seen and heard. As they stood with Jesus on The Mount of Transfiguration they saw the two great prophets of The Old Testament, Moses and Elijah.
They saw the Deity of Jesus break forth: “Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 17:4-5).” They heard the voice of God our Father: “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 17:5).” Jesus raised three people from the dead: The only son of a widow from Nain (Luke 7:11-14), the daughter of the religious leader Jairus (Mark 5:22-43) and Lazarus (John 11:1-45). Only Peter, James and John saw all three wondrous miracles. The other nine Apostles did not enter the home of Jairus. They were left outside of the home of Jairus.
Jesus poured out His heart to his Father in The Garden of Gethsemane. It was there in The Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus prepared Himself for the horror of the Crucifixion. Eleven of The Apostles accompanied Jesus, however only The Innermost Circle, Peter, James and John were invited to go further with Jesus into The Garden of Gethsemane. They were the closest to Jesus in His hour of travail: “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people (Matthew 26:36-47).” Of the nine Apostles of The Inner Circle one failed The Lord, the other eight as close as they were to The Lord could not go all the way with The Lord. It is only Peter, James and John, the innermost circle that could go all the way and experience the brokenness of Jesus.
A wise mentor will survey The Local Church and categorize it into the three groups: THE OUTER CIRCLE (ADHERENTS), THE INNER CIRCLE (THOSE WHO HAVE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP) and THE INNERMOST CIRCLE (THE LEADERSHIP AND PRODIGIES). THE OUTER CIRCLE: ALL Local Churches have Adherents. These Adherents attend The Church services regularly however they have not as yet been given The Right Hand of Fellowship. Many Adherents are Born Again and are those saints of God who as yet have not committed themselves to the authority of The Local Church. Adherents who are Born Again are Members of the Body of Christ however they are as yet not committed to The Local Church. Oft times they are disillusioned Christians who have left their previous Churches because of various issues and problems that they had had with their previous Local Churches. Some might even tithe regularly to The Local Church but as yet have not sought The Local Church for The Right Hand of Fellowship:
The wise mentor realizes that All BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS ARE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST BUT NOT ALL BORN AGAIN MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST ARE PLACED IN THE SAME LOCAL CHURCH AND SERVE UNDER THE SAME LEADERSHIP. Barnabas and Paul were Members of the Body of Christ who served at The Antioch Local Church and for them to minister among and in The Jerusalem Local Church they had to receive The Right Hand of Fellowship from The Jerusalem Leadership: “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision (Galatians 2:9).” With the above in mind the wise Mentor will not choose his prodigies from The Outer Circle unless they have received The Right Hand of Fellowship. Furthermore be it that they had left their previous Churches under discipline that they would serve their time of disciplinary action in their new found Local Church. Once their period of disciplinary action has been served and they have been released from their previous Local Church with their blessing and receive The Right Hand of Fellowship in their new Local Church they are eligible for the possibility of becoming prodigies.
THE INNER CIRCLE: All those who have taken The Right Hand of Fellowship and faithfully tithe and attending all duly called services and submissive to The Leadership of The Local Church are deemed a definite part of THE INNER CIRCLE and are therefore eligible Prodigies. THE INNERMOST CIRCLE: These are those who have been given The Right Hand of Fellowship and are serving The Local Church faithfully and have gone the extra mile time and time and again in serving The Local Church. They are an integral part of The Local Church who shows forth a Submissive and Teachable Spirit. The wise Mentor will always draw from this group his Leadership and Prodigies.
CHAPTER THREE GOD’S CHOICE
Though God has very graciously allowed The Ascended Gifts (who for the sake of this teaching are also referred to as Spiritual Leaders, Fathers, Mentors), to choose their Prodigies, there are those certain times God will speak specifically of who He wants us to set aside for ministry. When God does this (as He had done in The Old Testament), we must submit to His authority and carry out His will to the letter. No doubt we will not act immediately.
As wise Ascended Gifts we will put in motion the Principles of Confirmation. The first Principle of Confirmation is verifying the source of the command. God warns: “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification (1 Corinthians 14:10).” The wise man of God knows there are three spirits operative in the spirit world and that being: THE SPIRIT OF MAN, EVIL SPIRITS and THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Spirit of man will operate to exalt self and not God. Evil Spirits will operate to glorify Satan and to mislead The Church. The Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus and direct The Church into the will of God. The Second Principle of Confirmation is seeking counsel from other seasoned men of God: “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge (1 Corinthians 14:29).”
There are two classic examples in The Old Testament when servants of God are told explicitly to set men apart for ministry. These two men were Joshua and Elisha. God instructed Moses to set Joshua apart: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation (Deuteronomy 31:14).” God instructed Elijah to set Elisha apart: “And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room (1Kings 19:16).”
Though Moses and Elijah had received instruction from God we must note that there is a major difference between the call of these two mighty men of God. Joshua was already functioning as Moses prodigy and servant: “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it (Deuteronomy 31:7).” “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9).”
Moses’ instruction was not to train Joshua for the ministry rather it was to release him into ministry. Elisha’s anointing was not for immediate ministry rather it was for training in the ministry: “Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. “Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. “So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant (1 Kings 19:15-21).”
