The Daily Word of Righteousness

Making Disciples, continued

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. (II Timothy 2:2)

People are built up in Christ only by the Word of God. Let us teach the Word! Where are the expositors of the sacred text?

In some churches the people jump up and down next to their pews, practicing for the "rapture." This is not how one learns to keep Christ's commandments. People learn to keep Christ's commandments as they are taught them by someone who himself has learned to keep them.

The third problem is that of stressing "spiritual" experiences instead of teaching the commandments of Christ. It appears that the False Prophet of the last days will stress miracles. Miracles and other spiritual and emotional phenomena are of use only as long as they lead people to keep Christ's commandments. When we stress miracles and emotional experiences we are pointing toward the sign rather than the destination.

Because of the present desire for signs and miracles people are being led astray into emotional experiences that result in twitching, jerking, making animal sounds, rolling on the floor, swooning, and so forth. How can these teach us to keep the commandments of Christ? Are they not delicious, self-centered, highly subjective experiences that do not build up the Body of Christ?

We do not say there are not to be times when there are people falling prostrate under the power of God, seeing visions, dreaming dreams, laughing, crying, gaining release from bondages and inhibitions. There should be such times as necessary. But such are never to take the place of the exposition of the Word of God nor are they to be sought or made the centerpiece of each Christian gathering.

When the Word of God is being taught, believers rolling on the floor or laughing uncontrollably are out of Divine order. Are such goings on decent and orderly? Do they not detract from the discipling of the believers? Can such confusion possibly be coming from the Holy Spirit of God? We need to be children in malice but adults in the understanding of the righteous, decent, orderly ways of the Lord.

We who are supposed to be teaching the commandments of Christ, making disciples of all nations, must return to the Word of God. We are to be showing younger people how to follow Christ. It is only as the Word is preached that people are discipled. They are discipled by the Word itself as it is preached under the anointing of the Spirit of God.

It is God's will that the younger generation carry the Ark of God against the enemy. To do so they must be given the corn of the Word. They will not be able to fight as long as they are eating manna. Strength comes from the corn of the land of promise. Those who teach and preach must get before the Lord in prayer until they are given corn to feed to the new generation of warriors.

God has prepared a feast of His Word for the days in which we are living. Every commander of battle knows you do not send troops against the enemy on an empty stomach.

The Bible says that in the end time the wheat and tares will come to maturity side by side. This means wickedness will come to maturity. Righteousness will come to maturity. Christ will come to maturity in His people. Antichrist will come to maturity in the wicked.

To be continued.