Heros of the Faith: Jim Elliot - Susan Miller (2016)

He was not wrestling because he liked wrestling, but wrestling was a means of keeping his body fit and strong enough for missionary work. University also was not to get only education and a Bachelor's degree, but a degree of A.U.G, approved unto God.

Determined that it was a profitable year based on how that year he had drawn closer to God and discovered truths in the Bible. Christianity to him was a real, living, daily experience.

The austere attitudes they had adopted were in accordance with the Apostle Paul's teaching about freedom of the Christian. Some things were simply good clean fun that built friendships. False spiritual standards - perfect liberty in doing things they used to condemn.

His work seemed unappreciated and he felt misunderstood. Naturally, his impulse was to defend himself. Instead, he knelt and prayed, renewing his commitment to be satisfied with nothing less than throwing himself into the hands of God.

- He waited patiently and did not decide on things that God didn't say 

For Ed to follow the leading of God, not to follow the leading of Jim Elliot. He asked God for wisdom in his words to Ed's family.

Sought after work and experience in radio, medical, educational work, which could be ueful applications to their future missionary work. Ever investment made for one goal. There was a pattern here.

*Do things that would help me in my ultimate calling. (Matthew Jaffare, picking up things and storing them in your bag)

Jim's years of training to be in shape, reading and knowing the Word inside out, did it all pay off in the beginning? He wouldn't use any of those skills in the beginning. He was so eager to do ministry work. "No matter how well they laid their plans, something always got in the way" ie. Snake bite, childbirth/death.

Fulfilling their calling to serve God did not after all mean denying themselves the love and support of a family. And their commitment living in the jungle, even with small children, proved they were serious about that calling. 

"They had given their lives trying to reach the Waoranis. At the time, it might have seemed that they failed, but thirty three years later, a savage tribe was living peacefully with its neighbors and teaching the Christian faith" Began with a vision, "a hundred flash lights" (angels)

What they started out to do was finally done. Interestingly, by women, rather than the single male missionaries Jim Elliot had thought were the only suitable candidates for pioneer missionary work.

Possibly in his death, Jim Elliot did more to spur interest in missions than if he had spent a long life speaking to student groups and churches, as he was formerly offered to do. He gave God all he had to give and by his death, inspired many others to do the same. Because he died his journals (Life Magazine) were published, many followed missionary life that he exemplified in his singularity of purpose in living a life wholly given onto God.

A Tale of Three Kings - Gene Edwards (2015)

David engaged in many such solitary battles. Because of this loneliness, he would play the harp, sing, and weep, and hunt. Of what was thought to be an unfortunate circumstance, this allowed him to be a great musician, sensitive, and fearless. The youngest, who would not have any opportunities to practice leadership, broke out because circumstances do not define you.

God wanted a broken vessel.
God has a univsersity. Few enroll, even fewer graduate. He was has people who claim to have God's authority, and don't. People who claim to be broken, and aren't. And people who do have hi authority, but who are mad and unbroken. And there are a great mixture of everything in between. In God's sacred school of submission and brokenness, why are there so few students? Because all students in this school suffer much pain. It's often the unbroken ruler (whom God sovereign picks) who causes the pain. Saul was God's chosen way to crush David. Was a divine ordination for Saul (unbroken) to be placed over David's authority.

You have your eyes on the wrong Saul, and you will blame him alone for your present hell. But God has his eyes on another King Saul, the King Saul in you. David would have grown up to be King Saul II except that God cut away the Saul inside David's heart. That operation took years and was a brutalizing experience that almost killed the patient, but God used the outer King Saul as the scalpel and tongs to remove this inner Saul in David.

There in those caves, drowned in the sorrow of his song of his sorrow, David became the best hymn writer and the greatest comforter of broken hearts.
The heartache and suffering from being chased to be killed, misunderstood as the evil/enemy. But, Suffering was giving birth. Humility was being born. By earthly measures, he uses a shattered man, by heaven's measure, a broken one.

This is the true way of leadership/conversion. David's followers, while he was living in caves, were a bunch of broken, angry people: Thieves, liars, complainers, and rebellions. But with David, they all submitted, even if he never spoke of the word submission. Legalism is not a word found in the vocabulary of fugitive. Nevertheless, they cleaned up their outward lives as well as inward. They didn't even think about the topic, much less discuss it.

Joab complained and rebuked David. David says "Better he kill me than I learn his ways. Better he kill me than I become as he is."
Saul was God's anointed and truly a warrior who masterfully fulfilled his duty as a successful king.
People pray without ulterior motives and sincerely, but dark desires are hidden in their  hearts. And the thing is, God still answers those prayers. However, those are outward clothing of the Spirit's power and the inward filling of the spirit's life. But the monster must be dealt with.

Is the authority that's placed on you David or Saul? Only God knows, but He won't tell you."Are you so certain your king is a Saul and not a David that you are willing to take the position of God and go to war against your Saul?" "Then thank God you did not live in the days of Crucifixion."
-The way you react to that leader, be he David or Saul, reveals a great deal about you.

Life is submission. David taught the art of patience. Legalism is nothing but a leader's way of avoid suffering. He feared no rebellion because He didn't mind being dethroned.
"Beginning empty-handed alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volume of just how sure they are that God is with them. Their words, if truly understood, tells of their insecurity"
Absalom is pure and noble, but he hasn't been through the trials that David had gone through. He is only pure and noble.To stop Absalom from dethroning the kingdom, David would become Saul.
Perhaps David's time to rule was over. "The throne is not his to take, protect or to keep. What kind of monster could Absalom become if he overthrew his own father? We don't know, but we'll let God be God, it's all possible. Only he knows the truth, and it seems he will not tell."

Rebekah - Doug Sparks (2015)

• The Question asked of the text must not be "what is the answer", but "what does the text say?"
• Common fundamental truths: the deity of Christ, the fall of man, the death and resurrection of Christ, his need for redemption, salvation by faith, the Bible makes the core values of faith very clear
• But other issues not so clear
• Each of the books compromising the New Testament were conditioned by the culture of the day: The language, the social mores, the political influences, the philosophies, and other religions, 2000 years ago.
• What is the original intended meaning. The meaning of the words can only be understood in the context of the word written before and after. In other words in sentences, And individual sentences can be understood only in context of the preceding and following sentences.
• Hermeneutics means to take the original meaning of the text and then bringing it forward two thousand years and seeing how it applies today.
• "They wanted to keep heresy out. So they emphasized the sacredness of the scripture, the more the people feared doing anything that would harm its reputation. The church took the same approach and it became infallible, untouchable, and beyond criticism, but also corrupt. It must always be understood that God's word for us must be living and dynamic. If we fear questioning and looking at what it really says, we lose the true essence of its value." 

Is That Really You, God? - Loren Cunningham (2015)

"Hearing God is not all that difficult If we know the Lord, we have already heard His voice - after all, it was the inner leading that brought us to Him in the first place.

Loren's Aunt "If you are going to tramp through life living off charity, with religion as an excuse, I am through with you"

Life as a missionary, perspective.
Loren's Aunt " Think of all the help you could give them if you had thousands of dollars at your disposal" Loren said "I hated letting her down, but I knew I had to put this test behind me.

Loren's mother's teaching, as referred to him as family inheritance. (Mother Cunningham) "We can hear a confirming voice through another person. But If God has something important to tell you, He will speak to you directly."

He started to realize a pattern: God would give him a distinct call, then a testing would come.

Loren to his wife when she was struggling finding her calling in the position she was in.
"This is something you're going to have to get for yourself directly from God. I'm sorry, but I can't help you"
Darlene's ministry: The Lord spoke to her from the story of David and Abigail. Abigail said she would wash the feet of her husband's servants. "That's my ministry. I'm to be a servant - a footwasher"

"These were the two sides of the same Gospel: Loving God and loving our neighbor. The two should be almost indistinguishable - so linked that it would be hard to tell them apart."

In New Zealand, Loren learned a guidance practice. In their minds, they would be "given" a chapter and verse without knowing what the reference said.Then they would consider whether or not that reading was a special guidance for whatever they were facing. They Key was being totally submitted to the Spirit of Jesus; if he wanted to speak, He would choose any tool he chose.

Loren's soul surgery, God gave him memories from his Mother saying "son, if you get proud, God can't use you. As each sin came into his mind, he confessed it. "We can hear the Lord more clearly if we come to him with a clean heart. The process of confession was an ongoing one, to be sure.

The Danger of Success
"The Lord will lead us to victory, but success itself is the most dangerous obstacle to properly hearing the voice of God"
The biggest failure of their part was pride. "We saw down into the deceit of our own hearts, and it was disgusting. For the first time, I glimpsed something of what it will be like to stand before God on Judgement Day.

Three Steps to Hearing God
"First, we took Christ's authority to silence the enemy. Second, we asked the Lord to clear from our minds any presumptions and preconceived ideas. Third, we waited ... believing He would speak in the way and in the time that He chose.
Duncan said "We momentarily lose our axheads - our best cutting-edge tool for ministry, which is the clear voice of God. It helps to go back to the place where we last knew we had heard the sharp edge of God's voice.

Asked himself "Loren, have you checked your life lately against your original call?"


"Divine guidance is so heady, so spectacular, that there is the risk of glory attaching itself to the work rather than to the Lord". "Guidance is first of all a relationship with the Guide. The first goal of guidance is to lead us into a closer relationship with Jesus. All other goals should be subservient to that. We have to especially watchful when He is leading us toward tools, such as a ship or university. There is nothing wrong with tools. But it's a sad day if the tools ever supersede the Lord Himself.

Overcrowded refugee camps. Doesn't anyone care? This is the world's question to the Body of Christ. That's how God must feel about these people. He's sobbing... doesn't anyone care?

Link between prayer and fasting, guidance, and a good harvest. Jesus, after all, began His incredibly fruitful ministry after the wilderness fast.

"Put your dreams on the alter. They will be resurrected into something even grander."

Darlene to Loren "This is what hearing God is all about, isn't it, Loren? Getting to know Him better."

Making Jesus Lord - Loren Cunningham (2016)

"I never realized that nothing in this life actually belongs to me. I would speak of my car, my wife, my ministry. After the accident, I  realized for the first time how easily I could lose it all in seconds. Everything we have is given to us by God for a time, to use for His glory."
- I also considered His blessings as my own. My tendencies to possess and possess.

Walking Barefoot. Boaz's relative took his shoe off while negotiating over the right to marry Ruth. David, being defeated in rebellion, left Jerusalem walking barefoot. Jesus walked barefoot to Calvary.
"Jesus was showing us how to live our lives. He was showing us how to win over the devil. He was giving us the strategy for accomplishing the greatest job ever given to man - taking over the earth from Satan and winning it back for God. Jesus was showing us that the only way to conquer is to submit. Jesus wants us to follow Him, going barefoot, losing our rights and gaining the world."
Mark 8:34-35 - 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

"Then, why is He asking us to give Him back those rights? Because it is really the only way we can express our love back to Him." Loren - On his birthday... 'I gave the children money so they could turn and show their love by giving back to me'.

"Family and home are all of this and more. They are good and perfect gifts, coming down from the Father. Yet they are also gifts that He requires us to hold lightly, never putting them before Him and His work.

- climb this mountain with my hands wide open. Spiritual adultery when gifts master us.

Putting something on the alter. Another way of saying 'I give up my rights'. To lose, (marriage for Loren) was to gain.

"It's not how much of my money that I give to God that counts. It's how much of His money I keep for myself"

YWAM slogan:You do the possible, then God will do the impossible.

'what? you've never had a call?' 'you mean you've never heard the call!"

When Abraham gave up the right to stay in his own country. When he had a good business with his father, God told him to pack up and leave by faith.

'where lord? he asked. And God replied, 'I'll tell you on the way'

***"How can we work with people who believe differently than we do? Aren't we supposed to guard against heresy and apostasy? I have come to the conviction that the spirit behind an issue is more crucial than differences in understanding. The spirit of heresy is adding to what is truth. The spirit of apostasy is taking from truth.

- The truth of Jesus' death and resurrection, we cannot deny. Everything else is adding and taking from truth. Which is more important?

"Pride is the sin behind true heresy and apostasy, which leads to deliberately adding to the truth of God's Word or taking some of it away. We must be on guard against this and seek instead to communicate in the spirit of truth, being led by the Holy Spirit who has been given to guide us into all truth."

"Did Jesus say, 'by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, because you have the same statement of doctrine?' No, he said they would know we belonged to Him because of our love for one another"

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Christian lumber business owner catches robbers stealing his wood. 'A load of lumber was a cheap price to pay for two souls, especially when you consider that Jesus taught us that one soul is worth more than the whole world.'

Hitler is dead, but to Loren, Hitler wasn't dead in his heart.

"Forgiveness is laying down your life psychologically for another. It is laying down your emotional rights"

Jesus wasn't a wimp. He was a carpenter who probably built loads of stuff and was a very manly man. Meekness isn't being weak. "Meekness is the character trait of a strong person who is continually surrendering his or her rights to God... Jesus was meek when He took out a whip and drove the money-changers from the temple, just as He was meek when He stood before Pilot ad refused to utter a word to save Himself."

Loren faced an atheist in a debate. He had embraced the same spirit as the opponent."We had won the argument that day in Seattle but had left behind a man who was humiliated and further alienated from the Gospel"

Loren had given up Darlene, surrendered her unto the Lord saying she is no longer his. "You see, you can't be in fear for someone you have given to God"

"When we sin, it's like we say to the devil, 'thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth!' Sin is the will of the devil and sinning helps to secure his throne."

"We must realize that the devil is only a created being, Satan is not the opposite of God - he's not some evil, counterpart. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present. Satan is none of the above... Satan can't create anything. He can only father lies. Even man has been given power Satan hasn't."

"He took the road of submission all His life, and taught us that the meek will inherit the earth. He showed us how to regain that authority we lost."

Loren's interpretation on End-Times: "Jesus told us to occupy until He came (Luke 19:13) It isn't occupying the earth if we hole up in a religious enclave and let everything outside our church walls rot away. I believe the Lord wants us to aggressively go out and reclaim lost territory from Satan and leave the timing and conclusion of history to Him. We're still making the same mistake Jesus was correcting in Acts 1:6-7, when the disciples were pressing Him to know if they were in the end times. Jesus replied 'it is not for you to know'. The timing of the end of this world is in the Father's hands."
"To occupy means take Leadership. When an occupation army moves into a nation, the take authority in the economy, the military, the media, and the schools. Jesus is telling us to take authority.

How to pray for the Media: "Pick your least favorite newsman, Get his or her face firmly in your mind. Then realize that this is a person for whom Jesus Christ hung on the cross - this is an individual worth of the sacrifice of the Son of God."
Performing Arts, Entertainment, Sports: "The devil wants us to think fun is his department, but that just isn't true." Revelations the colors and the art in God's throne.
Commerce, Science, Technology: John Wesley 'The Use of Money' "Gain all you can ... save all you can... give all you can!"
God is saying to us, 'I know more about running a government than anyone. I know more about farming or fishing than you do. I know more about your business, your teaching. I know how to best communicate and use the media. I want to teach you My principles, so that you can teach others to observe all I have commanded and have a great harvest of souls. I have a calling for you and I want you to succeed at it. I just need for you to obey Me"

"Take up His cross. Take your shoes off. Go barefoot. Become a slave. Lose your rights and you'll win the kingdom. You'll rule and reign with Jesus."