Advanced Discipleship 301

Today many people believe that life holds more than what their senses perceive. They are willing to dabble in mystical religions, not realizing that they open themselves up to demonic forces. I believe that Jesus is the way to true spiritual fulfillment. He is the One Who died on the cross to forgive our sins and rose from the dead to live within us: He who has the Son has life;

he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. - 1John 5:12

In Advanced Discipleship 301, we explore connecting to the power of His Presence and consider the meaning of Christ as our life. Throughout my life, the Holy Spirit occasionally revealed Himself in me and did something unexplainable. I tried to repeat the experience but found that I could not. I realized that the Holy Spirit determined when and how He miraculously worked. However, what I have learned is that the more I am walking in submission to Him, the more He can work through me. A spiritual man is a Spirit-controlled man. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that nothing we do can coerce the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself in power. All we can do is humbly yield our lives to Him and ask that He manifest His power in us. A spiritual man knows that the Holy Spirit can do far more than he can ask or imagine.

Since a born-again Christian believes in the power of the Holy Spirit, he will act on God's promises as reality and walk in expectation of their fulfillment. A spiritual man knows God and continually discerns His will for life. In this collection of studies, we will consider Who God reveals Himself to be, His purpose for our lives, and how to live by the power of His Presence. Author_Bio: Ron joined the military at the age of seventeen with the hope of adventure. On the flight to boot camp, he heard God's voice: "Ron, are you going to live the rest of your life for yourself, or are you going to live for Me?" By the time the plane landed, Ron had made Christ both his Savior and Lord. During his time in the service, he was nicknamed "Reverend" because of the radical change in his attitude, behavior, and character. After an honorable discharge, Ron has endeavored to serve his Lord Jesus Christ in instant, absolute obedience. Christians first recognized Ron's prophetic gift while he was working in an inner city. His heart was broken by the church's apathy to the poor and by Christianity's conformity to the world. The Bible defines the gift of prophecy:

And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; ...but do not have love, I am nothing. (1Co.13:2 NIV)

The gift of a prophet is to reveal God's truth and will to man. God is not interested in our religious observances; He is interested in a relationship. While God called Ron to obey everything commanded in the New Testament, God was not satisfied with mechanical submission. Christ died to be our Savior, and He rose from the dead to personally dwell within us. The Christian life is Christ living in us; He controls us and causes our obedience, which is a reflection of His presence. After receiving Christ as his Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit replaced Ron's old sinful nature and gave him a new divine nature. The Holy Spirit started a change in Ron's attitudes, behavior, and character. Since Christ lived in Ron, he began to minister to others just like Jesus. Hence, the Christian life had very little to do with Ron, but everything to do with the Holy Spirit Who lives within him.

Advanced Discipleship 301 focuses on the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is Ron's hope that as you yield your life to the control of the Holy Spirit and begin to walk by the Spirit, you will experience all of God's promises in the New Testament--an abundant life.

keywords: Spiritual, Holy Spirit, Power, Born-again, miracles, Fruit of the Spirit, Spiritual gifts, Holiness, God, mysticism