Posts Tagged ‘radical disciples’

A Radical call to Obedience

Posted: August 22, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 1 PETER 1:14

The Scriptures do not teach that the person of Jesus Christ nor any of the important offices that God has given Him can be divided or ignored according to the whims of men. Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles—the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to! A.W. Tozer.

This wisdom from Tozer totally dismantles the false doctrine of “ Still under construction”.

I was Director of mission not long ago where the doctrine of “Still under construction” was widely taught. Number one this doctrine denies the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.”

Number 2, it is toxic and a sin-laced spiritual leaven causing individuals to believe they can hold onto their sin-filled vices for as long as they want under the rule of grace.

For instance, there was a self-identified non-practicing gay male who considered himself to be a gay Christian who can hold onto that identity as long as he desires for he has the “grace card”. When I challenged him on this, I was thrown under the bus by other members of leadership as being legalistic (Common use with religious-minded individuals).

It is the same issue I have with 12-step programs being tossed around as Bible-based. To confess I am a recovering addict or drunk denies the truth in John 8:32 “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. Our words have power and when we confess to being a drunk, addict, or whatever false identity we give it authority, empowering it to raise hell in our lives. 

So does that means can I confess to being a recovering sinner? I can if I don’t want to be obedient to the command (not a suggestion) of Jesus to sin no more. If I am saved I am freed from the dominion of sin and empowered through true biblical grace to live a life as such.

For years I lived reading the Word as word on paper. It wasn’t until I came under the teaching of Apostle Damon Thompson that I realized the Word is Jesus (John 1:1). It isn’t a set of rules or guidelines to live by, it is the very food needed to grow into His image. You can pick and choose the ingredients, to have to consume it ALL.

There is a Holy Fire of Conviction that has begun to fall upon the Bride. There is;t time to play games, you must either choose to follow Jesus without hesitation, understanding He is not willing to negotiate the terms of discipleship, it is clearly written in His Word.

In this Kingdom age, the carnally minded will be fooled and led astray, possibly missing the opportunity to spend eternity with the Lord. It is not a time for fun and games, this is WAR. Only those who hold onto His Word with a death grip of obedience will be able to stand against this next wave of evil.

I know what I have written above may upset and or offend some but it is stated with a heart to see you become free in Christ and live the life radically pursuing the Lover of our souls. 

This is not a doomsday message, this is a warning to not eat from the wrong tree This very moment in time must be viewed as a Joshua 24:15 moment:

 “And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”.

If you are lacking the faith, ask the Father and watch as He increases it. If you are not sure whether you are baptized in the Spirit, ask Holy Spirit and get ready for His Holy Fire.

To those who bear witness to this message, I am asking you to join me in a 7-day fast (either water only or a Daniel fast) for this coming election, for the soul of this nation. During these 7 days, we are to seek the Father for His strategies in prayer. Take this opportunity to cleanse your body and refresh your Spirit.

Blessings, 

R.G. Welch

A.K.A. WindWalker 

20 YEARS OF SOAKING IN REVIVAL STREAMS…

Posted: August 2, 2022 in Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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I was hanging out with Holy Spirit yesterday afternoon reflecting on the past 20 years of being in Jacksonville arriving here on January 1, 2002. He began reminding me of all that has happened since then and how it was designed by the Father for my preparation for the NOW:

In 2002 after arriving at my sister Roxanne’s house, for what I had thought would be a short visit to obtain my class A driver’s license before heading back home to Maine. Within a month I found myself, rededicating my life to the Lord. A few months later I started ministry school. Shortly afterward, I met and started dating a beautiful godly woman from the Philippines. At that time she was attending Brownsville School of Revival, which led me to the opportunity to attend the Revival on a number of occasions before it ended.

In June of 2003 I married that same beautiful godly Filipino girl, and that fall I started my 2nd year of ministry school.

In June of 2004, we were blessed with the gift of a beautiful son, which the Lord showed me in a vision would be a godly man walking in His ways. In 2004 I also got ordained and my wife and I started Mighty Arm Ministries.

In 2005 I came under the mentorship of Dr, Don Lynch being groomed as part of the leadership of a powerful Apostolic international ministry with a vision of bringing revival to the nations.

In 2006 our ministry Mighty Arm Ministries launched an online ministry school, “Rushing Mighty Wind School of Ministry”.

In 2007 my wife and I were ordained by Dr. Don & Ruthanne Lynch as part of the first ordained leaders in that same ministry, Ministry Matrix. During our time under Dr. Don’s leadership, we witnessed powerful meetings filled with the presence of the Lord and we learned how to go after the things of God to see His will happen.

In 2008 Rushing Mighty Wind School of Ministry established two brick & mortar schools, one in India and one in the Philippines.

In the summer of 2009, I was invited to visit World Revival Church in Kansas City. A couple of months later in early fall, I flew out and while I was there, I was blessed to be able to visit IHOP. As well I had the opportunity to attend two nights of revival, giving my testimony at the Friday night service. I also was afforded the opportunity to attend a couple of the revival school classes.

In 2010, I was invited to be a volunteer advocate for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs

In 2011, my wife and I felt the Lord moving us in ministry in regard to ministry and after much prayer we stepped out of the leadership with Ministry Matrix, entering a time of waiting on the Lord for our next assignment. It came later that year as we found ourselves being part of a leadership team that launched Presence Church here in Jacksonville. We experienced God moving in special ways over the next couple of years.

In 2013, I accepted the position of associate pastor at Highway to Heaven Church.

Then in 2014, I received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree for my ministry work in India, the Philippines, jails, and nursing homes.

In 2015, after a number of years of studying in several different ministry schools, I received a doctorate in Theology. At the end of that year, in December I was part of the leadership that launched an Apostolic ministry in Jacksonville called “The River House” along with Doug and Jennifer Snead.

A lot happened over these first 13 years however inside I felt drained, discouraged, and had little true peace. Something was missing, I had felt the Lord’s presence on many occasions, but it had to be more than occasional. I wanted what the Disciples had, an ever-present witness to the presence of the Lord. I would soon find that the spirit of religion had somehow been able to chain me deep down in a dark spiritual prison.

In 2016, while at a ministry retreat in Saluda North Carolina, I had a powerful in-person encounter with the Lord that radically impacted and changed my life. That encounter with the Flames of His love totally undid the religious theology I had been a prisoner too, unknowingly for so many years. And on the very next day on my drive home, Holy Spirit led me to listen to a video on youtube “Damon Thompson at the Carolina Revival May 2, 2015“. It was that video that the Father used to seat me under the Apostolic teachings of Damon Thompson.


In 2018, as part of the Riverhouse leadership, we launched the North Florida healing rooms.

In our 4 years with the RiverHouse, we saw many miracles as the Father poured out His love on His children, deaf ears opened, eyesight restored, and many other healings and miracles. Almost every meeting was filled with a tangible presence of the Lord

On Valentine’s weekend of 2020, having taken a two-month sabbatical from all ministry, and after my wife’s continued encouragement to go, we went to Panama Beach to listen to Damon Thompson at the “Rock of Bay County Church”. From the moment Ana hit the first string on her violin, waves of the Father’s glory flooded the room.

At the end of the meeting, Damon called for an alter call to all who wanted to be refreshed. I was one of the first to charge upfront. After standing there for a few moments with my head bowed, I felt this huge hand slam into my chest followed by the words “The Father wants to refresh His fire in you” and wham, the fire of God began to flow throw every cell of my body. A few days later I watched the video, and even though I thought I recognized his voice, saw that it was pastor Bryn Waddell who had prayed for me.

Two weeks later I started volunteering full-time at a local mission in Jacksonville beach after a week or so in prayer following an invitation of a sister in the Lord, Dawn Hare to check the place out.

On August 6th of 2020, my son and I visited Cane Ridge on the 219th anniversary of the outpouring of the Lord there which is believed to have been one of the sparks that made way for the 2nd Great Awakening. Upon leaving Cane Ridge after several hours of praying there, Holy Spirit said the Father had commissioned me to disciple disciples in the same way His Son did. Then about 3 weeks after returning home I was invited to become the director at Beaches Rescue and Recovery Mission.

And finally in 2022 after resigning as the director at the mission, I accepted the position of Senior Pastor at Highway To Heaven Church.

Feeling completely blessed right now. Especially seeing the streams of revival that the Father has seated me in since 2002. I am filled to overflowing with a deep & increasing hunger to see His Kingdom being established in this city and America in the now. I feel almost on edge of something great with Spiritual anticipation for the Revival Fires of Reformation which have been purposed with an eternal destiny for such a time as this are about to break out.

Over the past 20 years, Holy Spirit has been whispering to me about the Remnant, ever since the first time, I heard Dr. Don Lynch teachings about the subject. Over the past several months He has been getting louder and He has been showing me that the Remnant shall be those who carry the flaming torches of Revival Flames of Reformation, through the night while the complacent compromised Church sleep. And blessed will those be those hear the flames and are able to wake up, repent and become prepared.

For those who slumber shall see their candles removed, for the profane vanity of their religion will cause them to miss out on the greatest revival this world has ever seen….”Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent”. (Rev 2:5)

He has also been speaking to me about the establishing of the discipleship community to where I can through the leadership of Holy Spirit, disciple men using the same methods that Jesus used to disciple His disciples. This community will be set on a piece of land with the ability to grow gardens. Holy Spirit has shown me how this will provide powerful visuals when teaching the parables. Not only that, these gardens are purposed as well to the feeding many.

The property will also have buildings that can house 12 – 20 men. With the whole property be established in prayer to having a sound atmosphere supercharged with His presence equipping each discipler in the methods of Jesus in order to train each man into becoming a Mountain Moving Disciple. This mandate from the Lord is so real to me that there are times I can feel the ground of this property under my feet, hear the animals singing their daily praise to Heaven, and literally smell the air of the land bursting with the fragrance of fresh fruit & vegetables

And all I can say is:

“Here I am Father, sitting still in Your presence with a heart-filled commitment in total surrender with a willingness to do all that you ask of me, I haven’t come this far to stop, for my heart belongs to you alone and no matter what the devil throws at me I shall not change paths nor turn back. To You be the Glory, Honor & Praise, Amen”

~Russ G. Welch, A.K.A. Windtalker

Representing the True Son of God, Jesus the Christ

Posted: July 26, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:13-20, NKJV)

I believe that one of the major short-comings of modern-day evangelism is that people are being enticed to follow Jesus based on what He can do for them rather than being introduced to Jesus Himself – Jesus alone is enough (why so many quickly fall away, not being truly converted) #SELAH

Jesus brought the following charge against the Church in Ephesus in Revelations chapter 2:4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love”.

And I feel as though much of the modern day Church, especially in America has done the same. For if those who are truly saved, have been saved in a large part due to the fact that they fell head over heels in love with Jesus. I know I did in 2016, before that, I was in love with the Americanized version of the “whose got talent” Jesus that came with the coveted get out of hell free card. The truth is, I spun out of control over and over again for a number of years.

However, after my encounter with the true Jesus on March 29, 2016 during a ministry retreat in Saluda North Carolina, my eyes began to be opened, and my heart beacme swelled to overflowing capacities with a deep rich, love for the Son of God. It was only then, having my spiritual eyes opend that Holy Spirit began to show me about my false conversion. How it was not really love, that I was not truly following Jesus as my Lord,  especially when I would become so filled with anger when He wouldn’t do “what I demanded of Him”.

Today I can but shout YAY GOD, for Jesus alone is enough for me . Even if the world began crumbling all around me (and there has been times over the past 6 years that it has felt as though it was), simply knowing that He is my Savior, and the reality of knowing that He truly loves me is more than enough.

In his book “The practice of the Presence of God”, Brother Lawrence wrote how he once said to the Lord, “Even if you don’t save me, I will still love you”. That my friends is true love!!!

For to truly fall in love with someone is when you love them simply for “who they are”, not because of what they have or what they can do for you. Let’s be real for a moment, if you love someone based on what you get out of the deal, it is in reality a self centered love and in all honesty, is not real. Such love will quickly burn out once one finds that the other person can no longer meet your needs (greeds).

Brothers and sisters, we must return to the foundations of our faith and fully trust in the POWER of the Cross and the Gospel message of Jesus combined with the anointing of Holy Spirit to reach the lost. The Gospel message needs no help for it fully contains everything necessary to attract, cleanse and fully transform any individual who puts all their trust in Christ as their Savior.

It’s time to stop promoting and trying to sell the mythological Jesus created by Western theology and modern day celebrity preachers, and return to presenting the Christ of the Bible, the One true Son of God. For then and only then shall we begin to enter into the Great Harvest and start seeing the Lost coming into the Light of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

We need to receive and live out of the Revelation that Paul received when he wrote “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

I believe with all my heart, having a deep holy conviction that when we, the Remnant, grasp hold of the revelation of the power of the Gospel in truth, it will only be then that we shall begin witnessing what Paul and the other disciples who preached the true Gospel in the power of Holy Spirit witnessed “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;” ( 1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Father, I pray that You will pour out Your Spirit upon Your Remnant today, removing any and all religiosity off from them and Baptism them afresh in the FIRE of Pentecost. Awaken them and send them out to begin harvesting the Great fields of lost souls, and also empower them as to the return this nation, America, back to You that we may as a nation fulfill Your purpose in this hour, and doing ALL to the Glory, Honor and Praise of the Godhead, In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen

~Russ G. Welch

A.K.A, WindWalker

Time for the Remnant to return America to the Lord!!!

Posted: July 23, 2022 in Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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The Lord told Adam in Genesis 1:28 ” Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

He said unto Abraham “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” (Genesis 12:1)

And to Joshua He said “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.” (Joshua 1:3)

The Lord kept His covenant with David ” And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

Jesus said in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

Paul through the inspiration of Holy Spirit wrote in Ephesisans 1:21 “Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come”.

As His Children and His Remnant in this generation, we know our Father is with us and on our side, for John wrote in Revelations 21:3″And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

I believe that is was scriptures such as this which empowered our founding fathers to walk in faith as to the belief that it was Almighty God establishing this nation. You can see it in many of thgeir wriing including the Constitution as well as the then colonies declaration to the King of England (The Declaration of Independance) when they wrote:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

There is a great evil present in our land, with a demonic influeance over certain people in political offices as well as to all the way to those with our communities who seek to deny God, and more specifically to deny His claim for this nation. They seek to destroy our Church, to re-write our histriy and erase any evidience of God whatsoever.

However they discount the power of our God working through His chosen Remnant, we carry the absolulte authority of He who is “Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come”, for the scripture do declare that we are seated with Him.

Let the Remnant arise today and walk in the very power and authority invested to us by our King Jesus who said “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”

Father, it gives us Great joy to claim America as belonging to you, we speak to the evil in tis land and we bind its voice, and we in the Name above all names, Jesus, lose Your will from coast to coast, border to border that America is now and shall ever be, under Your Dominion rule. We claim that the upcoming election shall be a day of victory for the Righteous in this nation, we declare that those who operate behind a veil of evil shall be removed from their positions of authority and their voices shall be silenced. We declare that Your Holy Word and a time for prayers unto You shall be returned to the school Houses across this nation. We decree a mighty righteous reformation to the education Institutes which were founded to advance the knowledge of Your Holy Word. Amen & Amen

Russ G Welch

A.K.A

WindWalker

Do you know the cost?

Posted: July 15, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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 Anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it. (Luke 14:27-28, TPT)

I was getting a drug test today and ended up waiting for a little over 1 1/2 hrs. During that time I took a stroll through the past 2 years. In March of 2020, I started volunteering at a rescue mission in Jacksonville beach. At the same time, I was looking for employment as my time working for my previous employer had come to an end.

Every time a door would open, Holy Spirit would tell me this is where the Father has assigned you and I  volunteered for a little over 40 hours. I had some support coming in through our ministry and had a contract with a company that was paying me $1200 for consulting and training their technicians which generally took 4 to 5 hours per month.

In August of 2020, my son and I vacationed in Maine, spoke at a few Churches while there, and then went to Cane Ridge in Kentucky where the spark was lit for the second great awakening.

The presence of the Lord was so powerful there. As we were leaving I heard Holy Spirit say “The Father wants you to go back and start discipling others as did His Son”. I answered with I will.

30 minutes into the drive I asked Him “What does that look like” He had a long answer but the short end of it was “Pour into others everything the Father has poured into you via daily interaction”.

Now some contend this never happened, howbeit for 18 months they referred to me as such. The founder of the mission asked me if I would take charge of the mission, to which after seeking the Father I agreed. From August 2020 until February of this year I was considered to be the director of the mission. Even those who today say I was never asked to be that referred me to others as the director.

During that whole time, I spent anywhere from 40 to 60 hrs a week there, including times when I had to go in on my days off or in the evening to deal with situations.

And during this whole time period, I never collected a salary, however, my wife and I via our ministry put a little over $25,000 into the mission via food, clothes, training supplies, and personal items for the disciples there. We had a website built and covered the cost. We had a promotional video made and covered the cost.

The money didn’t matter because we knew I was positioned to impact lives. Towards the end of 2021, I came under severe attacks from two members of the staff there, launching one lie after the other. To me this was life-changing as I feel that through all of that the Lord was able to do some inner surgery, removing areas of pride and religion that had remained hidden in my life.

Now towards the end of January, these attacks got even worse, the enemy had aligned me with an individual who played both sides and spewed out a long list of lies to both sides. So I went to one of my mentors and several other seasoned ministers.

These were men who had prophesied as to what the Lord wanted to do there, and they all came back with “The Father is releasing you from your commitment there”.One said to listen to the Spirit and trust the Father in vindicating my name and in doing so walk away with a heart of forgiveness”. Valuable advice which I have gleaned from.

The first few weeks I decompressed from a lengthy battle. I spent much time in prayer and fasting as well as keeping busy working through my “Honey-due-list” which my wife had built since buying our home back in 2020.

I had to reevaluate my situation as I had planned on being there for at least 5 years. Along with that, the cost of living has skyrocketed and my income hasn’t increased to match it.

In fact, due to the cost of gas and other goods going up I find myself short of about $1200 per month. So I’ve been seeking a part-time job that will leave room for ministry.

I’ve got over 35 years of customer service skills, cooking, management, pest control, driving, WDO inspections, and a few other small trades. 43 yrs total in working and as my Dad used to say “Jack of all trades, Master of none” Searching for work hasn’t been easy for when I put down my experience they come back with my being overqualified, or they are looking for someone who wants to make a career with them.

I sought counsel and those who know me said “I think you’re supposed to preach the gospel” or “You’re to dedicate your life to helping others”. When I ask Holy Spirit, He responds as He has for several years “Trust the Father”.

Three areas that I am highly trained in don’t offer part-time positions and most would shut me out of ministering because I will not sacrifice my marriage for anything.

Am I discouraged?

Not really.
And I will tell you why in a Paul Harvey fashion of “Now for the rest of the story”

As I look back at the hardship of the past 2 years, I have to smile and tell the devil “You lose”.

Although I don’t know what harvest the many seeds I sowed in a number of lives in the past 2 years of those who came through the mission I do know about 3 specifically.

The 3 individuals that I am speaking about the Lord has graciously allowed me to love on, counsel, and speak life into each of theirs, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to encourage and introduce them to the real Jesus. Two were addicts, one being so bad they were sent to the hospital several times for overdosing on pain meds. Yet, Praise God, they both are completely free today.

The 3rd one was just tired of life but now he looks forward to every day as an opportunity to speak life into others’ lives.

These lives are priceless and their happiness is totally worth the cost of a little suffering I’ve endured, especially considering the cost of our Lord to save all of us.

I don’t know what the future hold but one thing I do know is that I am going to continue to take every opportunity to sow into other people’s lives no matter how much it cost me. 

Russ G Welch

A.K.A. Windwalker4Life

Sow into this ministry

Warning of a war within our Gates

Posted: July 9, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic
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(I received this word from the Lord in 2013 but did not post it at the time – 9 years later I see its truth has unfolded before our very eyes)

In these last days, we must walk in the full knowledge of our Holy Lord Jesus Christ. We must cut short the lives of any false words, so that they may be exposed and emptied of any and all power to deceive a man. We must walk in the true revelation that indeed we are charged and commissioned by our Holy Lord and his Holy apostle Paul to judge the fruit from which a man bares.

Such a lie of hell has been written in the creed of the modern-day Church that one must not judge another. I say do away with such nonsense and live the Red Letters of our most glorious Holy Lord.

The winds of war are streaming down the mountainside upon the Church and they are picking up steam. The limitation of the voice of His people in Europe to be heard is not even close to the limitation that is about to be enacted and enforced against the Church in America.

There are godless people and godless agendas which seek to silence the force of moral truth and that of our Lord’s servants altogether even to the depth of seeing them thrown in prison with the key to be lost.

In these days we must be like the lion who has been cornered, the thunderous roar echoing from the walls from which he has been herded. Yet this lion is the Lion of Judah, and his roar not merely bounces off the walls. no not the roar of this eternal one, His roar causes the walls of lies to come crashing down upon the heads of the very ones who have sought to confine Him.

This is not a season to walk in fear for it is a season ordained from the days of old to walk in the glory of our most Holy Christ. Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, { ll Tim 3:1-3}

Charge on dear saints, charge on. Refuse to bow to the powers of this world, and shake off the desire to submit in any way or form to the voice of this age.

No, my brothers and sisters, we must stand up and proclaim the Gospel of our precious and Holy Christ to the world even if it means all of the world turns against us. Let them mash their teeth upon us if that be what is to come.

For we walk in the eternal glorious truth that nothing in this world or the world to come can separate us from the Love of our Holy Father with whom we shall spend all of eternity. This life is but a vapor and though a time of unease, torment, and pain may come, it is indeed but a flick of the eye compared to the most glorious time we shall have in the Kingdom of His heaven here on earth.

When the world proclaims “speak not this name Jesus anymore” let the children of the Most Holy Father rise upon the housetops, towers, and even the mountains and proclaim the name of Jesus even louder. Our voice can not, and shall not be silenced. Pass what laws they may, the Gospel shall be preached. I will die with the name of the Holy Lord Jesus Christ upon my tongue and lips.

James also warns us of these days as well as letting us know that we must in faith endure. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust”. (James 1:12-14)

Let it be the same for all of His followers in this day, who shall not bend a knee to the temptations of this world nor compromise their faith in any way in Jesus Christ Holy name.

July 10, 2013
Russ Welch

A different kind of discipleship

Posted: October 29, 2021 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

There are two Universal Spiritual Principles found in John 3:30 that express two very fundamental truths.

First, that Christ must increase.

This is a principle that most Christians can agree with.

Are there any Christians who do not desire more of the Lord?

Are there any believers who do not long for a greater expression and revelation of Christ – in their personal walk, as well as in the world around them?

It is easy to align ourselves with this principle and pray in agreement with God’s Will – that Christ would be increased, and that the knowledge of Him would continue to grow and expand.

What is more difficult to affirm is the decrease of Self.

Yet this principle is as powerful and as sure as the first.

With more of Christ, there is less of me.

With more of me, there is less of Him.

And so, in order to cooperate with the first principle, we must overcome the “but” that stands between the two. “He must increase, but…”

Something hinders.

What gets it the way?

What prevents the increase of Christ?

It is me – or more accurately, the “I”, or the “Self” keeps getting in the way. And so, “I must decrease.”

The Disciple’s Journey

The Self-Life resists the Christ-Life.

The Holy Spirit seeks to increase Christ, while the human spirit seeks to increase Self.

We can have either one, but we cannot have both.

As Christ is increased, Self is decreased.

As Self is increased, Christ is decreased.

We begin our journey through life in a self-centered existence instead of a Christ-centered existence.

This is why we must be “born again.”

To be born again is to interrupt the self-centered pattern of our lives and open us up to the possibility of taking a different route and living a different life – a life that is Christ-centered instead of Self-centered.

Until this happens, it is impossible to love God and love our neighbor.

These two great commands are impossible to those who maintain a healthy connection to their Self-Life.

Loving others is impossible for ones who mostly love themselves.

This is the way of the world.

The way of a disciple of Jesus is a different way.

It is a way that cuts at the heart of self-love by making it possible for us to rise above Self-centeredness through Christ-centeredness.

Jesus describes it as a difficult, narrow way that few find.

Why is it so difficult? Because it strikes to the very core of who and what we are.

Even our very desire to follow Jesus can be self-centered.

Of course, we want to serve God; but we also hope to get a little something for ourselves.

Many people are drawn to the Lord with mixed motivations.

For example, the promise of a home in heaven is very appealing, as is avoiding the fires of hell.

But the Self-life is revealed in these subtle expressions that often appear spiritual and religious.

To follow Jesus for nothing other than the love of Jesus is the way of the disciple.

It is true that many follow Him imperfectly, and do so for many different reasons that they cannot fully explain or understand.

Fortunately for us, Jesus does not demand sinless perfection from the ones who follow Him.

His disciples make many mistakes and they often stumble and fall. Nor does Jesus require that we be spiritually mature and perfectly free from our Self-Life before He accepts us as disciples.

Dealing with the Self-Life is part of His discipleship program.

The very act of following Him begins a process that, if followed all the way to the end, results in what I call being reduced to Christ.

What does this mean? It means that when I began to follow the Lord, I may have had all kinds of motivations for doing so, and many of those motivations were self-serving and self-centered.

My very existence was rooted and strengthened by my Self-Life. But as I follow Him, and as He increases, more and more I find my self-centered ways being stripped away.

I find the power of Christ increasing within me, and I also find the power of Self is decreasing. With this process working simultaneously to increase Christ and decrease me, I find my motives are becoming more and more singular.

I am no longer following Jesus for what I hope to get out of it. Even my “mansion in heaven” does not seem so important anymore.

My many needs I find are not as urgent as they once were.

My many questions are not as essential as I once thought they were.

I have fewer questions, and so I require fewer answers.

Where I used to be troubled and vexed and concerned and stressed over “many things” it is becoming easier to focus on the “one thing” that is needed.

Christ is increasing, and everything else is decreasing.

My life, my purpose, my focus, my very existence is being condensed from many paths in pursuit of many things so that I am becoming more and more narrowly focused upon one thing.

Paul expresses it perfectly: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

It’s time to wage war against radical terrorism

Posted: February 23, 2015 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic
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  It is time for the Lords prayer warriors to jump into action – Let the trumpets calling for action be heard from every mountain top – May the Roar of the Lion of Judah be heard throughout the middle east shaking the mountains and valleys throughout the region and around the world…

Let us remember to pray continually for our brothers & sisters in the faith who are under sever persecution for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As well let us pray for their strength and may their determination to serve Jesus and refusal to deny Him even unto death be used to see their persecutors come to serve Jesus.

– I pray that every evil scheme of ISIS and other terrorist organizations are exposed and defeated.

– I pray for the radical salvation of the leaders ALL terrorist organizations.

– I pray that every curse and attempt of Hell to harm our brothers and sisters is sent, voided out back to Hell where they belong.

– I pray that every door open that funds these Islamic terrorist and all other terrorist organizations are closed and that all revenue resource to arm them is dried up and that such wealth be transfered in to the banks accounts of the Righteous.

Are you prepared to do battle?

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  We are surrounded by radical terrorism and radical terrorist groups globally. Every nation is plagued by radical terrorist or terrorism in one form or another. Even in here in America we have radical Islamic terrorist cell groups, Islamic Mosques popping up and peppering the skylines in almost every major city and even in small town USA. If we are completely honest we have to admit that we’re even are in a battle with the terrorism of radical liberals seeking to destroy our nation form within, dismantling our Constitution and religious freedoms.

Face the facts folks, we have a extremely liberal president who applauds and praises Islam while at the same time has been criticizing and even out rightly despising Christianity. We have a president who openly disrespects our only true Allie and Gods own nation Israel while he invites extreme radical Muslims into the White House and meetings. He has  even gone so far as to have appointed some to top cabinet positions. Yet Christ does not call us to hate the man, actually just the opposite as He calls us to love. In fact He calls us to love him even as we love ourselves so please, let us all pray for his salvation as well has that of his families.

Fellow saints, let us remember that our fight is not against flesh & blood (Eph 6:12). Our prayers prayed in the power of Holy Spirit are mightier than any weapon man can build (Zech 4:6). We must use the authority given to us in Christ to render on earth what has been decreed in Heaven (Matt 16:19)and we know the decree of the Father for all of His Children (Jer 29:11)

We can not sit back and hope that the governments of this world will stop that which is in all honesty a spiritual war manifesting in the natural. We must go to war in the Spirit on behalf of our brothers & sister around the world. The worlds government can fill the air with their jets and missiles as they have been and still the enemy marches on. But when we, the saints of God, His governmental authorities here on earth fill the atmosphere with anointed missiles of prayer, Hell will be pushed back.

So let His prayer warriors arise around the globe and again let us bind the hands of the enemy here on earth and release the authoritative rule of Jesus Christ over their lives (Matt 16:19). Let us spend time fasting and praying for His Mighty Angels to stand in victory over the defeat of all wicked rulers of darkness, every principality and every one of Hells agents below them – pray that they be exposed and defeated. Pray that every work of Hell behind ISIS, all of Islam and other terrorist organizations be brought down in defeat to the Praise, Glory and Honor of our Lord.

Our minds must not be on what we see or hear on the news or read in the papers. We must not be intimidated by these terrorist for they are but puppets in Hells hands. Remember dear brothers and sister that we serve a God whose angelic armies are encamped around His saints (2 Kings 6:17). We may be in this world but our authority comes from He is over all.

The silence must end

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   We have remained silent for too long. We have seen abortion on demand become law, when we had the authority (and still do) to see it defeated. We have witnessed the gay rights take over the land with gay marriages in almost every state and even being taught as an alternative life style in our schools, when we had (and still do) the authority to bind these laws from being enacted. We have witnessed the court’s ruling against the rights of our Christian faith, when we had the authority (and still do) to see judges put into place who would rule based upon our rights and that of the constitution. We have the authority to pray in righteous leaders and pray out those who are opposed to God.

We have the authority to bind wickedness in the Houses of God in this nation, the perversion of the Gospel, the false grace, the ungodly false prosperity doctrines and the prostitution (using it for personal gain) of the pulpits. We have the authority in Christ Jesus to call for the Winds of Pentecost to blow across this land, exposing the vileness taking place in His Church, to call forth Holy Spirit to release a Holy Conviction upon Gods people, that they repent, crying out to Him for forgiveness and seeing His mercy and grace once again falling upon the nation as He releases a national revolutionary Spiritual reformation that will cleanse His House and heal this nation (2 Chron 7:14).

Awake for the time is upon us

  The time for the Bride to awake is NOW, sound the alarm, the battle has already begun, the enemy has entered through the main gate. We still have time to push the enemy out, to claim that which rightfully belongs to our King, to see a nation on the verge of becoming a goat nation turned into a Sheep nation in the eyes of our Holy Father in Heaven. But we MUST get our eyes off from the things of this world and turn them back to where they belong, upon our Lord, Savior, King and Master Jesus Christ. Let us die to our dreams, our agenda’s and to our selfishness and pick up the cross that our Lord has called us to pick up and wage war having had our hearts purified and hands cleansed  free of the defilement of this world and the renewing of our minds in Christ (Rom 12:2).

No banner but the banner of the Lord

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We must surrender our allegiance to anything of this earth, even our denominational banners and walk under His Banner alone!

  Arise and let this be the generation that pulls down the idols in the high places of this nation that Christ may reign from the north to the south and east to the west.  Repent, be washed anew, arise and go into the a battle for our brothers and sisters around the world need to see the lighted city upon the hill. We have the authority in Christ but we can only walk in that authority by positioning ourselves under the complete rule of His Lordship.

Brothers & sisters in Christ – it’s time to stop the infighting, needless battles over whose denomination is right, who is reading the to correct translation, and sadly the list goes on. It’s to time to join together bonded in the Love of Christ, walking peacefully with each other and being about the Fathers business, for we must unite and we must united in the Love of Christ – for then the world will truly see that we are His disciples (John 13:35). If we want to be real and truthful we have to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ is looking for such a people – who are radically in Love with Him, who can radically love their neighbors and fellow believers. He is seeking those who are willing to make radical sacrifices for His Glory, who are willing to radically worship Him and pray radical prayers that the Father may receive all the Glory, Honor and Praise. For our King Jesus has won the victory and He seeks a radical people who are willing not to merely read His Word but a people who are willing to radically LIVE His Word, allowing it to be manifested through their lives to the world with Holy Righteousness!!!

Are you ready to get Radical?

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  Are you the radical disciple the Lord and the Father is calling for in this hour? Are you willing to radically believe in His Word and His promises? Are you radical enough to say “Jesus – let me experience the ‘Greater things than these’ in our generation for Your Glory alone? Are you willing to give up your pride, your identity, your dreams, your personal agenda’s, your possessions, humility and even your name to take no name but that of a “servant of the Lord”?

Truly if one has read the Bible with spiritual eyes open they will see that radical disciple of Christ is not one who merely reads the Red Letters in their Bible – The radical disciple of Christ is one who lives their life based upon the Red Letters of Christ. Knowing that Jesus taught with no grey area to twist or question what He said or meant – To be a true disciple of Jesus is as He stated, to Obey ALL that He He has said (John 14:12-21). In all honesty a radical Christian is really a normal Christian as seen by the first century believers. We have strayed so far away from normal Christianity according to that of the Book of Acts believers that it seems way over the top radical for us to even imagine living such a life in our day.

The time is now, The Roar of the Lion of Judah has been released – Awake O sleeper for you have been destined for a time such as this!!!!

Are you ready to be radical for Jesus?

If you said yes then your ready to truly be His disciple

…..Welcome to His Kingdom

….Time to put your armor on for you have now entered the Battle Zone!!!!

~ Russ Welch

Personal Note:

I personally like the definition of radical:  of, relating to, or proceeding from a root: as a (1) :  of or growing from the root of a plant <radical tubers> as it reminds me of John 15:5 “For I am the Vine you are the branches”, So we, being His radical disciples are being grown from the root of His teachings by the Mercy & Grace of the Father, being instructed and guided by Holy Spirit to become His disciples according to His teachings by which our lives (as true followers) are defined.

What does a “Luke-warm” Christian look like?

Posted: January 29, 2015 in Uncategorized
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Here it is 3:22 am in the morning and I am wide awake with a troubled heart. I had a terrible night sleeping as my heart was heavy with the thought of all of our brothers and sisters being slain in the Middle east and in part of the continent of Africa by Muslim extremist. I wonder how many Christians in this nation are burdened by this fact or are they so busy worrying about their own little world that the passion of the Lord for His Children around the globe has not found its way into their hearts. Just looking at my 10 year old son and thinking of the little ones who even though giving the opportunity to renounce Christ and bow to a false god, willingly accept death rather than renounce their Lord.

Are our Children being raised with the same reverence for the Holy God we serve or are we simply raising up an army of lip service saints unwilling to face the true call of Christ. After all what is the message today coming out of main-stream Christianity in this nation? Is it not in large but a message of self help, personal financial wealth built around the theme of all that God will do for you rather than the true message of the Lord of what we should be doing for our neighbors out of our love and gratitude to a Holy Loving Father in Heaven? We even have churches putting on seminars about retirement plans were as Jesus taught that we are to store our treasures up in Heaven.

Is it not sad to anyone else that we live in a day when sacrifice is a foreign word in much of the Church. In fact I would dare say that much of the call to follow Christ put forth by Jesus Himself has been greatly watered down to a point where one would have to ask the question are such people who answered the modern day call really followers of Christ at all?

Everyone seeks the blessings yet few want to be in the position to empty themselves for another. People understand the word servant in that “isn’t that what others do”? One needs but to look around and listen to other Christians talking to see that so many seem to have a dim flame of the passion at best for the lost whereas the first century Church had a bright burning FLAME.

Now I can say with full confidence that it is not because the Bible had changed over time rather that the content or delivery of message of the Bible has been twisted to suite a people who want to live in comfort rather than living a life sold out to the One who brings true comfort to those in need. I know there will be those who flare up and call me out as judging others and so be it but I write this not to judge anyone rather to judge the message of the modern day Church against the message taught in the Word. I ask with with and in the authority of Gods Holy Word where is the fruit of ones salvation?

Have we become so spiritually blind that we can not see that this nation right now reaping what it has spiritual sown for the past 50 plus years? Have we gone to far? I would emphatically say no, for the mercy of God is there still waiting for His House to humble itself, repent for its neglect and love of the world and turn back to Him as its first love.

Ye the hour is urgent and we must turn back to the foundational teaching of our faith as found in the Word of God from which we can clearly see that the radical call to follow Christ has not changed. For at this time I would I dare say that if Paul or Peter where alive today they would rightly dispute that what some consider today as being an overly radical follower of Jesus Christ was in fact normal Christianity in the first century. Or the real question to consider would they even recognize the average go to Church on Sunday believer as a true follower of the Master they submitted and committed their lives to follow even unto death.

So in light of how Jesus called people to follow Him and the definition to which Christ said would define a true follower, one must ask Am I a “Luke-warm Christian”. The following is a list of what might be considered a Luke-warm Christian was derived from Francis Chan’ book Crazy love as he explored this very subject:

1.  Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)

2.  Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chronicles 21:24; Luke 21:1-4)

3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives (Luke 6:26; Rev. 3:1; Matthew 23:5-7).

4.  Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one (John 10:10; Romans 6:1-2).

5.  Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers (James 1:22; James 4:17; Matthew 21:28-31).

6.  Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion (Matthew 10:32-33).

7.  Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street (Luke 18:11-12).

8.  Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives (Luke 9:57-62).

9.  Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals (Matthew 22:37-38).

10.  Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached (Matthew 5:43-47; Luke 14:12-14).

11.  Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money and energy they are willing to give (Luke 18:21-25).

12.  Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this” (Philippians 3:18-20; Colossians 3:2).

13.  Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, “Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.” Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “Called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor (Matthew 25:34, 40; Isaiah 58:6-7).

14.  Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without it requiring too much of them. They ask, “How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?” instead of “How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?” They ask, “How much do I have to give?” instead of “How much can I give?” They ask, “How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible? Instead of “I wish I didn’t have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer!” (1 Chronicles 29:14; Matthew 13:44-46).

15.  Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God (1 Timothy 6:17-18; Matthew 10:28).

16.  Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a “Christian nation” (Matthew 7:21; Amos 6:1)

17.  Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God (Luke 12:16-21; Hebrews 11).

18.  Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong (Matthew 23:25-28).

Written by Russ Welch

A true disciple is following Jesus and eager to learn and change.

Posted: April 24, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. [19] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matt 4:18-22)

The first requirement to be a disciple—a Christian—is to follow Jesus.

To follow involves three elements: belief, life-change, and submission.

Following Jesus requires belief in who he was and what he came to do. Simon Peter and Andrew weren’t asked to follow someone they didn’t know. They had spent time with Jesus previously (John 1:35-42), and even believed he was the Messiah. When Jesus approached them in Matthew 4, they had already known Jesus for some time, scholars say a year. So we understand that the first requirement of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to believe.

Of course, the Simon Peter and Andrew didn’t know a lot about Jesus. But they believed he was the Messiah, even though they didn’t entirely understand. And this is the beauty of following Jesus—you don’t have to be a genius to figure it out. Your understanding of Jesus doesn’t have to complete. In fact, usually it’s the simple ones who get it best. “God chooses the foolish to shame the wise.” You can’t follow someone you don’t believe.

What you do have to know is that you have a sin problem that has earned you punishment and Jesus alone can save you. There are more details—a glorious and beautiful treasure trove of details—but the essentials of following Jesus today remain quite simple. God made you. You rebelled. Faith in Christ saves those who repent and believe. Those who believe those things are saved.

Following Jesus also implies life change. When Jesus says “follow me” the underlying directive is stop following that. If he says follow me, he means give up on your ways. If he says live for me, he means stop living for yourself. Simon and Andrew got it—they left their nets and followed him. Following Christ meant giving up their careers in fishing. James and John were mending their nets, trying to fix them so they could catch more fish. And suddenly when Jesus called them, they left the nets in the boat. They weren’t important anymore—following Jesus meant leaving behind old ways.

That’s what following Jesus is—not literally following him around, like the original disciples did. For us, following him has a much broader meaning: we are to follow his way of life, his teachings, his priorities, his goals.
Following Jesus also indicates submission. Jesus says follow me, and that means we give up the rights to run our lives. This is called repentance. We have handed over the title deed of our lives. We gladly submit to Jesus as our lord, master, leader, and guide.

Some try to make Jesus’s call easier than it actually was. They like to accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord or Master. And so they think they’ll can be saved without submitting to Christ. This isn’t so—the truth is that if Jesus ain’t your Master he ain’t your Savior. If you haven’t submitted you haven’t been saved. It’s the blunt truth that Scripture is careful to repeat over and over again.

So let me recap quickly: When Jesus says “follow me” this is what he means: believe me, make a change in direction, and submit completely.

When Jesus said “I will make you” the offer was out on the table. Jesus was being straightforward. His intention was to make them into something they were not. Jesus wanted to fundamentally change their priorities, their desires, their goals, their dreams, their purposes—and he was clear about it. It was like he said, “I know you’ve spent your life catching fish. Not anymore. I’m going to change you.” To our modern ears, that sounds offensive. What right does he have? We shouldn’t try to change people, that’s rude. Let them be, man. Tolerate.

Jesus didn’t fit it then and he probably wouldn’t fit in now. His goal—and he was absolutely unashamed of it—was to change people. To make them into something they weren’t. From the beginning, this was laid out on the table. A disciple, then, is something who is being changed by Christ.

If you are to start following Christ—by believing, by changing, and by submitting—you must understand what you’re agreeing to. Almost everything you sign up for these days has a long tedious document with terms and conditions. Does anyone actually read those? Well, Jesus has terms and conditions that we must agree to if we are to follow him. But they’re not long, hard to read, annoying and complicated. They’re actually simple. He says” if you follow me, understand this: I am going to change you. That means you must be eager to learn and eager to change.”

True disciples are learners. People who think they have nothing else to learn aren’t good disciples. The best disciples are the best learners. They are hungry for knowledge, hungry for information, hungry for insight, hungry for wisdom, hungry to acquire skill, hungry to hone their talents, hungry to practice what they’ve been taught. Part of what it means to follow Jesus is admitting you not only have the deep-seated problem of sin, but the deep need of being taught.

True disciples want to change. This goes right along with being a learner, but it takes it to the next level. Being a true disciple means not only learning but practicing what you’re learning. True disciples aren’t about acquiring information for information’s sake. They want to change. They hate their sin and they want to grow. That’s why Jesus’s call must have been so appealing. I love it—Jesus promises to change them. “I will make you.” Perk up whenever Jesus makes an “I will” statement. He said to his disciples that he would make them fishers of men. He would set out to change them and he wouldn’t fail. This is great hope for us, because the promise we receive is that Jesus will change us to make us useful for his service as we follow him.

So a true disciple is following Jesus and eager to learn and change. And he is also someone being changed by Christ. He is radically in love with Jesus and willing to submit to whatever and wherever the Master commands him

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