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Equipping the Saints – Lesson 2 – What God Expects of Saints
In Lesson 1 we talked about who the Saints are. In this lesson we will discuss What God Expects of the Saints. Now that we know who we are, what are we supposed to do?
Preachers Only!
Everyone knows there are two sets of rules in the Bible. Those for everyday Saints and those for Preachers. Right? Where in the Bible is there a section marked for “Preachers Only”? Which book of the Bible is dedicated to pulpit preachers and what they should be doing, that is different than every other Saint?
Is there even one chapter devoted to preachers? No there is not. If it is not true, then why do we all act like it is. When you look at a preacher why do you expect him to have more faith to pray for you than you do? Why do you expect a preacher to do more, or be more, than you expect of yourself? If you expect the preacher to pray for you and your family, are you praying for him and his? Every time you look at a preacher and put him on a pedestal turn and look in the mirror, everything you expect of him, you should be also.
Hebrews 11 is the only chapter in the Bible dedicated to one group of people. This is the Hall of FAITH chapter. But there isn’t any distinction made, even in this book, that only preachers are to live and walk by faith. Looking through this book there are names like Abel, Sara, and Rahab who were just regular everyday people, living their lives and trusting God. Abraham gets all the credit but let me tell you it took some major faith for Sarah to believe she would have a baby at 90.
Granted 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus are addressed to ministers but the majority of the content still applies to fully equipped and trained saints. Because we are all expected to be ministers and we all should be fully equipped and trained saints.
Equipped for What?
Matthew 28:19 is called the Great Commission. Not by anyone in the Bible but by the traditions of men. This scripture gives the final instructions from the master, as He is leaving this earth. Jesus informs His disciples that all authority in heaven and earth has been granted to Him. Jesus is now the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. If they intend to be His subjects, His disciples, His saints, then He has a job for them to do.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
That job is to go into all the nations and make others His disciples too. Don’t just go in and tell people they are saved and walk off. Teach them all the things that Jesus taught His disciples. Explain the scriptures. Open their understanding. Help them to know who Jesus is and why it was necessary for God to clothe Himself in flesh in come to this earth as a human being, so He could die on a cross. Why did it take His blood to remove sin? Why did the Messiah have to die? Why can’t you stand in God’s presence with sin in your life? Why is it necessary to be filled with the Holy Ghost? Why do I have to have a daily relationship with God. What does it take to learn to trust God completely?
A fully equipped saint must know these things and be able to teach others these things. Not just in words but in everyday actions of how we live and act on the job, on the ball field, on the road, or at Wal-Mart.
Saints are expected to be the living Word of God walking around. We are expected to be an example of everything the Bible stands for. Saints can’t live like Christians at church then act like devils on the job. You can’t sing God’s praises at church and then cuss out the guy who cut you off on the interstate. We can say we are saints, but we hold unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts that is so strong people smell it on you in every word you say.
Jesus chose disciples as soon as he started His ministry. He trained all of them for at least three years before he was crucified. If training was not important then Jesus could have waited until the Holy Ghost was poured out and said OKAY, you, you and you will be my apostles. Jesus knew those who would be responsible for caring this new gospel and explaining this new covenant must have a deep understanding of the Word and the reason why redemption was necessary.
Acts 2:42-43 (NKJV) 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Mastery
In this world we have many jobs that require a mastery of a subject. Such as doctors, scientists, military generals, and counselors of all kinds, just to name a few. You wouldn’t make an appointment with a doctor who advertised, “I went to all the lectures and listened, but I never enrolled in the classes, and I don’t have a degree.” Sitting in church three times a week and listening to what someone else studied and prayed about will never get you to the point of being a well-equipped saint. Any mastery of a subject requires self-study and dedication to the training. Anyone anywhere can be a witness for the gospel but saints are required to be more than just witnesses, they are expected to be able to make disciples. Making disciples requires knowledge of the word and of the benefits of living in that close relationship with God.
I am not suggesting that saints need a college education, in fact I am suggesting the exact opposite. Well Equipped Saints are self-disciplined and self-studied. They don’t wait for someone else to tell them about God, they take the initiative and learn about Him while they walk with Him every day, in a one-to-one relationship.
Fact and Fiction
For example, many different denominations will tell you that Jesus said to go forth and baptize people saying, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. Those who have prayed for Jesus to teach them truth will read this scripture and see it plainly says to baptize people in the NAME of Jesus.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are titles not names and this is the only scripture in the Bible that is translated this way.
Matthew 28:19 (NKJV) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Notice that in Luke 24:47 the same story of the time just before Jesus ascended is told by Luke. Luke repeats Jesus as saying repentance and remission of sins, or baptism is to be done in His name. His name is Jesus.
Luke 24:46-49 (NKJV) 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Throughout the Bible every person baptized after the day of Pentecost was baptized in Jesus’ name. Does it matter? Yes, it does matter. But what matters most is that religious traditions will tell you something else that is not in the Bible. Sit down and read the book of Acts yourself. Get a highlighter and mark every time the words in Jesus’ name, the name of Jesus, or in My Name is mentioned. They baptized in Jesus Name, people received the Holy Ghost in Jesus name, they healed people in Jesus Name, they also called on, prayed, believed, spoke, prophesied, and cast out demons in Jesus Name.
Many man made religions will tell you there are three gods and that it doesn’t matter if you are baptized in Jesus Name or not. If you don’t read the word yourself and be open to hearing and understanding truth, you will miss out on the revelations God wants to show you.
Acts 4:18-20 (NKJV) 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
Your Authority
To walk in the reality of the authority that has been given to us requires training. The power that the Holy Ghost brings to our lives requires training to understand it and pray in its authority. Training is necessary to be a vessel or a conduit that God can flow through to reach the world.
Training is required in any field to achieve mastery. Notice here that Apollos was instructed in the ways of God, and he taught others up to the point of what he knew to be correct. The baptism that John preached was the prelude to Jesus taking on all power and authority after His resurrection. What Apollos was teaching wasn’t incorrect it was just not complete.
Acts 18:24-28 (NKJV) 24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts Chapter 18 starts with Paul meeting Aquila and Priscilla. They were expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius along with other Jews around 49-50 AD. They met Paul in Corinth, and they stayed together because they were all working as tentmakers. The story implies that Paul taught them personally, since verse 4 says he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath.
By verse 24 Paul was off on his other journeys, but Aquila and Priscilla continued to make disciples as Paul had instructed them to do. The first thing they did was take Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
By Chapter 19 Paul was in Ephesus where he met 12 disciples of Jesus who had not heard of receiving the infilling of the Holy Ghost. They were believers of Jesus, but they did not have “ALL” truth. As soon as Paul heard they had not received the Holy Ghost his first question was how were your baptized. Because if they had not heard about being filled with Holy Ghost then they could not have been told the correct way to be baptized was in Jesus Name.
Acts 19:1-7 (NKJV) And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all.
The twelve confirmed they were baptized into John’s baptism which was unto repentance and not in Jesus’s name. They were all baptized in Jesus Name and then they were filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues and they prophesied. Which means they spoke in a language the had never learned and the told of the goodness and grace of God to all those around them.
Line Upon Line
Fully Equipped Saint will strive for mastery in all the gifts available to us. The more time spent in the presence of God, walking day by day in His mercy and grace, we learn precept upon precept and line upon line. It is absolutely vital for saints to be able to explain why Jesus Name baptism is so important, as well as why anyone who wants to go to heaven must be filled with the Holy Ghost. What a tragedy it will be for those who thought they were running in the correct race to reach the finish line only find out they ran the race in vain. They were on the wrong track all along.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV) 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
The crown we will obtain at the end of the right race, on the right track, is priceless. Those who seek the kingdom first, to do the will of God, in all things will reign as kings and priest in the new heaven and the new earth. Anything you give to God, He gives back two-fold.
Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Disciples
According to what we just read in Acts, a Disciple of Jesus was not fully trained until they were baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost. According to Jesus the next step to becoming a fully equipped saint is to deny the desires of the flesh and seek to please the Father first.
In all three of these scriptures the word “deny” means to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone, or to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests. This means that you stop seeking your own goals and let God set your goals for you. This means that you stop asking God to change your life and remove this mountain because you understand those things would not be there if God was not trying to teach you something by them or through them. This means that you learn to completely trust God and what He is doing in your life.
I have heard it said that anything that appears three times in the Bible is a strong direction that should not be ignored. Luke adds the point that denying the flesh and being kingdom minded is a daily decision. These scriptures could mean that you are willing to lay down your life and die for your belief in Jesus. Which may very likely happen in these last days. However, it also means you actively chose to live your life according to the Word of God and the Will of God. You chose to forget about wild parties and dancing the night away and chose to spend a few hours reading the Word instead. It means you stop getting drunk on liquor or high on drugs and enjoy getting drunk in the Spirit of God.
Which leads us right back to the point of deciding every morning, that today I will seek to build the kingdom by doing what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Matthew 6:31-34 (NKJV) 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
This isn’t something you decided today and then think about it again in ten years. It is an everyday decision to put God first and trust His plan for your life.
Jesus commanded the church to go and make disciples. The apostles had a clear definition of the requirements to be a mature saint in Matthew 28:19-20 there is a full job description.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
A fully equipped saint will know enough about God and the Bible to be able to make disciples of others by TEACHING them the truth of the word. If you don’t know it you can’t teach it. Those who preach it don’t necessarily know how to teach it. Teaching requires answering questions. No, you don’t have to know the answer to every question, but you have to be willing to be asked questions. Don’t fear questions. Questions help you learn as much as the person asking them. If you don’t know the answer pray and research until you find the answer. And always go back to that person with the answer. People will respect you if you can say, “I don’t know but I will find out”, then you keep your word.
Can God Trust You?
God can only trust you with giftings and callings if you are completely submitted to His will. Submission is the only way to keep you saved. If you don’t trust God with every aspect of your life, you are not fully submitted. Are you still trying to tell God how to fix this situation, or how this should be done, or why I really want this to happen? If you can’t take your hands off it and determine in your heart that whatever God wants to do, I will accept it, then you are not fully submitted or trusting God.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV) 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Casting your cares on Him means you don’t care anymore how it turns out. It means you trust the Father to bring out the best outcome, good or bad. And you trust the Father to hold you through it, if it is bad and to help you celebrate if it is good. But no matter what He chooses to do it will bring you closer to fulfilling His plan in your life, and that is all that matters. When you get to the point that you can put your family in God’s hands and truly say, “whatever it takes Father save their souls” and mean it, you have reached the place of trust that God can work with.
Worry is a form of pride and a form of fear. If I am worried about something, then I care about the outcome and will generally pray for the outcome I want. This is a form of pride in the fact you are saying you know more than God does about how this thing should be done. It is a form of fear because you fear you won’t be able to handle it if this thing doesn’t go the way you want it to. Trust in God means you don’t worry how it will turn out because you know God is going to work all things to His good and His plan and when it is God’s will then it can only turn out right in the long run. All of this type of learning comes in the second phase of Biblical Equipping.
Biblical Equipping
Ephesians 4:14-15 (NKJV) 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
The phases of Biblical Equipping are Teaching the Information, Training in Application, then Sending out in Activation.
These phases have nothing to do with physical age, but they are grouped by spiritual maturity.
1 Corinthians 14:20 (NKJV) 20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NKJV) 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Each of us who are seeking to be saints are somewhere in one of these phases. Equipping is a process that each of us must go through in our own time at our own pace. Some have an early start because they were raised in truth and therefore, they have a firm foundation of Biblical knowledge to draw from. However, Biblical knowledge isn’t all that is required. The Word must come alive for us. We must be able to read the scriptures and hear what God is trying show us through the Word. The Bible is the living Word of God, and we must see it as our best form of communication with God.
The problem with trying to give an example of these phases is that we can find ourselves in different phases depending on the topic. I may be a New Saint when it comes to how I prayer, but I am a Sr. Saint when it comes to making disciples, or it can be the exact opposite. I could be a powerful Sr. Saint prayer warrior but not have the first clue how to teach someone else to pray. Our goal as a fully equipped saint is to seek to be at the Sr. Saint level in ever aspect of our spiritual life.
1 Corinthians 2:4-7 (NKJV) 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
The following is a visual representation of the steps in spiritual growth from trusting yourself to resting in God.
- * From lost to running the “race of faith”,
- * From running to walking in the Spirit,
- * From walking to standing in His grace,
- * From standing to sitting in His presence,
- * From sitting to laying on our backs before Him (surrender/dying out to His will),
- * From laying on our backs to prostrate on our face before Him, (becoming totally defenseless).
- * Being prostrate before Him is called, “worship” (this is an attitude change from resignation, on our backs, to rejoicing on our face).
As stated already this is one of those areas where you can be at a different level each month. We have seasons in our lives where we draw closer, or we drift away. We need to be aware of those times of drifting away and put our focus back on God where it belongs. It is not a sin to drift but if you are not careful you will end up on a different river before you know what happened.
Philippians 3:13-16 (NKJV) 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
When you first come to the Lord and are at the New Saint level the Lord will allow you to act like a newborn. Newborns cry for everything they want, and they demand that they receive all of your attention. They care only for themselves, and they want what they want when they want it. They will scream for all to hear until they get their way and just wait for the melt down the first time you tell them NO! This behavior is somewhat acceptable in a newborn and even up to two years old. But it is in no way acceptable in a 6-year-old. Some people experience this type of permissive behavior from God and believe it is acceptable to continue this way. God reaches a point with New Saints too that their selfish behavior is no longer acceptable. The problem with remaining at this stage is that you never get to enjoy the blessings that come with growing up.
Even a Jr. Saint hasn’t reached the point of accepting that God owns them. They serve God. They are faithful. They don't do the don'ts and try to make sure they are doing the do’s. But God doesn’t own them. When they go through difficult situations they are in fear. According to the Word of God, if He owns you, you don’t have a reason to worry.
Acts 27:22-24 (NKJV) 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
Just as Paul had faith that God would do what He said, the mature fully equipped Sr. Saint has faith that God has their life in His hands, good or bad. They have reached a place that they don’t demand anything from God. They don’t own God, but God owns them. God makes the decisions, and the Sr. Saint knows the Father will handle whatever happens. They have perfect piece. They never have to worry about how a situation will turn out. God has got this. If God owns you then He is going to do His will in your life.
The Sr. Saint doesn’t serve God. They participate with God in a ministry that builds the kingdom. God will decide that ministry is and take part in it willingly and joy. Because God directs their steps in their daily communication with Him.
Sr. Saints understand that what they do for God earns them nothing. It is not a service but an expression of your love. It is the same as when you take care of a child. You don’t earn anything for doing that. You feed, clothe, and care for the child because you love them. You give out of the abundance of your heart.
Never forget that Cain offered a service that God did not accept. Cain is an example of the immature. He was jealous and thought all his work should have been acceptable to God. Never think, “ God just look what I have done for you ”. That is an unacceptable attitude with God. If you prayed through 300,000 people and spent 10 hours a day in prayer for 30 years, you still haven’t earned your salvation, or any other blessing God gives. You can’t ever do enough to earn anything from God. Learn to love God and give to Him out of the abundance of your heart. That is all that is acceptable to Him.
Genesis 4:3-7 (NKJV) 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Christ Wilderness University
The following was typed as close to word for word as possible, from a message taught by Prophet Scott Shelton.
I wish that I could say that in all of our lives everything that we go through will make perfect sense. But our lives are not our own to control. If you're going to be involved in the Kingdom, you will be enrolled in Christ Wilderness University. In Christ Wilderness University the teacher is invisible. There's one teacher who teaches every single class. He rarely, if ever, speaks in an audible voice, so you have to pay close attention.
In Christ Wilderness University there's always homework. You will complete a course but you will never graduate. The only way to complete a course is to take a test. There is always a test. Everything is a test. If you fail the test, it's not like at school, you don't get to redo the test. At Christ Wilderness University if you fail the test you take the whole class over. And the class, the second or third time you take it, the class gets longer. There's stuff added to the class to make a firmer imprint on you this time. Sometimes there are little illustrations given and sometimes you are the example. Because at Christ Wilderness University we're all there but we're always in class alone. Your life, your business, your job, your issues are what the classes are about. There is only one textbook, and it is always the same textbook for every single class.
At Christ Wilderness University one of the things that's required to do well is submission. If you go ahead and submit up front the whole process of the educational system is much easier. There's no advancement. There is no switching classes. You don't get to change your major. As a matter of fact, at Christ Wilderness University God will tell you what your major is going to be, where you will go, and what you will do with your life. Once you reach the point of well-trained you get to take harder classes. The end goal is passing all the tests, setting your feet on the path God planned for you, and to achieve all of HIS GOALS for your life.
Here is your next text… Do you have faith that God can move mountains?
Will you still have that faith when God refuses to move the mountain because its His will for you to climb that mountain?
Isaiah 28:9-12 (NKJV) 9 “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.
Prayer Character
One of the best examples of our spiritual maturity is our prayer life. If you are still setting prayer time and trying to pray for an hour, then you are still at the New Saint level. If your prayer consists of repeating the word “Jesus” 42 times, that is also still in the beginner levels.
For Sr. Saints prayer is not an obligation or something you have to do today. Prayer is communication with the Father and that communication takes place all day, every day, and at any time of the day, at any place you happen to be at the time.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) 6 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The following is a visual representation of the Progress of Growth of Our “Prayer Character”:
- * From a lost soul to one who prays for salvation,
- * to a joyful new convert who tries to pray,
- * to an angry saint who doesn’t get their way from God,
- * to a non-praying “believer,”
- * to a believer who prays in emergencies,
- * to a believer who prays to receive for their own benefit,
- * to a believer who prays dutifully,
- * to a believer who prays faithfully,
- * to a believer who prays to fellowship with God,
- * to a believer who prays for their ministry,
- * to a believer who prays to be a conduit,
- * to a believer who lets God do the praying.
These lists were written by Bishop Chester Wright. They are so true. Locate yourself in these lists then set your heart and mind to progress on the path to becoming a fully equipped, spiritually mature, saint. Check back on these lists often to make sure you are still progressing in the right direction.