(Updated 8/9/2024)
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Information on Hearing God in Discipleship Conversation Building Opportunities
How solid is our foundation of understanding about the past and present ministry of Christ in conversation with others? Every believer should strive to develop proper conversation building in discipleship (the person/people in front of you today) that accurately reflects God's speech by "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you" [Matt 28:20]. Few, who follow Christ in faith, as his disciple and subsequent baptism, have the personal tools for self-conversation in hearing God's speech-action/revelation with only the assistance of the Spirit of God. However, most learn best in assembly with other believers in purposeful conversational discipleship, under the direction of God, as Spirit, just as Jesus implied by his imperative entreaty to his disciples to "Make disciples!" [Matt 28:19]. Before we can make disciples, we need to learn and build any understanding upon the proper foundation of Christ as his disciple [1 Cor 3:9-15]. Romans 10:17 shares, "So, faith is from hearing, at the same time hearing is from conversation/testimony [Greek ῥῆμα (rhēma)] of Christ" (translation mine, see PDF Dissertation p.10-11, esp. n19). Spiritual growth comes from developing correctly our conversation and testimony about Christ with others in front of us. We should strive to be masters in understanding his atonement for sins of the people and his present ministry to shepherd his believers to himself in heaven at death and judgment. All Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) speech-action/revelation is built on this truth.
First, in fulfillment of Jesus's command, we should find relationships in a local church [Matt 18:20] that images on earth, citizenship in Jesus's true church/assembly in heaven [Phil 3:17-21; Heb 12:22-23; PDF Dissertation p.374, esp. n267]. A disciple has the promise and hope from Jesus, in Matt 28:20, "and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (KJV). A probable translation that properly senses the spatial added to the temporal force in the Greek term aiōn (Greek αἰών, flattened as "world" KJV and "age" NASB95, NIV), is "and lo, I am with you every day until completion of the eternal/perpetual-places" (translation mine). This translation has both spatial and temporal coherence with the daily hope of heavenly citizenship at death, with Jesus, when completed by spiritual bodily transformation and shepherded by him into heaven. [Cf. Psalm 23; John 10:1-30]. Find an intentional regular assembly of believers [Heb 10:25] that 1) listens to God's speech in the Bible, more than the many social/religious traditions of worldly focus, and 2) emphasizes personal discipleship by learning from those mature in understanding the faith about the complete two-fold ministry of Christ, both as offering on the cross in purification of sins and his present ministry in shepherding believers to himself in heaven at death and judgment. A servant life of learning/teaching service that patterns God's own design is the most rewarding method for sustained growth and accountability [Matt 4:10; Mark 9:35; 10:43-45; Luke 16:13; Gal 5:13]. Open Heavens Ministries stands alongside local church/assembly ministries to assist in reminding those in the discipleship process to always focus on proper hearing of God's speech more than the speech of others with theological or philosophical terminology about God's speech [Col 2:8; Heb 5:11-14].
Second, we should learn to recognize counterfeit Christian religion. The audible distortion of God's Word by use of non-biblical terms and concepts opens disciples to the strategy of the devil to ask, "Indeed, has God said...?" [Gen 3:1], in a distorted biblical hearing of this-means-to-me. One then becomes a disciple of a personal-created-faith or traditional-faith seeking to climb a ladder of group approval more than the actual Word spoken built on the proper foundation of Christ with approval of the God of creation. Important questions to ask are how much actual Scripture in reading God's Word does our usual discipleship study have? Is it built on the foundation of Christ in his purpose to access an open, eternal-place heaven, either at death or the seconding coming for those living? Or, is your discipleship-conversation-building earth-centric, as part of the earthly strife and chaos in attempts for a part to build a fleshly kingdom. If not done, follow this link for a personal review of the possibility of our relationship to Christ as a false prophet. [Cf. Matt 24:4-12, also see topic: How to have a loving relationship with a false prophet or enemy]?
Third, we should remember that the line demarcating service to God or the devil is very fluid from day to day [e.g., Matt 16:21-24]. Destructive, unloving, self-serving, seems-to-me conversation will not be answered here. Direct comment in rejection or support of facts in determination of truth is always welcome. I attempt to practice friendliness and prayer tempered conversation with love [Matt 5:43-48] but also follow the biblical mandate of appropriate withdrawal of blessings with shaking dust from my feet [Matt 10:13-14], not sharing with those inclined to harm me [Matt 7:6], and avoidance [2 Tim 3:5], as I turn away to look for those who really want to grow as a disciple of God's speech more than other often popular people.
Finally, a word about English translation use for conversations. Please read my opinion about Bible translations, if that is a concern for your group or meeting conversations. One can learn to hear the speech of God through most translations by prayer, humility, and common-sense study and listening with the assistance of the Spirit of God. That said--let us have a great conversation in learning together in the joy of hearing God's speech!
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Flexible Conversation Building Opportunities
to Assist Local Church Discipleship
Open Heavens Ministries primarily focuses on conversation/testimony/message content that builds on the proper foundation of Christ. A conversation communicates with the person or group in front of them at the moment. We do not spend a lot of time on conversation method, which has endless possibilities, with no one method better than another. Conversations range from a teaching moment between a mother and her children, a person traveling next to you, placing a tract, writing a paper on a topic, and millions more. What is important is that every conversation builds properly on the foundation of Christ.
Conversation by Email Send short, congenial discussion, clarification, and questions to bill@openheavens.info. Before sending an email, please read my ministry policy about conversation at Email Conversation Policy
YouTube Channel Follow our videos at our YouTube Channel for videos from Open Heavens Ministries.
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