The Ministry Of Camping

Last weekend a bunch of men came up from the Highway Church in Cornwall and went camping with me in the woods outside Maidstone. Besides the torrential downpour we experienced all day Friday and night, the weekend was  a wonderful time of building relationships and eating. Did I mention we were eating?

The focus was on sonship in the house and some younger leaders came over to be part of the event  and assist with the smooth running of all the parts that make a good outdoor event. Ok, so I'm not as prepared as I would like to be. I;m just a stickler for having thing organised and done properly. But the whole team superb and made the best of what we had and everyone had a super time.

There is something about men sitting around a fire and eating, fellowshipping, and being instructed in the principles of God's Kingdom. hearts were stirred to align with the Fathers will to be sons in the house rather than just slaves. We also had a clarifying discussion on husband and wife relationships that work. I will be doing some of this soon on audio for you.

Once we catch the vision of what it means to walk in sonship, we understand what it means to have real, true purpose, and the struggle ends for significance and acceptance. Rather there is a sense of 'family' that gives us a place of secure  freedom and love and acknowledgement we can never find as a slave in the house.

These times of impartation and challenge stir men (and women) to live at a new level and set a new standard for their spiritual walk and ministry.

True Leadership

The Process: Conformed and Transformed

Discipleship is not the end in itself.
If we are just to stay disciples then the process has no meaning. No, the process has an end.
The end is son-ship.

Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers.

This is the design, this is the outcome: conformed to the likeness of the Son.

Conform means to be changed into His substance, into His likeness, into His image.
Likeness means: Implies what is derived from an original type, cast as a direct expression of an original. It would be like a figure head, a likeness, impressed on a coin, the image of the Son impressed upon us as man. Jesus being the likeness means He is the prototype, so that we do not just resemble Him but from which the impression, the representation, the image is drawn and is the standard by which it is measured.

Of course, we know the verse that says : The creation waits in eager anticipation for the sons of God to be revealed. Rom8:19

Sons here are the mature, grown up sons that resemble, are a direct expression of, a copy of, a likeness of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Discipleship is about the process of imprinting Christ's worldview, Heavenly view, values and constitution ie. the Word of God, in someone until they resemble and are changed into the substance of who He is. This is a work of the Spirit.
We are transformed by the Spirit into His likeness. 2 Cor 3:18
It means we are being altered fundamentally, having our inner man changed into His image.This verse tells us its the Lord who is the Spirit who takes or reveals this glory in ever-increasing measure in us.

Basically, all this means is that we are to be changed, to be imprinted with the image of the Son of God so that we too become and act like God's Son, who is the prototype whose image we take on.

So, the process has to be carried through until we are more and more a representation of who He is. Jesus is the prototype, the original pattern or type from which all sons are to be copied, on which our substance is to be based. Jesus Christ is the model or first form - that's why He will be the first among many brothers!

I don't believe we will ever end in the transformation process, because when we see Him (only then) will be as He is.

But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2b

Is discipleship necessary?
Yes! Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world and make disciples.
Is there a point to it?
Yes! The maturing of the sons of God until they reflect His son-ship.

Conformed and Transformed in to His likeness:
This is our goal!

Paul said that his contention and labour with all the energy of the Spirit was to bring every man to maturity. He knew the task and the focus, and the end goal. (Col 1:28-29)