ACTS 29 TODAY

coming to the knowledge of the TRUTH

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Education has to do with…..BEING INFORMED.

At an early age I wanted to become a pilot, flying was my dream, and by the age of 13 or so I got some books from Cessna and was learning about all the instruments and flight controls.

Some nights I would use my pillow as the instrument panel and would pretend to be flying with my student Manuel in front of me.

At 16 I joined the civil air patrol and took my first fight ever in a stagger wing beach craft small plane, I was hooked with flight and was determined to get my pilots license one day.

Question….was I a pilot yet just because I was talking and dreaming about becoming one?

NO

I was in the Navy and was on the USS RANGER and KITTY HAWK and stationed at NAS Mirimar San Diego CA working with F-4 phantom fighters during the Vietnam war.

After getting out I used my GI bill money to go to flight school and become a pilot. The first step was to go to ground school, and get an EDUCATION ABOUT FLIGHT, WEATHER, AND MANEUVERS. After about 40 hours I graduated from ground school and was educated.

Question…just because I graduated from ground school (educated), was I a pilot?

NO

Then I got my knee pad holder to put my equipment in, my charts, and all of the things that I would use while flying the airplane, and learned how to use them all, and now I was being FORMED (EQUIPPED).

Question…just because I was EQUIPPED AND FORMED, WAS I A PILOT?

NO

THEN THE DAY CAME WHEN I WENT TO A REAL AIRPLANE AND PRE FLIGHTED IT, GOT INTO IT AND SAT ON THE LEFT SIDE CAPTAINS SEAT, STARTED THE ENGINE AND TAXIED OUT TO THE ACTIVE RUNWAY (WITH MY INSTRUCTOR), AND I FLEW THE PLANE OFF THE RUNWAY AND INTO THE AIR (WOW AMAZING).

After about 8 hours or so of training we taxied out to the runway one day and just before I was going to take off the instructor said wait a minute, and got out of the plane and said this is your time to SOLO, do 3 take off and landing to a full stop.

It was a little scary being by myself, but I did the 3 take offs and landings and passed my solo test.

Question….just because I passed my solo test did that make me a pilot?

NO

After 40 hours of flight training (TRANSFORMATION) the day came for me to take my PRIVATE PILOTS TEST FLIGHT, and thankfully I passed it the first time, and I now had a PRIVATE PILOTS LICENSE (TRANSFORMED) AND WAS LEGAL TO FLY BY MYSELF (I DID HAVE TO HAVE SOME ADDED HOURS TO BE OK TO FLY WITH PASSENGERS).

Question….just because I was now a licensed private pilot (TRANSFORMED), was I now a pilot?

YES

Now after that I went on to get an instrument rating (so I could fly under instrument rules in the clouds), a commercial rating (could fly for hire), a multi engine rating (more than one engine), and some instructor ratings.

After this I went to work for a small airline and flew professionally for a while, and that also included flying MT SAINT HELEN’S scenic tours after the eruption in 1980.

The point is…………….in the institutional church, it has been 99% about EDUCATION……BEING INFORMED. TEACHING, PREACHING, AND INFORMING, OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

BUT VERY LITTLE IF ANY…EQUIPPING…..FORMING, AND SO THE PEOPLE JUST STAY CHILDREN SPIRITUALLY DEPENDING ON THE PASTOR FOR EVERYTHING AND NEVER COMING TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.

BECAUSE THE SUNDAY MORNING INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH SERVICE IS NOT BIBLICAL OR SCRIPTURAL, DISCIPLES ARE NOT BEING MADE THERE.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT BEING A DISCIPLE, DREAM ABOUT BEING A DISCIPLE, AND TRAIN TO BECOME A DISCIPLE.

YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE EDUCATION AND BE INFORMED, YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE EQUIPMENT AND BE FORMED TO DO THE JOB.

BUT UNTIL YOU….LIVE BY THE INDWELLING LIFE OF CHRIST (THRU MANY TRIALS, TESTS, FAILURES, TEMPTATIONS, FEARS, ETC, ETC).

UNTIL YOU CAST OUT DEMONS, LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND SEE THEM RECOVER, SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES, DRINK ANYTHING DEADLY AND NOT BE HARMED, PICK UP SERPENTS (DEAL WITH SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, NOT PICK UP RATTLE SNAKES).

UNTIL WE ARE …. TRANSFORMED.… BY THE ACTUAL DOING, EXPERIENCING, IN REAL LIFE, WHAT BEING A DISCIPLE MEANS (GODS DEFINITION, NOT MANS) WE ARE JUST STUCK IN AN ENDLESS LOOP OF BEING EDUCATED AND INFORMED, EQUIPPED AND FORMED.

BUT …. NEVER… EVER GETTING INTO THE ACTUAL AIRPLANE AND FLYING IT

TRANSFORMATION

JESUS TAUGHT AND EDUCATED AND INFORMED HIS DISCIPLES

JESUS EQUIPPED AND FORMED HIS DISCIPLES

BUT HE DID NOT STOP THERE…….HE ALSO AFTER ALL OF THAT…….HE

SENT THEM …OUT TO DO IT ALL THEMSELVES.

AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME...SO SEND I YOU, HOW WAS JESUS SENT?

BY THE WORD/WILL OF THE FATHER, BY THE POWER OF THE FATHER, BY THE INDWELLING PRESENCE AND GUIDANCE OF THE FATHER.

NOW JESUS THRU THE SPIRIT IS TO YOU WHAT THE FATHER WAS TO JESUS WHEN HE WAS ON THE EARTH, NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE, I ONLY SAY WHAT I HEAR THE FATHER SAYING AND ONLY DO WHAT I SEE THE FATHER DOING.

THE HARVEST IS TRULY PLENTIFUL, BUT THE LABOR’S ARE FEW, PRAY THE LORD OF THE HARVEST WILL….THRUST….OUT LABOR’S INTO THE FIELDS.

WHY ARE THE WORKERS FEW? BECAUSE THEY ARE SITTING IN A PEE EW EVERY SUNDAY MORNING THINKING THIS IS ALL THERE IS TO BEING A DISCIPLE……….when in truth it is not even close…………………………………

REMEMBER DECEPTION IS POWERLESS AND MEANS NOTHING UNTIL SOMEONE BELIEVES IT.

AMBASSADOR / SERVANT

LARRY