Discipleship Training School Info

Lord’s Harvest Ministries

Discipleship Training School (DTS)

July 9 – August 6

The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is a four (4) week intensive discipleship training course designed to 1) establish Believers on the Truth of the Gospel, 2) teach and train them to know and live out their true identity in Jesus Christ, and 3) train them to effectively do the work of the ministry. The DTS will span four (4) consecutive weeks and will include approximately 24 hours of class time which will be divided up into three (3) Saturdays.

Where?

All the training classes will be held at Elton Assembly of God, 4281 Powell Rd, Elton, LA.

When?

The classes will be held on:  July 9,  July 23 and August 6

Classes will be held on a Saturday and will begin at 8:00am. Registration will start at 7:30am.

How long are the classes?

The classes will begin at 8:00am and end at 5:00pm. Each class will consist of eight (8) teaching sessions, which will be approximately 45-50 minutes in duration. There will be a 10-15 minute break between each session and a one hour break for lunch.

How much does it cost?

The School is Free! – An offering will be received to offset the price of the study guide you will be given.

Is there an age requirements or restrictions?
There are no age requirements or restrictions for enrolling in the DTS. As long as the individual is capable to complete the course of study they can enroll.  (If you have any questions please contact Dustin Miller @ 337-849-4618)

DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP!

Living as a Son of God

Living as a Son of God
by Dustin Miller

“That world outside there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity, it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.” (Leonard Ravenhill)

After reading the above quote from Leonard Ravenhill, the Holy Spirit brought Romans 8:14-17 to my mind: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ"

It should be that when you see a man's son, you should see in that son the same character and nature of his father. Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" Jesus Christ, the Son of God, radiates His Father's glory and is the living expression of His Father's character.

Romans 8:14 teaches that as Christians we are to consistently or constantly follow the Holy Spirit's leading. The Holy Spirit will always lead you into Truth. If we are following Him into Truth, then we will abide in Truth. According to context of the eighth chapter of Romans, if we have been born again, it is a fact that we are sons or children of God. If we have been born again, then we have received the Spirit of adoption (vs 15) and now able to call God, our Father. This passage, furthermore, states that the Holy Spirit confirms our adoption by bearing witness with our spirit that we are in fact children of God - heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. If this is true (and it is), when people see us they ought to see our Father's character and nature. When the world looks at us they ought to see in us what they saw in Jesus. Question is: Do they? Do they see us doing the works that Jesus did? Do they see us truly living as the children of God? Do they see God's character and nature being reflected in our lives?

The Bible is clear on this - we are to live as sons of God, reflecting the character and nature of God; doing the works of God. This world needs to see us living up to this stature; it needs to see a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power operating through us. So let us not be intimidated by this world or by the devil. We are new creatures, created in Christ Jesus - created to do the works of God. Living as a son of God is not something that is impossible for us to do. God has given us everything we will ever need in order to live such a life the moment we were born of His Spirit.  

How do we live as a sons of God? Consider this: We were not saved because of what we did or didn't do; we were saved because we believed and evidenced faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Likewise we don't make ourselves more righteous or more holy by doing something or by not doing something. Our holiness; our sanctification; our righteousness is imputed unto us by virtue of our faith being in what God has accomplished for us through Jesus and His death on the Cross. We simply continue to trust in the very thing that brought us salvation - Christ and Him Crucified. By maintaining faith (trust, dependance - being fully persuaded or confident) in the Gospel of Christ, we give the Holy Spirit liberty to reign in our heart and life. And what does He do there? He leads us into all Truth. He works in us to will and do His good pleasure. He will dethrone the sin nature from the throne of our life and will enthrone Himself and reign in us - resulting in His fruit being evidenced in our life. This is walking and living in the Spirit. This is living as a son of God.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

“And, [Jesus] being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:4, 5)

The Promise of the Father

It is the Lord’s will and command that everyone who is born of the Spirit (born again) should receive the “Promise of the Father” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4), which is to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). As a child of God you are entitled to and should ask the Lord to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

A Separate Work from Salvation

Everyone who is born of the Spirit received, at the moment of their conversion, the Holy Spirit, who immediately began a regenerative and sanctifying work in their heart and life. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, however, is a distinct and separate experience subsequent to salvation for the express purpose of equipping the believer with power for service and the bestowment of the gifts of the Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 9:1-17; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11;15-17; Acts 15:7-9; Acts 19:1-6; I Corinthians 12:1-31).

“…ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not to be considered a means by which we become more “sanctified,” “holy” or “righteous.” Again, the purpose of the Holy Spirit baptism is to equip the believer with power for service, however, it must also be noted that with it comes experiences such as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42) and a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost (Mark 16:15-20).¹

A Gift of God

In Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost he declared to the people that what they were witnessing was that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel, “…this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:” (Acts 2:16,17). Peter referred to this outpouring of God’s Spirit as the gift of the Holy Spirit which was promised to all who will be saved (Acts 2:38, 39).

The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

The initial physical sign that one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit is that he or she will speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44–46; Acts 19:1–7). As stated, there are many experiences that accompany the Holy Spirit baptism, but, according to biblical accounts and that of millions of people around the world since the Day of Pentecost, the only evidential experience received by believers at the moment they were baptized in the Spirit is that they all spoke with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave them utterance.

Receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

It must first be understood that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift of God and can be received only by those who are truly born again. This gift is freely given to all believers who will receive it, meaning that it is not an award that can be earned for good works, obedience or anything else. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).

The following will help you to receive:

1. Before you can experience the Baptism in the Holy Spirit you must have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

2. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift, and it is freely given to every believer who will ask for it and receive it by faith, regardless of how faithful he or she is or is not. The Lord desires every believer to receive this gift.

3. You must receive this gift by faith, just as you received salvation.

4. The purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for you to receive power for service – not speak in tongues.

5. Ask the Lord to fill you. Simply, but earnestly, ask the Lord to baptize you in His Spirit, expecting, by faith, that He will do it.

6. The initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance. Everyone who is baptized in the Spirit will speak with other tongues.

7. The “other tongues” mentioned here is not some mystical or mysterious chanting of some kind, but is rather a language that is unknown to you. The Holy Spirit will give you the utterance of that language – meaning that He will impress within your inner being words and syllables of another language and then will prompt you to speak those words.

8. By faith, believing that this utterance is from the Holy Spirit, open your mouth and speak out those words, however strange they may sound to you – remember it is a language that is unknown to you. The Holy Spirit will not do the speaking for you. As stated earlier He will give you the words and will prompt you to speak them, but you must open your mouth and speak the words He gives you.

9. When you respond to the Holy Spirit by faith, He will fill you to overflowing!

1 The General Council of the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths.Revised. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1983

Lord’s Harvest Ministries, PO Box 414, Crowley LA 70526

Website: www.lordsharvest.org   Facebook: www.facebook.com/lordsharvest

COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Lord’s Harvest Ministries

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A Little Leaven Leavens the Whole Lump

"A Little Leaven Leaveneth the Whole Lump."

 by Dustin Miller

Jeremiah 17:5-13 (NKJV): "5 Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. 11 “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.” 12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be ashamed. “Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.”

The leaven is the moral and spiritual corruption produced by false and heretical teaching - the perversion of the Truth, i.e. another gospel, another Jesus and another (unholy) spirit. When an assembly of Believers allows or tolerates this corruption to enter into their midst, they are, in actuality, accepting it and embracing it as Truth, and in so doing have made a departure from the Faith, i.e. they have left the Truth and are now following a lie.

An assembly of Believers that tolerates just a little leaven (corruption) will cause the whole congregation to be affected. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). Those Believers that leave the assembly remove themselves from the corruption, those that stay, however, will be swept away into more corruption. By reason of their acceptance of the “leaven” they estrange themselves from Christ; their hearts have departed from the Lord. They are no longer trusting in the Lord but are now trusting in man. They have made flesh, not God, their strength. Their hope is no longer God, but their worldly programs, their religious traditions and their humanistic philosophies. They have chosen the path of destruction, they are destitute and don’t even know it - like a shrub in the desert that cannot see when good comes. They are spiritually dead and blind, living in a salt land which where there is no life. They need restitution, but their pride prevents them from acknowledging their folly and their sin. They have been enticed by seducing spirits and have embraced the doctrines of devils and in so doing have removed themselves from their only true Hope. Am I saying that these Christians will “loose” their souls? No, I am not saying that. I am not in a position to judge anyone in that regard; I am not God. But I am saying that those who make such a departure from the Faith place themselves in the way of destruction which could, eventually, lead them to forsake the Lord completely. Spiritually speaking they’re in treacherous territory, because Christ has become of no effect unto them; they have removed themselves from the Grace of God. But they do not have to remain as such – they can acquiesce to the Holy Spirit’s leading, repent and come back to the Truth of the Gospel; they can once again be filled with the Life of God!

Any Christian whose trust is in the Lord and whose Hope is God will not cease to bear fruit because his thirst is always quenched as he drinks from the Fountain of Living Waters which will continually flow unto him. A Christian whose faith is grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. Christ Crucified, is walking (living) in the path of righteousness. By virtue of his faith being solely in Christ Jesus and His finished work on the Cross, the righteousness of God is imputed unto him and he is given limitless access into His abounding Grace wherewith he can stand and rejoice in the Glory of God. “For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.(Jer. 17:8)

Are You Good Enough for Heaven?

You may be a good person and put forth great effort in trying to live according to strict standards of morality and uprightness – meaning that you strive to be good in every way possible. You may attend a church, you may give to the poor, you may live a humble lifestyle, you may see to the needs of others before your own, and many other good and noble deeds – and God does take notice of your good deeds. But your good deeds aren’t good enough to rid you of your sin. Your good deeds will not erase your sin. As good as you may be, as moral as you may be, as upright as you may be, if your sin has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, it remains and you are an unforgiven sinner. And the only way you can be cleansed of your sin is through repentance unto God and faith in Jesus Christ. Have your sins been forgiven? Are you sure? Below is a little four-question test to see whether you are good enough to enter Heaven.

1. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever told someone a little “white lie” in order to not hurt their feelings? [A lie is a lie, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you. In the Ten Commandments, the ninth commandment states: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16) – meaning “Do not lie.”]

2. Have you ever stolen anything? [Taking something that is not yours is stealing, regardless of how inexpensive or insignificant it is. In the Ten Commandments, the eighth commandment states: “Thou shalt not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)]

3. Have you ever harbored hatred towards another person or ever held unforgiveness in your heart towards someone who has done you harm? [Jesus said that harboring hatred in your heart towards another is the same as murder, which is the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-26)]

4. Have you ever desired something that someone else has? Have you ever wanted or desired another person’s job, ca, house, money, popularity, looks, etc.? [Desiring and wanting something that belongs to someone else is called covetousness. The tenth commandment states “Thou shalt not covet.”(Exodus 20:17)]

How did you do? If you were to be completely honest, you would have to say that you broke at least one of those four commandments at some time in your life. So that being said, if God were to judge you based on your ability to keep all four of those commandments, would He declare you innocent or guilty? Well, according to the Word of God, if you have answered “Yes” to any one of the four questions you are guilty of sin and are thereby a sinner in the eyes of God. And until the record of your sin is blotted out, you will remain a sinner. If you die in your sin, you will be condemned to the “second death,” and when you stand in the Great White Throne Judgment you’ll be sentenced to the place where condemned sinners go – the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

There is no such thing as a statute of limitations on sin. Time will not cover sin. It does not matter if the only lie you ever told was sixty years ago. Until your sin has been atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ, it remains.

What Must You Do to Receive His Salvation?

 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”(Acts 16:31) 

While it is certainly true that to be saved all you must do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it must be understood that simply giving mental assent to His miraculous birth, His sinless existence, His death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection is not going to save you. The Bible says in James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils alsobelieve, and tremble.”   

You receive Christ into your heart by surrendering your life unto Him and calling upon Him to be your Savior. This is done by an act of commitment, by an act of your will, based upon what you believe. You must, by faith, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the Cross to pay the price for your sin, was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven, you can be saved. You can do so by simply putting faith in what you believe to be true. When you put faith in the sacrifice that was made for you, believing that by doing so you will be saved, God will perform an instant supernatural work in your life. He will blot out all of your sin and write your name in His book of life, and His Holy Spirit will come into your heart and will begin to live in you (John 5:24; John 10: 9, 10; Acts 3:19; Romans 8:10, 11; I John 5:11, 12; Titus 3:4-7). You will know that your sins have been forgiven, and that you are now one of His own, because He will make it known to you. Romans 8:16 states “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” This experience is what is referred to as being “born again’ or being “born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8).

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking that you are too sinful to be saved. Perhaps you are a backslidden Christian and feel that because of your sin that there is no longer any hope for you. Let me assure you, if you are still breathing there is hope! It does not matter how sinful you think you are or how blasphemous to God and Christ you’ve been, the blood of Jesus can cleanse you. Jesus said in Matthew 12:31 “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men...”. Jesus loves you and died for you. He’ll forgive your sin if you will just come to Him in faith. He said in John 6:37 “...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Now is the Time!

The time is now; today is the day of salvation. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” The Lord is at your heart’s door, open it unto Him and receive Him.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe that Jesus shed His precious blood and died on the Cross to atone for your sins? Do you believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead? And furthermore, do you believe that God loves you and wants to save you? If so, you can be saved.

The Word of God says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” And “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-11, 13)

To receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, simply repent of your sin and call upon the Lord to save you. “How do I do that?” you may ask. You do that by first expressing your desire to turn from your sin (this is repentance) and then, with a sincere heart and in faith, call upon Jesus to be your Savior and make Him the Lord of your life. The following prayer will help guide you.

Dear God in Heaven,

 I have sinned against You - I am a sinner. I know and understand that I need to be saved and that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the penalty for my sin and has risen from the dead.

I’m asking You to forgive me and cleanse me from all my sins with the blood of Jesus and save my soul. I surrender my life to You today and accept Jesus Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior.

I believe that right now I am saved because Your Word, which is true, says that whosoever calls upon You to be saved will be saved.

Thank you Lord for saving me and giving me eternal life.

In Jesus Name,  Amen

Are you Good Enough for Heaven
by Dustin Miller