From the Desk of James W. Goll
This week we are featuring Bob Mumford as he will be one of our speakers for the Secret Place Gathering next week. In 1973, Bob founded Lifechangers to distribute solid kingdom teaching
materials in the nations. After sixteen years as a missionary and pastor, Bob’s son Eric joined with his father in 2001 as a Bible teacher and the Director of Lifechangers. This generational joining of Bob and Eric has been a catalyst to transfer and impart the treasures of Father’s kingdom to the next generation of His people.
In addition to providing kingdom teaching content, Lifechangers is establishing creative ministries to the poor, prisoners and orphans worldwide. Endeavors that extend Father’s mercy demonstrate the reality of His kingdom of love in a “language” that transcends words. Lifechangers, as Paul stated in Galatians 2:10, is “eager to remember the poor.” Into ministry homes called “Father’s House” in Ukraine and Uganda, we are inviting orphans into our own family, raising them as sons and daughters to the Father.
Our annual Secret Place Gathering is just around the corner on January 15 – 17, 2009. The theme this year is Secrets from the Fathers with Bob Jones, Bob Mumford, R. T. Kendall and Jack Taylor all joining us. While pre-registration is now closed, registration will still be available on-site. For more information on the conference >>Click here<<. We would love to see you there!
Honoring the Hearts of the Fathers!
James W. Goll and the EN Team
Recently Added Speaker: Bob Jones
» Registration will be available on site.
» Click Here for conference information.
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Lifting Weights in Father’s Gym
by Bob Mumford
For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. Hebrews 12: 9-11
The complete history of the redemptive act of salvation from Adam and Eve forward can be seen in these two verses. This is accomplished in two phrases: “that we may become sharers in His holiness” and “to those who have been trained” in Father's gym yield a harvest of fruit.
There are seven Kingdom principles which are clearly stated in Hebrews 12:
1. Jesus: Author/Originator and Finisher/consummation of all things
2. Agape: Father’s nature and purpose
3. Maturity: Father’s intent for all of His children
4. Heart: Revelation of heart-reluctance or heart-responsiveness
5. Exercise: Proper response in Father’s gymnasium
6. Fruit: Evidence of the supernatural Kingdom
7. Kingdom: Reception of that which is Eternal and Uncreated
The word translated exercise in English comes from the Greek word gumnazo (Strong’s G1128). It is the root of our word gymnasium meaning to exercise the body in a school of athletics. The gym is where we work out to gain strength and greater endurance so that we can bear fruit, i.e., better body, better health, lack of disease, longer life, etc. The gym is a picture of our marriage, work, finances, or other circumstances in which we find ourselves. God, in His sovereign and providential manner, enables life’s predicaments to serve as our gymnasium so that He can “strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 13:21.When we embrace the process of His gymnasium Christ’s righteousness is brought to full maturity in us.
Paul’s View of Father’s Gym
Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you [for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him]…You have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:2,4
Both Paul and Peter had the same understanding of Father’s gym. If we make these verses to refer to the basic gift of salvation, they simply do not make sense. In Paul’s view in Colossians 3:8 there are eight specific weights that need to be removed in our spiritual workout so that we can mature:
1. anger
2. rage
3. bad feeling toward others
4. curses
5. slander
6. foulmouthed abuse
7. shameful utterances
8. do not lie to one another [5 of 8 have to do with the mouth]
We can observe several things about Father’s gymnasium from Paul’s writing. The gym always begins in faith and ends in Agape being made perfect or mature. It is not and cannot be works or some kind of religious merit system for it was started or originated by Christ and will be finished by Him. It is the good works or the fruit for which Father, as the good Farmer, is waiting. A gym is always progressive and incremental; we do not begin by lifting 300 pounds.
The increments of maturing in Father’s gym look like this:
1. Put on Christ—open our heart to the lessons and embrace the new nature that He has given us.
2. Do away with all religious distinctions and outward superficialities.
3. Put on the Nature of our Heavenly Father Who is compassionate, kind, humble, long-suffering, and forgiving.
4. When in the gym, learn to forgive in the same manner that we have been forgiven. What an intimidating standard Paul sets! I remember first going to the gym and watching people work out and saying to myself, “I’ll never be able to run like that or lift that much weight!” Several months later I discovered how much I had changed—I was running further and lifting more.
5. Finally, everything consummates in Agape, which is the bond of unity. When Agape flows, there is a harmony and flow of life that cannot come any other way. Agape is a fruit, not a gift. It must be cultivated in Father’s gym.
Peter’s View of Father’s Gym
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 2 Peter 1:3
Many commentators say that Peter was the lead apostle for the simple reason that he was forgiven in greater depth than all of the other eleven. Peter understood that failure to work out in the gym can cause serious problems and pain. Like Paul who states that the goal is that we may share in Christ’s holiness, Peter begins with faith and ends with Agape but states it more clearly as becoming sharers of the Divine Nature. This one statement takes us to the very essence of the Kingdom of God. We are working from the promises that Christ gave us in seed form. His Nature needs to be cultivated and brought to fruitfulness. This is a clear re-statement of Matthew 13 and the parable of the Sower. The lessons of the gym Peter gives are clear:
1. Add to our faith cannot mean religious works of some kind of self-effort to be holy. We add muscle strength in the work out by faith.
2. There are eight new muscles that are being cultivated, flexed, and strengthened for the daily routine of living this Kingdom existence in a world that is not all that friendly. They are diligence, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and Christian love.
3. It is interesting that like Paul, Peter also comes to Agape as the final ingredient above which there is nothing more. Note that brotherly love is the focus of attention.
4. Peter ends with Agape––that aspect of God, Himself which is now being replicated. Jesus is being formed in His body. Christ’s own character is being cultivated and made manifest in us.
Being fruitless and barren (lifeless, without signs of life) is what caused Israel their loss of the Kingdom.
Father’s gym is the cure for being blind, short-sighted, and forgetful. It is clear that the Kingdom is that priority for which Christ asked: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” Matthew 6:33. Father’s gym provides an abundant entrance into the Kingdom. This does not have to do with going to heaven, but Heaven coming to us as the New Jerusalem. When Christ came to us in Seed form, He came asking, teaching, and expecting us to enter the gymnasium with eagerness, learn the lessons, and grow up. Our life style can be an embarrassment to our Father when we have failed to share in His holiness or His Divine Nature. This happens simply because we have never been taught how to work out in the gymnasium.
Seeking first of all His kingdom and His righteousness...
Bob Mumford
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