Sonship - Growth Patterns to Maturity

Why is it that many Christians are not living to their full potential, partaking of their birthright?

Check the link at the end of this blog to listen to this message delivered by Howard Sands. 

This forms part of a series on Sonship.  

SPIRITUAL GROWTH determines our partaking of the birthright.

1 John 2.12-16

3 Greek Words

in NT. are translated as various forms of spiritual growth

TEKNON:        one born, a child; an infant

NEOS NEANISKOS:     A YOUTH, UNDER 40, a child without the full power of speech;

(Michael Green, "Free to Serve" says, not allowed to be an elder in the Jewish synagogue under 40.

PATER:         father; literal or figurative

3 Stages of Growth

1 John 2.12-14

Little children: (Babes): basically sense conscious, aware that- 

• their sins have been forgiven           
• they have known the Father
• novices in the faith, 
• they are pardoned and they know it

Fathers: Basically spirit conscious, knowing God intimately

• you have known Him that is from the beginning (twice)

From the first station to the highest station of stature in the faith that those in the middle may hear and understand both where they have come from and perceive what they must come to:

A place of maturity thru love 1 Jn 2.9-11

A place of purity not loving the world 1 Jn 2.15-17

          

Young Men: basically soul conscious, aware that-

• victory over Satan is a reality
• are strong, the word of God abides in you
• you have overcome the wicked one

You think you know it all but God wants you to draw close to Him.

Warrior spirit must give way to worshiper.

Worship through a lifestyle of love and purity brings maturity.

Satan has 3 areas to tempt you - God has provided a remedy in each area. 

Satan tempted Eve in the garden in 3 areas Gen 3.6 &  she put herself  under authority of Satan. 

There is little wonder Adam said to God “I was afraid and hid myself” when God came to him 

Gen 3.10  Old testament and  & New Testamemnt line up

Sin appetites / over indulgences

Gen 3.6	1 Jn 2.16	1 Thes 5.23	1 Jn 2. 12-14	Sin appetites over indulgences	Remedy
good for food	lust of the flesh	BODY	CHILDREN	FOOD 1 Cor 6.13msg SEX 1 Cor7.5 GIRLS	FASTING PRAYER
pleasant to the eyes	lust of the eyes	SOUL	YOUNG MEN	VAIN/WILD IMAGINATIONS Rom 1.21 GREED GOLD	CASTING DOWN 2 Cor 10.5 RENEWING MIND Rom 12.2 ACT OF WILL
to be desired to make one wise	pride of life	SPIRIT	FATHERS	PRIDE Prov 16.18 Isa 14.14 SELF GLORYFYING GLORY Isa 42.8	HUMILITY 2 Chron 32.26  (c) Howard Sands

3 Varieties of Food

Milk:     1 Peter 2.2

Bread:    Luke 11.11

Meat:     Hebrews 5.13-14

3 Kinds of Relationships

John 12.1-8

Martha:   a servant heart  (a need to do for God) Sacrifice

Martha was previously reproved by Jesus for being troubled with much serving,

she does not leave off serving but serves within his hearing,

Christ does not reprove her this time,

Solomon's servants waited on him in his courts to hear his wisdom

Lazarus: previously raised from dead, sat at table, fellowship

he sat at meat as a monument of the miracle Christ had wrought,

those Christ has raised up, made to sit together with Him Eph 2.5

Mary:     anointed Jesus feet wiped them with her hair,

total surrender, adoration, worship. 

A generous love,

She is ingenious to create an occasion of expense in his service.

(Close to a years wages for a labourer.)

If we truly love him we must be willing to lay out our best for Him.

A genuine love

True love as it does not spare cost so it does not spare pains in honouring Christ,

she did not anoint his head as customary but his feet,

she did not get a servant to do but she did it herself,

she humiliated herself by wiping them with her hair (not caring for tradition – women should have bound hair in the presence of men.)

Considering what Christ has done and suffered for us, we are very ungrateful if we think any service too hard to do or too mean and degrading to stoop to.

A believing love

There was faith working by this love, faith in Christ as the Messiah, the Anointed one.

Matthew Henry said: “Let us pour on him the ointment of our best affections above all competitors, by consenting to Christ as our King we appoint him our head.”

Summary

3 Greek Words	3 Stages of growth	3 Varieties of food	3 Kinds of relationships
	1 John 2.12-14		John 12.1-8
teknon	babes sense conscious sins forgiven have known Father	milk 1 Pet 2.2	Sacrifice Martha - a willing and loving server
neos neaniskos	young men soul conscious victory over satan know the word	bread Lk 11.11	Fellowship   Lazarus - seated together with Him
pater  (c) Howard Sands	fathers spirit conscious know God intimately	meat         Heb 5.13-14	Worship      Mary - total surrender nothing is too much to do for Him

  

What will it take for you to grow to your full potential, fully partaking of your birthright.

What challenges do you face to get there?

What do you need to do to move along in your spiritual maturity?

Where will you grow to? 

Let us go on to maturity. 

Rev Dr Howard Sands 

This teaching was delivered by Howard Sands on 26/6/2017 and can be hear under the title 

Sonship 2 - Growing to Maturity at https://soundcloud.com/BeautifulFeetTaskForce 

Rev Dr Howard Sands is the International Director of Beautiful Feet Task Force, is available as a speaker for churches, outreaches, business & missions.

For more details or to book Howard for your college, church or event see how to frame an invitation here.

If you would like to assist BFTF in its mission to equipping Africa Network Bible College with chairs, tables, beds, linen, cupboards, filing cabinets etc etc so they can equip ministers with the word of God to empower their own generation you can donate to BFTF here. 

If you would like to donate to BFTF International Missions for training leaders in developing world countries donate here. 

Follow BFTF 

Facebook  Google+  YouTube  Africa Network BFTF

Ministry Testimonials

Donations 

PayPal

or

Bank account Direct Deposit

Beautiful Feet Task Force

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

BSB 062 614

Account 94 0442

God's 100%

Competitive Excellence requires 100% .

What would we think of our elite athletes if they didn't give a 100% effort ?

If they didn't train thoroughly, rigorously, if they didn't eat right, sleep right, give it everything they've got, and then some. 

Competitive Excellence requires 100% effort all the time

If you doubt that try setting your standard at 92% or even 95%.

People figure they're doing fine if they get close.

Excellence gets reduced to acceptable, 

before long acceptable is not worth the sweat,

before you know it mediocrity sets in.

When is good enough, good enough?

I suggest good enough is good enough for us, when good enough is good enough for God - NEVER.

What would happen if 99.9% were good enough?

The US Inland Revenue would loose 2 million documents this year.

12 new babies would be given to the wrong parents -every day.

291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly.

20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions would be written.

114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes would be shipped.

If God thought 99.9% were good enough some verses of Scripture would have to be re written

eg 

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as light pink;

Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God most things are possible.

He has not withheld anything from us. 

Rom 5. 8 While we were still sinners Christ died for us. 

Sin (the vile, the corrupt, the abusive, the hateful, the perverted, the selfish) the thing that separates us from God. Gal 5.19/21. 

The wages of sin is death. Rom 6.23

God gave up his son to pay the price for you and me.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Jesus gave up his position with God to be made in human form - how degrading.

Phil 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus said, It is good enough for the student to be like the master Matt 10.25

Jesus called people to follow him;

• not have their name on a church membership roll,

• but to live like he lived (totally unselfishly),

• he called people to lay down their lives for him,

• not to say they believe in him,

• he called people to give up everything for him 100%,

• not put offerings in the plate.

Matt 10.37/39 Anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

Peter thought he'd given up everything for Jesus. 

Mark 10.28/30 Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

Jesus response - you will receive 100 times as much in this present age.

eg Raymond Lull

Although often disappointed by high officials, Lull was tireless in the pursuit of his project. 

Finally, he received permission to initiate professorships of Oriental languages at the universities of Paris, Oxford, and Salamanca. He longed to see the entire church vitally involved in missions, setting aside its best preachers as missionaries, equipping them with linguistic skills, and devoting a tenth of its wealth until the world was won for Christ. He wanted to be personally involved. 

To prepare himself, he studied Arabic for many years.

With books and baggage stowed on board, Raymond Lull's ship set sail for North Africa but Lull remained on the dock! 

He was frozen with fright. 

Only when he boarded another ship for Africa was his peace of mind restored. Lull would never balk in the face of danger again.

In Tunis, Lull debated so vigorously with Muslims that he was arrested and sentenced to death. Lull's sincerity eventually saved him from death, but he was put on board a ship for home and told never to return to Tunis. 

Undaunted, he escaped from his ship and continued to teach his converts in hiding. The Muslims in Africa had captured his heart. Lull ventured once more into North Africa. 

He was asked once how he could be so bold. Lull, once so fearful, replied: "Death has no terrors for a sincere servant of Christ who is endeavouring to bring the knowledge of truth." 

In ensuing years, Lull was imprisoned, deported again, shipwrecked and finally, around age 80, stoned to death in North Africa, the year was 1312.

How different would the world be now if more had followed him and taken up the cause of missions then.

How much do we love God?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Considering what he has done for us, how can we not give him every ounce of time/ love/ energy/ money/ possessions.

I've often wondered what would happen if people were as intense and committed and determined about the church of Jesus Christ as they are about sports.

This was illustrated some years back in a Moody Monthly piece which illustrated the twelve excuses someone might use for 'giving up going to sports matches.' 

The analogy isn't hard to figure out.

12 Excuses

12/ Every time I went, they asked me for money.

11/ The people where I sat didn't seem very friendly.

10/ The seats were too hard and not comfortable.

9/  The coach never came to call on me.

8/  The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.

7/  I was sitting with some hypocrites - they came only to see what others were wearing.

6/  Some game's went into overtime, and I was, late getting home.

5/ The band played songs, that I had never heard before.

4/ The game's are scheduled when I want to do other things.

3/ My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.

2/ Since I read a book on sport, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyhow.

1/ I don't want to take my children, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

I've come up with a few more:-

• The car park was awful- I had to walk six blocks to the stadium.
• Nobody came up and introduced themselves to me.
• It was very impersonal, and it was too loud!
• The public address and lighting system, didn't suit me.
• It's always too hot (or cold) in the stadium.
• An usher offended me.
• They sold out one Sunday and I had to watch the game on TV.

God will assume total responsibility for the life totally yielded to him.
~Andrew Murray.  

Be radical, give your life to Jesus - all of it. 

Rev Dr Howard Sands   

Rev Dr Howard Sands is the International Director of Beautiful Feet Task Force, is available as a speaker for churches, outreaches, business & missions.

For more details or to book Howard for your college, church or event see how to frame an invitation here.


If you would like to assist BFTF in its mission to equipping Africa Network Bible College with chairs, tables, beds, linen, cupboards, filing cabinets etc etc so they can equip ministers with the word of God to empower their own generation you can donate to BFTF here. 

If you would like to donate to BFTF International Missions for training leaders in developing world countries donate here. 
Follow BFTF 
Facebook  Google+  YouTube  Africa Network BFTF

Donations 
PayPal
or

Bank account Direct Deposit
Beautiful Feet Task Force
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
BSB 062 614

Account 94 0442

The 2017 Beautiful Feet Lecture

Why Missions?

Rev Dr Howard Sands






OVERVIEW 
Since the mandate of the church given by Jesus to the disciples just prior to the ascension until the present day, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ has sought to make disciples

of all nations.  How, where and by what methods has been the source of controversy, argument and even dissension for over 2 millennia. Yet one thing remains constant in all that, the call of Christ to take the gospel to those who have not yet embraced it and make disciples. 

The Beautiful Feet Lecture is designed for Bible and Theological colleges, training schools and learning institutions of various types to both unravel the intent of the great commission and provide inspiration, motivation and practical application of ways in which students of the Word may apply it to their life and ministry both currently and in the future as their ministries develop. 

BACKGROUND 
Founder and international director of Beautiful Feet Task Force (BFTF), Rev. Dr. Howard Sands is renowned for his passionate enthusiasm for and involvement in the great commission, his practical life examples and humorous approach to teaching and training which helps his listeners to comprehend and assimilate the teaching into their life.

Howard completed his initial training at Life Ministry Bible College, Melbourne in 1976 with a passion to serve God and was quickly absorbed into the ministry at his local church in Mildura, Vic. Australia. He commenced the ministry of BFTF in 1980 and began training young men and women in evangelism and personal victory. Over the years since then through various business endeavours and ministry roles he has gained:-
LUATC II Honours from Life Underwriters Association Australia, 
Bachelor Business, majors in Management & Marketing from Charles Sturt University, 
Advanced Diploma in Ministry from Hope College, Gold Coast.
Cert IV Training and Assessment from National Training Masters.
Doctor of Divinity (Hon) from Good News International University for 35 years of missions work in evangelism & leadership training for pastors, leaders and church planters.  
He has been pioneer pastor of two churches in Australia and through evangelism been instrumental in the planting of about 20 overseas, been a part of the commencing and running of 4 Bible training institutes in Australia in addition to the work of BFTF. 

The work of BFTF over the years has encompassed every continent, Howard has won thousands to Christ through crusades, outreaches and personal evangelism, trained thousands in leadership development, church planting & personal victory, his passion remains the strengthening of the local church as the most significant & useful long term method of fulfilling the great commission & establishing the Kingdom of God on earth according to Jesus last command.

THE LECTURE
Designed for Biblical training institutes, this lecture is for all students, not just those pursuing a course in evangelism or ministry. It puts an eternal perspective into all further study in any course, enabling the student to keep a ministry perspective in all pursuits. Various lengths are available based on your course program, student body size and curricula requirements.  Options include:-

1. 'Why Missions', a 2 hour overview, 
2. 'Why Missions' overview, plus 'The Unreached' interactive, total 4 hour
3. plus optional additional seminars. (see further details in Additional Seminars).

Why Missions - World Overview - 2 hours

The call, the history of world missions in a nutshell, world population growth and the challenge of unreached people groups. Students will be challenged to see whatever their calling and ministry is, as a function of The Great Commission and attribute kingdom eternal value to their ministry whether pastoral, accounting, cleaning or business. Includes video excerpts from various BFTF missions in India and Africa. 

Why missions - World Overview + The Unreached Interactive, 4hour
Includes the above, plus a detailed look at unreached people groups of the world and the opportunities presented by modern travel and technology. A focal point of this lecture is an interactive discussion around ways to engage the church in the challenge of reaching the lost with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  What constitutes a reached community? 

Winning the lost in the following sectors; 
1/ the non believers in the reached communities. 
2/ the non believers in sectors of the world where the church exists but some communities have not engaged with it. 
3/ the non believers in areas where there is no church. 

The objective being to both inspire students to some engagement in some non believer segment (including developing personal goals towards actualising the great commission) plus brainstorm ideas for church mission engagement in an unbeliever sector.

LOCATION 
Bible, Theological and Ministry Colleges and training institutes within Australia at your location. 

COST
Howard is willing to travel to your location and does not set a fee for this ministry, rather you should consider that the ministry of BFTF is a faith one and regularly undertakes missions in developing nations which cannot pay much or even anything towards the ministry of BFTF and that ministry is funded by the sponsors, donors and well wishes that appreciate the work being done. Churches and colleges wishing to engage Howard should consider the costs associated with the amount of time involved (including travel time) and costs of travel and accommodation etc and make an appropriate donation to the ministry of BFTF to assist in covering the costs of your event and whatever else may be above that will be used for international outreach and teaching missions in the fields where BFTF is engaged. Howard is not employed by BFTF and receives no salary, stipend or fees from BFTF. Rather he maintains his own personal income requirement from consulting.


TIMING
It is preferred to arrange the Beautiful Feet Lecture on a Friday, Saturday or Monday alongside weekend ministry in your area. 

ADDITIONAL SEMINARS
You may be interested to tap into other areas of Howard's expertise while in your college and have him to present to your students or your church one of his additional seminars. 


Seminars available:-
*Understanding the Whole Man, (spirit, soul and body)
*Christ in the Tabernacle, (applications for the Christian life)
*Your Kingdom Come, (a fresh look at both praying, being & living the Lord's Prayer)
*Understanding Motivational Gifts, (understand personality motivation drivers of you, your team & others, guiding your team in their calling to help you & others in ministry fulfilment)
*Personal Evangelism, (the Why and How of soul winning in personal evangelism). 
*Being a Son, (what being a son of God really is and involves, pedagogues, adoption, sonship, and more)
*Transforming Truths, (new creation realities, believers priesthood & authority, righteousness, appropriating victorious living)
*Things that are freely given to us of God, (understanding the things that were completed in us at Calvary and learning how to live in them).
The Person God Uses, (understanding of how God chooses and uses people for his purposes, making ourselves fit for the Masters use).

Each seminar requires approx 6 hours of teaching time and is best absorbed over 2 or 3 days in 2 hours lessons (each with a short intermission). Each student receives a BFTF workbook with key notes, scriptures and illustrations and space to write their own notes. 


OTHER OPTIONS 

Mission trips
Change your life and that of your church in just a few weeks. BFTF is usually opening a mission trip each year to mature Christian participants, these may include visits to the Indian sub continent, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands. These vary from mass crusades, local church outreaches and local

services, combined church healing services, ministers training and conferences. Participants get to be involved based on their actual skills. A great opportunity for senior ministers or youth leaders to bring a few key people along for a first hand look at the mission field, be practically involved and transformed by the process. Trips are usually between 2 & 4 weeks duration. 

Stay connected by following BFTF on Facebook and subscribing to the email prayer partners newsletter. 

Coming Team Trips 
West Africa -  April/May 2017
India            - July 2017
Register here for news of coming team trips.




Local church ministry
Howard's ministry is ideal for local churches, his ministry is word rich, deep, challenging and inspirational, sometimes humorous, illustrated with practical examples and stories and engaging members to new levels of commitment to the Kingdom. He is always focussed on lifting people to a higher level in their fellowship with God. 

Local combined church outreach programs 
Howard has a very deep passion to see churches working together to reveal the unity of the body of Christ to the world (John 17) and achieve more. To this end he has participated in and initiated ministers gatherings, prayer meetings and joint participation events in many nations including Australia. He ministers with an understanding and anointing of the Holy Spirit; gifts of the Spirit, healings and miracles are often evidenced.   

How BFTF Programs and Outreaches are Funded 
This is a faith ministry, BFTF is funded entirely from the goodwill of those who appreciate the work being undertaken. All gifts, donations, seminar fees, sales, gratuities etc from;   The Beautiful Feet Lecture, 
Church ministry or seminars, 
Books and materials, 
Individual and church donations 
is given to BFTF towards its programs; Howard donates his time to BFTF and receives a reimbursement of expenses only, the rest is used to finance BFTF programs.  

Current programs

*Africa Network BFTF - an online social media networking for ministers concerned with the great commission in Africa.  Groups for unity are being developed in 17 nations, over 2800 members. Join here http://bftfafricanetwork.ning.com 

*Africa Network Bible College - national, regional and local church colleges, 
Kenya launched Aug 2016 - video

*Annual African ministers training conferences for Africa Network BFTF members+.

*Mass crusades, outreaches and local church ministry presenting the gospel in Asia and Africa and other developing world locations as the Lord leads. 
Coming events;  
West Africa            April / May 2017, 
India                      July 2017, 
Western Europe    Sep / Oct 2017. 

*Church planting/ training workshops/ seminars in developing countries
*Providing water wells in developing nations associated with church planting
*Monthly victory/healing service St Marys, NSW 2760 first Friday each month
*Discipling men in Australia
*Outreaches in Australia.
*Local church ministry and revivals, (Australia & western nations).

Donations 
can be made by direct bank deposit to 
Beautiful Feet Task Force      
Commonwealth Bank of Australia   
BSB 062-614. Account # 0094 0442
or by PayPal



Recent international BFTF events
2005 India (ministers training & crusades)
2007 Uganda (youth conference)
2008 Singapore (rehab centre ministry)
2008 Tanzania, (church ministry) Kenya (outreach crusade) & Uganda (youth conference)
2012 Tanzania, (crusade, water well opening) Kenya, Uganda (Ps conferences all 3 nations)
2013 United Arab Emirates, (church ministry)
2013 Kenya (water well opening, church leadership training, crusade)
2014 Kenya (keynote @ believers convention)
2014 India stage 1 (village ministry), stage 2 (city churches), stage 3 (pastors training), stage 4 (leadership & church planters training). 
2015 UK (churches and healing services)
2015 Ghana (keynote @ Apostolic Leadership Summit) 
2015 Cameroon (keynote @Dr Bernard Etta's 40th Anniversary Global Convocation)
2015 South Africa, keynote @Cape Town, (Kingdom Advancement Leadership Summit) 
2015 South Africa, keynote @ Durban (Leading Without Limits)
2016 Kenya, churches in Nairobi slums, crusade, keynote @ Busia, (Champions of Destiny), launch Africa Network Bible College
2016 Uganda, 4 pastors training seminars.

Nations where BFTF has ministered
India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Fiji, UK, UAE, USA, NZ, Romania, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, Australia. 

Further information
YouTube.    
Facebook,   
Google+   
BFTF Blog, 
Africa Network BFTF,    
Ministry testimonials