BEING EMPTIED TO BE FILLED

God’s method of preparing people for ministry begins by putting them in the wilderness, an experience of emptiness.   In the wilderness everything of self is stripped away and there God meets His called people, provided for them, cares for them, reveals Himself to them, and promises that He will lead them with His Presence forever. 

As a disciple of Jesus I must empty myself and be filled with Him, His Way, His Truth, and His Life.  It is then that I can enter into the Kingdom of God and be given my part in His message and my part in His mission.  It is then that I am equipped for the task of assisting others to be disciples of Jesus and help manifest the Kingdom of God here on earth.

It is interesting that the Military seems to understand God’s method of discipleship better than the Church.  However, while their method is good their execution is misused.  Their concept of power and control is mistaken.

Unfortunately the reaction to the poor execution and misuse of a good method is not to reexamine and go back to the original and make the corrections; the method is simply abandoned as being bad, destructive, and irrelevant.  All restraints are removed, all discipline is discarded, and all sense of eldership is eradicated.  Freedom is given rather than earned; freedom is given with no sense of responsibility; and so, we have today a world in crisis and chaos, on the way to destroying itself and ourselves with it.

Authority, control, and power are necessary elements of life on earth.  But it must be God’s authority, God’s control, and God’s power.  That’s how it was in the beginning.  That’s how it will be in the end.