7 Commitments for Spiritual Growth

Brian Kim, Mike Bickle

Description

In 7 Commitments for Spiritual Growth Mike Bickle and Brian Kim present a compelling prophetic wake-up call to the Body of Christ in this generation by outlining the need for the ministry of the forerunner. This prophetic call is backed up with practical wisdom on how to use these seven foundational commitments to live in wholehearted abandonment to Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. These practical steps have been a key to the spiritual growth of believers throughout the centuries and are necessary for those who will not settle for anything less than radical pursuit of God.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Personal Growth
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 26 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781938060267
• Langue: English

Extrait

7 Commitments for Spiritual Growth: An Introduction to the Ministry and Lifestyle of a Forerunner
By Mike Bickle with Brian Kim

Published by Forerunner Publishing
International House of Prayer
3535 E. Red Bridge Road
Kansas City, MO 64137

ihopkc.org/books
mikebickle.org

Copyright © 2009, 2015 by Forerunner Publishing.
Second edition 2015. All rights reserved.

Our copyright is the right to copy: anyone may freely copy Mike Bickle’s teaching material from this book. However, you must get permission from Thomas Nelson in order to copy the New King James Scriptures and the Lockman Foundation in order to copy the New American Standard Scriptures.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Italicized text in quotations indicates the author’s emphasis.

ISBN: 978-1-938060-26-7

Cover design by Isaac Weisman
Interior design by Isaac Weisman and Ian Barker
Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents
Foreword by Lou Engle
1. The Need of This Hour
2. Forerunners Proclaiming the Coming of Jesus
3. Pray Daily: Connecting with God While Changing the World
4. Fast Weekly: Positioning Ourselves to Receive More from God
5. Do Justly: Being Zealous for Good Works That Exalt Jesus
6. Give Extravagantly: The Joy of Financial Power Encounters
7. Live Holy: Living Fascinated in the Pleasures of Loving God
8. Lead Diligently: Taking Initiative to Minister to Others
9. Speak Boldly: Being a Faithful Witness of the Truth
10. The Power of Grace

Bibliography


Foreword
G od is today releasing an extraordinary revelation of grace. There is a great glorying and celebration in the finished work of Christ in the Church across the globe. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is in a sense being thrown down as we corporately understand our union with Christ and our place as sons and daughters before Him in love. I am celebrating this revelation, personally recognizing my great need for the free gift of righteousness, and I am walking with a cleansed conscience, standing blameless and faultless before the Father in love. There are no works I can do to add to or complete my salvation. It is finished! It is for freedom that I have been set free. The scandal of God’s grace has set me free from the law of sin and death. And I am no longer under any obligation to fulfill it. Hallelujah!
In the early part of the book of Romans Paul pulls back the curtain, unveiling this glory of grace, and then in Romans 12:1 he unveils the trajectory of this grace, “Therefore, I urge you, in view of the mercy of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Grace unleashes consecration. Grace empowers discipline. Titus, in his epistle, sets forth powerfully the same understanding, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13, NIV).
For every revelation of God we find that the father of lies—the devil —will set up a reaction to pervert that revelation. Today, I see many across the Body of Christ responding to this message of freedom by turning it into a permission to live a life of ease, entertainment, and moral laxity. There are even those who say that we don’t need to fast and pray because the work is already finished. Brothers and sisters I assure you this is a distortion of grace. Titus is clear. It is the grace of God and the great hope of the return of Christ that produce a celebrated and disciplined lifestyle. I rejoice that in my friend Mike Bickle’s book The Seven Commitments for Spiritual Growth we find a grace-filled divine corrective to this present trend. We find in this book a blueprint for the kind of disciple who will usher in transformation of society, breakthrough in missions, and a much-needed preparation for people across the globe to not only endure but also overcome in the great shakings that will occur on the earth before the return of Christ.
For years I have preached the Nazirite message of John the Baptist. John’s Nazirite consecration was originally produced by a profound angelic encounter, and then his own inward, burning desire to be completely separated to God in love. In the Nazirite vow, a man or a woman who so desired to be separated to God in love had to make three commitments: 1. They could not drink wine or eat of the fruit of the vine. John the Baptist, as a Nazirite, was not to be drunk with wine (but instead was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth). Our culture is producing a drunkenness not just from alcohol, but a drunkenness from excessive television, media bombardment, Internet and technology addictions, and all-consuming passions for sports. This culture is seeking to pacify and neutralize young people across the globe, all in preparation for the great deception that will come upon the earth. 2. Nazirites would not cut their hair. Long hair was a sign of the Nazirite’s consecration and the symbol of his strength in God. The consecrated one was not trying to see how little he could get by with or how far into license his freedom could take him. He was crying out with burning desire. I love how this sentiment is summed up in Misty Edwards’ song, “How far will you let me go? How abandoned will you let me be?” 3. The Nazirite in Old Testament times could not touch a dead body. They were to be separated from any works that led to death. This was not legalism. This was love. They could not give themselves to anything that could produce death in their souls. They were vessels of life-giving power, undefiled and holy to God.
We have never preached that believers had to take the Old Testament Nazirite vow to be separated to God. But I do believe that in this picture of the Old Testament Nazirite we see spiritual truths about the New Testament believer—individuals who will love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Over the years, thousands of young men and women have heard this message and have lived a life born of grace and have become in some way like John the Baptist, who was a burning and shining lamp and a great lover of God.
That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for other passions. I believe that Mike’s seven commitments lay out a God-given means of grace to live out a New Testament expression of the Nazirite passion. For years I have cried out to God that I would be a burning and shining lamp. To some measure I have lived the commitments set out in this book, and they have been a means of grace to keep that fire burning inside of me. I’m believing that a whole generation of Nazirites and forerunners will be infused with passion and forged in the fires of a godly, disciplined lifestyle, such as set forth in this book.
The prophet Daniel was also a type of Nazirite, operating in a very different setting. Through his consecration, fasting, and character he shook the first kingdom of Babylon, demonstrating the superiority of the kingdom of God over the kingdoms of men. Daniel, in his life of discipline, is not an anomaly; he is a prototype of a last-days generation who will release a demonstration of the kingdom of God in every sphere of society, who will witness the collapse of the last kingdom of Babylon and usher in the return of the King to reign over the nations of the earth.
I believe John the Baptist is also a prototype of all who will be part of a last-days, Nazirite, bridal company of preachers, intercessors, and worshipers who will prepare the earth for Jesus’ return. The Holy Spirit is going to produce the lifestyle, power, and revelation of these two men in the last-days generation. Let us cooperate with Him and channel this glorious grace of God, this freedom in Christ, into a separation of love that would not just enjoy the benefits of the gospel but would give God what He desires—a pure and spotless bride.
A special mission demands a special consecration. Thank you, Mike, for your clarion voice in this generation. When I grow up I want to be like Mike Bickle!

Lou Engle
Pasadena, 2014


Chapter 1
The Need of This Hour
W e stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power. At the same time, the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. As the light becomes brighter, the darkness grows darker. In this strategic hour of history, the Spirit is speaking clearly to the Church, and many are responding to what He is saying. Will you be one of those who respond in a wholehearted way? Will you set your heart to say, “Yes, Lord,” and follow through regardless of the cost?
Just a brief glance at today’s headlines reveals the urgency of the hour. All around the earth, nations convulse under the threat of natural disasters, lawlessness, wars, and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:4–12).