A Seminar

The U.S.A. Weekend Seminar Series

“Disciples and Ministers”

1. All seminars are held by invitation from your church or ministry.

2. Because of the amount of materials that must be covered, six weekend sessions are required. We travel by auto as a family, with our four children, when asked to minister in the Southwest. This includes New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and the western Texas areas.

3. Outside of this geographical area, I, Jose, will come alone by airplane.

4. In most seminars, the Lord leads us to have times of ministry, which include words of knowledge, prophetical words, and healings. If your church desires for this type of ministry within the teaching times we can accommodate this. If however you would only desire to have a straight teaching seminar, we will honor this as well. Our vision and calling is to assist your ministry in receiving the greatest benefits during this time.

5. We do not request honorariums or love offerings, but trust the Lord to speak to the hosting church as to what His will is.

6. Our ministerial requirements from you the hosting church are room and board either in a motel or at one of the brethren’s home during our stay, and a roundtrip airplane ticket for Jose if he comes alone by airplane.

7. Thank you and God bless you!

Saturday /Session # 1

The Fundamentals of Disciples and Ministers

Disciples & Ministers According to Jesus

Matt 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

To have real weight or clout with Jesus. The word for love in this scripture is affection for Jesus above that of anything else. Having a greater affection for anything in this life makes a believer unfit and unprepared to follow Jesus. There will be a lack of balance of weight between the believer and Jesus himself.

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

He that comes upon, hits upon, and holds on to his own selfish life for his selfish gain, shall bring himself to ruin, destruction, uselessness and misery through his corrupted self. He that ruins, destroys, and wastes away his sinful existence for the sake of the Lord shall discover, recognize, acquire and procure real life from the Lord for himself.

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 26:34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

We observe that Jesus commands His disciples to “Follow Him” in the above scripture. This is defined as a union in traveling the same road. It is a oneness with the pattern of Jesus’ life, His ministry, and even of His death, if necessary.
Look at the illustration of Peter’s denial of Jesus in comparison to Jesus’ command to deny ourselves. As you will notice, it is exactly the same word! Can you imagine how vehemently Peter with every fiber and atom in his body angrily disavowed that he knew, or had any relationship with the Master? This should be our same attitude in denying ourselves for the sake of our Lord?

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness (martyr or martyrdom) unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

· The church gets flustered and angry with the sins of homosexuals, the abortionists, and so forth. Yes, it is right to have a righteous anger towards these abominations, but are we doing our part to present the gospel for a witness:( with an accurate and undeniable evidence (as spiritual martyrs of the Lord) which will allow for the jury of the world to either accept or reject it contingent upon our testimony of it? )

Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send (apostolic sending) my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Which shall prepare Literally who will lay down all of the needed gear, utensils and equipment at another’s disposal.”

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

If you notice, I highlighted the word “cannot”.
The root of this word is the word “dunamis”. We all know that dunamis is the dynamite power of God, that we as believers seek to obtain. In addition dunamis is an enabling power. God’s dunamis enables the casting out of demons and the operation of spiritual gifts. These scriptures inform us that the Christian who does not bear the cross, forsake all that he has, and put his family and his life behind the Lord, will not have the “dunamis “ or the enabling power to be a disciple of our Lord. The inherent power that He needs to change will not be there. The “cannot” is also constructed in the “absolute negative”. Simply expressed it tells us that “under no circumstances”, or, “Never”, or, “it is impossible” for the Christian who is not willing to to do these things to ever be disciple of Jesus.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

· First John two and fifteen is an example of what I call a “proportional scripture.” In other words, to the proportion that the love for the things of this world fills the limited space of our heart, is to the same proportion that the love of God has no more room within that limited space, and must leave.

Saturday /Session # 2

Disciples & Ministers According to Paul

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Of no account do I make my life or hold my life in honor, so that I may complete my course on the horse track of life on which I am racing upon with joy, and the ministry that I received from the Lord to testify fully and thoroughly of the glad tidings of the grace of God.

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify ( Glorify) mine office:

To speak about “glorifying oneself” or even one’s ministry usually carries a negative connotation. Normally it implies pride and self-exaltation. Yet we should bring as much glory to God as is attainable within our ministries or callings. Glorifying can only deal with that portion of God’s work that is executed by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 4:13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth(As soap being rinsed off from dirty plates) of the world, and are the offscouring(scrapings of food thrown away) of all things unto this day.

Are we willing to live our Christian life in such a way that we daily die to our rights, our reputation, and our need for recognition? I struggle with wanting to be a “personality for the Lord.” We are slaves of Christ. No slave has any rights of his own. When Jesus said that He was meek, in truth He said, that He yielded all His rights to the Father will. Are we willing to lay down our lives for sinners and serve them instead of merely preaching to them? Jesus said that he who wants to be first must be last. In actuality He was addressing us about being last in rank, importance, place, and time. Only those who make themselves servants (slaves) of all shall be chief in the eyes of the Lord.

1Cor 9:24 ¶ Know ye not that they which run (to run and spend my strength in attaining to something) in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.(to posses and make my own.

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery (the agony of athletic competition) is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Our Christian lives should abide in the exhilarating agony of strenuous athletic discipline. If we are experiencing boredom as believers, we are missing out on part of Christ’s destiny for us. Every great work of God has been executed on bended knees. Every great work of God takes between one to five hours of prayer daily

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

Our faith must contain a clear perception of God’s vision for our lives. “Without a vision the people perish.” We must not walk obscurely, as those who do not know the voice of God. We must not trash the air aimlessly with those things that Christ has not called us to, no matter how noble or praiseworthy they might be. Our time must not be wasted by the missed discernment of God’s will; too much is at stake! Our punch must be sure; we must strike straight and not spare.

27 But I keep under my body (To beat the body black and blue, or get a black eye), and bring it into subjection (make my body a slave to the Spirit of God) lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (a reject , reprobate, and one who failed the test that God put before them.)

· The love of God and the love of the world are opposed to each other. Either you love one or love the other. What the world values, Christ abhors. What the worldly man esteems as of great value Christ says, “get the behind me Satan!”

1Cor15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured (To labor with strenuous zeal, to the point of exhaustion) more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

· “Spiritual burn out” is always inadmissible. It is the product of all labors for the Lord initiated by us, and not the Holy Spirit. Yet our lives should be consumed with the Lord and His work.

2 Cor 4:1 ¶ Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not

q Because by the mercy of God, we were called into this ministry, we do not become discouraged. (We know that if God divinely summoned us, He will take care of us, and see us through; therefore we do not lose heart.)

2 But have renounced (we gave up once, and now forbid) the hidden things of dishonesty (anything that brings shame or disgrace to the gospel, or to us), not walking in craftiness(not conducting ourselves in the doctrines of men), nor handling the word of God deceitfully(by trickery, adulterating or corrupting God’s word for base gain) ; but by manifestation of the truth (but by manifesting the gospel in its accuracy and genuineness through the Word of God and by our lives) commending ourselves to every man’s conscience( we present ourselves to every type of men’s conscience) in the sight of God. (Before the constant gaze of God)

Paul here says, that the soundness of the apostle’s doctrine and the genuineness of his or her life in accordance to the gospel must be so great, that it must hold up to the scrutiny of the voice of God bearing witness or passing judgment to what the apostle ministers in their hearer’s consciences. Secondly, the apostle must also deal with the scrutiny of God Himself, whose penetrating look is ever upon the apostle.

2Cor 5:13 For whether we be beside ourselves (out of our minds, or wits, or exhibit insanity) it is to God: or whether we be sober,(sound mind) it is for your cause.

· In our burning obedience to our Lord, Jesus requires us to take steps of faith that portray us as incoherent and insane to the world, and even to the dormant church at large. If we never appear to be crazy in the eyes of the world, it should give us cause for concern. Yet the reality is; we do have the sound and healthy mind of Christ. This should be the balance of a normal Christian life.

2Cor 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

· I will very gladly incur personal expense for your Christian well-being. I will pour my very soul out for your progress in the faith. I will exhaust myself by spending and using myself up for your spiritual maturing in Christ.

Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness,( As Christ is magnified and made great in his life, the power of God within Paul brings much freedom to him. Paul can live out the gospel in confidence, candor, fearlessness and honesty, unhindered in every way.) as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body), whether it be by life, or by death

· The apostle Paul’s desire was to take his life and use it as a magnifying glass that would make Jesus Christ great. His expectation is one of stretching out his head to be able to anxiously observe this process becoming a reality in his life.

Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after (I persecute after), if that I may apprehend ( seize and make it my own) that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Please personalize this for your self; “I persecute, pursue, and overtake everything for which Christ has called me. I do this in hope of being able to seize, and grasp all that Christ has grasped and possessed me for.”

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,