Son or Bastard?: The Difference is Discipline

By David Ryser

I was driving 70 miles per hour on an interstate highway when I had the following vision. It hit me with such strength and clarity that I lost sight of my surroundings for several seconds.

I am not one who has a lot of experience with visions.  God seems to speak to me more often through other means.  I’m not complaining, but I’ve often thought it would be fun to have what some call an “open vision” where I would see into the spirit realm and be unaware of what was going on around me.  I would not, however, have chosen this particular time and place to have such an experience.

I saw myself as a small child.  I was about four years old.  I was standing before the throne of God with a broken toy in my hand.  I knew the toy represented my life.  It was broken.  I looked up at God, held out the toy to Him, and said, “Daddy, can you fix it?”  He took the toy from me and laid it aside.  I climbed up into His lap and held on tightly to Him.  He didn’t say a word.  He just put His arms around me and held me while I cried until I had no more tears left to cry.

How did my life get to be such a mess?

A few months before, my life was great.  I had everything I ever wanted.  I had been powerfully affected by coming into contact with a genuine move of God.  I was experiencing God at a level I never did before.  I was doing what I was made to do--teaching in a School of Ministry.  The presence of God would show up in the classes and He would move mightily in our midst.  I had the privilege to go overseas and minister.  Signs and wonders followed.  My future in the ministry never looked brighter.

 Then the whole thing came crashing down.

I was at a weeklong conference in Toronto and looking forward to encountering God and having a good time in His presence.  I was expecting to receive God’s further guidance for my ministry.  The week started off well enough; but as time wore on, it became evident that God wanted to speak to me about my character rather than my ministry.  I began to struggle with this unexpected turn of events, but God brought the argument to a close by making two statements and asking one question.  My response was, “Uh-oh…busted.”

When God spoke that to me at the conference, it was as if I could hear a door close in the spirit.  Yes, God opens a door that cannot be closed, but He also closes a door that cannot be opened (Revelation 3:7b).

In that instant, I knew that my life and my ministry (as I had known them) were over.

You see, I had been living as if Hebrews 12:5-8 was not in the Bible.  We are the children of God, but He wants us to become mature sons.  The road to sonship is paved with discipline. (The root word of disciple is the same as for discipline.)  Fathers only discipline their own children.  They do not discipline other people’s children.  If God does not discipline us, we are not His children.  And certainly not His sons.

If we are not God’s sons, then we are spiritual illegitimate children (“bastards”--Hebrews 12:8; KJV).

Why does God discipline His children?  He does so for the same reason that an earthly father disciplines his children.  The purpose of discipline is to develop character in the child.

I’ve discovered in this season of my life that God is far more concerned with the quality of my character than He is in my anointing, calling, and gifting.  Although we highly esteem anointing, calling, and gifting--and promote and exalt people based upon these--God does not regard these as highly as character (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).  In fact, bragging about our anointing, calling, and gifting is a lot like bragging about having a derriere.

Why do people not brag about having a rear end?  Because everybody has one.  It’s nothing special.

If you tell me you are anointed, called, and gifted; all you have done is told me you are a follower of Jesus.  All of Jesus’ followers are automatically anointed, called, and gifted.  It’s nothing special.

All Christians have butts.  Who cares?

I’ve been in the religion business for a long time.  I have never seen anyone fail in ministry for a lack of anointing, calling, and gifting.  I have, however, seen hundreds fail for a lack of character.

Character counts.

This is why the apostle Paul, when writing to the young apostles Timothy and Titus, speaks at length about the importance of godly character when appointing pastors and other church leaders.  In enumerating the qualities of people who are qualified for church leadership (1 Timothy 3: 1-13; Titus 1:5-9), Paul does not speak at all about anointing, calling, and gifting.

Why?  Are these not important?  Do we not want our leaders to be anointed, called, and gifted?  Of course we do.  The reason Paul does not mention anointing, calling, and gifting is because these things are assumed to be present already in these people.

I am not qualified for ministry or church leadership simply because I have spiritual buttocks.  And neither are you.

So what should we do?  We are anointed, called, and gifted for a purpose.  If we are ever going to fulfill our purpose in God’s Kingdom most effectively, and in a way that glorifies God and is a blessing to others, then we need to submit ourselves to the discipline of God.  If we do, we will grow to become mature sons of God.

The Church already has enough bastards masquerading as sons.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com