"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29,30. Based Upon New Testament history, Jesus used about 3 ½ years to turn his disciples into missionaries and foundation stones in his upcoming church, which was to be born shortly, on the day of Pentecost. But from this vantage point, let us zero in on some of what Jesus said in his short time on earth. One fact we must not ignore or let slip from our consciousness, for the benefit of our personal growth in Christ, is to embrace the concept of Christ’s desire to teach us how to be like him to the glory of the Father. The oneness he had with the Father, was the same relationship he intended for us to have with him and his Father.

It is a known fact that Jesus Christ was a Master Teacher so much so, because he taught from simple things such as the rain, the sun, the flowers of the field and the seasons of the year. The main thrust of his lessons was for the disciples to understand their relationship with him being their master. He taught them saying: "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough (acceptable reasonable) for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord." Matthew 10:24;25. No matter what our secular background was like, our entrance into the family of Jesus Christ requires that we enter the classroom with Christ to learn of him as he assumes the role of the "Master Teacher."

No matter what level of training and education we acquire in the secular world, when we join the family of Christ, we enter as newborn babes, desiring the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. 1^st Peter 2:2. But in many cases, as we shall see in the following account, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not strong meat." Hebrews 5:12. The ultimate growth that is intended for every child of God is spelled out in scripture.

We are given the following account of those who have difficulty making the required progress on a personal basis. Thus, we read: Ever learning, and never be able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2^nd Timothy 3:7. I have said many times in these studies that understanding the scriptures require that we understand, "who said what, to whom it was addressed, for what situation and for what duration of time. The names of some places mentioned in the Old Testament indicating that those names continue to this day, have long time passed away and are buried in the sands of time.

Let us take first things first! The condition laid out by Jesus Christ as the priority in us learning from him, is for us to be yoked to him. Here is the key that each one of us must use to enter the realm where the Spirit of God is alive and continues to minister to the people of God. The Lord said: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." Matthew 11:29. To be yoked to Christ is like the horse and buggy offering rides to tourists along the Mall in Washington, DC. At least one horse is placed in the middle of the carriage with the rigs on both sides. Even if there are two or three more horses, the one in the middle between both poles carries the main portion of the load. It is the same principle that applies to us being yoked to Jesus Christ. It is from that position of being yoked to Jesus that he said, "Learn of me." From that yoked position, one is given full attention of what the Master is saying, and with decreased obstruction one is most likely to "learn Christ" without much distractions.

I like the positive lessons that Jesus brought to his disciples that continues to serve us well. I like the truth that Christ taught his disciples and we will do well to embrace it in its fulness. "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord." Matthew 10:25. A disciple is "a student" one who sits at the master’s feet and be taught. In short, while Jesus would go to Calvary, be buried, rise again, and ascend up into glory. It was expedient for him to complete the work of preparation of his disciples in that set time frame. Paul entered the picture and found that it was necessary for him to add some words of wisdom to the teachings of the church. After speaking of certain folks who had passed feelings and had their understanding darkened, he added his thought in saying: "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Paul did not say "heard about Jesus" meaning to be taught about Christ by ministers of the gospel locally or other wise. He specifically alluded to the fact of the saints hearing from Jesus himself. Speaking or teaching about Jesus is limited to the knowledge or belief of the speaker or preacher, and such exercise is limited to what the person knows or believe. But how would the church hear from the Lord himself?

If we are gathered in a fellowship in a home or in a hotel conference room, and there is a scheduled speaker, that is hearing about Jesus, and not necessarily "Hearing Him." As long as there is a person doing the speaking (preaching the word) it is hearing about Jesus. But if the Lord takes over and begins to speak to the body, or to one person, the entire dynamics are changed. Instead of a person teaching from the bible, if the Lord takes over and begins to say to the group: "Thus saith the Lord unto you, my people; lo, I have come among you tonight to bless you, and to answer your many prayers.

Many of you have spent many hours in fasting and prayers, seeking my face and to hear my voice. Lo, I am come to answer thee this night, and to put you on a new path of power and might. In this scenario it is not a person from among the group who decides to give a sort of exhortation. Not so! In this case, it is the Lord himself who takes over to speak to individuals or to the body at large. I must repeat that us, being ministers of the gospel can only minister out of the knowledge we have been given by the Holy Spirit, and the truth is that we are not likely to minister to the body anything that we do not personally believe.

While ministering up in the Bronx, NY some years ago, a brother from London came on a visit for us to have a time of fellowship. In the process the brother began to prophesy things I know he did not believe. When he was through, he confided in us that he thought he was merely speaking in tongues. Thus, the Lord used his own voice and words to deliver to me a message the brother himself did not believe. So in reality, when the Lord takes over by His Spirit to minister even his mysteries, we can only stand amazed and give Him glory or be shamed in unbelief.

While in London, I used to minister around the altar at the end of each service. The pastor’s wife (Sister P) used to join me in that altar ministry. This night in question I began to pray for a sister who came forth with a personal need. Each time I began praying—trying to pray in English I’d go off in tongues. I tried this for a long time, and when we came to an end, the sister came to me and said: Thank you for praying for me. I understood everything you said.

Here was a personal problem that the Lord had to deal with. Since it was personal and nothing to do with me, he used me anyway to minister to the need. I stand amazed how God is resourceful in ways and how he finds ways to answer our prayers. After leaving bible school in Kingston, Jamaica, I began to evangelize around the island. I began ministering in a church not far out of Kingston and in the process there was a young lady in the congregation who was planning to get married soon. The Lord began to speak to her by using me in prophecy saying it was not his will for her to go through with her plans.

After a while, the Lord spoke in prophecy saying that if she is determined to go through with the wedding, he will not prevent her, but she will need to pray for a lot more grace and strength because it will become very hard along the way. I went away to England and the young lady did get married. After a while in England I returned to Jamaica and found the same couple who welcomed me warmly and graciously. It turned out that shortly after they got married the husband who was a fine young Christian brother backslid and began running the streets. Life became very hard, just as the Lord had said. They welcomed me and embraced me, I think, because all that the Lord had spoken to them some years before came to pass.

My word for the Body at this time, is for us to trust the Lord, listen for his voice, and be willing to obey what he says to us. Listen my friend! God is still awake upon his throne and I like the song: "His eye is on the sparrow and I now he watches me." One preacher in his writings suggested: Not only did the Lord hold the sparrow: but he let it fall, otherwise it would not have fallen in the first place

What do we learn from Jesus Christ? As Christ takes his place as our teacher, and we gather excitedly in his classroom what is the first lesson he begins to teach us? First of all, we must remember that all truths that we shall learn is about the man Christ Jesus. In placing the lessons of Christ before the Christian churches in Ephesus, Paul used bold language that could be easily masticated by the local saints. He boldly called their attention to what we can list as the first principles of discipleship with Christ. Paul opened his discussion on this wise: "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him (please note the truth contained herein!) Paul is not referring to the saints learning about Jesus through the teaching and preaching of a local minister. The key in this lesson as far as Paul was concerned was for the saints to hear him (The person of Jesus Christ) and to be taught by him. A preacher or teacher, no matter of what caliber, can only teach of Christ Jesus, out of the storehouse of their personal knowledge of Jesus.

But when Christ ministers to the Body out of his own abundance, there is no end to the truths and realities that he will teach. So then, the first order of business for us as students of Jesus Christ, is for us to hear him, and to be taught by him. Ephesians 4:20. Consider the boldness, the depth and spiritual aspects of the ministry of the Apostle Paul. He quickly went from being a persecutor of the church, to be rated as being the greatest of all the apostles. But what was his secret? He offered his personal testimony concerning this very fact. Listen to his personal account that is left in the pages of the Holy Writ for the edification of generations that would follow after him. He wrote: "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his son in me (Not merely TO ME—but IN ME) that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood." Galatians 1:11, 12; 15-16.

Ourvexercise on our first day in school with Christ is catalogued in this text as spoken by Christ himself. "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are neighbors one of another." Ephesians 4:24,25. God does not treat us like "re-capped tires." He does not treat a converted drunk as one who used to be a drunk. He does not refer to one as "a previous lady of the night" or as a previous "saloon queen." A child of God in terms of the new birth is never classified or entered into the Lamb’s Book of Life as one who used to be, or an X-drunk—an X-prostitute—or even an X-liar. We are told boldly, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2^nd Corinthians 5:17. I feel impressed to repeat the truth in Christ, that he does not treat the converted person as an old tire that is taken to the tire shop for "refacing" in a process that is called recapping. The finished product looks much like a brand new tyre: but there are tell-tail signs that the skillful eye can quickly discern that the tire is not new by any means. God’s process is one that completely removes the old creation person, in every aspect of what that person used to be. So then, the process of regeneration begins the moment we join Jesus in his classroom, or like a specialist, we enter his OR (operation room) where the Master Creator does the work of taking God’s old creation, and by the power of his shed blood upon Calvary, each of us is completely changed, and are still being changed being changed from glory to glory by the Holy Spirit. 2^nd Corinthians 3:18.

In view of all that we have said above, we are left with a number of questions, especially as they apply to those who are not believers in Christ, and have no particular religious convictions. There are even those who do not pray on a regular basis; so how do we apply Paul’s instruction that we should listen to the voice of the Lord? It is evident that God speaks every day, because we are admonished on this wise:

"While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." Hebrews 3:15. Speaking in another place, Paul exhorted the Roman Christians, saying, For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." Romans 1;20. We are reminded on this wise by the Psalmist David: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race." Psalm 19: 1-5.

Sitting in the classroom with Christ, ready to be taught by him is only the first part of the process; but how to get the process running on an even keel is yet another hurdle that one must overcome. Hearing the voice of the Lord is not a simple act that every believer in Christ can master. Ever since the beginning of time, God has been speaking to mankind in various ways, but he made sure that his word gets through and that his message is clearly understood.

Thus, we read: "God, who hath sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world." Hebrews 1:1,2. Talking with God, or to God, is usually done in our simple prayers. The Lord speaking to us is usually done when we read the bible. But a conversation is usually a two-way process. It is like speaking on the telephone! As soon as you answer the phone, and a conversation begins, you automatically allow time and space for the caller to get his/her conversation going. It is the same process when we get God on our prayer line. I have said many times in sermons that some saints are so busy praying, they never manage to hear God speaking in return.

Actually, there is a time to pray, and there is a time to listen for God’s reply. A song we enjoyed singing in London UK, goes like this: "I am listening to thy voice O Lord, I am listening to thy voice O Lord, when the command shall be given and to Gabriel, sound the trumpet; I am listening to thy voice O Lord." The truth is that God is not confined to a single way to speak with us. In a time long ago when God spoke with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he did so personally as a man who could be seen (this process is called theophanes or bodily appearances) Later on, after the birth of Christ, God spoke to his people in visions and dreams. The same holds true today!

Jesus, in his personal ministry to his disciples said: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." John 10:9. People all over, were exhorted by Christ himself to search the scriptures for they testify of him. What is the truth behind what we are saying? The truth is that every time we read the sayings of Jesus Christ, it becomes alive as if it is being spoken at that moment by the Lord. God did say, "I am the Lord that health thee." The beauty is that HE is still healing as in the day when he first spoke. If we want these truths to be repeated, we can simply read what the bible says, and in that moment when we read the word, it comes alive as it was in the day "several thousand years ago" when God first spoke them.

Because that truth is real and is permanent as it pertains to those who believe his word, we have within our grasp all that we need for personal victory and for us learning the man Christ Jesus, while still in his classroom. Let me share with you an incident that is rather unique as it applies to this study. Let us place ourselves as actual witnesses to the unveiling of the entire story. "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And Moses said unto the Lord, Now I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way that I may know thee. And he said, My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.

And God said to Moses, thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see my face, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock. And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." Exodus 33:11-23. In these scriptures, we learn that God spoke with Moses as a man speaks with his friend. Likewise in the case of Abraham, God also spoke with this man one on one. We need not live in a "fairytale land" concerning God. He is willing to meet us on our term, and to communicate with us concerning all our needs and concerns. Step into the classroom with Jesus TODAY and begin to learn HIM. Paul emphasized a vital point for our edification. "But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Christ. Ephesians 4: Christ still offers private lessons to any student who will join him, one on one till graduation day—O what glory that will be!!