Hello, my name is Andrew Shreffler and I am from Springfield, Missouri, United States.
I would like to first say thank you to Christian Leaders Institute for providing me – as well as many others – with a wonderful opportunity to study the Word of God online!
My walk with the Lord hasn’t always been on solid ground. Sometimes, I’ve hit jagged rocks and slippery terrain. Many ups and downs have been encountered in my walk of faith, but overall, I believe these struggles have been for the best, as they have made me a stronger and more faithful person.
The idea of becoming a minister wasn’t always my cup of tea. In fact, until it hit me that God wanted me to preach His Word, I was appalled by the thought of it. But as I read more and more of the Word of God, my love for it grew, as well as my desire to share it. Eventually, I got to the point where I decided to make it my life.
It hasn’t been an easy road, though. I have faced opposition from all possible directions, especially from my parents. They called my love of the Word of God an “obsession” and tried to put me on medications for it. I also have Tourette’s Syndrome, which has added some difficulty to reaching out to people.
Nevertheless, I will remain vigilant. My current goal is to start and lead a church after completing my courses here at Christian Leaders Institute. I believe my primary gifts are as a pastor and evangelist. My only obstacle now is to be able to talk to people and get over stage fright.
Christian Leaders Institute is such a blessing because it enables me to study the art of ministry without breaking the bank. If Christian Leaders Institute wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be able to study, due to the horrific college costs. With a dead-end job and a child to feed, college is an impossibility!
Thank you so much, Christian Leaders Institute, for all you do, and GOD BLESS YOU!
Name: Johnis Burton
Scripture: Daniel 1 (focus vs 7)
Theme: There Is Something In A Name
Sermon #1 in the Sermon Construction Class at CLI
Summary of the Author of the Book of Daniel
Daniel the author of the book of Daniel was one of the Major Profits in the Old Testament era. Daniel’s account was of a historical format. He was born in the 17th century BC and died about 6th Century BC in Bobylon.
Daniel in Hebrew is “Daniyyel” which means “God is my judge”. When Daniel was a young man, he was educated in Chaldean thoughts. However, he never converted to Neo-Bobylonian ways. Through “divine wisdom” from his God, Yeheweh, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Bobylon.
When the lion’s den event occurred, Daniel was in his 80s. Through a life of hard work and obedience to God, he had risen through the political ranks as an administrator of this pagan kingdom. In fact, Daniel was so honest and hardworking that the government officials – who were jealous of him – couldn’t find anything to remove him from office. So they tried to use Daniel’s faith in God against him. Eventually he had apocalyptic vision of his own that have been interpreted as the Four Monarchies. Some of the most famous accounts of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall, and Daniel in the lions’ den. (web search www.christianity.about.com and en.wikipedia.org/wikidaniel.com)
Daniel 1:7 Focus
Examining how a name takes on a character take for example the name of Jesus which means. It is written in the word of God that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess who is Lord … (Rom 14:11). Therefore a name is truly powerful.
The Hebrew names of these young men showed that they were worshippers of the true God, Jehovah! The following names were the Hebrew names given to the three Hebrew boys along with Daniel.
Daniel which means “God is my judge”
Hananiah which means “ Jehovah is gracious”
Mishael which means “who belong to God”
Azariah which means “Jehovah helps”
Daniel 4:8 reveals that king Nebuchadnezzer renamed these Hebrew after his gods! New name were given to these captive from Israel, not to just blend them into the Bobylonian court, but to change their allegiance from their God to the gods of Bobylon. And as we continue to read the story of Daniel we will notice that Daniel nor the three Hebrew boys were not affected by the name change because they remained faithful to their God and was rewarded for that faithfulness. Research from the web www.dedication.com
These are the name change as follows:
Daniel was changed to Belteshazzar with the first three letter of his name “ Bel” meaning “Marduk” Nebuchadnezzer favorite god.
Hananiah was changed to Shadrach which means “command of Aku” the moon god.
Mishael was changed to Meshach which means “who is like Aku” the moon god.
Azariah was changed to Abednego with the first four letters of his name meaning “servant” and the last four “nebo” instead of “nego” meaning “god of wisdom”.
True Attributes of a name:
Naming could be attributed to God originating through a divine birth announcement (Gen 17:19; Luke 1:13). Naming took place near birth in the Old Testament and on the eighth day accompanying circumcision in New Testament narrative (Luke 1:59; Luke 2:21).
The Bible concept of naming was rooted in the ancient worlds understanding that a name expressed essence.To know the name of a person was to the promise of God through character and nature. Revealing character and destiny, personal names might express hope for the child’s future (Congregation participation). Changing a name could occur at divine or human initiative, revealing a transformation in character or destiny (Gen 17:5; 17:15; 32:28, Matt 16:17-18).
The knowledge of a name implied a relationship between parties in which power to do harm or good was in force. That God knew Moses by name occasioned the granting of Moses’s request for divine presence (Ex 33:12). The act of naming implied power of the namer over the named, evidenced the naming of the animals in Gen 2:19-20 or Pharaoh’s renaming Joseph Gen 41:45, compare Daniel 1:6-7; 2 Kings 24:17.
Proper names consisting of one or more terms consciously chosen by namer conveyed a readily understandable meaning within the biblical world. Reflecting circumstances of the birth Rachel called “the child of her death”. (Ben-oni, “ son of my sorrow” (Gen 35:18)). Jacob was named “the supplanter” for he tool hold of Esau’s heel (Gen 25:26). Moses, “the stranger in a strange land” named his son Gershom (Ex 2:22). Research www.studylight.org
Picking the right name for a child is a parent’s job, but giving a child a name like Mercedes for example or Champaign tells a lot about the parent and the child. The best way to get a name that is God approved or will spiritual fits a child is to seek God’s approval on the name you have chosen for your child.
SUMMARY:
My research clearly indicates that a name takes on a character and expresses an essence. Look at some of the problems in our society today and the chaos in the school system. It is a fact truth that some children wear a name and what it represent as the nature overtake them. Do we research a name before we give it to our children? A child that is called “DEMON / DAMON” what is that name saying about the child? The child will live out the meaning and essence of that name. It is not that a child is born bad, but what his character draws him to good or bad things helps to form him for the future.
We also need to be careful when we give our children “nicknames” or call them a name when we are angry with them. It scares them for one, but it also helps define their character in the physical and spiritual. Don’t be surprise you see your child / children acting a certain way they can’t help it they are wearing a proverbial garment that you gave to them that they will wear for the rest of their lives.
Revival Leaders Vision – I saw a vision or it was a wonderful dream. Whether a vision or a dream, I have lived my life directed by it. I was 28 years old. The year was 1989. I was planting a church near Chicago, IL.
In my dream, I saw people wandering and seeking the Lord. I wanted to be part of reaching them. I wanted to find ways to get others to help me reach people for Christ. Someone said to me. “You will be part of raising up thousands of church leaders.” I woke up and told my wife my dream. Since I was not part of a Pentecostal tradition, I did not attribute this as a “divine vision”, but in my heart I began to look for ways to help others lead people.
On that morning in 1989, honestly, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to be part of raising up revival leaders to reach more people to Christ. But I took that dream as a CALLING to spend the rest of my life finding and helping leaders reach people to Christ. This was my revival leaders vision and the dream was planting.
In the 90’s I kept planting churches, co-planted a ministry, and worked at an international Bible ministry called the Bible League International. In the 90’s I learned that new potential revival leaders were going to come from ordinary people, bi-vocational leaders. I also became convicted that these potential leaders needed high quality ministry training. But I did not know how this was going to happen.
Then on September 11, 2001, our world changed. My life changed. I was there in Manhattan, NY when the twin towers were downed. During that visit, the “vision” heated up in my heart as I saw in living color how our world needed Christ. Many people were desperate to be reached, there were not enough “reachers”. As I was making my way back to the Chicago area, I resolved to start a new organization.
I called my long-time mentor, Rich DeVos, Sr., and I visited another mentor, Ron Parr, to process what I was going to do next. I resolved to leave the Bible League and begin a new ministry called Christian Leaders. So on January 1, 2002, Christian Leaders started. I immediately began to research the use of the Internet to aid in the training of leaders. By 2005, we figured out how to open an online institute for ministry training and began classes in 2006. We named this institute, “Christian Leaders Institute”. At this time, I also co-planting a Church with Christian Leaders Institute Provost Dr. David Feddes called Family of Faith Church.
Now seven years later, we have met thousands of Christian leaders who are being given high quality ministry training. Christian Leaders Institute has been blessed with an able team of high quality leaders. In 2006, Jerry Lorenz started fulltime. In 2008, Dr. David Feddes assumed the responsibility of being provost. Many valued staff leaders have made a major contribution. The revival leaders vision remains vivid.
Revival Leaders Vision – Today
My vision and calling is to gather tens of thousands of revival leaders for training. I am resolved to keep Christian Leaders Institute “FREE” so that nothing will stand in the way. I am called to make this training more effective.
I am praying God will continue to bring supporters in prayer and resources.
I am praying that God will continue to inspire you to be part of the vision to reach the world for Christ.
In these last days, let it be that everyone who is called gets high quality ministry training.
I still see the dream. I still bask in the thinking that a dramatic time of reaching people for Christ is upon us. I still feel the urgency I felt in 1989. And I believe that God has been preparing leaders for a great revival to God.
And it shall be in the last days, saith God,
I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh:
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams:
Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days
Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)