Chris Hill "Adullam Discipleship" Part 1

Delegates at this year's Planetshakers Conference Brisbane enjoyed exceptional messages from some of the world's best preachers.  I was fortunate to get a copy of Chris Hill's leadership session titled 'Adullum Discipleship'.  It's an amazing message on the leadership development of David.  Do whatever you can to get hold of the CD.  In the meantime, here are some of the key points.

The leadership development of David can be tracked in six places:

1. Bethlehem - The Place of Initiation

> Bethlehem is a small town, but God calls forth His choice champions from small beginnings

> In this first city we see the beginning seeds of everything that God will do through David, because God doesn’t start in the big, He starts in the small.

> God puts the whole of a thing in the seed of that thing

> The Devil seeks to destroy people in the place of initiation because he sees what we will be; i.e. the lion and the bear are in the place of initiation

> God crystallizes the character of his choice Christians in the crucible of isolation.

> In dark places He develops the picture that you will become.  In the dark room of the divine He dips you in process after process until He perfects the image that He wants, and then He shows you to the world.

> In Bethlehem he receives a prophetic word that he would be a king.  God says things to us despite what we see.  When we see our situation it’s hard for us to receive His revelation.  You cannot allow your situation to speak louder than the revelation.

> In Bethlehem you receive a revelation of who you will be, before you get to be.  

> He is Alpha & Omega, and lives outside of time.  In David's life there’s a 20 year gap between the prophecy and the fulfillment.  This is called 'process'.  

> God speaks things as though they’ve already happened, because to Him they’ve already happened.  But I live in time, so I have to walk all the way to the fulfillment.

> Process prepares me for what He has called me to be.  When God deals with us He must do it through process.  If He makes us immediately into what we will be, we mess up.  For example, Saul was chasing donkeys and then became king - it messed him up.  God didn't do that to David; He gave him twenty years to become what God has said.

2. Gibeah - The Place of Introduction

> David was faithful in Bethlehem; someone heard about it and then he was promoted

> Be faithful with what God gives you.  Rock what you have here and other people will feel the ripples!

> David does something so powerful in Bethlehem that it opens the door for him in Gibeah

> Gibeah is the place of introduction, because David gets to serve what he will one day become.

> Gibeah is the place of exposure.  God gives you opportunity to be exposed to people who are already doing what you will one day do.  

> God has called David to be a king, so He exposes David to a king.  God has David there not to rule, but to serve.

> At this point in his life, David has already killed a lion and a bear; he knows how to fight but God does not give him a sword, He gives David a harp.

> If God gives you a harp, just play.  Shut up and play.  Don't tell Saul what to do and don't impose your prophecy and your calling.  Just shut up and play.

> Don't try to exert authority that God hasn't given you yet.  God has you here just to expose you, to be a fly on the wall, to see how kings operate, to see how leadership is set in array, to see the palace.

> Don’t come in with your own agenda; who cares what you think – keep your opinion to yourself.  If you have an opinion don’t give it yet, because your opinion hasn’t been processed by time.

> You don’t have any right to lead what you did not build, until God gives it to you.

> In Gibeah, God puts you in 'undercover' to be exposed to what you will become.

An outline of points 3-6 still to come!