I have the utmost pleasure to introduce to the world, one of the finest people I know and have had the privilege of working alongside this young man. David has a call to serve the Lord in ministry and is currently my mentee, and friend. This section is devoted to showcasing his work as well as others as a means of training and development as well as to introduce to the world, those who God is raising up. Enjoy! What is Discipleship? Submitted to Scott Guntle by David Gross, January 30, 2024 First and foremost, we must define discipleship. According to one website, discipleship is defined as, “pouring into others, training them in Word, in Relationship, and in Ministry, so that they might develop as healthy believers who can walk by faith, share their faith and multiply their faith.”[1]The Bible further expands on this in Matthew 28:18-20 by stating, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” This brings me to what discipleship means to me. My love language is quality time, so equally important to me is relationships with other people, especially the people who are teaching me things. Furthermore, I take great interest in learning things from a general aspect. On the flip side of the coin, I also love teaching people things that I know and passing on my knowledge and wisdom. I have recently been thanked by a few Christians for some of the wisdom that I have passed on to them. To me, this is what discipleship is all about; if I am not passing on knowledge to people, I am not using the gifts that God has given me. Finally, the need for and importance of discipleship cannot be understated. It can lead to the difference between someone walking from a service gaining salvation and someone dying without knowing Jesus. I do not want to even fathom the thought of someone being turned away because they have not been saved by the blood of Christ. That is why we must do our part as disciples to teach people about Christ, so they can make their own conscious choice of whether or not to accept Christ. Not only do we need to teach it, but it is just as important to correctly teach the Word to people the way we understand it just as the Bible says, without adding to it or subtracting from it.

David Gross January 30, 2024 First and foremost, we must define discipleship. According to one website, discipleship is defined as, “pouring into others, training them in Word, in Relationship, and in Ministry, so that they might develop as healthy believers who can walk by faith, share their faith and multiply their faith.”[1]The Bible further expands on this in Matthew 28:18-20 by stating, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” This brings me to what discipleship means to me. My love language is quality time, so equally important to me is relationships with other people, especially the people who are teaching me things. Furthermore, I take great interest in learning things from a general aspect. On the flip side of the coin, I also love teaching people things that I know and passing on my knowledge and wisdom. I have recently been thanked by a few Christians for some of the wisdom that I have passed on to them. To me, this is what discipleship is all about; if I am not passing on knowledge to people, I am not using the gifts that God has given me. Finally, the need for and importance of discipleship cannot be understated. It can lead to the difference between someone walking from a service gaining salvation and someone dying without knowing Jesus. I do not want to even fathom the thought of someone being turned away because they have not been saved by the blood of Christ. That is why we must do our part as disciples to teach people about Christ, so they can make their own conscious choice of whether or not to accept Christ. Not only do we need to teach it, but it is just as important to correctly teach the Word to people the way we understand it just as the Bible says, without adding to it or subtracting from it.

This month, I have been led to talk about marriage and how difficult it is in today’s society. What is so different in today’s society? Why are so many marriages failing? What does God require from us as married couples? What can we do to keep from becoming another statistic? First of all, let’s look at the statistics. Even though it is a popular rumor that half of marriages end in divorce, it is a myth. However, it is still a staggering statistic. “The American Psychological Association (APA) estimates that the probability of a first marriage ending in divorce within the first 10 years is approximately 33% in 2023.”[1] The difference is this: 50 or 60 years ago, people did not have social media at their fingertips at every moment of their lives. Whenever something goes wrong in their marriage, too many times, I see the couple “taking the easy way out” and just going to someone else and just choosing infidelity instead of working through things. This is why so many marriages are failing. It all boils down to partners having too many options through social media and the partners deciding to take those options. So, with that being said, what does God require from married couples? First of all, we must understand that in a marriage, God must be the centerpiece of that marriage. God must be the foundation of a marriage. Our focus must be on Him, not on idols or others! This is even why Christian marriages fail sometimes; it is because they stray from God and His purpose for their lives and their marriage in one way or another. Matthew 19:5-6 Jesus states, “for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Courtesy of Brother David Gross – Made in the Fire Ministries [1] “Divorce Statistics 2023: Everything You Need To Know.”

David Gross May 15, 2024 This month, the Lord put on my heart to discuss lukewarm Christians. First of all, what exactly is a lukewarm Christian? Well, according to Christianity.com, “a lukewarm Christian is a term often used to describe someone who identifies as a Christian but does not fully commit to their faith or live according to its principles.”[1]I’m sure we all know people who fit this category. With that being said, the Lord had some strong criticism for the Church of Laodicea for being lukewarm in Revelation 3:15-17, by saying this: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” The church of Laodecia was too focused on earthly possessions, rather than on their spiritual growth. Does this sound like someone you know? Let’s go to a more tangible and present-day scenario and point out some signs of lukewarm Christians. They will do some of the following: - Go to church on Sunday, but live like a sinner Monday through Saturday - Rarely go to church, read their bible, or do any other spiritual growth activity - Rarely pray, either by themselves or with other people - Be verbally/physically abusive, curse, or otherwise use the Lord’s name in vein - Willfully engage in other sinful activity, knowing it’s wrong to do so. See, when they get saved, most people make the mistake of believing that their “race” is over; or that they don’t have to do anything else, when in fact, this cannot be further from the truth. When someone gets saved, this is when the journey begins! Being a Christ-follower means that you submit everything to Christ and let Him do the work in your life and let Him change you. If you do not let Him do this, you are guilty of being lukewarm, because you want the benefits of being saved, but refuse the work it comes with. Does this sound like you or someone you know? If this is you, I encourage you to go to Christ and repent today!

David Gross April 11, 2024 This month, The Lord has put it on my heart to talk about the things that I have learned about the prophetic since receiving my calling back in 2018. First and foremost, I want to say that I only have the Lord to thank for giving me this task, as well as giving me these blessings to give people prophetic word, knowledge, and encouragement according to God’s perfect Will and timing. This leads me to the first thing that I learned about the prophetic: The prophetic is not all about foretelling future events. The prophetic is also about correction, exhortation and comfort. Second Timothy 3:16 states, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Those that are in the prophetic are God’s mouthpieces; they are the ones that get the Word directly from God via a dream, a vision, someone else, etc. and give that word (whether it be a teaching word, a correction, or a comforting word) to whoever it is designed for at the proper time. However, by far the most important thing I learned about the prophetic is that it is on a “need-to-know” basis. In other words, I will only reveal bits and pieces of whatever the rhema is to the designated person that God tells me to talk to at the right time, and only if and what He directs me to tell them; nothing more, nothing less. Why is this? First of all, I don’t need everyone knowing that I’m in the prophetic, nor do I want that type of attention, good or bad. Secondly, not everyone will know or understand what I’m talking about and why I’m speaking to them. Why do you think Jesus spoke in parables? Finally, there are a lot of people that will throw the phrase “false prophet” out there if I say the wrong thing at the wrong time. This is why it is so important to heed to Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Unless otherwise directed, all Bible verses are derived from the English Standard Version.