In 2006, I not only met my wife, but I met her father, Kermit. Kermit, to this day, is one of the boldest men I have ever met. He preaches straight up grace, heals the sick, casts out devils, prophecies what he hears the Lord speak, and is an outpouring of constant revelation. Every week, Kermit calls me after ministering at a local prison. Each time, I hear about men believing in Jesus Christ because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Cancers are dissolving, Hepatitis is disappearing, broken bones are being restored and new hearts begin beating in these men’s chests. I dare say that to see miracles in a church meeting, one has to be arrested! Kermit has been steady, obedient, and ever increasing in his boldness to see lives transformed for God’s glory. I wanted to do the same. Here is my question: Are you a convert or a disciple? When I met Kermit, I became a disciple.
A disciple does not idolize the person who teaches them. They make themselves available to learn from someone who has experience. Don’t subject yourself to being a disciple of someone who is depressed, inconsistent, double minded, or doesn’t read and believe the Word of God through the lens of New Covenant grace.
Sometimes, discipleship will leave you in moments of shock. If your way of thinking doesn’t change for your betterment, then you may want someone else to teach you. I remember when Kermit sat across the table from me and said, “I don’t ask forgiveness for sins.” My jaw probably hit the table. I was in shock. You may even be shouting at the computer screen, “Heresy!”
We have been conditioned to believe that forgiveness is obtained by confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness. If this is true, then why did Jesus never mention it? Why did Paul never mention it? I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What you may not have known is that I John 1 was written to a sect known as the Gnostics. This was a group that infiltrated the early church and was corrupted by believing that Jesus did not come in the flesh and therefore did not believe there was a need to be forgiven of sins. (To watch a great teaching on Gnosticism and how it continues to infiltrate the church, click here.) When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He was praying an Old Covenant prayer.
At the cross, we were saved by grace. We were forgiven when He was on that cross. Asking for forgiveness does not accomplish something that was not already taken care of. Our transgressions are separated from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and our iniquities were thrown to the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Romans 6:11 (AMP) says, “Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.” As Romans 8:1 (AMP) states, “Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”
The statement that Kermit made, as contrary as it is to mainstream American church teaching, actually aligns with the Word of God. Praise God for people who can read God’s Word with understanding through the lens of grace without compromising the finished work of the cross!
My 
challenge to you: If you have not been personally discipled by someone who is seasoned and experienced in the glory of God (hint: just because a person has been ordained and has a theological degree (or as my friend calls it: being "hermaneutered”), does not qualify one as a believer or expert in moving in the power of the Spirit. Get with someone who is intimate with Jesus, hears His voice, demonstrates His power on a regular basis, reveals Christ, dreams big, and lives victoriously in the glory, for His glory, operating from the glory. For me, Kermit was and is that person. He has been a coach who has been patient with me as I went through seasons of striving, shadow boxing warfare, and silly attempts of trying to accomplish something Jesus already did. He stirs me with testimonies and encourages me to do the same. He has never neglected to recognize the call of God on my life. Because of his investment in me, I have fallen more in love with Jesus as I continually gain an understanding of what Christ has accomplished for the entire world.
Jonathan Fawcett