SPIRITUAL DNA
There has been a pretty significant LEAP in the understanding and science of DNA as explained by the late Dr. George H. Meyers in the article "DNA/RNA" found in Go To Nations' Core Values Handbook and blog article. A great deal of this leap in understanding has come as a result of the electron microscope which has given us the ability to see things at a molecular level that had been nearly invisible. By harnessing this greater power, magnified VISION became reality! Selah!
This very same thing has been happening in the body of Christ in the last few decades as greater vision and understanding have come through increased revelation followed by obedience. We are making tremendous LEAPS toward our own destiny with an understanding of the generational pass that must happen. That has birthed in many leaders a desire to see their spiritual ‘DNA’ passed to succeeding generations.
When you truly understand where you came from, who you are and what you carry, you begin to see more clearly where you are going. We feel very strongly that what Dr. Meyer’s references as the role of the fathers–Patriarchs–is something the Lord is showing us in this hour. All of us in leadership have had an overwhelming, even driving desire to write, publish and record our history and our values– the things we have learned that will become the foundation for our spiritual sons and daughters who are the future spiritual fathers and mothers to nations, ministries and movements.
We recognize that our Father has graced us immensely as an organization and enabled us to come to a clearer understanding of Sonship, fathering, spiritual family, Lordship, stewardship, the Great Commission Mandate, and the values you find in this book. That has challenged us to look not only at you, the rising generation of leaders we serve, but beyond you to future generations so that the call we steward and the DNA we carry gets passed to those who understand their role. Then they will pass on that understanding.
Dr. Meyers and missionary leader, Wyly Gammon, noted something extremely valuable in our discussion of DNA and RNA which we want each of you to understand. While we do pass our own DNA to our physical or spiritual children, those children ultimately develop their own DNA; and while it will carry the strong influence of both the father and mother, it will be unique. We don’t make clones or copies; instead we establish a strong line with significant characteristics that enable that line to continue to produce generation after generation of remarkable individuals.
When I lived in Manila, all three of my children attended and graduated from Faith Academy. Faith Academy was established in the 1950s for the express purpose of educating the children of missionaries. Although a relatively small school, Faith Academy always developed students who had extraordinary talents and abilities. From arts and music, to academics and sports, the students were always at the top of their field. Why? I believe it was their genetics! Their parents were called, equipped, and sent ones. They carried the giftings necessary to fulfill their callings. Those children, second, third, and fourth generations, were working from a modified and enhanced gene pool! They were NOT their parents, but they each had the potential to be far more. Generational Increase!
The same is true with our members! We do not expect them to be us, or become us, but it is our desire that they become LIKE us in their spiritual core. We want them to carry what we sow into their lives, add what others have sown and what God has given them, and use all those things to empower themselves and others.
Some years ago Go To Nations was holding our Annual Asia Team Meeting at a venue outside of Manila, Philippines. Sensing the wind of the Holy Spirit at work, I looked around the room one night at the men on our team. I realized if I were an oak tree, there was not one other oak tree in the room. I was a bit discouraged for a moment, but the Lord opened my eyes and I saw what I had never seen before. While no one else was an oak tree, every man had become a tree in his own right, some hickory– strong and unbendable, some coconut palms– resilient and as tall as the sky. Each man had taken the DNA they could from us leaders and became the TREE God intended them to be. There was not a man in that room I would not trust with my wife, my money or my life! They were not me, but at the core they were like me.
Sometime early in the new millennium, I was listening to my pastor in Manila on a Sunday morning. He said, “We must pass on our DNA.”
Immediately I said to the Father,
‘Just what is our DNA?’
And just as quickly, I heard this reply,
‘Destiny, Nature, Anointing.’
God just opened something up to me.
Destiny:
Spiritually, God our Father, gives us destiny. Our entire Bible is a destiny book, cover to cover. Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 24:14, Psalm 2 and Revelation 2 are all destiny. In reality, we all share destiny. Our ultimate destiny is the same as all believers. What changes is our understanding, our vision, and clarity of that destiny. The more we know that we know what we are born to do, the more that lives in us, the more our phenotype (outward expression) matches the genotype. In our understanding we have moved from slaves and servants, to sons, to fathers, and eventually patriarchs of movements and generations. Are we unique, morphed or genetically modified? Not really. We have just been empowered to see what we are created to be and we are going for it.
Nature:
No matter what our destiny is, our nature kills us! Human nature can NEVER inherit or advance spiritual destiny. So, what we could not do for ourselves, God did for us by sending his own Son. (Romans 8:3) Grace begins where our ability ends!
We have the NATURE of Christ!
Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27, NIV)
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)
Again, all believers share the same nature, the nature of Christ. However, when our understanding of the strength of that nature is hidden from us through deception or poor teaching, then we are limited and our DNA has little or no strength. The more I understand that nature and lean into it, that is, depend upon the Christ who lives in me, the more I see and fulfill my God-given destiny.
Anointing:
We have the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit upon His Nature in us, empowering us to fulfill our Destiny. Even the man Jesus Christ waited until He was empowered by the Holy Spirit before He moved out into ministry. For more than a century, this factor has been one of the most critical. Beginning with the Azusa Street Revival (Los Angeles, 1906), the world has been set ablaze. The fire of the Holy Spirit burning in a Christ-filled nature pursuing a God-given destiny has power! It is at this point that our spiritual DNA may reflect the most change in us.
We each carry gifts inherent with our own calling and purpose in this life. While our ultimate destiny is the same, our calling in life is not. Some of us are called to work with children. That requires a different gift set than the pulpit minister or team leader. The anointing needed to raise up leaders in a nation that is closed to the gospel and has had very little spiritual light is far different than the anointing needed to do Christian work in a godly environment. Within the church, this can become a point of disagreement and separation.
Even within team and spiritual family, we will need to learn to embrace a variety of anointings in order to yield to nature and destiny. The Holy Spirit works at a much greater capacity when the fruit of the Spirit in us is as mature as our giftings. That is a deep part of our spiritual understanding and you will find a constant call to the character side of our spiritual development throughout this book.
It is the desire of Go To Nations to pass the Destiny, Nature and Anointing we carry as leaders to others, and to do that in an active and intentional way, so that part of your DNA is a desire to lead and empower future generations in the same way. In this way, we all become patriarchs of movements, spiritual fathers and mothers to future generations, ministries and nations. These Core Values represent who we are and what we have been willing to become for the sake of the gospel. We see them at work in our members already and then shared our understanding of Destiny, pursuit of Nature, and desire for Anointing, and have embraced them as a part of this same family.
Questions for Consideration: Spiritual DNA
1. Do you recognize within your own calling and spiritual development that you carry giftings and anointings that need to be stewarded and used, but also developed and passed on to others? How do you steward, develop and pass?
2. What would you consider to be critical components or factors in passing your DNA on to others? What environment is needed? What understanding is needed on your part? What understanding is needed on their part?
3. Is it possible to dream and impart values, concepts and themes that will still be growing and passing hundreds of years after you are gone? How can you make that happen?