Have you ever wondered why Christians who are born-again and
believe in the same God do not get the same results/blessings? We can
actually use the analogy of horses to describe the five categories of
Christians we find in the body of Christ today. The word of God in
Matthew 7: 2 says, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
The five characteristics of the natural horses can be compared to five types of personalities we find in the body of Christ today. Let us begin with the pleasure horses. The pleasure horses are not trained for work or war. These are privately kept horses maintained for pleasure or casual riding rather than competition or work, and if they should be given any work at all, they should be allowed to rest. Pleasure horses are gentle and are suited for young children and new nervous riders. Pleasure horses can be described as lazy. They are not taken to war fronts as they are not trained for war. At the same time, they do not expect to be given much work. What they do is to each grass, hang around the courtyards, stand under the shades of trees and sleep. Their owners pamper them a lot. They are washed in the morning and in the evening, while the veterinary doctor is always at hand to monitor their health.
When we observe Christians in their churches, we find that pleasure horse Christians play passive roles. They do things only when it is convenient to them. They may stop attending church for as long as three months without good reasons. These kinds of Christians do not take things seriously nor do they like to engage in any tasks that are strenuous. For example should their pastors call for say, three days of prayer and fasting, pleasure horse Christians will find every reason to dodge. They love to be spectators while watching others working, and when mistakes occur, as they sometimes do, pleasure horses are quick to criticize. Show me perpetrators of gossips and malice in churches, and I will show you the pleasure horses. As a matter of fact, when it comes to appointing leaders in churches, the pleasure horses do not expect their pastors to leave them out. They love big titles but you will hardly find them being committed to anything that is engaging. This explains the reason why we have Christians squabbling for titles in churches.
Let us take another step to look at the characteristics of show horses. Like the pleasure horses, the show horses are not trained for war or work. These are the kind of horses used during parades and national celebrations. For this reason, they are always decorated. Besides, the show horses are trained to be proud. You will love the way they take their strides. They love to be noticed, and when this does not happen, they will make the noise pruuuuuuh... and knock their legs on the ground, until someone notices them.
So, who are show horse Christians? Now when we examine the show horses in the Christian context, you will find that show horse Christians, like to serve in areas or groups that will make them get noticed. The kind of service that show horse Christians offer, is what is termed as "Eye Service." The motive behind their kingdom service is one - to be seen. They are more after their own publicity than anything else. Even if you attend a fellowship for the first time, you will always notice them because of their flamboyance and "don't you know I am around" kind of mentality. Just like the natural show horses, show horse Christians crave for attention, and if no one is paying attention to them, they would throw their weight around, without minding the feelings of others.
The work horse is another type of breed which we are going to explore. Work horses as their name implies, are used by their owners for work. They are nicknamed "gentle giants" because they do not make trouble for their owners. It has never occurred that a work horse has thrown his master into the ditch out of anger. These kind of breeds are dependable and their masters can rely on them. The work horses are ready for duty any time, even in the middle of the night.
How does this translate to the believers in the body of Christ today? Today, we have believers who say, "Use me Lord, anywhere, anytime. Ride on me Lord; I want to work for You. I want to be on the toughest angle of the kingdom service. Put any load on me Lord, I am ready for it." Such believers are full of humility and the reason they are serving God is for the glory of God only! They are not out to impress anybody neither are they hungry for titles. They just want to do the work for God. They get restless when things are not going right in their churches. For example if a church project does not take off on time, they go on their knees to pray and/or look for solutions, unlike the pleasure horses who would take advantage of such situations to castigate their pastors.
The forth type of horses are known as race horses. These are the ones you see at the race tracks. At the sound of a gun shot, they burst out of their cages and run. They don't stop until they finish the race. They may have the gift of speed, but first and foremost, they must be trained for a period of not less than six months. When the race horses are being trained, the only lesson they are taught is to run forward and fast. They are trained not to focus on other horses in other tracks. A horse which is under three years is not supposed to race, even if he may look big in stature. Some race horse owners get lured by money, because of the betting people place on the horses. Thus, they end up putting their race horses on race when they are under age. So when such race horses go for racing, they break their bones and end up dying.
In the body of Christ and as children of the most High, we are all called to be race horses, since God has given all of us the grace. Though we may be called as spiritual race horses, there is a need for training. Jesus had twelve race horses - the disciples, who before He sent them out, they underwent rigid training for three and a half years. Many today, have become spiritual casualties because they lacked training in their areas of calling. Thus we have found men who have started ministries only to close after a while, because they never took time to train and/or learn from the experience of those who have been ministry before them.
The fifth and the last kind of breed are known as war horses. War horses are the finest and strongest, raised and trained specifically for war. War horses are 2% of the population of all the horses on earth - hence they are a rare species. They are nicknamed "hot blood" horses because they are tough, ready to go and they never say "die." These are the kind of horses used in the olden days by Roman gladiators. In the present days, some of them are used by Cow boys in films. Also they are used for playing polo. The properly trained war horses can run between five miles and a hundred miles a day without stopping. Emotionally, they are very strong even under stressful conditions. For example Medieval war horses were trained to become battle horses, able to inflict injury on the enemy. Again, no matter how much the battle is hot, the war horses would never cower, but stay on.
When this is translated to the kingdom of God, it means God wants to ride on people who are trained, able to endure and stand the test of time. Jesus Christ was the greatest War Horse! He moved into the city of Jerusalem and it was shaken. God wants to raise men and women who will reach places and make an impact on the lives of believers. Pleasure horses or show horses cannot do so! In fact we can conclude that the reason why some men of God are not adding spiritual value to their congregations is because, some of those who have started ministry are only interested in showmanship and making money.
The five characteristics of the natural horses can be compared to five types of personalities we find in the body of Christ today. Let us begin with the pleasure horses. The pleasure horses are not trained for work or war. These are privately kept horses maintained for pleasure or casual riding rather than competition or work, and if they should be given any work at all, they should be allowed to rest. Pleasure horses are gentle and are suited for young children and new nervous riders. Pleasure horses can be described as lazy. They are not taken to war fronts as they are not trained for war. At the same time, they do not expect to be given much work. What they do is to each grass, hang around the courtyards, stand under the shades of trees and sleep. Their owners pamper them a lot. They are washed in the morning and in the evening, while the veterinary doctor is always at hand to monitor their health.
When we observe Christians in their churches, we find that pleasure horse Christians play passive roles. They do things only when it is convenient to them. They may stop attending church for as long as three months without good reasons. These kinds of Christians do not take things seriously nor do they like to engage in any tasks that are strenuous. For example should their pastors call for say, three days of prayer and fasting, pleasure horse Christians will find every reason to dodge. They love to be spectators while watching others working, and when mistakes occur, as they sometimes do, pleasure horses are quick to criticize. Show me perpetrators of gossips and malice in churches, and I will show you the pleasure horses. As a matter of fact, when it comes to appointing leaders in churches, the pleasure horses do not expect their pastors to leave them out. They love big titles but you will hardly find them being committed to anything that is engaging. This explains the reason why we have Christians squabbling for titles in churches.
Let us take another step to look at the characteristics of show horses. Like the pleasure horses, the show horses are not trained for war or work. These are the kind of horses used during parades and national celebrations. For this reason, they are always decorated. Besides, the show horses are trained to be proud. You will love the way they take their strides. They love to be noticed, and when this does not happen, they will make the noise pruuuuuuh... and knock their legs on the ground, until someone notices them.
So, who are show horse Christians? Now when we examine the show horses in the Christian context, you will find that show horse Christians, like to serve in areas or groups that will make them get noticed. The kind of service that show horse Christians offer, is what is termed as "Eye Service." The motive behind their kingdom service is one - to be seen. They are more after their own publicity than anything else. Even if you attend a fellowship for the first time, you will always notice them because of their flamboyance and "don't you know I am around" kind of mentality. Just like the natural show horses, show horse Christians crave for attention, and if no one is paying attention to them, they would throw their weight around, without minding the feelings of others.
The work horse is another type of breed which we are going to explore. Work horses as their name implies, are used by their owners for work. They are nicknamed "gentle giants" because they do not make trouble for their owners. It has never occurred that a work horse has thrown his master into the ditch out of anger. These kind of breeds are dependable and their masters can rely on them. The work horses are ready for duty any time, even in the middle of the night.
How does this translate to the believers in the body of Christ today? Today, we have believers who say, "Use me Lord, anywhere, anytime. Ride on me Lord; I want to work for You. I want to be on the toughest angle of the kingdom service. Put any load on me Lord, I am ready for it." Such believers are full of humility and the reason they are serving God is for the glory of God only! They are not out to impress anybody neither are they hungry for titles. They just want to do the work for God. They get restless when things are not going right in their churches. For example if a church project does not take off on time, they go on their knees to pray and/or look for solutions, unlike the pleasure horses who would take advantage of such situations to castigate their pastors.
The forth type of horses are known as race horses. These are the ones you see at the race tracks. At the sound of a gun shot, they burst out of their cages and run. They don't stop until they finish the race. They may have the gift of speed, but first and foremost, they must be trained for a period of not less than six months. When the race horses are being trained, the only lesson they are taught is to run forward and fast. They are trained not to focus on other horses in other tracks. A horse which is under three years is not supposed to race, even if he may look big in stature. Some race horse owners get lured by money, because of the betting people place on the horses. Thus, they end up putting their race horses on race when they are under age. So when such race horses go for racing, they break their bones and end up dying.
In the body of Christ and as children of the most High, we are all called to be race horses, since God has given all of us the grace. Though we may be called as spiritual race horses, there is a need for training. Jesus had twelve race horses - the disciples, who before He sent them out, they underwent rigid training for three and a half years. Many today, have become spiritual casualties because they lacked training in their areas of calling. Thus we have found men who have started ministries only to close after a while, because they never took time to train and/or learn from the experience of those who have been ministry before them.
The fifth and the last kind of breed are known as war horses. War horses are the finest and strongest, raised and trained specifically for war. War horses are 2% of the population of all the horses on earth - hence they are a rare species. They are nicknamed "hot blood" horses because they are tough, ready to go and they never say "die." These are the kind of horses used in the olden days by Roman gladiators. In the present days, some of them are used by Cow boys in films. Also they are used for playing polo. The properly trained war horses can run between five miles and a hundred miles a day without stopping. Emotionally, they are very strong even under stressful conditions. For example Medieval war horses were trained to become battle horses, able to inflict injury on the enemy. Again, no matter how much the battle is hot, the war horses would never cower, but stay on.
When this is translated to the kingdom of God, it means God wants to ride on people who are trained, able to endure and stand the test of time. Jesus Christ was the greatest War Horse! He moved into the city of Jerusalem and it was shaken. God wants to raise men and women who will reach places and make an impact on the lives of believers. Pleasure horses or show horses cannot do so! In fact we can conclude that the reason why some men of God are not adding spiritual value to their congregations is because, some of those who have started ministry are only interested in showmanship and making money.
This is an outstanding book that speaks volumes about spiritual
maturity which you cannot afford to ignore. Life is a gift from God and
our understanding about it is what gives it a meaning, and much more our
input into the Kingdom of God. The Mystery of Horses is a life
application text. It provides a practical and deep insight about life in
general. This book helps us to understand the other side of life. This
is classic, unique and irresistible. Its a book for the hour!
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