MORE ABOUT ELLERSLIE | 2013 online brochure

More About Ellerslie IN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES, ERIC AND LESLIE LUDY SHARE MORE ABOUT THE HEART, PASSION, AND VISION BEHIND ELLERSLIE TRAINING.

Rebirth of

Honor theEllerslieVision

by ERIC LUDY

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As sparkle is to a diamond so honor is to a soul.

My little boy, Hudson, is currently undergoing “honor training.” It’s a hilarious training process, really. For one thing, it’s comical because noble behavior seems odd and out of place nowadays. And it’s even funnier when a little five-year-old boy makes a valiant attempt at chivalry.

About a year ago, Hudson got a foam sword from Walgreens. Immediately, he kicked into a whole new manly gear, slicing and dicing the air in pursuit of imaginary villains.

It was all quite innocent and adorable until he whacked his little sister Harper on the head with his new weapon. I’m sure it didn’t hurt on the outside, but it definitely bruised her little heart on the inside to be so blatantly whacked by her big brother.

Such moments are perfect opportunities for honor training.

“Hudson,” I said firmly, while bending down to comfort the wailing Harper, “you are

NEVER to use your sword to hit your sister. Ellerslie puts a strong emphasis on “honor A man of honor uses his sword to protect training.” That’s because God has given people, not hurt them.”

Leslie and I a longing to see nobility, selflessness, and triumph infused into We talked for some time about the Christianity once again. Men and women commission of a Jesus-forged gentleman. of godly honor, self-sacrifice, and heroism Since that infamous day, Hudson has begun – fully adept at handling their God-given to learn that a God-built hero always has sword. Those who place the glory of God eyes to see those weaker than himself, and the needs of others far above their and his sword is always available for their own fleshly desires and earthly comforts. help and rescue. In fact, Hudson’s biggest Those who are willing to lay down the trivial dream in life is to one day be a mighty, heroic distractions of this world and follow Christ to rescuer of orphans. the ends of the earth.

Honor is made up of simple ideas, concepts that are so obviously needed for the formation of a godly man or woman. Principles such as self-sacrifice, protecting the weak, and treating others with dignity and respect are all but lost in this post modern, “it’s-all-about me” generation. But God’s principles of honor are not time-worn and dated. They are as fresh today as they were when Jesus modeled them to perfection 2,000 years ago. Truth is never oldfashioned. It may be ancient, but it is very much alive.

Truth

is never old-fashioned.

It may be ancient, but it is very much alive.

Christianity, as we know it in this modern era, has grown soft. It lacks backbone, grit and bravehearted men and women willing to live and die for Jesus Christ. But not only has it become soft, it has grown worldly and coarse. As modern Christians, all too many of us have lost the purity, the godly character, and the noble selflessness that God intended us to have as His sons and daughters. Christian honor is hard to come by in today’s self-indulgent church.

Like little five year olds left untrained in the pattern of heavenly decorum, too many of us are unwittingly thwacking others with the blunt edge of our swords – selfishly hurting, rather than heroically protecting. If you don’t know exactly what I mean by this, just think about the way most of us approach guy/girl relationships. How many of us have left a slew of bruised and wounded hearts in our wake as a result of seeking to satisfy our selfish whims? How often does a modern guy actually stand up and fight to protect

a girl’s purity, rather than trying to conquer it? How often does a modern girl actually help preserve the integrity of a man’s soul, rather than enticing him toward lust and compromise? How many of us have a history of sin and selfishness that we deeply regret?

God desires to...equip us to showcase His nature & character through our actions, atitudes, & daily content.

I yearn for a return of honor, a rebirth of dignity and strength within the corridors of the church. Not just in the area of relationships, but in every dimension of our conduct as Christians. May our actions, attitudes, and decisions begin to actually bless and change this world for God’s glory – rather than diminishing the great Name we are privileged to represent.

Christian honor is a work of grace. It is not the byproduct of human discipline and moral grit – but rather, the outworking of the indwelling Christ. All the honor training in the world cannot birth the substance of reallife honor into my little boy - only Christ can accomplish it, through His grace. But when God gains access to Hudson’s life, fully and completely, He will build Christ’s very character, behavior, and nobility into him.

He will demonstrate, through Hudson’s life, what God is actually like in manner, speech, and action.

God wants to show this world, through my little boy, what heavenly behavior really looks like. And He wants to do the same through me and through you.

So what does God’s honor training look like?

How does God enable us, by His grace, to showcase His heavenly nature to this world?

3 elements of grace:

the secret to Christian honor: In studying the pattern of the Gospel in Scripture, we find three dimensions of grace at work within the believer’s life: First, there is the prevenient grace of God that warms our unbelieving soul to His Spirit and awakens us to our utter need for His salvation. Prevenient grace ushers us to the

Cross. (See 1 John 4:19, Eph 2:8.)

Second, there is the empowering grace of God that enables a weak and sinful man or woman to be made strong and triumphant over sin. (See Col 1:27, 1 Tim 3:16, Gal 2:20, Rom 8:11-13.)

Finally, the polishing grace of God that refines a man or woman to behave with heavenly decorum amidst a dark and polluted world.

(See Romans 6:11-14, 1 Peter 1:13-16, 1 John 4:14) Grace must first usher, then empower in order that it might then polish and perfect.

We are found by grace, saved by grace, built by grace, enabled by grace every moment of every day, and thusly are intended to become pictures of grace that this world might behold the beauty and majesty of the Most High.

The polishing and perfecting work of grace is what is largely missing in our modern era. Many of us know the ushering grace of God, a few of us know the empowering grace of God, but hardly any of us knows the polishing and perfecting grace of God. God desires to lead each of His children through honor training; to equip us to showcase His nature and character through our actions, attitudes, and daily conduct. But

not many of us even realize this vital element of grace is missing from our Christian lives.

What Does Christian Honor Look Like?

When all you have ever experienced in your Christian walk is the ushering Grace, it can be hard to comprehend His empowering grace let alone swallow the idea of His polishing and perfecting grace. But, this triumvirate of grace was the purchase of the Cross – the deposit of Christ’s very Spirit, the invasion of His divine nature into our own – that we might be conformed into the very image of Jesus Christ. (See Romans 8:29)

So, what does this grace-enabled Christian honor look like up close?

Christian honor is far more than Jane Austen gentility and social refinement.

Most of us have never seen it, and therefore, we don’t have a vision for its return. We have never understood its importance or witnessed its spectacular beauty in a personal way.

Christian honor is far more than Jane Austen gentility and social refinement. It’s more than restraining from whacking your sister on the head with your little foam sword.

There are six key behavioral dimensions to the concept of godly, Biblical honor:

Decorum

The Christian’s noble courtesy and moral etiquette toward others

Holiness

The Christian’s set-apart, sanctified conduct in daily life

Heroism

The Christian’s eagerness to enter harm’s way to rescue the weak

Reverence

The Christian’s holy, soul-trembling response to God and His Truth

Responsibility

The Christian’s watchful guard and stewardship over all God has entrusted to him

Generosity

The Christian’s readiness to give of all that God has given to him

Honor is simply: God’s grace - in action, in word, in countenance, and in attitude. It is the Christian man or woman being made into an actual, real-life picture of grace for the world to witness.

Jesus was God incarnate. Honor is grace incarnate. Honor is the evidence of grace at work in the believer’s soul.

Grace ushers, then empowers in order that it might then polish and perfect. So we, as Christ’s church, are to become ushers, inviting the lost into the presence of our King; empowerers, lending our strength to the weak all over the world; and polished mirrors of His person, clearly demon-strating the nature of our great God in every word spoken and every deed done.

This is the Ellerslie vision - to encompass the triumvirate (3-part) work of grace in our teaching and training, and build men and women of Christian honor, made strong that they might be readied to pour out their strength on behalf of the weak.

Like little Hudson, may we be shaped into heroic rescuers who know how to wield our sword for God’s glory, protect and serve the weak, and lay down our lives for the Gospel of Christ.

For the Kingdom and the King’s glory,

Eric Ludy President, Ellerslie Mission Society

HONOR is the evidence of grace at work in the believer’s soul.

THE RETURN OF THE IRISH ELK The Irish Elk is now extinct. Many modern folk shrug nonchalantly at such news, for such tidings mean very little to them. But to those who know what the Irish Elk once was, its extinction is a tragedy. For the Irish Elk was once a picture of majesty. Its head reached heights over ten feet tall with a rack of antlers which sprawled twelve feet in diameter and an additional five feet upwards into the ancient skies. That’s fifteen feet of pure and utter awe.

Ellerslie’s Campus is forty-five minutes from beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, where it is common to view elk herds grazing. I’ve grown up around elk, but not Irish Elk. Elk are impressive creatures, with a hint of majesty on their brow. And if I didn’t know about the Irish Elk, I wouldn’t complain about the bull elks in Estes Park (literally one-fourth the size of the Irish variety) and their tiny racks of antlers. But I do know about the Irish Elk, and thusly I have a vision of what an elk truly ought to be.

I’d like to draw a parallel between the Irish Elk and triumphant Christianity. Both roamed the earth in history past and both seem to have gone extinct in our modern day. Oh, we still have a less triumphant version of Christianity that can be observed today, however, it would seem that this modern species stands less than one-fourth the size of its mighty ancestor. It’s Christianity minus the majesty.

And, yet before we bemoan the loss, I wish to declare that there is a stirring within the ranks of the Christian soldiers of our day. It’s a desire to see the rack of glory return. It’s a yearning to see the ancient heavenly majesty thunder, once again, upon the stage of time.

For in an age where spiritual mediocrity is praised within the corridors of the Christian faith, moral lassitude is overlooked, and the post-modern silt of the Emergent Church is tacitly exonerated in our midst – there is a need for lion-hearted believers to emerge. Or should I say, “Irish Elk” Christians to rise up.

All one must do is read the Bible to see how far we are from the stature of our Crosspurchased ancestry. But how do we get from where we are to where we ought to be?

There is a very simple solution. There must be more of Jesus in our lives, in our families, and in our churches. More time given to Him in prayer and pursuit, more of our souls opened up for Him to rule and control. He is majesty. And for majesty to return, He must be given the preeminence in all things. (Col 1:18) Ellerslie is a training environment where this very thing is happening. “The Return of the Irish Elk,” is not merely a humorous unofficial motto amongst our students and faculty; it’s a very serious articulation of an actual, real-world event being witnessed by each and every person on our campus. It is a moment-by-moment yearning in our souls for the return of Christianity as it ought to be.

There is a need in this day for souls polished pure by the fire of God, hearts built courageous by the training of the Spirit, and minds tempered and harnessed by the unchanging Truth of Scripture. After all, who will stand when all others subside into a seated silence? Who will fight for Truth when all others have determined fighting for Truth to be harmful and incorrect?

The time has come for the Church to regain its ancient rack of glory and to rise up and remove the spit from the face of Jesus Christ. The return of the Irish Elk Christian is at hand.

So, who’s with us?

Eric W. Ludy President, Ellerslie Mission Society

Why Ellerslie?

by LESLIE LUDY

When

I was seven, I wrote these words in my journal: “Someday, I want to become a world-changer!” I wasn’t sure how, exactly, but I knew I wanted to do something significant with my life; something that would help people, something that would make a difference. I used to love reading books about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad – I imagined myself smuggling slaves to safety at the peril of my

own life, using secret code words and leading

though we were strong Christians and had a

pursued by greedy slave-owners. In my mind’s eye, I always made it to my destination safe

And though we were making an impact upon the world and fulfilling the call God had placed

slave children through hidden passageways in the dead of night – all the while being ruthlessly

and sound, and delivered my young charges

into the arms of their waiting parents (who were weeping with gratitude). I used to wish I lived back in the days of the American slave-trade so

that I could become a heroic rescuer, just like the valiant Ms.Tubman.

As a child, I romanticized the idea of being a

“Christian hero.” I imagined the thrill of adventure and the satisfaction of changing the world – but I never envisioned the hardship, discomfort, pain,

and spiritual attack that comes when you take a stand for righteousness. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties, deep in the fray of full-time Christian ministry, fighting fervently for souls, that I began to really understand the battle of Kingdom service.

We took a season of our lives to truly grasp vital aspects of the Gospel life When Eric and I stepped out, young and idealistic, into Christian ministry, we got hit – and hit hard. It felt kind of like taking a baseball bat and hitting a hornet’s nest – only to realize that our feet were stuck in concrete so that we couldn’t run from the angry insects that were now coming at us with a vengeance. We were attacked on all sides by both seen and unseen forces. Discouragement, disillusionment, and confusion came at us from every angle. Even

vibrant relationship with Christ, we had not been prepared for the battle we had entered.

upon our lives – for many years, we did so with

a limp, reeling from the serious battle wounds

that we collected on a daily basis. We began to recognize why God took Moses to the back-side of the desert for 40 years – to break, prepare, and refine him – before launching him into his

role as Israel’s leader. We began to better understand why God led the apostle Paul into a set-apart season in Arabia before sending him

to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. And why even Jesus spent 30 years preparing spiritually for his public ministry.

As E.M. Bounds wrote, “It takes 20 years to write a sermon, because it take 20 years to make a man.” God sometimes must take us through a season of intensive spiritual preparation and equipping before launching us into the ultimate

calling He has placed upon our lives. Maybe it’s not 40 years like Moses, or 30 years like Christ.

But often there is a need for a set-apart season, where an unshakable spiritual foundation can be laid in our lives before we enter the intensive fray of full-time missions or ministry work. It’s kind of like boot camp for the soul, before a soldier enters the actual war.

After “hitting the hornet’s nest” early in our ministry, God had to take Eric and I through a spiritual boot camp, of sorts. He had to show us all that was missing from our spiritual armory, and equip us to be victorious in the battle for His Truth. We took a season of our lives to truly grasp vital aspects of the Gospel life,

such as wrestling prayer, spiritual disciplines, tensile strength, daily

intimacy with Christ, true faith, self-sacrifice, and inner holiness – at a deeper level than we’d ever known before. And when we entered

back into the ministry He had called us to, there was a completely different outcome. No longer were we pummeled by defeat and discouragement – rather, we were strong, valiant, and

triumphant – truly equipped for vital Kingdom work. We were able to enter the fray with a spiritual swagger rather than a spiritual limp.

We were able to enter the fray with a spiritual swagger rather than a spiritual limp.

That’s why I’m so passionate about your time

at Ellerslie. It’s a set-apart season of training, equipping, and preparation. It’s boot-camp for the soul, becoming spiritually fit for the battle.

It’s a chance to avoid the spiritual burn-out and mediocrity that can all too easily creep into the life of a Christian minister.

Amy Carmichael wrote about the formation of her ministry to temple children in India, in her book Gold Cord. It took her years to find like-minded men and women that truly possessed the spiritual strength that was needed for such a high calling. Time and time again, people would come onto the field to join her work – idealistic and filled with dreams of being a Christian hero. But all too often, they were not truly prepared for the battle, and after a few months or years, the romance faded, the burn-out set-in, and they limped away in defeat.

Eric and I have heard similar stories from modernday missionaries and ministers. They are longing for valiant Christian men and women to come

alongside them in Kingdom work – men and women who have the Gospel DNA embedded into their

souls, their outlook, and their daily decisions; those who have truly been prepared for the intensity of the battle for souls and Truth.

Whether God has called you to the mission fields of Africa, Haiti, or Main Street, USA – whether you are called to fight for the soul of one little child or rescue millions of people - He desires to equip and prepare you for the sacred calling He has placed upon your life. That’s what you will experience at Ellerslie – a setapart season of spiritual training.

Becoming strong to be poured out for His glory, being built

by Him into a true world-changer, able to withstand the winds and rain and emerge from the storm in perfect peace - That’s what this set-apart season at Ellerslie is all about. I count it a privilege to be a part of it with you!

The Christian life can be explained only in terms of Jesus, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you - your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or your anything - then although you may have the Christian life, you are not yet living it! ... True Godliness leaves the world convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the only explanation for you, is Jesus Christ.

- Major Ian Thomas