next wave july 2013 final
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The Next Wave magazine. The voice of the Fivefold Roundtable.TRANSCRIPT
THE VOICE OF THE FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE | VOLUME 81 ISSUE 7 JULY 2013
IN THIS ISSUE:
LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE – HOW DO I KNOW MY
FIVEFOLD MINITRY ROLE?
Distinctions in Ministry Gifting, Role and Function
What You Should Know About Fivefold Ministry
2
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FIVEFOLD MINISTRY ROLE
Bernie L. Wade
RELIGITICS
International Faith
Based Coalition
Letter to the Editor
FIVEFOLD
ROUNDTABLE
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE CALL
Distinctions in Ministry
Gifting, Role and Function
Barney Phillips
Bishop Derrick Day
RESTORATION OF THE
CHURCH
Pride and Punishment
By Robert Straube
What You Should Know About Fivefold
Ministry Albert Kang
We’ve Lost Christianity Ministry
Andrew Strom
3
HOW DO I KNOW MY
FIVEFOLD MINISTRY ROLE?
By Bernie L. Wade
If you are like many others you may not
know for certain your fivefold ministry
role or gifting. You are certainly not
alone. I find that many ministers have
not been helped in this area. It may be
that you are filling a role without really
knowing if that is what God called you
accomplish. I’ve noticed a lot of leaders
fill, volunteer or be drafted for positions
because there was a need, not because
it was how God designed them or gifted
them. As a result, many are feeling tired,
unfulfilled and empty.
Knowing for certain the role you are to
fulfill in the fivefold ministry will remove
doubt, confusion, and indecision. Let’s
see if we can help. For a moment, set
aside the particular role of ministry that
God has called you to and let’s focus on
purpose. We have found that the best
way to start is to understand what God
has called you to do. Most people
know what it is that God has called them
to contribute. This is much more
important in the larger mission as
Disciples of Christ.
If you already know what you are called
to do then you are on your way to
understanding your fivefold role.
The thing that God has given you to
accomplish will be your passion. It will
be the thing that makes you want to get
up in the morning. You will think about it
in some form or fashion nearly all the
time. In most cases it will be the
primary thing in your life even in work
and hobbies. For example someone
who is called to the fivefold role of
teacher will most likely find that they are
passionate about teaching in general;
not just in the body of Christ.
This person will desire or fill a teaching
role in their family, job and community.
We oft times don’t see that the gifting
God has placed in us transcends
beyond that function in the Body of
Christ. God gave you the gifting and it
will function wherever you are located.
4
In this example the purpose is to teach
the Body of Christ. This helps us to
understand the fivefold role which is
teacher. Now let’s turn our attention to
the fivefold roles.
Ephesians 4:8, 11-13 speaks of five
ministry gifts given to the Body of Christ
by Christ after he ascended. “When He
ascended on high, He led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men…And
he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some pastors and teachers; for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.” KJV
The first thing to notice is that these
roles are all presented in lower case.
These fivefold roles were not offices of
the church; these are gifts from God and
He is the only thing that really matters in
the equation. These gifts are also
known as ascension gifts because
Christ gave them after he descended to
earth and ascended back to heaven.
(Ephesians 4:1-16, John 3:13, Psalm 68:18)
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you to walk worthy of the
calling with which you were called, 2 with
all lowliness and gentleness, with
longsuffering, bearing with one another
in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The very first thing that all fivefold
ministry needs to understand (and
unfortunately this is very lacking in the
Body of Christ) is we are instructed to
be worthy. Worthiness is not measured
in works but in spirit. We are first
instructed to have genuine humility and
gentleness. This is to be followed by
longsuffering and love. These are
attributes of the fruit of the spirit and
while we should all have them; they are
not manifested in most of the lives of
those claiming to represent God in some
fivefold role. We cannot move forward
without true humility. We are inundated
with load of SELF. Most of those who
are identify themselves with fivefold
roles do so by making it an office, title
and position. They are introduced as,
The Very Reverend, Dr. Bishop, His
Eminence, Lord So and So or some
similar designation. Wow!
Do you read humble and gentle in that?
I expect not. Rather, this is a
manifestation of pride. These sign their
business card and other related items
5
Pastor So and So. They have their
name on their Church sign with similar
designation. Unfortunately, these are
not manifestations of God or His
ministry. These are rather
manifestations of man and man-made
religious systems. In case you are
looking for the one guilty of these sins,
let me make it easy for you. I am the
man. I am guilty of these things.
I know that many of us have fallen prey
to these deceptions but the time to
correct this error is now. Claiming to be
a love slave to Jesus Christ and then
signing your name, Prophet so and so,
screams of false humility and pride
whether we realize (or admit) the error
or not. You are not alone. Many of us
have been guilty of these errors. I am
reminded of Jeremiah telling us to deal
with our sins of OMISSION.
Spurgeon reminded us of this regarding
our sins of omission. “There must be
worked in us as a work of Divine
Grace—a deep abhorrence of sin, an
earnest clinging to purity, a resolute
pursuit of everything that is peaceful,
and lovely, and of good repute—or
else let us prate as we may, we shall
have no inheritance in the kingdom
of God! I preach not salvation by
works in any sense or degree, or
shape, or form, but salvation by
Grace alone!”1
1 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Volume 14 org 1
SINS OF OMISSION NO. 838. DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1868, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
6
To these profound errors we must make
immediate correction. We are not the
GIFT. Jesus Christ is the Gift; we are
merely vessels He chooses to use. We
need to understand that the fivefold
ministry given by Christ are roles within
the Body of Christ for specific purpose.
These were not purposed to in any way
exalt men or make them seem or feel
superior. In fact, if anything be the case
these make the fivefold more a servant
role than the rest of the Body of Christ.
Yet, we are all servants of Jesus Christ.
To make these errors even more
pronounced we have created a plethora
of ministerial groups most of which lift
up, separate or esteem the ministers
above the rest of the Body of Christ.
We then use these man-made systems
to create division from our brothers and
sisters. This is SIN. This is a man-
made system and is not in any way
associated with the New Testament
Church or the Body of Christ. Of this we
need to repent.
The fivefold ministry is given to help the
Body of Christ not to be superior to or
lord over them. Apostle Peter2 gave us
this instruction: 1The elders which are
among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:2Feed the
flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind; 3Neither
as being lords over God's heritage,
but being ensamples to the
flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, you shall receive a
crown of glory that fades not away. (I
Peter 5:1-4).
I have often said, “If there was no
money connected to ministry most
pulpits would be empty on Sunday
morning.” I would add to that, “Take
away the esteem, the pomp, the
ceremony and the titles and there will
be even fewer feeling the ‘call’ to
ministry.”
This is a clarion call to the people of
God. We have to get back what we
have lost. We have inherited a church
that is more interested in man-made
religion than on being the people of
God; we have to repent. My friends,
drop the titles! Your gift will make room
for you! Let’s not throw the baby out
with the bathwater here. There are
some purposes for ministerial
fellowships, but they are few. One good
2 Note: the capital here is only to designate a proper
noun.
7
example is to provide documents that
help ministers gain access to restricted
places such as jails, hospitals, etc. who
want to know that qualified individuals
are coming there to minister.
While I shall be trying to speak of
your great omissions, perhaps
conscience may be at work, and the
Holy Spirit may work through
conscience so that you may be led to
repentance, and to faith, and through
faith to salvation.3
Pause here and ask God to cleanse
your heart. Ask Him to help you to learn
to be humble as His perfect example
was to all of us. Ask Him to help you to
walk in humility. Ask Him to help us all
to remember that not one of us is
greater than the other, but we are all
made worthy because He redeemed us
from our sins. Nothing else really
matters!
Remember that no man helped Jesus
Christ redeem us from our sins. This He
did alone and for us. Christ descended
3 Ibid. Spurgeon.
to earth to redeem man; and ascended
to heaven to glorify us.4 And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles, then gifts of healings,
helps, governments, diversities of
tongues. I Cor. 12:28
Since the writer said first apostles let’s
begin our study with the apostle.
APOSTLE
apostolos = a delegate; ambassador,
from the word delegate; specifically an
ambassador of the Gospel; officially a
commissioner of Christ ["apostle"] (with
miraculous powers):-apostle,
messenger, he that is sent.
4 Robin Kegler.
http://fivefoldministryanswers.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/tip-what-is-the-five-fold-ministry/
8
ambassador = A diplomat of the
highest rank accredited as
representative in residence by one
government to another
It is evident that as Christ manifested
the true and birthed His vision for His
Kingdom that He expected His apostles
to fill the same role in molding the
standards of His Church and instructing
overseeing the general direction of His
Church. "Heaven's blueprint for the
Church."5 The apostle brings no will of
his own but is merely the agent of
heaven and his King, Jesus Christ.
In New Testament times, in the Roman
army, an apostle was a military officer
who enforced Roman cultural standards
and practices in cities where the
Romans had recently conquered. In
5 The Next Wave. Restoration of the Charismata.
Apostle. Page 31. Dr. Bernie L. Wade. 2010. Truth, Liberty and Freedom Press (TLFP).
applying this word, apostle, to the role of
the ministry Jesus extends His authority
to the disciples. This authority and
power is unprecedented and manifested
throughout the New Testament. The
word "apostle", from the Greek apostello
"to send forth", "to dispatch", has
etymologically a very general sense.
Apostolos (Apostle) means one who is
sent forth, dispatched -- in other words,
who is entrusted with a mission, rather,
a foreign mission. It has, however, a
stronger sense than the word
messenger, and means as much as
a delegate.6
The body of Christ is the continuation of
His earthly ministry and is eternal. The
apostle is sent by God to establish the
work of God. When God calls, He also
equips. As we see in Gal 1:21-24,
While Apostle Paul was generally
ignored by the Jerusalem Church he
was mentored in the things of Christ by
his spiritual father Apostle Barnabas
who guided him into spiritual maturity.
There is the misconception that you can
only work for the Lord if you are in full
time ministry, (i.e. you are being paid a
salary). This is not the model of the
New Testament Church as probably all
of the Apostles had occupations like
Apostle Paul who made tents. If you
have an occupation you can also be in
ministry.
For what is it wherein ye were inferior
to other churches, except it be that I
6 Wade. Apostle. Page 35.
9
myself was not burdensome to you?
forgive me this wrong.
Behold, the third time I am ready to
come to you; and I will not be
burdensome to you: for I seek not
yours but you: for the children ought
not to lay up for the parents, but the
parents for the children.
Paul was not burdensome on the church
of the Corinthians. We are sometimes
taught by other Christians that we will
one day go into the full time ministry if
we obey God, serve them like Joshua
served Abraham, and if we attend
church regularly, pay tithes or some
other scheme in which men attempt to
persuade you to submit to them. This is
the man-made religious system – not
the plan of God.
Our overall purpose in this article is to
help determine roles in the Body of
Christ. We have developed a quick list
to help you see if your role is in this
area. Each of the fivefold ministry gifts
has specific qualifications. Here are 5
for the apostle:
QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF APOSTLE
1. An apostle will have a servant
spirit. Any position of fivefold ministry,
especially this one, requires a servant
heart.
2. An apostle will have spiritual
authority. It is understood authority from
Jesus Christ, not lording over others; or
dictatorship. An apostle is also under
someone else’s authority answering to
the rest of the Fivefold ministry in
particular and the Body of Christ in
general.
3. An apostle will be a spiritual father (I
Cor 4:15-21) although he will not be
called ‘father.’
4. An apostle will be a visionary. This
vision will make manifest in direction
and leadership others can follow. We
can follow an apostle because first and
foremost he will follow Christ.
5. An apostle will have humility. This
characteristic is coupled with servant
hood. Humility is a necessary attitude
because of the calling of apostleship.
The apostle will have understanding of
the other fivefold roles (prophet, pastor,
teacher and evangelist). In our diagram
of the hand (see below), the apostle is
the thumb.
Like the thumb, the apostle can touch
each of the other fingers. However, all
five fingers are needed for the hand to
function properly. This does not make
him all five as some incorrectly
10
understand but gives definition to his
role as the apostle brings Gods
government to the body of Christ.
Being an apostle means being part of
the five-fold ministry. Their purpose is to
bring the body of Christ to maturity so
that the body can do the work God has
purposed for them.
Being an apostle means that signs and
wonders will be part of their ministry.
Their job is to represent the kingdom of
God within the other kingdoms. The
authority of the apostles was modeled
by the chief Apostle, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who taught them that “the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to
serve,” (Mark 10:45).
Demonstrating the type of authority he
would place in His church through his
apostles Jesus, on occasion, acted
sharply and decisively against certain
sins, such as the desecration of His
Father’s house (Mark 11:15–17; John
2:13–16) and the exploitative hypocrisy
of the teachers of the Law and
Pharisees (Matthew 23). He carefully
avoided the trappings of political and
institutional power and modeled
extraordinary humility and patience for
His apostles.
CRITERIA FOR AN APOSTLE
1. Called by God
2. Appointed to their role by
someone of equal or higher spiritual
authority (i.e. someone in the Body of
Christ).
3. Anointed by other members of
the fivefold as in the example of the
Antioch Church and confirmed by the
Body of Christ.
4. That they should have
independent plenary knowledge of the
gospel.
5. Should be willing to pay the price
(make the necessary sacrifice) to be an
apostle.
6. Preach or be a preacher of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
7. Do the work of an evangelist
8. Organize and/or strengthen the
body
9. Identify, appoint and train
qualified ministers to teach others thus
continuing the mission and the ministry
of the fivefold and the relationship of
spiritual fathers to sons.
10. Signs and wonders.
Truly the signs of an apostle were
wrought among you in all patience, in
signs, and wonders, and mighty
deeds.
11
PROPHET
nabiy' = a prophet (to speak by
"Eighty and six years have I served
Him, and he never did me any injury;
how then can I blaspheme my King
and my Savior?"
~Polycarp
No exposition of the office of Prophet
would be complete without a
thorough examination of the actual
name "Prophet" in the original
language of the Bible. The Hebrew
word for Prophet is the word nabi
from a root meaning "to bubble forth,
as from a fountain," hence "to utter".
This Hebrew word is the first and the
most generally used for a prophet. 7
The purpose of the prophetic ministry is
to guide the church. The prophets
usually exercise revelation gifts such as
words of knowledge, words of wisdom
and discerning of the spirit in their
prophecies. With the words of
knowledge, they may foretell the future
7 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament
Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.
in specific terms. With the words of
wisdom, they provide wisdom in difficult
situations. Jesus displayed such gift of
wisdom when He was faced with the
condemned adulteress (John 8:1-12)
and also during the issue about to whom
should the people pay their taxes
(Matthew 22:15-22). In having the gift of
discernment, prophets are able to
discern whether certain people are
speaking on behalf of God's Spirit,
human spirits or evil spirits.”
While the apostle brings the fivefold gift
of casting vision or direction for the
body, the prophet confirms that the
apostle is hearing from God and moving
the body in the proper direction or order.
“The prophets speak on behalf of God
and reveal His will. They are important
in today's church because all Christians
need to know the heart of God and learn
how to work together for His glory.”i
Like the apostle we find the prophet in
the New Testament as part of the gifts
that God gave to his bride. It is here in
the true that we find the imprimatur for
the prophet which was the dominate role
or office in the Old Testament. God
continually revealed Himself and His
plan for the redemption of mankind to
His prophets and through His prophets
to His people.
We have developed a quick list to help
you see if your role is in this area. Each
of the fivefold ministry gifts has specific
qualifications. Here are 5 for the
prophet:
12
The role of the prophet confirming the
apostle is apparent in many places in
the bible. This shows the importance of
the fivefold ministry working in harmony
providing protection and direction to the
Body of Christ. It is evident in the life of
Abraham, Moses and others. The
prophet does not make stuff up to say or
imagine the will or plan of God.
The whole purpose of the bible is to
redeem mankind from his sin. The
whole of Scripture is consumed with this
theme which would have its fulfillment in
Jesus Christ. The Prophets of old did
not predict in the sense of some extra
sensory perception. Rather (as God
has spoken the end from the beginning
as the lamb slain before the foundation
of the world) the prophets were
reporting on what God had revealed to
them concerning the events leading up
to His coming.
After the Advent of Christ we see
numerous accounts of the prophets
continuing their role of being the
‘watchmen on the wall’ such as the
prophet Agabus prophesying to Apostle
Paul. Like the rest of the fivefold the
prophet finds his true in the New
Testament and is in the pattern of God
in the Old Testament and still today.
QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF PROPHET
1. Prophets guide. Prophets confirm.
Hand in hand with the apostle
2. Prophets must speak not of their own
accord or in their own name or any
other, but in the Name of the Lord only.
3. Prophecies must be consistent with
prior revelation. Prophets do not
recreate God’s plan they confirm His
plan.
4. Prophets speak what the Lord tells
them to speak. Prophets must not
encourage idolatry or any other sin.
Deu 13:5 And that prophet, or that
dreamer of dreams, shall be put to
death; because he hath spoken to
turn you away from the LORD your God,
which brought you out of the land of
Egypt, and redeemed you out of the
house of bondage, to thrust thee out of
the way which the LORD thy God
commanded thee to walk in. So shalt
thou put the evil away from the midst of
thee.
5. All prophecies must come true (the
test of Moses for the true prophet). Deu
18:21 And if thou say in thine heart,
How shall we know the word which the
13
LORD hath not spoken? When a
prophet speaketh in the name of the
LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come
to pass, that is the thing which the
LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet
hath spoken it presumptuously: thou
shalt not be afraid of him.
A very common misunderstanding
about prophets is the difference
between:
1. The role of the prophet and
2. The operation of the gift of
prophecy. The two are distinctly
diverse. There must be distinction
made between one who speaks out
under the unction of the gift of
prophecy and one who is a prophet.
The prophet is a role. The individual
in that office will almost certainly
operate in the gift of prophecy as well
as other revelation gifts (word of
knowledge, word of wisdom, and
discernment of spirits) but should not
be limited to this. Elijah for example
operated in the gift of miracles.8
8 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament
Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.
1. Not everyone is a prophet. For
example, a boy may wear a Cubs
baseball cap, but that does not
mean he plays professional
baseball for the Chicago Cubs.
You may prophesy, but operating
in the simple gift of prophecy
does not qualify you to stand in
the office of a prophet, much like
wearing a Cubs hat does not
qualify you to play baseball for
the Chicago Cubs - you must be
gifted. To stand in the office of a
prophet, one must have a
consistent manifestation of at
least two of the revelation gifts
( word of wisdom, word of
knowledge, or discerning of
spirits) plus prophecy.9
2. The gift of prophecy edifies,
exhorts, and comforts (I
Corinthians 14:3); helps us build
up or strengthen; and should lead
us to the Word of God. It is the
ministry of the Holy Spirit to
convict of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment to come (John
16:8-11).
It is interesting to note that little is
depicted about the role of the role of
the “New testament prophet”. This
can also be said of the other offices
in the body of Christ. It is therefore
no stretch to assume that the role of
the Prophet is essentially unchanged
9http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts
/prophecy.htm
14
from its function and duty in the Old
Testament.10
It seems almost impossible to
eliminate from the popular mind the
idea that "prophecy" means
"prediction." Yet this is a purely
modern modification of its meaning.
It rests upon a false etymology:
the pro in this word is not the pro
which means beforehand (as in
prospectus), but the other pro which
means in place of (as in pronoun): a
prophet is one who speaks in place
of another. When Moses had been
shrinking from the mission to Israel
on the ground of his inefficiency as a
speaker, and Aaron was granted him
as an assistant in this respect, the
words were: `See, I have made thee
[Moses] a god unto Pharaoh; and
Aaron thy brother shall be thy
prophet’ (Exod. 7:1)."
As Aaron is thus the mouthpiece of
Moses, so regularly in Scripture the
prophet is the mouthpiece of God.11
Examples of Prophets
Abraham
Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the
man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he
shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live:
and if thou restore her not, know thou
10
The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D. 11
The Role of the Prophet Reprinted from THE HERALD of November, 1949
that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all
that are thine.
Aaron
Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto
Moses, See, I have made thee a god to
Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be
thy prophet.
It is significant that as Moses emerges
in an apostolic role (like his predecessor
Joseph) that God brings the role of the
prophet into full form through Aaron.
Where the apostolic role brings
government and direction the prophet
provides guidance.
Miriam
Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess,
the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her
hand; and all the women went out after
her with timbrels and with dances.
Sometimes "prophets" try to hide the
fact that they are not really prophets.
They do this by saying that something
did not happen because you and I did
not have sufficient faith for it to happen.
Once God says that something will
happen, you no longer need faith - He
15
said it will happen and therefore it is as
good as done and there is nothing you
or I could do (or not do) to prevent it
from happening. This is called FAITH -
God will honor His Word because He
cannot lie, make a mistake or be late
because of unforeseen circumstances.
A faithful servant is better off than a
prophet
The Lord has always been very strict on
prophets (and other five-fold ministers).
His instructions are that we need to
evaluate the information supplied by
these prophets and that we should not
just accept anything they say. But we
have to compare what they are telling us
to God's Word and if this is in line, we
have to obey. But if these are not in line,
these prophets were put to death in the
Old Testament:
DEU 18:20 But the prophet, which shall
presume to speak a word in my name,
which I have not commanded him to
speak, or that shall speak in the name of
other gods, even that prophet shall die.
It is crucial that we know when a
prophet is really talking by inspiration of
the Holy Spirit and not the inspiration of
their flesh or other things.
Judging Prophets
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God: Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of
God: 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even
now already is it in the world.
In conclusion it may be revealed that the office of Prophet is very much a part of the New Testament Church. His or Her role is one of aiding the various members in hearing from God and placing them in the correct path of God’s will. There are some New Testament Prophets that use their gifts to predict the course of various members of Christ’s body as well as predicting the course of some individuals. Prophets operate primarily in the revelation gifts. They are maintainers of order in themselves and Body at large. The Prophet office is as essential today as it was in the days of Elijah or Jeremiah. 12
12
copyright 2000 Rev. Mark J. Dibois Used by permission.
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AM I A PASTOR?
STRONGS NT 1317: HEBREW: ra`ah =
to tend a flock; to rule; to associate as a
friend
GREEK: poimen = a shepherd
The meaning of the word Pastor is
linked to that of a person who is
responsible to tend to the flock as a
friend or caretaker.
διδακτικός, διδακτικη, (equivalent
to διδασκαλικός in Greek writings), apt
and skillful in teaching: 1 Timothy 3:2; 2
Timothy 2:24. (διδακτικη ἀρετή, the
virtue which renders one teachable,
docility, Philo).
The most generally acknowledged of the
fivefold roles is that of pastor. There
are literally hundreds of thousands of
pastors in the world. First of all, we
need to remember that God, in His
wisdom, gave pastors to the Body of
Christ. However, He did not make
them the head of the Church. He did
not appoint pastors to rule over the local
congregation. Those who operate in
such a manner have man-made
religious systems – not the plan of God.
The Scripture tells us that a pastor must
be above reproach (Titus 1:6, 7; 1 Tim
3:2). This is the overarching,
summarizing characteristic that is
applicable to all of the fivefold. God
never intended for the pastor to be
somehow spiritually superior to the rest
of the fivefold ministry or the Body of
Christ.
You will find similar (but not identical)
lists in 1st Timothy and Titus. Living a
life above reproach is the first
requirement in both lists and Titus
repeats it. The other items on the list
explain what “above reproach” means. If
we peruse the two lists, as well as First
Peter, we find 17 qualifications of an
elder who is above reproach. This is a
qualification for all in ministry. Apostle
Paul, in his apostolic role, was setting
order in the church. He was not
creating positions, titles or hierarchy.
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In the modern application the pastor
has in some man-made systems
become the supreme leader of the local
body (in various degrees) and in others
he is merely an errand boy or a hireling
to officiate over the religious services.
None of these are the God given role of
pastors.
We have developed a quick list to help
you see if your role is in this area. Each
of the fivefold ministry gifts has specific
qualifications. Here are 5 for the pastor:
QUICK LIST FOR THE ROLE OF
PASTOR
1. Ability requirement. A Pastor
must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim
3:2). All of the other qualifications are
character qualities. This is the only
ability-based requirement. A pastor
must to be able to teach sound doctrine
both by their own example and in
communicating to others. If you are not
capable of teaching then you are not a
pastor as outlined by Scriptural
standards.
2. A shepherd who watches out for
the people of God.
3. Pastor-Teacher. The Greek word
translated as pastor is simply the word
for a shepherd. A shepherd is a person
(man or woman) who cares for a flock of
sheep. He or She leads them to a place
where they can find food and water. He
keeps the flock together, so it is safe
from attack. At the same time each
sheep receives individual attention.
Those that stray are brought back to the
flock, and any sick sheep is healed.
Each one is known by name.
4. A nurturer, a friend. As a nurturer
the pastor will generally minister to a
manageable number of persons that are
in their charge. In the modern church
many of those who wear the title of
pastor oversee a vast network of other
subservient pastors. Note: this is not
the biblical model but the model of men.
5. Teach knowledge and
understanding. (Jer. 3:5).
NOT A TEACHER EQUALS
NOT A PASTOR
It is interesting that many who wear the
title ‘pastor’ see themselves as
somehow disconnected from the people
rather than the biblical model which has
them very ‘hands on’ working daily with
the people. The pastor is not an ascetic
(living a life out of the reach of others)
person but one of the Body of Christ (a
servant).
I am surprised that those who call
themselves ‘pastor’ often admit that they
are not teachers. This does not mean
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that they are not a value to the Body of
Christ; but it does reflect that they are
not pastors. Most have been assigned
as a pastor as part of a man-made
religious order. Titus 2:15, Paul sums
the pastoral role up in three words:
teach, encourage, rebuke. This is the
work of the pastor and teacher.
JER 3:14 Turn, O backsliding
children, saith the LORD; for I am
married unto you: and I will take you
one of a city, and two of a family, and
I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will
give you pastors according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding.
Eze 34:4 You have not strengthened
the weak or healed the sick or bound
up the injured. You have not brought
back the strays or searched for the
lost. You have ruled them harshly
and brutally.
The pastor is part of the five-fold
ministry, fulfilling a vital role in the caring
for the children of God. They are not the
head of the church; neither do the other
ministries have to submit to them. If you
wanted to contend that anybody has to
submit to anybody else, the pastors
would have to submit to Apostles.
Remember the earmark of the entire
fivefold ministry is humility.
If the Lord anoints a pastor, He anoints
somebody who is according to His
heart. That will mean that they will be
full of love. God calls them because
they are people after God's heart. They
do not qualify just because they
attended Bible School or have some
degrees behind their names. (Jer 3:15).
Pastors are sensitive and reasonable
(Jer 10:21) honest and truthful (Jer
23:14). It often happens that people
leave their secular job to start a church.
Starting churches is not the biblical role
of a pastor.
JER 10:21 For the pastors are
become brutish, and have not sought
the LORD: therefore they shall not
prosper, and all their flocks shall be
scattered.
JER 12:10-11 Many pastors have
destroyed my vineyard, they have
trodden my portion under foot, and
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness. They have
made it desolate, and being desolate
it mourneth unto me; the whole land
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is made desolate, because no man
layeth it to heart.
One minister reflected this, “Many who
wear the title of pastor force the people
into doing things by telling them that
they do not love God if they do not do
this or that. They keep the people in
such bondage that they are no longer
allowed to have any friends outside of
the local congregation. They have taken
the people, removed the call of God on
their lives through their lies and replaced
it with the calling of men. Some even
admit that openly and declare boldly that
if you serve other people long enough,
you will qualify for your own ministry!”
People do not qualify for ministries; they
are called by God into them.”
JER 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors
that destroy and scatter the sheep of
my pasture saith the LORD.
2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God
of Israel against the pastors that feed
my people; Ye have scattered my
flock, and driven them away, and
have not visited them: behold, I will
visit upon you the evil of your
doings, saith the LORD.
3 And I will gather the remnant of my
flock out of all countries whither I
have driven them, and will bring them
again to their folds; and they shall
be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up shepherds over
them which shall feed them: and they
shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
neither shall they be lacking, saith
the LORD.
The Lord will restore His flock all on His
own, without involving the church and
the pastors if need be. The children of
God are not really sheep (sheep and
shepherds are an analogy) – the people
of God are temples of the Holy Ghost
and each one of them are lead
differently. So a pastor cannot throw the
whole congregation into a pot and try
and control them all the same way. This
normally happens because the pastor is
not properly aligned with the fivefold
ministry. In place of proper alignment
with fivefold ministry and the Body of
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Christ these ‘pastors’ take the place of
‘sole overseer’. These self appointed or
man appointed pastors then are
generally too lazy to find out from God
what each member of the congregation
has to do, or they just cannot hear from
God.
In order to understand this role better, it
would be a good idea to investigate the
life of Jesus Christ. He kept on giving
the people knowledge and
understanding, showed them the right
ways, but never ever forced them to
stay with Him or follow a certain calling.
He never once told them they were not
allowed to go to other Christians and
fellowship with them. Being a Pastor is
a great privilege and honor. It is also a
great responsibility - one that the pastor
cannot carry alone. They need the
assistance of all four the other five-fold
ministers in order to get their
congregations to the point where they
can successfully flow into their own
ministries.
TEACHER
JOH 3:2 The same came to Jesus by
night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come
from God: for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God
be with him.
Translation - didaskalos = an
instructor
The role of teacher is vital to the
continuation of the life and ministry of
the Body. The teacher instructs in the
areas that the apostles have directed
and the prophets have confirmed lifting
truth from Scripture and dedicating this
to purpose. This is proper doctrine and
the teacher is the primary instrument
used by God to bring truth to His Body.
The concept of a fivefold minister is to
instruct and mentor others in the Body
of Christ.
The teacher must have a working
knowledge of the Body of Christ to help
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nurture, train and mature believers and
bring another The teacher teaches the
students the basics as well as the
intricacies of the Kingdom of Jesus
Christ, the Preacher publishes the
wonderful works that God has done.
Like the Bible says: We have overcome
Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of our testimony". Preaching
proclaims what God has done and stirs
up our hopes. We become on fire for
God and have very high hopes for Jesus
to do miracles in our midst. A real
teacher does not care to prove himself
or herself to unbelieving people. They
know they have the truth and the fact
that God moves with them is proof
enough for him or her. God moves with
them with signs and wonders.
We have developed a quick list to help
you see if your role is in this area. Each
of the fivefold ministry gifts has specific
qualifications. Here are 5 for the
Teacher.
QUICK LIST FOR TEACHERS
1. Not just an instructor but
committed to the outcome of those to
who he or she teaches.
2. Qualified and appointed by the
authority of Jesus Christ to bring
understanding through the teaching of
doctrine. Doctrine is truth lifted from
Scripture and dedicated to purpose.
3. He or she sometimes uncovers
things from the Bible that other people
just seem to miss.
4. They teach doctrine. This
becomes knowledge to the people of
God. "My people perish because of a
lack of knowledge" The Teacher
provides this knowledge.
5. Teaching rather than preaching.
ACT 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of
God, and teaching those things
which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man
forbidding him.
EVANGELIST
euaggelistes = a preacher of the gospel
Evangelist is much more about function
than office (as are all the fivefold gifts).
We have developed a quick list to help
you see if your role is in this area. Each
of the fivefold ministry gifts has specific
qualifications. Here are 5 for
Evangelist
QUICKLIST FOR EVANGELISTS
1. A Preacher of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Preach = kerusso, kay-
roos-so which means to herald (as a
public crier), proclaim, publish as related
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to encouraging, exhorting, the local
church body.
2. Brings the Good News.
3. Evangelists in the fivefold
application bring encouragement to the
body of Christ. One man asked me to
help him understand what his role was
in the fivefold ministry. He was certain
of his call to ministry but confused about
what role he filled. Local pastors had
told him he was a music minister or
music pastor. He was further cofounded
because he could not find ‘music pastor’
in the bible. This man served to lead
worship in two congregations within his
local community. His role was evident
as an evangelist to the local body of
Christ. He was confused about his role
because the body of Christ is divided
because of religious politics, but God
was not confused about how he set His
body in order. Christ is not divided. The
fact that the body in that area was
fragmented into various congregations
has not deterred the flow of the Spirit as
it moves in His gifts.
4. Evangelists have the specific role
of bringing encouragement to the body
of Christ and also to bring spiritual
revival to the lukewarm.
It will be good if the church can identify
those who have this gift from among
their congregation and use their gifting.
As not all pastors are Evangelists, it will
be wise to spot some early. “For
example, a pastor of a small church,
who did not have the gift of an
Evangelist, was constantly frustrated for
years when he preached at his own
annual evangelistic meetings and
received little responses for
salvation. Then on one occasion, he
broke with his tradition and invited a
gifted Evangelist to preach. The result
was astounding. There were more
responses for salvation in one meeting
than all the meetings that the pastor had
ever conducted. A Holy-Spirit
empowered gift is something to be
reckoned.”ii
5. The Lord also blesses
Evangelists with signs and wonders so
as to confirm the words that they
preach. One of the purposes of the
Evangelist is to lead seekers to Christ
new. However, this is also part of the
role of the entire body of Christ. Some
of the greatest men in the bible were
called evangelists, Timothy and Phillip
to name two. Evangelists hold an
important role in the five fold ministry.
The evangelist is key to encouraging the
body of Christ and as such is an
invaluable equal to the pastor and
apostle.
If we look at the Great Commission, are
we then all evangelists? Although we all
evangelize, only some people are called
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to use this calling to train other people in
getting them ready for their ministries.
Remember the call of the five-fold
ministers.
Evangelist is a special gift to the body to
encourage and uplift. Many people who
have been misnamed as pastors are
evangelists. Music ministers are
generally evangelists, as are a plethora
of other gifting to the Body of Christ.
The work of the evangelist is:
To follow the pattern of sound
words (2 Tim. 1:13)
To teach faithful men and women
(2 Tim. 2:2)
To correct opponents of the truth
(2 Tim. 2:25)
To preach the word of God (2
Tim. 4:1-4) - This is an obligation of
every Christian (Acts 8:4).
To “be watchful”
An evangelist is to proclaim the
scriptures, for the reason that they alone
are profitable for the things necessary
for one’s spiritual development (2 Tim.
3:16, 17); an evangelist is not to preach
his opinion but “the whole body of
revealed truth” (Acts 20:27).
To “be instant” - “To stand by, be
present, be at hand.” “Hold oneself in
constant readiness to proclaim the
word” (Acts 13:13-16). “In season” -
literally, “well-season.” The word is
translated “conveniently” in Mark
14:11. The gospel was “in season” in
Acts 2:37.
To “reprove” - “To convict, confute,
refute, usually with the suggestion of
putting the convicted person to shame”
(Acts 24:25). To “rebuke” - “To charge
one with wrong; implies a sharp, severe
rebuke, with a suggestion of impending
penalty” To “exhort” - “To admonish...to
urge, one to pursue some course of
conduct” (Acts 2:37-40).
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“With all longsuffering” - “Forbearance,
patience.” “Patience with regard to
antagonistic persons.” “That quality of
self-restraint in the face of provocation
which does not hastily retaliate or
promptly punish…the opposite of
anger…is associated with mercy” (Acts
14:19-22).
“With…doctrine” - “Sound and
reasonable instruction in the truth” (2
Tim. 3:16,17).
WHAT AN EVANGELIST IS NOT
The evangelist is not an itinerant
preacher, who merely goes from
place to place preaching for what
he can get in special
contributions.
The evangelist is not one who
only holds gospel meetings or
“revivals.” [While an evangelist
may limit his work in such a way,
the Bible does not so restrict him.
He is not someone doing the
evangelist job while “looking for a
church to pastor”.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE FIVEFOLD
MINISTER, ELDERS, AND OTHERS
Character requirements of all fivefold
ministers (the goal is to have the best
example of mature, Holy Ghost filled,
leaders in these important roles in the
Body of Christ):
1. Spiritually mature (1 Tim 3:6)
Positions of authority without spiritual
maturity lead to the trap of pride. When
pride grows in a man, sin abounds.
2. Devoted to their spouse (Titus
1:6; 1 Tim 3:2).
3. Children must be in submission
(Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:4-5).
4. Faithful Steward (Titus 1:7)
5. Humble - not arrogant (Titus 1:7)
6. Gentle - not quick-tempered
(Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)
7. Sober - not a drunkard (Titus 1:7;
1 Tim 3:3). This is not just
overindulgence in alcohol but is
idiomatic for any behavior that fuels
addictive responses.
8. Peaceful - not violent
(Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)
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9. Must have financial integrity - not
greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1
Peter 5:3)
10. Hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2)
11. Lover of good (Titus 1:8)
12. Self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim
3:2) Self-control is a characterization of
every area life: diet, time, mouth,
exercise, relationships, sex, and money.
13. Upright (Titus 1:8). Integrity in
his relationships and in the way they
treat others.
14. Holy (Titus 1:8). A life devoted to
Jesus externally and internally.
15. Respectable (1 Tim 3:7)
The role of fivefold ministry is to fulfill the function described in Ephesians 4:12-13, " ... to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Leadership's function is to train and equip the body for the work of the ministry! The focus of good leadership is nothing short of aiming for the whole body to attain to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ! Some contend that everyone has a fivefold role and that the work of the fivefold is to train the rest of the Body so that they know and understand their purpose. I am not certain that everyone has a fivefold role but certainly everyone needs instruction. However, there is nothing wrong with everyone having a ministry role as this is the role of the Body of Christ. Everyone may be called to hold a fivefold role. Certainly, we are all called to do the work of an evangelist. I believe there is value in stressing the truth that there must be diversity of function in the body of Christ... a. This point is often overlooked when churches think about how they might involve every member b. Yet failure to appreciate this truth can hinder true growth, and at the same time be very frustrating for the members of the body of Christ Some congregations have been built around one particular kind of ministry or program. In those congregations, the only members who are really involved are those taking part in that one special program. But the church is a body. A body must have diversity if it is to survive. Evangelism, edification, benevolence, and worship are functions of every local congregation. This by no means concludes the lessons in related to the fivefold ministry. This is only the beginning. Enjoy your journey. I am available to help in any way I can.
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From the
FIVEFOLD
ROUNDTABLE
TEACHING
SERIES
Distinctions in
Ministry Gifting,
Role and Function
By Barney Philips
Many have wrongly assumed that their
gifting is their ministry rather than how they
are to administer or dispense their gifting.
Gifting is not ministry, but the
empowerment and means God gives us to
accomplish our ministry. God’s grace in
ministry works through our gifts; see
Romans 12:6 and First Corinthians 3:10.
When someone declares their gifting to be
their ministry, he or she usually lacks
understanding and foundation.
The good definition of understanding is the
foundation under which we stand; or what
is under that which we stand? In exalting
the gift, they fail to find their true purpose.
There are many gifts among them—helps,
ministry, tongues, healing, prophecy,
administration, encouragement, salvation,
etc. The empowerment of God’s grace in
any area of our life is a gift. Ministry is how
we are called to serve God; gifts are how we
are empowered by God to minister.
The Bible says that all can prophesy, but
this does not mean that everyone holds the
office of a prophet.
All the leadership can pastor and care for
the “sheep,” but that does not mean they
all have the God-given office of a pastor in
the fivefold ministry. Many can teach, but
each one does not operate in the office of
teacher.
God gives spiritual gifts to all, but ministry
gifts he appoints only some to particular
offices by measure of grace and authority.
This is the distinction between charisma
and ministry gifting. The fivefold ministry
gifts of Ephesians chapter 4 are ministerial
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offices of authority, given by grace,
according to the measure of the gift.
Whereas, the gifts of Romans chapter 12
are charisma gifts that are given to each
Christian by the Spirit according to His
purpose for their life. Charisma gifts are
part of who we are, and they are in us even
prior to salvation, even though their full
exercise may only manifest in service to
God.
Everyone has been given charisma gifts,
but not everyone has ministry gifts which
manifests itself in offices of authority. Due
to the immaturity of the Church, resulting
from the absence of the Teacher, most
recognize and seek charisma gifts; few are
able to appreciate or recognize ministries of
authority. This is one reason the Church is
so lacking in foundation and Godly
direction.
Those in ministry may flow in a variety of
gifting from time to time. Even though
Timothy was called an apostle and an elder,
Paul told him to do the work of an
evangelist in a certain place because of the
need. However, just because he did the
work of an evangelist at that time, does not
mean that he held the office of an
evangelist. In the same manner, if someone
prophesies, that does not necessarily a
prophet. Just because someone done the
work of an apostle and set up some
churches and helped with foundational
structure does not necessarily mean that
person is an apostle; they are simple
operating a gift of the spirit of an apostle.
The man God sets in a place operates under
an apostolic gift of authority. He should
then train others to minister and should
provide people to care for the
congregation. He should help define their
gifting, ministry and call. The ones who
should fill positions in the Church are those
God has gifted and called for particular
areas of services. When leadership is lacking
this order, you can then pin point the
reason the church is lacking identity and
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purposes. The set man should seek for the
conformation of the Holy Spirit concerning
the appointment of eldership, and then
bring them before the apostle, prophet and
elders for conformation; a presbytery of
ministry who are in set order.
Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal it
shall be measured to you again. (Luke
6:38).
Barney Phillips
serves as ICOF Vice
President of
Missions
http://www.icof.net
"If the Lord tarries, there may yet be a
grass-roots awakening that will overflow
all sectarian barriers. There are a host of
good people... who long for a visitation
from heaven in old-time power. The
kindling wood is scattered all round in all
the churches. May God help us to rake off
the ashes, uncover the live coals and may
He blow upon us with the breath of His
Spirit!"
-Vance Havner
Restoration of the Church
Three things that the New Testament church had that are lacking in the Modern Church: 1. Infilling of the Holy Spirit. 2. The gifts of the Spirit & 3. Fivefold ministry Apostolic Reformation Throughout history there have been waves of the Holy Spirit that resulted in attempts at restoration or reformation of the Church to return it to the original doctrine of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Movements of Apostolic Reformation have happened repeatedly since the time of John Wycliffe. In the last Century there was an Apostolic reformation that birthed the Apostolic Faith movement and subsequent Pentecostal Movement. It is our expectation that we are on the verge of another similar wave of the Spirit. We refer to this as The Next Wave. The Next Wave The Next Wave will move away from the traditions of men and focus on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the New Testament church and the Apostles of Jesus Christ. The next wave has little interest in superficial events and pseudo "outpourings‟ opting for a real and sustaining manifestation of the power of God.
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Royal Priesthood
For the Royal Priesthood (or the Body of
Christ) to come to maturity it will take a
fully functional fivefold ministry. To this
end we have committed to ICOF
In a recent weekly Executive Session
we discussed how the enemies of the
cross seem more committed to prayer to
their false deities than followers of Jesus
Christ demonstrate. In discussing the
challenges, understanding that there
has been some 2000 years since the
advent of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry,
we concluded that there is no organized
effort to call the people of God to daily
prayer. Granted, there have been and
remain efforts to such as the national
day of prayer but this is only to direct us
to prayer one day per year. Thus, it is
our expectation to see a global 'Call to
Prayer' where Biblical Christians
(followers of Jesus Christ) would commit
to pray on a daily basis.
Here is our challenge: Prayer - 3 times a
day. We are asking every follower of
Jesus Christ to commit to prayer three
times each day. This is a commitment to
daily prayer for the rest of our lives. This
prayer time can be anytime during the
day but we are suggesting the following:
• Morning - Pray by yourself, with your
family or those where you work or go to
school. This will help set the tone for the
day. • Mid Day - Before or after lunch
take time to pray wherever you are.
Encourage those around you to pray
with you (co-workers, peers, clients,
etc.) • Evening - pray with you family,
your friends, neighbors, etc. Encourage
places of business, church buildings,
malls, etc. to designate a place for daily
prayer. Pray for God to give us space
for REPENTACE!
Pray for your family, friends and others
who are not committed to Jesus Christ.
Pray for healing, renewal, deliverance
and more. Prayer is communication.
The key thing is to STOP what you are
doing. Take time to find a quiet place
where you can communicate with God.
We are not directing you how long to
pray. Rather we are leaving that up to
the individual or the group, but by all
means - PRAY!
Posture - in Scripture we find people
praying in a variety of postures -
kneeling, standing, laying prostrate, etc.
All of these are acceptable.
IF you would like to connect with others
who are praying in like manner please
feel free to email: JOIN THE CALL TO
PRAYER [email protected]
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Drugs and Drug Addiction have no Religious Preference
June 9, 2013
Letters to the Editor The New York Times 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 To the Editor: As an African-American who works to rehabilitate drug addicts, I am dismayed to see the plight of black Americans used to push a pro-legalization agenda. Most black men in prison for drugs are in for crimes committed because they were under the influence. By increasing
availability, legalization would increase drug abuse and the number of men and women behind bars—black, white and Hispanic. Simple possession represents a tiny minority of prison inmates. Drug abuse is the greatest destroyer of individuals and families, and marijuana is not innocent. Tens of thousands do worse in school and later in life because of this drug. Teenagers who smoke marijuana regularly drop out at twice the rate of non-users. Those who care about racial injustice will note that black men are disproportionately imprisoned for all types of crimes, not just drugs. Legalizing marijuana will worsen, not improve, the lives of black men, women and children. Bishop, Dr. Ron Allen President/Founder International Faith Based Coalition
[email protected] 916-807-1210 P.O.Box 5062 Sacramento Ca. 95818
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'What You Should
Know About Five-
fold Ministry
By Albert Kang
It was He who gave some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be Evangelists, and some to be Pastors and Teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.'
Ephesians 4:11-13
You have heard about the fivefold ministry as found in Ephesians 4:11-13, but have you seen it in operation? The chances are that you may have seen twofold or threefold ministry in the church. In most churches, the pastors are the ones who usually serve as Evangelists and Teachers. On some rare occasions, they might even take on the prophetic role and utter some prophecies. Once a year, they might lead mission teams to plant churches in other countries and thus take the role of an Apostle.
We have to appreciate these pastors for being versatile enough to do the fivefold ministry. However, in the biblical sense this is not ideal. The Lord has never placed all the gifts in one person but wants the fivefold ministry to be shared among the leaders of the church. The church grows stronger when these ministers cooperate and serve the people, building them to become matured in their faith. The end result will be an effective congregation united in Agape love and at the same time doing the "works of service" by reaching out to the community.
Mobilization of Laity
The mobilization of laity is absolutely vital for the church to grow strong spiritually and also grow large
numerically. The "quantity" of the churchgoers goes hand in hand with the "quality" of the church. (Though the opposite may not necessary be true). Seekers respond to the Gospel when the church's lay ministers are spiritually strong and well trained enough to present it with the power of the Holy
Spirit. The fivefold ministry of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers has to be reintroduced in every church. The pastor has to observe, select and train lay people who have such relevant gifts. After training, these gifted people should be given clear guidelines, ministry descriptions, and the appropriate authority to serve and build God's people for other ministries. God has given us a self-perpetuating programme it is up to us to obey Him and implement this in our church.
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Apostles Govern
The early Disciples of Christ were known as Apostles. They were the ones who were anointed by the Holy Spirit so that they could establish the fledging Christian faith in different countries. Apart from the twelve well-known Apostles recorded in the Gospel we have to take note of the Apostles recorded in the other parts of the New Testament. The lack of clear distinction between these two groups of Apostles has led to misunderstanding as to what Apostleship is all about. We now know that there are people who are called to the office of Apostleship and then there are many who have apostolic gifts. Paul the Apostle challenged those who claimed to be Apostles but who were not willing to pay the price of that esteemed office:
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been
constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2.Corinthians 11:23-28)
Today, there are Christian ministers who call themselves "Apostles". There is no doubt that some of these are true Apostles but others have assumed this title as position of elevation. (Surf the Internet and you will be able to observe quite a few of these so-called Apostles). Few of them hold apostolic credentials like that of Paul and I suspect that it is their insatiable appetite for recognition and power that has resulted in this abuse.
When I was in China, I had the privilege of traveling with an old Chinese pastor who had been imprisoned for his faith, by the Communists, for 27 years. During the journey, I observed how humble and Christ-like he was. Even at 75 years old, there was fire in his eyes whenever he talked about the Lord and the future of the Chinese churches. He was poor but was most willing to share the little money that he had with others. He had no car or even a bicycle. He dressed simply and had little possession. For more than ten years after his release from prison, he had been traveling around Southern China to establish underground churches. After traveling with him to visit a couple of these churches and watching him counseling, correcting and even reprimanding
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younger pastors, I had no doubt that he was a true Apostle. In every church, he encouraged the congregation to establish more cell groups and more churches. In one church, he had to leave in the middle of a sermon because the police was after him. Even though he had never announced himself as holding the apostolic position, the people whom he served, recognized that.
Missionaries who pioneer and establish churches can be considered to be the modern Apostles because the primary task of Apostleship is planting churches. Even though I have planted more than 16 churches and a few orphanages, I can only say that I am doing the apostolic work. The emphasis is upon the word "work" rather than the word "apostolic". It is a privilege to be used by the Lord in this way and never shall it be used as a position of elevation and honor.
Prophets Guide
In the New Testament, Agabus was known as a prophet even though his advice to Paul was inaccurate (Acts 21). The daughters of the Evangelist Philip were also well-known prophetesses. The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to guide the church. The prophets usually exercise revelation gifts such as words of knowledge, words of wisdom and discerning of the spirit in their prophecies. With the words of knowledge, they may foretell the future in specific terms. With the words of wisdom, they provide wisdom in difficult situations. Jesus displayed such gift of wisdom when He was faced with the condemned adulteress (John 8:1-12) and also during the issue about to whom
should the people pay their taxes (Matthew 22:15-22). In having the gift of discernment, the Prophets are able to discern whether certain people are speaking on behalf of God's Spirit, human spirits or evil spirits.
Prophets speak on behalf of God and reveal His will. They are important in today's church because all Christians need to know the heart of God and learn how to work together for His glory. Most Christians may have prophetic gifts but not all hold the office of a Prophet. Today, there has been an increase in the number of so-called "Prophets" who abuse this position of gifting. Many of them have assumed the mystical aura to impress naïve Christians. Sadly, many Christians are still as superstitious as the pagans and they are taking these "Prophets" to be their personal fortune-tellers. This is a very dangerous trend because if prophecies were based on the practitioners' ability to guess and convince, then the people would not be able to distinguish between the real and false prophets. In some of the surveys done in USA, such prophets were only twenty per cent accurate. This was tantamount to guessing as those who did not have the prophetic gifts also gained similar scores. The shamans and mystics in Asia would have done better
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than that. In the Old Testament, the prophets had to be 100 per cent accurate or else they would be known as false prophets and be stoned to death.
Let me emphasize that we should not reject those who are called to the prophetic office but neither should we accept every utterance without using the biblical guidelines of evaluating and judging them. Let us be cautious as we weigh every prophetic word with the Scripture.
Evangelists Gather
Evangelists are Christians who have the specific gift of challenging seekers to have faith in Jesus and also to bring spiritual revival to lukewarm churches. They are the "sales" force of the church. It will be good if the church can identify those who have this gift from among their congregation and use them for the purpose of winning souls. As not all pastors are Evangelists, it will be wise to spot some early.
For example, a pastor of a small church, who did not have the gift of an Evangelist, was constantly frustrated for years when he preached at his own annual evangelistic meetings and received little responses for
salvation. Then on one occasion, he broke with his tradition and invited a gifted Evangelist to preach. The result was astounding. There were more responses for salvation in one meeting than all the meetings that the pastor had ever conducted. A Holy-Spirit empowered gift is something to be reckoned with.
The Lord also blesses Evangelists with signs and wonders so as to confirm the words that they preach. The purpose of the Evangelists is to create new converts. After that, they hand these converts to the church and let the pastor-teacher does the grounding work so as to make these converts into Disciples. We should encourage those who have this evangelistic gift to come forward to be used for the kingdom of God. This is especially crucial for the future existence of the church because it is only through new converts that new Disciples come forth.
Pastors Guard
We are most familiar with the role of a pastor as this is the most prominent office in the church. He is the under-shepherd of the Chief Shepherd who is Jesus Christ. His gifting is in the area of caring and nurturing the believers. He has overwhelming emotional stamina, patience and also wisdom to resolve church problems and human relation issues. James, the brother of Jesus, was known as the pastor of the Jerusalem church. Even the Apostles returned to report to him and the elders in that church.
Today, the churches are in a confused state because we do not recognize the call of God for ministers to serve in any
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one of the other four ministries, except that of a pastor. Therefore we erroneously deem anyone who has a divine call should automatically become a pastor.
I met a Christian brother who is gifted as an evangelist but he is pastoring a church. This is frustrating him to no end. He has tried to be a full-time Evangelist but during that time, even though the ministry results were good, his family almost starved. For practical reason of getting a fixed income for his family, he became a pastor. Evangelists usually do not get a full salary and have to live from offerings to offerings. It is now time for the churches to recognize the needs of the other parts of the fivefold ministry and to accord these ministers with appropriate income so that they can concentrate on their calling and serve the Lord and His church.
Teachers Ground
The role of the teachers is vital because the spiritual and doctrinal foundations of the church depend upon them. They are the ones who do the grounding work. I can usually tell that a church is strong by seeing the number of good teachers it has. Most pastors are gifted with teaching ability and so they usually take the role of being pastor-teachers.
However, the pastor alone is never enough. He must activate other gifted lay members to take on this teaching ministry.
Spirit-gifted and anointed teachers are different from those who are teaching in the secular schools. This teaching gift is divinely given and special because it allows the teacher to impart divine life and at the same time reveal hidden spiritual truth. With the gift of wisdom, the teacher speaks the mind of Christ to his students and thus stirs up further hunger within them. The more the congregation understands the will of God, the better it is in serving Him. Sadly, many modern Charismatic churches are missing out on the dedicated teaching of the solid doctrines of the Scripture. The overt emphasis upon the spiritual gifts has led to neglect in the didactic ministry. No matter how many spiritual gifts that the Christian might have, nothing is more important than the consistent studying of God's Word under the guidance of an anointed and gifted teacher.
Restoring Fivefold Ministry
For the modern churches to be powerful and effective, they have to reactivate the ministries of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. The fivefold ministry is like the five fingers of a hand. Yes, we can use the hand even though it has only three fingers but it is not ideal. The handicap is obvious when we want to use it for heavier task.
The task of churches today is heavy indeed. We therefore have to restore the complete operation of the fivefold ministry by giving the rightful positions of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,
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Pastors and Teachers. We must emphasize that for the fivefold ministry to be effective we must include the lay people. It should never be reduced to a domain for only a select few.
The maturity of the Church of Jesus Christ is at stake and the fulfilling of Christ's command to make Disciples of all nations has yet to be achieved. The churches cannot afford to play church games any more. Let's arise and make every effort to allow God to use us effectively in whichever part of the fivefold ministry that He has for us. Let's fulfill the Great Commission of the Lord without further delay.
Reverend Albert Kang received his Master of Divinity in 1985 from Far East Advanced School of Theology (now known as Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), a Bible Seminary belonging to the Assemblies of God.
God has used him to initiate 16 churches and 3 orphanages in Asia and USA. His first church in Singapore grew from 23 people to 1,700 within six years. For 7 years, he ministered in Cambodia where he planted a Cambodian church and 3 orphanages. He then co-founded a new church in Pittsburgh, PA before returning to Singapore in 2001. Today, his ministry is based in Malaysia and affiliated with High Praise Church in Subang Jaya.
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WE’VE LOST
CHRISTIANITY
by Andrew Strom
Despite the thousands in our mega
churches today, soaking up the warm entertainment offered to them every week,
I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity. Despite the Christian books now found in every Wal-Mart, and the "crossover" of Christian artists into the
mainstream, and our Christian mega-stores and CD´s and
DVD´s and Study-Bibles, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity.
Despite our lavish Cathedrals in the
suburbs (`Charismatic or not) with their pastel hues and comfortable pews, their
projector screens and $30,000 sound systems, I want to put it to you that we
have utterly lost Christianity.
We left it behind somewhere when we shifted our churches from the inner city into
the "comfortable" suburbs. We left it behind when we stopped welcoming the
bums off the street into our meetings and started welcoming only the
"respectable" people. We left it behind when we stopped preaching "take up your cross" and turned the gospel into a success
formula - `Seven Steps to your Best Life Now.´
Somewhere in our comfortable suburban streetscape with its manicured lawns we
lost the real thing. Somehow in our concern
for "property values" and a better `dental plan´ we left it behind. But that is not the worst part of it. The worst part is that we don´t know how to get it back again. Or
perhaps we don´t really WANT to get it back again. The cost simply doesn´t bear thinking about, does it? And so, as we drive around
in our nice shiny cars with our groovy plastic toys, and attend "church" as we
know it twice a week for 2 hours;- As we live a life that is about as unlike Jesus as you
can get, a life of comfort and coddling undreamt of by billions around the world;- a lifestyle in the top 10% of the earth today (-in debt up to our eyeballs all the while) -
the fact is that we don´t really CARE that we have
lost original Christianity, do we? We are too busy, man. Don´t bother us with that kind
of talk.
It will all be OK, the preacher tells us. We will all make it to heaven in the end. We are all "decent" people here. We have "prayed the little prayer". We have `given our heart to the Lord´. But what is this? What is that thundering voice I hear? "DEPART FROM
ME." `But LORD... But LORD....´
"I said - `DEPART FROM ME´. Don´t call me Lord. You never truly lived like I was your
Lord and you know it. For I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you
did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and you
did not visit me...."
What is the essence of true Christianity that we have lost, my friends? It is simply described by James as follows- "Pure
religion and undefiled is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their
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affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (Ja 1:27).
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PRIDE AND PUNISHMENT
By Robert Straube
(Genesis 11:1-9) “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they
stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” Let’s first look closely at the immense pride that directly opposed God’s will. I. Spiritual pride is rebellion against God (Genesis 11:2-4). Human pride, which is expressed by one’s ambition for self renown in defiance of God’s will, is open rebellion against God. We are not talking here about everyday matters that involve some pride, such as being proud of your work, or proud of your appearance, or taking pride in your children, especially when these feelings of pride are in harmony with the overall desire to serve the LORD. But we are talking about spiritual pride, that attitude that robs God of His glory and His rightful place in life, that lives in rebellion of His laws as if they were out of date and inferior, and that chooses to think that the human race can function very well on its own. People do not start off with this rebellious pride, it gradually incubates; they gradually develop in it the more they refuse God and His will. That gradual development of spiritual pride is also reflected in this passage. A. Pride begins with disobedience to God’s word (v. 2). Here we have to look a little at the context of our story. In chapter 9 God instructed the early human family to move out and fill up the earth. But according to Genesis 11, they all came together in the land of Shinar, which is the region of Babylon. They did not do what God told them to do, perhaps
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thinking there was safety in banding together. They thought there was strength in their unity, even though God told them to spread out in the earth. Now if you are reading Genesis through and you come to chapter 10 it will look like the people of the earth did what God had told them, for that chapter describes them in their lands and tribes divided by their families and their languages. But the presence of this chapter in this place is a stroke of genius by the writer. It is common in Hebrew rhetoric to give the conclusion first and then explain how it happened. Here we have the command to spread out in chapter 9, the report of how the tribes spread out in chapter 10, and the explanation of what made them spread out in chapter 11. The evidence for this is that in chapter 10 they were divided by their languages; but chapter 11 takes you back to when they all spoke one language. So eventually they did what God had commanded them to do, but not because they were obedient.
They were scattered because God confused their language so they could not live together. The fact that they lived in all these lands was therefore evidence of divine punishment for their
refusal to obey the command. And the fallout of it was that instead of having a harmonious race living all over the world we have a list of warring nations and clans that do not understand one another and try to control or destroy one another. That is the best that pride can produce in the human race. B. Pride is strengthened by human ingenuity (v. 3). The people were clever enough to survive and thrive, even though they were not doing what God had commanded. They came to Shinar, a plain, and did not have the products with which to build--no stones, no natural mortar. So they made their bricks and gathered asphalt for cement, so that they could make their city and their tower. The text records their enthusiasm and ingenuity: “Come, let’s bake bricks and make them hard.” That was the first step. With that success they then said, “Come, let’s build a city with a tower that reaches into the heavens.” With each success they became more and more independent, and more and more ambitious, ultimately ascending to the heavens. If you read the Babylonian account of the building of the city of Babylon, you will see the immense pride that comes through. The city was considered so glorious that its building was attributed to gods, who then lowered the celestial city from the heavens and placed it in the plain of Shinar. And the tower that is described is the beginning of the building of the ziggurat in Mesopotamia, the stair-step tower with the temple of the high god at the top. For centuries it stood out as the center of Babylonian worship, the rival worship to the true one. Not until the Book of Revelation
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would the Babylonian world system that rivals God be destroyed. C. Spiritual pride is characterized by ambition and fear (v. 4). The text adds the motivation for their building project: they wanted to make a name for themselves, lest they should be scattered across the face of the earth. Fame and fear, the two motivations for their activities. 1. Ambition: The people sought to preserve themselves in strength and thereby make a name for themselves. It is fame at the expense of God’s reputation. The city and the tower would be a monument to their strength and their unity. They would become famous for it, but they did not realize that “the expectations of the wicked will be cut off.” 2. “Making a name” for themselves. This is a disease that we all have from time to time, and it is not always bad. But it becomes evil when we seek all the honor and the glory rather than the honor that comes from God or belongs to God (see John 5:44). History and literature is filled with samples--but we could add samples from our own lives or our own circle of friends. In the ancient Greek and Roman world, Epicurus would have us believe that he was the first ever to find out the truth about things. Palaemon gave out that all learning was born and would die with him. Archimedes, the mathematician, thought that if he had but where to set
his foot, he could move the earth out of its place. Herostratus burnt Diana’s temple for a name. Protagoras, Plato tells us, bragged that he had lived sixty years, forty of them corrupting youth. Tully tells us that Gracchus did all for popular applause, and observes that even those philosophers that wrote of the contempt of glory, have still put their names to their writings to be remembered. And we could add to this list for centuries. Today, political leaders, athletes, entertainers, pulpit kings and the like, as well as now the common person making his run at television reality, want the fame and the glory, even if it is short-lived. And sadly enough, they want renown at any price, even if it means defying and flaunting the laws of God and robbing Him of his
glory and honor. But there is another, rather telling, motivation to this spiritual pride:
3. Fear: The people strengthened themselves in unity out of fear of being scattered across the earth--the very thing God wanted. This dual motivation of ambition and fear is very much like our modern technological
works, or our military or space initiatives, and sadly, most of our mega churches. In our self-sufficiency we do mighty things to gain fame and strengthen our force. Why? Because we are afraid of being destroyed and dispersed.
We want fame. But we are driven by fear. This should tell us right away that we need God, for we cannot live independently of Him for long. In fact,
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not at all, if we but knew the truth behind all that we accomplish. Eventually, though, all such immense and disobedient arrogance will be abased and subjugated by divine intervention, and the proud will be famous for the wrong reasons as what they feared the most will come upon them.
II. Proud rebellion against God will be judged (11:5-8). The judgment from God is what we call “talionic,” that is, the punishment matches the crime, like an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or whatever we sow we will reap. In the second half of the passage we see how God does this, eventually providing a name for them and scattering them across the earth. A. God investigates the activities of arrogant mortals (v. 5). God, of course, knows instantly what everyone is doing. But in this passage God is said to come down to investigate the matter. This is a very bold human description of God; it is as if He wanted a closer look to be sure that what they were doing was wrong. But it is also condescension: no matter how high their tower was constructed, the LORD still had to come down to investigate
it. They may have claimed in time that the city was built by the gods, but God came down to see what the humans were building. So the language reveals careful judgment by God. He knew He was going to judge them, because He knew what they were doing. But the close examination is designed to reveal that God is cautious in judgment. And God’s examination leads to the conclusion that if these people are united and speak the same language, then nothing will be withheld from them. In other words, their unity is their strength, but if their unity is evil, then what they produce will be evil as well. God’s judgment will therefore be a preventive judgment, preventing them from greater evil. B. God chooses to subjugate the proud (vv. 6, 7). So with the observation that if the race was allowed to continue in its ambitions and fears as well as its open defiance of God’s will, it would produce a despotic and oppressive race, God determined to act. God would not allow their collective apostasy to run its course. He will not allow that to happen at any time, especially now. In the passage the description of the divine intervention is designed to mimic their work in the previous verses. God says, “Come, let’s go down . . . , Come, let’s confound . . . .” The choice of these words shows that God’s punishment will be a response to their pride. God will end their rebellion and accomplish His own will by simply confusing their language and thereby destroying their strength. Disunity, with its wars and conflicts, is better than arrogant, collective rebellion against God. In the end of our age the evil one will once again try to unite people under
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a false, “Babylonian” system, only to see it destroyed by God again. God has innumerable ways of showing his displeasure at human folly and sin. He touches a person’s bones, and they are put out of joint; He breathes upon someone’s brain, and such a one is unable to think; He sends the east wind to dry the earth, and the crops fail; He raises the storms, and life is flooded away. He comes in the night and shakes the foundations of someone’s most trusted works, and in the morning there is nothing but a heap of ruins.
He disorganizes a person’s memory, and in an instant that person confuses all the recollections of a lifetime. He touches someone’s tongue, and that afflicted person stammers. He breaks the staff in two, and whoever was leaning on it falls down. He shakes people’s confidence in corporations, and as the prices fall people see what they were trusting in vanishing away. Or, He can withhold His restraining hand, and terror strikes at the heart of our trusted institutions. When will people ever learn that life lived in open defiance against God will not bring lasting security and peace. God will step in and destroy our false security and peace, not because he is mean-spirited, but because he knows
that we need him in order to find true and eternal security. C. God cuts off the expectation of arrogant mortals (v. 8). The text simply reports the effect of God’s judgment: the people were scattered. The cause for the scattering came in the change of their language. In spite of their ingenuity and their strength to overstep God’s boundaries, God shows greater ingenuity and strength by simply confusing their speech. And since they cannot communicate, they are scattered by groups to every part of the world. And the text says that they left off building the city. The unfinished city was a monument to the abasement of the proud Babylonians. Epilogue (11:9) The contrasting ideas of the passage are aptly summarized in the word play in verse 9. They called the name of that place, “Babel” (pronounced bah-vel), which in Babylonian means “the gate of God” (bab-ili). But the text makes a pun on the name to give it its real significance in human memory: “confusion.” The name does not mean “confusion”; but the name sounds like the Hebrew word for “confusion.” And so the text takes the Babylonian name and by a clever word play gives it its true significance. The name stands forever as a monument to their pride ad God’s judgment. His is not the name they wanted to make for themselves, but it is the name they received. Contrast in Genesis 12 how Abram in his obedience followed God, and God promised to make his name great, to make him famous. Conclusion
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The point of this passage in Genesis is crucial. It shows once again how the human race in arrogance openly rebel against God. Genesis 1-11 is the history of that rebellion; and it explains why people need God’s blessing. Here at Babel the race was judged by God in such a way that it is left hopelessly divided and warring with one another, and scattered around the world without a hope for God’s blessing. Out of these scattered nations God will choose one man to make a new nation, an obedient nation, through whom all the families of the earth may be blessed. The message would present a basic principle for that new nation of Israel: all the nations of the world around them were evidence that God would judge the proud. All nations are under His sovereign control. And this new nation of Israel, chosen to be a true theocracy, would likewise find themselves scattered around the world speaking different languages if they rebelled against God in pride. And that is exactly what happened to the nation at the exile and the diaspora.
To us in the modern world the principle remains. Stubborn, rebellious pride will be judged. Any nation that refuses to live by God’s statutes will eventually be
put down, for God will subjugate the proud who rebel against Him. But let’s think for a moment on the personal level. The individual who refuses to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who refuses to follow any of God’s laws, who insists on living a worldly life by his or her own strength, God will judge. Maybe not immediately, for God is patient. The rebel may live a long, full life without God. He or she may find the ambition and be famous. But in the end there is ruin, and no salvation. Edmund Leach warned, “Unless we teach those of the next generation that they can afford to be atheists only if they assume the moral responsibilities of God, the prospects of the human race are decidedly bleak.” And in the judgment, what will happen? The very thing they refused to do they will do, for every knee will bow and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord. God will subjugate the proud who refuse to kneel before Him. But even though they will be forced to acknowledge it, they will have no share in the world to come. Now concerning those of us who have put their faith in Jesus and are trying to follow Him, the warning of this text should ignite in us a resolution to humble ourselves in obedience to God’s word. Christians, being human, also at times become arrogant and rebellious, seeking selfish ambitions and reputations. But nothing escapes the notice of God: He looks at our diaries and our ledgers to see how we are building our lives; and He examines our motives and our attitudes to see whether our aims are rightly and honestly secured. And although God will deal differently with Christians than with the world, He nonetheless will destroy the
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“ivory” towers that we build in defiance of Him. He is no respecter of persons, even in His Church. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons’...” (Acts 10:34 KJV). But when we build our towers, our lives, our jobs, our ministries, our activities, under the conviction that every act and every motive will be examined by God, we may expect our “Christ-centered” lives to be on the solid foundation of His will. Those who humble themselves in this way to do what is pleasing to God, God will exalt and prosper. It is merely a matter of recognizing our total dependence on God and living in obedience to Him.
In Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey expresses his great remorse after realizing that the pursuit of selfish ambition rather than obedience to God brings abasement and ruin (Act III, Scene II): “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition: By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then, The image of his Maker, hope to win by it? Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee;
Corruption wins not more than honesty . . . . Let all the end thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s; then if thou fall’st, O Cromwell, Thou fall’st a blessed martyr! Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, He would not in mine age left me naked to mine enemies.”
Robert Straube is
President of Rock of
Zion Ministries
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UGANDA
Dear
greetings in the name of the lord, we had a
wonderful service and we so the holy spirit
moving to the people of God, I shared the
book of Mark (2:25 to 27) it talks about the
pharisees so they were asking Jesus why his
disciples where breaking the law on the
Sabbath day, but we had praised how Jesus
answered them by telling them the story of
David, then we experienced the power of
God that was moving thus making people to
start giving out there testimony. This week
we kindly ask you to have a moment to
stand with us in prayers because there is no
rain and our plants are getting dry up and
now people are worried because this is the
month of hunger, stand with us in prayers
and have a good week, may God bless you
Pastor Alex
KENYA Dear Bishop Bernie, Wade,
Mercy ministry to the widows and orphans.
The photo you see of kids its poor orphan
children who have lost both parents, they
need education, shelter, medical, clothings,
food, and so that they can enjoy the life like
others. They do sleep on the floor, and life
it’s just a challenge to them, they have never
experienced the love of God.
May God bless you, as you pray?
George.
USA
Bishop Ron Allen*
ICOF Vice President of Substance Abuse and
Intervention
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JULY 1ST, 2013. 8 PM EST FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE All Ministers are invited to participate CALL 218.862.1001 PASS CODE – 680181#
JULY 11th 2013 - 9 AM
ICOF Executive Session Via ICOF Conference Center
218.862.1001 Pass Code 680181#
SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 SPECIAL EVENT
FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE LABOR DAY CELEBRATION
FOOD, FELLOWSHIP, SINGING AND MORE.
LIFE CHURCH
SULPHUR KENTUCKY FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT REBECCA GOINS [email protected]
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502.410.4263 i Reverend Albert Kang. ii Reverend Albert Kang