The Power of Pairs

How Do You Prepare God’s People For Works of Service? Part II

- Question: How do you  “prepare God’s people for works of service”?

I never thought this way before, but maybe one reason for Jesus to send disciples out in pairs was that one disciple was “equipping” the other “to serve” others by first “serving” the one with them by example.  What better way to teach “serving” than by leading by example and serving the one with you. There is power in standing beside someone who is older in the Lord, more mature in the Spirit, and “experience” with them the power of their spiritual walk and journey.

As a 24 year old, I had the opportunity to walk with a man through the streets of my city.  Growing up in a conservative, plain dressed, religious community of faith who believed their lifestyle was their witness, I did not know how to verbalize my faith and “birth” others into the kingdom of God, called evangelism. I use to watch in awe as he would lead others into the kingdom. I have used some of his techniques throughout my life to “birth” others into this kingdom. I am eternally grateful that I got to stand beside this man and learn by his example of “doing it”, not just talking about it.

Jesus led by example, with usually another disciple by his side watching everything he did. He didn’t teach “about” healing; he just healed. His disciples “experienced” the power of healing literally right before their eyes. He didn’t teach “about” God’s, his Father’s, provisions; he just fed the 5,000. He later had to discuss the principles of the kingdom with them to enhance their understanding of what they had seen and experienced. Although he often spoke in parables that only were understood by the power and openness to the Holy Spirit, it was the doing, the actually playing out before his disciples that proved the most effective way to teach.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out together. Barnabas, the older of the two, was known as “the encourager”, just the person needed to balance Pau’s intense personality.  Later Paul would take Mark, Timothy, and others with him, now as the elder, teaching the younger how to advance the kingdom of God.

If we, the Church, are to “equip” or “prepare the saints for service”, maybe we should “pair up” with another Christian for a season to learn from them by experiencing daily activities in life’s journey or to pour into someone else’s spiritual life preparing them for the future.  The price: our time, our availability, our dedication, our unselfish giving, and our unconditional love.

When Jesus paired up the 70 to prepared towns before he would come to them, the results were astounding as Jesus literally saw satan falling from heaven. There is power in preparation, and we must begin to prepare those younger in the Christian faith than ourselves by walking beside them, teaching them what we know through example and experience, equipping them for their life long spiritual journey. That is the principle of power pairing in the kingdom of God.

First, We Must Understand Kings & Kingdoms

 How Do You Prepare God’s People For Works of Service? Part I

My wife is an eternal romantic; “Camelot” is her favorite movie. There is something about a good looking King Arthur, a Lady Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot.  “Camelot” was to be a place of peace, tranquility, and equality as the knights sat around a Round Table to share power. Everything appeared perfect, but a love triangle brings down the kingdom.

Americans know very little about kings and kingdoms. The American Revolution was all about breaking from those traditions, the tyranny of a king and rule by the people, yet today American seems not to have faith in its governing system. The President’s most popular day is his Inauguration Day, his first day in office. After that his popularity drops. Currently only 18% of Americans feel Congress, the rule of the people, is doing its job, yet they fail to “vote the bums out” because they selfishly work to get building projects, roads, government grants, and jobs into their districts, so their constituents keep them in office.  Americans do not know what “submission” as a “subject” to the king really means.

First, you must realize that in a kingdom, everything revolves around the King, the people are only his subjects. The king has all authority, rules, reigns, governs, and judges. As long as you are in the kind’s favor, you are safe, so loyalty to the king is of utmost importance to maintain your life and lifestyle. Bottom line: Everything is done for the good of the kingdom through serving the king.

The king gives his nobles “territories” to govern for the price of loyalty, requiring them to come to the King’s aide in season of battles. The King’s subjects are servants, the doers that keep the kingdom running: the blacksmith, the carpenter, the chambermaids, the knights, the farmers, the weavers, etc. They do their occupations to support the kingdom.

Although King Arthur’s Camelot is but myth, the kingdom of God is reality. John the Baptist, the forerunner, came to announce the coming kingdom by proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus, the King of this kingdom, while on earth, exerted his energies in teaching kingdom of God principles.

 Christians need to understand that there is an actual kingdom of God lead by King Jesus. He gives territories, in the New Testament they are called cities, to his Church to rule and reign, but expects them to unit around himself during spiritual battle.  His subjects, his believers, are to do their common occupations to support the kingdom while developing community.

Jesus, our King, is also our High Priest and our sacrificial lamb. At the Cross he established his kingdom, vertically (Eph. 4:8-10, John 3:16) and is now seated on his Throne ruling and reigning. At the Cross he established his kingdom horizontally (IJohn 3:16) on the principle of laying down your life for your brethren. I contend you can not learn or know how to lay down your life for your brethren until you have learned to lay down your life for your king. “To obey is better than sacrifice,” Jesus said, and obedience is the requirement of every subject in Jesus’ kingdom.  In America, we have the mindset that we would rather be “free” than “obedient”, so it is hard for American Christians to sometime understand the full impact of kingdom theology.

If we, believers in Jesus Christ, Christians, the Church, wish to rule and reign with Christ, we need to learn how to serve our King, Jesus, first and foremost before we can ever learn how to serve our Brethren. If we are willing to be obedient to the King, Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, he will instruct his subjects, believers in Jesus, on “how to” live out kingdom principles, to actually walk them out, not just learn about them. He has prepared the way (through John the Baptist); he has built the road (Is. 57); and he teaches while walking on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24).

The first step in knowing how to “prepare the saints to serve” is to first teach them how to be in loyal submission to their king, Jesus, who will do the instructing through His Holy Spirit from there.

How Do You Do It?

A Mother’s Insight

A comment by my 84 year old mother the other day, “I told our minister the other day that he preached his best sermon. Preachers usually tell you what you should be doing, but they very seldom tell you how to do it,” sparked my thinking.  How true; they teach about forgiveness, but very seldom take you through the steps of how to forgive someone, or about discipleship or sanctification, all big words that mean very little to most people as far as understanding them, but seldom walk with youth through your discipleship process called sanctification to show you by example how to life a Christ-like life. I have heard sermons about the unity of the body of Christ, but it seems no one can tell me how that unity is to be accomplished.

The purpose of the five fold according to Ephesians 4:12-13, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may 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.” (NIV) Following the fallacy of most sermon’s, I just told you “about” the purpose of the five fold to bring unity in the body and the fulfillment of Christ-likeness to each believer, but I didn’t instruct you “how” to do it.  How do you “prepare God’s people for works of service” is what I think the Church must focus upon during this century.

In an effort to address this dilemma, I plan to write a series of blogs about the “how to”, not about the “about”. Not through the typical Christian Book Store approach of buying a “12 Steps Toward Five Fold Success” book, or writing a “15 Steps of Christian Service” magazine article, or establishing an 8 week course on the “8 Steps Toward Christian Living”, but by inviting you to join me in my walk together through “experiencing” the five fold, not just talking about the five fold. I am not sure where this walk will take us, but please join me in this walk together, learning from one another.

“YEAST” DRIVEN BREAD IS “KNEADED”; BUT GOD’S “LIVING BREAD” IS “NEEDED”!

There Ain’t No Pharisees In My Church, Right?

“’Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Matthew 16:11-12

There were two predominate sects in the Jewish faith at the time of Christ, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  The Pharisees would be described today and right wing evangelical fundamentalist in the Church today while the Sadducees would be “the others”, or as in the eyes of the Pharisees, anyone who isn’t like “us”. That pharisaical attitude is alive and well, in fact, alive and strong in the Church today, going far beyond the sects of Christianity that I have pictured.  Every Christian sect thinks they have the inside tract on “true” theology.  That is what makes them different from the rest.  The “proper” discernment of “truth” is what sets them apart from the rest of the body of Christ, as if the rest of the body of Christ is in error.  Hmmmm, 99.99% of the body of Christ is in error, but we are not! Does that make sense when looking at the body of Christ as a whole?

Jesus warned about the “teaching” of the present day institutionalized religious leaders.  In the Jewish tradition, the Talmud, which is an accumulation of “interpretations” of what the Torah was said was larger than the Torah itself.  Take a high level graduate course on “Theology” at a seminary, and you will see what I mean.  The simplicity of the gospel is expounded in complexity as theologian upon theologian proposes their interpretation upon scripture, dissecting it historically, grammatically in Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, or whatever, and against other philosophies and interpretations.  The “yeast” is rising. 

When the children of Israel were freed from centuries of slavery, they did not have time to use “yeast” in their bread, because yeast takes time to rise before it is baked.  They didn’t have “time,” for God was on the move.  Once freed, they didn’t bake bread like they did in Egypt because God supplied “manna,” a godly bread substitute, daily.  They still did not have time to bake bread with yeast, for God was still on the move led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day.  He was on the move 24/7.

“Revival” is when “God is on the move”!  When revival hits, the Church doesn’t have time for committee meetings, counsels, position papers, defining dogma and doctrine, and months and years for seminary training.  God is on the move.  There is no time for the “yeast” to rise!  During revival, the Holy Spirit supplies fresh “manna” daily to his people.  There is no need, nor time, for yeast. 

So what is the “yeast”?  According to Matthew 16:12: “the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” During revival the Holy Spirit becomes the teacher, not the doctrinal church hierarchy of its time.  The Holy Spirit teaches simple truths clearly, powerfully, and quickly to the masses in unity.  These simple truths are what I call the “apostolic” teaching that needs to be reinstated into the Church, the truths that transcends the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ teachings in today’s Church structures. They are the “same” truths for every “sect” or part of the body of Christ, the Church, that do not differ because of the “yeast” of teaching that always brings division and sectarianism in the Church.  They are truths, powerful truths, freeing truths, truths of grace, mercy, and forgiveness, simple truths, easy to understand, easy to apply in one’s everyday life, truths that apply to every believer in Jesus Christ anywhere.  They are truths that unify the body of Christ, not divide, and no one sect or group has the inside scoop on what they are.

As we move toward revival in the Church, these truths will be opposed by the pharisaical “yeast” of our day, the entrenched theology of distinct sects within Christianity.  As we have seen in previous blogs, revival features a “flat world” approach of equality of peers, the priesthood of believers, not a pyramid type clergy/laity structure.  Pyramidal clergy/laity structure produces “yeast” because naturally it has time to “rise”, usually in the form of “traditions”.  Jesus warned of these “traditions of men.”  With time, in a pyramid form of structure, “yeast” will naturally rise.  During revival, there is no time for “yeast”.  The Holy Spirit teaches for that moment in time to his people in that moment of time, the simplicity of the gospel, the good news, to bring freedom from bondage no matter if it is secular or religious.  Religion is leery of revival; the secular unsure of it, but both end up opposing it.  Revival is always on the move!  But once the season of revival is over, with time, the “yeast” sets in to digest, interpret, and theorize the revival, rejecting most of the revival’s universal truths, and implementing some of the truths over the period of several decades when it makes it their norms, although watered down in form and truth. 

Want revival? Beware of the “yeast”!  Prepare to be on the “move” when there is no time for “yeast” for rise.  When in the dessert of daily living, “yeast” bread will bake when heated forming a protective crust, but “manna” bread will bring life, freedom, and must be picked daily.  Old manna rotted. “Yeast” laden bread is “kneaded”, but God’s living bread, daily manna, is really what is “needed” each day because God’s people were on the move. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”  Let me tell you, Jesus’ bread is “yeast”-free, pure manna, Godly nutrient!

New Winds; New Revival: Go With The Flow, Not With The Program

Revivals Instantly Touch Entire Communities; Emergent Movements To The "nth" Power?

Duncan Campbell who witnessed a true revival wrote in his dissertation When God Stepped Down:  Now, you might ask me, "What do you mean by revival"? There are a great many views, held by people today, as to what revival is. So, you hear men say, "Are you going out to the revival meetings?", "We're having a revival crusade", and so on. There's a world of difference, between a crusade, or a special effort in the field of evangelism. My dear people, that is not revival. As I already said from this platform, I thank God for every soul brought to Christ, through our special efforts, and for every season of blessing at our conferences, and at our conventions. We praise God for such movements, but is it not true that such movements do not, (as a general rule) touch the community? The community remains more or less, the same, and the masses go past us to hell, but in revival the community, suddenly becomes conscious of the movings of God; beginning with His own people. So that, in a matter of hours, (not days) in a matter of hours, churches become crowded. No information of any special meeting, but something happening that moves men and women to a house of God, and you'll find within hours, scores of men, and women crying to God for mercy before them that kneel at church. You've read history of revivals, the Jonathan Edward revival in America, that was what happened, and the Welsh revival, that is what happened, and the more recent Lewis revival, that is what happened.

As we, the 21^st Century Church begin to hunger for revival, we need to remember that revival transcends any “program”, any “church structure”, any “preplanning” on our part.  It is a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ by His will while doing it His way at His time.  In the book of Acts it not only happened at the Temple in what the Church now calls Pentecost, but also at the house of Cornelius, by the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch, and even before Christ’s ascension to the women at the well.  At the house of Cornelius it would affect the Jewish culture, at the house of Cornelius the gentile culture, by the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch an entire nation, and at the Temple the entire known civilized world at that time.

Revival changes entire communities, nations, and cultures.  In America The Great Awakening of Jonathan Edward’s time would change the existing American Puritanical church and evangelize an entire scattered frontier.  The Camp Meeting movements under Wesley would grow to over 1,000 of them in one summer.  The drive for righteousness would spur the “prohibition” movement causing alcohol to go underground until the revival fires would die and the church’s complacency would return before it would be repealed.  When revival is in its fruition, it changes the “culture” of cities, states, and entire nations.

The American church is great for programs and networking, trying to create a revival spirit, but usually falling short.  The later part of the 20^th Century saw the ecumenical movement trying to get everyone to “dialogue” in an effort to begin to break down religious walls and barriers.  In the beginning of the 21^st Century the emergent church movement tried to “network” churches and ministries in loose relationships rather than denominational bonds.  Now the social networking culture is forcing the church to think world wide rather than local, regional, or even national, so revival will take on a totally different form than it has in the past, probably in a world wide perspective.  Today’s social networking is in its infancy, also stressing even looser relationships while transcending today’s acceptable church norms.

So what form will revival take to this generation?  Will it be in the wilderness as in Jonathan Edward’s day or in the forests during Camp Meetings in Wesley’s day, on a lonely island as in Duncan’s day, or in farmer’s fields as in Jesus Rallies during the Jesus movement of the 1970’s?  Probably in none of these ways, because when social networking, I discover, at least on this blog, that I get “hits” from 1-4 a.m. in the morning, from the U.K. and Europe as well as from Australia & New Zealand and even Africa.  Our commonality is in the English language, or barriers are only time zones.  Our platform is not the isolated frontier, or the shade of the forests, or on blankets sitting in a farmer’s field, but on the platform of the whole wide world.  With that platform, true revival will not only touch localities and nations, but it could and should touch and affect the entire world. 

The revival Spirit of the 1^st Century touched the “entire known world” of Paul’s day.  The revival Spirit of the 21^st Century will also touch the “entire known world” of our day.  I have studied the great revivals of England and Europe and of America, but know little personally of the revivals in Africa and Asia, but they have also experienced revivals.  In a day when the Muslim religion looks as a threat to the Jewish and Christian religions, there needs to be a movement of God that transcends all of these religions whose heritage is traced to the same man, Abraham, and to the same God, the God of Abraham who went to sacrifice his son on what is today the Temple Mount. At the same geographical locations where the original Pentecost took place stand a Muslim Mosque, the Jewish Wailing Wall, a remnant of Herod’s Temple, and Golgotha, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion as well at the empty tomb at the base of the Mount.  Three religions all fighting for the same geographical square mile, yet holding world wide influence. Why couldn’t or wouldn’t God’s all powerful, all present Spirit transcend all three religions in the greatest revival in history to usher back Jesus’ Second Coming? 

America, quit being self centered, wishing for revival to hit only America.  Who knows what “world wide revival” will look like, nor the scope of its power, but church beware, prepare, and be open to what is about to occur: the greatest revival under the banner of the God of Abraham, through His Son, Jesus Christ, lead by the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.  It will be in a new form.  You will be forced to accept it or reject it. Two at the millstone; one accepts one rejects. Who will you be?

A Preparation For Expansion

A Look at Kent Hunter’s “The Future Is Now: How God Is Moving In The 21^st Century Church 

I came across an ebook by Kent R. Hunter of Church Doctor Ministries entitled “The Future Is Now: How God Is Moving In The 21^st Century Church.”  I would like to quote from this source since it is so good, and then add a few of my analysis to it. 

From Chapter 14 – Christian Impact Beyond Human Explanation, Hunter says:  “Christians will be stretched to think deeper, larger, and faster. Get ready for the explosive growth of Christianity. Christianity, when released as an epidemic — a Jesus epidemic — grows in exponential proportions. It is connected with signs and wonders, and people become Christians faster than churches can keep track of them. While most Christians in North America have never experienced this, many of us who have traveled widely have seen this frequently. Most Christians in North America have never been in churches where people cannot get in for lack of room. They have not seen situations where many are standing outside open windows, taking notes as the teacher presents. Some of us who have had the privilege of being involved with great moves of God in Africa, the former Soviet Union, South America, the Philippines, and elsewhere have experienced Christian impact beyond human explanation. This is what revival looks like. Now is the time to prepare, so limited expectations do not hinder the ability to catch God’s wave of action.”

With revival always comes explosive expansions, not only supernaturally, but also in numbers.  I remember going to Jesus 76 where Ern Baxter invited “any young man who wanted to grow spiritually to be used in the kingdom of God” to come to this huge circus tent during the noon hour to hear him speak.  It was originally billed as a “youth pastors/youth workers” seminar, but Ern felt lead by the Holy Spirit to expand the invitation.  He was shocked when he came out on stage to a packed circus tent that was three to five people deep beyond the tents boundaries.  Revival was occurring among men under the age of 30 who were hungry for God and wanted to be used of God to further His kingdom.

The institutional church was not “prepared” for the move of God came through what has been labeled the Charismatic movement; in fact, the institutional church fought against it, and often subtly still does.  It is a matter of who is in control, we, the church, or the Holy Spirit?  But how do you prepare for a spiritual explosion, a sudden expanse of spiritual life as well as growing numbers?  How did the newly birthed Church recorded in the book of Acts after Pentecost handle 3,000 being saved at once?  How did the Church in Africa handle the thousands who were saved when hundreds of thousands of people showed up for major evangelistic crusades? How is the Church to prepare for this revival for which they have been praying for decades?

I believe one of the tools of preparation for the next revival is acknowledging, accepting, being receptive, and developing the five fold in the body of Christ.  Revival is always birthed out of spirit of evangelism.  We need “to equip the saints for the work of service,” so when revival hits, God’s people, the priesthood of believers, will be equipped to handle the masses, to care for them, nuture them, develop them through the pastoral shepherding spirit of the five fold.  In the book of Acts we keep hearing how they broke break in each other homes, met needs when they arose, sold real estate properties for the common good, etc.  We need five fold teachers to teach apostolic principles of truth about the kingdom of God to all these new converts to ground them in the Logos Word, the Bible.  We need to prepare and release the prophets to teach these new converts how to make the Logos Word the Rhema, the living Word, how to commune with the living God, and how to hear the voice of God for themselves and be obedient to that Word.  Finally we need to equip this revival with apostles who “see over” the lives of the individuals who are swarming to the Church as the Church equips them to mature into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, as well as “see over” the Church as a whole, not with a controlling spirit, but as an accepting spirit of what the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is doing to bring unity to his Bride, the body of Christ, the Church.

Yes, I hear Hunter’s call for preparation, and encourage the Church to embrace the five fold, birth the five fold, and allow the five fold to develop under the leading of the Holy Spirit to the priesthood of believers.  God sent John the Baptist to the earth with one message, “Prepare ye the way”, which instead of King James but in today’s terms means, “You need to prepare for what is coming!”  Jesus sent the 70 out before him to “prepare the way” for when he comes.  The Spirit of Jesus Christ is again heralding the cry to “prepare the way.”  Let’s embrace the five fold as a way the Church could prepare the way, so it can equip the saints for “works of service” for when the next revival does hit, the next wave of unexpectancy hits, when the Church could be overwhelmed by the results of the revival, or when the Church rejoices with the “expected” revival because it has prepared.

Equipping Series – Part VI: Accountability In The Church

 “Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service Through Accountability:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface effectively in all believers to bring maturity and unity to the Body of Christ?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If you allow each of the five fold to arise as a separate entity, you have set yourself up for church splits, theological battles, divisions, and spiritual anarchy in the Church which has been the pattern historically for centuries.  How can five passions that are so different and can be so divisive if practiced alone, be so powerful and unifying to the Body of Christ, His Church?  The answer is in one word: accountability. 

Each of the five must be accountable to the other four through service, through humility, with a spirit of receiving not rejecting, with a spirit of encouragement not criticism, with open accepting arms, not closed ones in opposition. In short, practicing I John 3:16-18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in the truth.”  I am tired of the Church talking about unity, claiming to be one Church under Jesus Christ, but never practicing it.  The Church needs to take "actions" in the "truth" of the gospel and start brining maturity to its believers and unity to the Body.

In other words, we can’t “pick up” anything until we “lay it down”.  Let’s lay down our lives, lay down our previous mindsets, lay down traditions, lay down previous theologies that have divided the Body of Christ, lay down our defensive critical spirits towards other camps, groups, etc. under the banner of Christianity.  Let’s lay them on the altar of as an act of worship.  Allow Jesus to do with them as He wills: either burn up and destroy them, or like Daniel’s personal experience in the lion’s den, protect them and allow them to arise with life, or make them totally new and give them back to us.  Allow the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ then to teach, implement, and develop in the Church what Jesus’ will is for that which you have been willing to lay down.   Jesus had to lay down his life in order to become resurrected.  The Cross always precedes resurrection.  Let’s lay down horizontally everything in our spiritual and physical lives and allow the supernatural power of God, vertically, to intersect, invade that which we laid down, horizontally, and we have “The Cross”.  Only through The Cross whose vertical intersection (John 3:16) of our horizontal relationships with our own brethren (I John 3:16) can bring the humbleness, the brokenness, that which is needed to make five different passionate points of view to “see in unity” in the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”, the Church, as a whole!

Each of the five fold must serve the other four in humility, to minister to their points of weakness, so they can be effective in their callings, their missions, their passions.  Each of the five fold must allow the other four to serve them in humility, to minister to their points of weakness, so they can be strong and effective in their mission, calling, and passion in the Kingdom of God.  Accountability comes through giving and taking through service!  Each must give through service to the other four and receive through service from the other four in order for the five fold to be effective.

The Church has not seen this kind of accountability since its birth centuries ago, for this form of accountability is not through hierarchal leadership but broken servanthood from and to one another, nor is it through power or position but through equality.  You not only use your passion to serve others but are freed to develop, grow, and use your passion by being served by other brothers/sisters in the Lord.  No one passion or point of view is “the leader” or “the head” under this form of accountability, but is shared jointly and rises to leadership only when called upon by the Holy Spirit.  When the spirit of evangelism is needed, the evangelist will arise with the backing of a pastor/shepherd, teacher, prophet, and apostle and will be free to minister in their evangelistic calling.  When the spirit of shepherding, of teaching, of prophecy, and the apostolic spirit is needed, they can arise with the backing and support of the other four.  Their backs are always covered while being free to do what they do best, their passion to serve Jesus Christ in his gifting to them!  What a refreshing, healthy, harmonious way to minister.

Although we do not see it in our current system of leadership and hierarchy in our church structures, the five fold can become a reality when everyone is willing to lay down their lives for each other.  That happened in the book of Acts where they freely gave, freely received, freely ministered, and felt freedom and support when the Holy Spirit released them into ministry. Trusting the lead of the Holy Spirit individually and corporately is the key to the effectiveness of this accountability system and the power behind its success.

My prayer is that we, the Church, embrace what already exists in our churches, the evangelistic, pastoral, teaching, prophetic, and apostolic spirits which already exist in its individual believers in Jesus, begin to lay them down on the altar, relinquish control to the Holy Spirit, allowing our Supernatural God to vertically dissect our horizontal world of relationships, The Cross, to produce a powerful resurrected Church. Let's quit talking about it; let's just do it! 

Equipping Series – Part V: Apostles

“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Apostles:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the apostolic spirit that is in all believers?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If there was ever a time in Church history for one to be called to “see over” what the Holy Spirit is doing in the body of Christ, to release the various giftings in the Body of Christ, to bring maturity to individual Christians into the likeness and image of Jesus Christ, to bring unity to the Bride of Christ to usher in his return, it is now!  So, how can we, the 21^st century Church allow the creative apostolic spirit to arise in believers, aiding, caring, developing, and then releasing him to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others.  I only offer a few suggestions:

The Price Is Heavy:  Read in the gospels what it cost Saul when he became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles: ridicule, rejections, being stoned near death several times, constant conflict, opposition, and travel.  He had to “die to self” in order to “live in Jesus Christ.”  I personally believe the only way five different passions and points of view can be effectively used in unity is by those involved practicing I John 3:16, “laying down your life for your brethren.”  To be an apostle you major in death to bring life, a heavy price.  You have to lay down your life for your brethren to give them life; lay down your giftings to allow your brethren’s giftings to arise and be released; laying down doing it yourself to let others develop, grow, and mature into the image of Jesus Christ, and lay down your personal life to see the Body of Christ corporately have life in unity.  It is an awesome price!

“Seeing Over”, Not “Oversight”, An Issue Of Control:  A Christian with a true apostolic calling enjoys “seeing over” what the Holy Spirit is doing, and constantly releasing the Holy Spirit to do so.  They lose all control to the Holy Spirit, instead listening to the still small voice prophetically to the Holy Spirit, being grounded in the Logos Word, while teaching how the Rhema Word is the living Logos Word, exemplified through his own life, while caring for, nurturing and developing the saints towards maturity in Jesus Christ, while allowing birthing, newness, and renewal to always be present in the Body of Christ.  They give up all control to the Holy Spirit, only to be obedient to Him!  If the Holy Spirit is to be in control, the apostles must forfeit all control.

The Power Of Releasing Others, Not Doing It Yourself:  Want it done right?  Then it is easier to do it yourself, at least until you become overwhelmed with too much to do!  The apostle oversees the nurturing and developing of the corporate body of Christ by overseeing the nurturing and developing of individuals in the body of Christ towards their “maturity” in the likeness of Christ.  The most powerful tool an apostle has is that of “releasing”: releasing the Holy Spirit to teach and minister, releasing individual members in the body of Christ to use their passions and points of view for “service”, and releasing the Body of Christ as a whole in its efforts to become the Bride of Christ.  Apostles can birth, can nurture, can teach, can give revelation of Jesus Christ to individuals and the body, but chose not to do so in order to release others to do it!  This way the Church grows.

A Wider Visions:  An apostle can not help himself, because it is not at all about him personally, only his vision, his passion, how he pictures the Body of Christ as a whole.  If Jesus is exemplifying and revealing who He is on the earth right now through His Church, then the apostle must see the Body of Christ as a Revelation of Jesus Christ!  An apostle is allowed to see this wide vision, because that is who he is in Jesus.

Release The Apostle:  The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE!  You have equipped the apostolic for the “works of service”, so let them serve!  Let them do what drives them: Release the five different passions and points of view for the maturity of believers in Jesus Christ to be like Jesus Christ and the Church to be unified to be the unified Body of Christ!  As he released the other four, they will effectively serve the body and mature in Jesus. Release them. Will we ever think one is “ready” to be an apostle? Probably not, for apostles have awesome responsibilities and insights. Will they make mistakes? We hope not, but the answer, of course is yes, we all do. Peter majored in mistakes when leading the infant, newly born, developing, but listening Church in the 1^st century.  Submission and service is a two way street, and the apostle will serve and be served by the other four bringing unity and accountability to the Church.  Church, lets equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the apostle bringing accountability and unity, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!

Equipping Series – Part IV: Prophets

“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Prophet:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the prophetic spirit that is in all believers?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If it weren’t for the prophet, heresies, or cults would thrive in the body of Christ, dead religion would reign instead of a living church, and the spiritual revelation of “Jesus Christ” would be lost to academia and a political system as occurred in the Dark Ages when the prophetic word was silenced.  So, how can we, the 21^st century Church learn from the past, and allow the creative prophetic spirit to arise in believers, aiding, caring, developing, and then releasing him to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others.  I only offer a few suggestions:

Be Grounded in the Logos Word: Like the five fold teacher, the prophet too must be grounded in the Logos World.  If their “prophetic revelations” do not line up with the Logos Word, then they are in error.  The purpose of the prophet is to bring “revelation” to the Logos Word, and that must always be “revealing Jesus Christ”, who and what He is, and his fulfillment of the Logos Word.  Jesus is the alpha & omega, the first and last Word, so all “revelation” should be about him!

Don’t Be A Samuel, The Only One Hearing The Voice Of God:  The most effective five fold prophet will be one who teaches each and every believer in Jesus Christ that he/she can hear God for themselves.  In a time of darkness and dryness in Israel, only Samuel heard the voice of God.  But today, the veil in the Temple has been rent; God’s spirit and voice is no longer confined to the priesthood of Israel, but to all believers in Jesus Christ.  If God’s Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is in you, then the voice of God is in you.  Prophets need to teach all believers how to hear that inner voice and be obedient to it.  Being in God’s “rest” is learning how to prophetically stop, look, and listen to that inner voice, then practice obedience.  As Jesus would say, “it is written, ‘to obey is better than sacrifice.’”  This is a prophet’s contribution to the five fold.

Your Mission Is To Bring Revelation of Jesus Christ.  Do It Practically, Not With You Head Stuck In The Heavenlies:  I have heard some prophets give utterances in prophetic “jargon” that only those who claimed to be prophets could understand.  Again “practicality” is far more effective than “religious jargon.”  The prophet should try to make the “revelation of Jesus Christ” that they attained to be as understandable by all in the body of Christ than just among their band of prophets.  As the saying goes, “one can be too heavenly minded for our earthly good.”  The prophetic is powerful: the practical revelation of one’s life, like the Woman at the Well, the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit falling on Jew and Gentile, and the understanding of a practical experience in the terms of a “revelation of Jesus Christ” to them that is scripturally sound!  When this gift is misused, it ushers in disastrous results, but when used practically, insightfully, in a humble spirit of service, it is one of the most powerful ones in the body of Christ.

Releasing The Prophet:  The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE!  You have equipped the prophet for the “works of service”, so let them serve!  They can serve the lost through prophetic evangelism or the Church by revealing Jesus Christ in a living way.  Let them do what drives them: Serve the Body of Christ through Revelations of Jesus Christ!  Don’t place restraints on them that the other four in the five fold could do for them.  They need not have to birth, nurture, teach, or see over developing Christians.  The passions of the others can aide them in the development of Christians spiritually by releasing them to teach the body how to hear the voice of the Lord personally and corporately and be obedient to what they have seen or heard.  Release them.  Will we ever think one is “ready” to be a prophet? Probably not; will they make mistakes? Yes, of course, we all do, but the evangelist will energize them through their excitement for birthing, the pastor/shepherd will nurture and care for them, the teacher will ground them in the Logos Word, and the apostle will give proper oversight, “seeing over” what and how the Holy Spirit is doing in the prophet’s life.  The prophet will submit to the ministry of the other four as they minister to him bringing proper accountability in his/her life.

Church, let equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the prophet bringing accountability, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!

Equipping Series – Part III: Teachers

“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Teacher:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the teaching spirit that is in all believers?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If it weren’t for the teacher to teach and set a standard through the Logos Word, The Bible, there would be chaos and no foundation of one’s faith. How can we, the 21^st century Church allow the creative teaching spirit to arise in believers, aiding, caring, developing, and then releasing him to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others.  I only offer a few suggestions:

Be Grounded in the Logos Word:  A five fold teacher must be Biblically based, a disciplined reader of the Bible, a hungry student of the Bible, and one willing to have the “revelation” of “truth”, a revelation of “Jesus Christ”, by the Holy Spirit who Jesus promised would teach you “all things.”  Loving to memorize the Bible is an effective tool.  “Knowing” in his “knower” that he “knows” that he “knows” the Word, the Bible, will allow him to quote scripture whenever needed.

Minister out of the Rhema Word:  But working out of just knowing scripture will only bring “legalism,” making him a Pharisee, like Saul before he became Paul.  A five fold teacher must Live the Logos Word, which I call the Rhema Word, the living out in practical daily life.  Jesus wants us to not only be hearers of the Logos Word, but doers, of the Rhema Word.  Jesus wants a “living gospel” with power from on high.  Jesus “lived out” the gospel to a tee, fulfilling the Logos Word by being the Rhema Word to mankind.  The five fold teacher must live out what he teaches in his daily life, or all is in vain.  Saul, the Pharisee who knew and could quote his Logos Word, became Paul, the apostle, who lived out the Rhema Word of a crucified, yet resurrected and empowered Savior, Lord, and King.

Teach Out of Practical Experience, Not Academic Theology: Jesus never founded a Theological Seminary, Bible College or School, nor training center, not even a Rabbinical Center.  He just walked with 12 men teaching spiritual Kingdom of God principles through practical living.  He took them to harvest fields to teach them about the sower & the seed, to the sea of Galilee to teach them faith by walking on water, taking them in the midst of a hungry multitude to teach them his Father’s provisions by feeding the 5,000, and making them visit an empty tomb to teach them the power of the resurrection.  If it wasn’t practical experience, it wasn’t spiritual truth.  That is the difference between the five fold teacher and today’s academically driven Biblical teachers.  You not only need to be able to quote the scriptures, but more importantly teach their principles by living them out!  Jesus, the Teacher, is the prime example of how to do it.

Releasing The Rhema Five Fold Teacher:  The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE!  You have equipped the teacher for the “works of service”, so let him serve!  Let the teacher teach through service, practically living out the gospel. Let them do what drives them: Teach by doing!  Don’t tie a noose of academia around their neck demanding academic degrees.   Don’t place restraints on them that the other four in the five fold could do for them.  They need not have to birth, nurture, give prophetic insight, or see over developing Christians.  The passions of the others can aide them in the development of these baby Christians by releasing them to teach and live the Word.  Release them.  Will we ever think one is “ready” for teaching? Probably not; will they make mistakes? Yes, of course, we all do, but the evangelist will energize those with calling to teach through their excitement for birthing, the pastor/shepherd will nurture and care for them, the prophet will continually refresh his teaching spirit, and the apostle will give proper oversight, “seeing over” what and how the Holy Spirit is doing in the teacher’s life.  The teacher will submit to the ministry of the other four as they minister to him bringing proper accountability in his/her life.

Church, let equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the teacher bringing accountability, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!

Equipping Series – Part 2: Pastor/Shepherds

“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Pastor/Shepherd:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the pastoral spirit and gifts that are in all believers?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If it weren’t for the spiritually birthing process of the pastor/shepherd, most of us would never have grown in Jesus Christ with the goal of “maturing into the image of Jesus Christ.”  We needed “a spiritual mommy or daddy” to model and guide us through this new walk of faith in Jesus.  That pastor/shepherding spirit is in all who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord.  How can we, the 21^st century Church allow the creative pastoral spirit to arise in believers, aid in nurturing it, caring for it, developing it, and then releasing it to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others.  I only offer a few suggestions:

Begin With The Gift Of Hospitality:  Just open up your home and practice the scripture, “I was a stranger, and you invited me in…”  (Read my book I Was A Stranger And… Get out of print copies on Amazon.com for pennies!) When you make people feel like part of the family, they become comfortable. If they are new converts, you can model the Christian walk, help them practice their new faith, walk out spiritual principles in their daily lives, and build a bond that is special in the Family of God.  I opened my apartment when I was single and got results!  Just as your home may be a comfortable atmosphere to share the gospel, your home is an excellent atmosphere in developing a walk in faith with  “new” family members.

Hanging Out, Listening, Caring, & Empathy Makes A Good Bar Tender: Often I think of Bars as “secular churches” and bar tenders as their “pastors”.  Bar tenders don’t judge; they will sell a beer to anyone.  While wiping glasses they are great listeners, showing empathy, often very caring.  When you cry in your beer, they listen, nod, showing care and concern. They only give advice to those who seek advice. Those who frequent the bar become like family.  The old TV sitcom Cheers so effectively showed that aspect as its viewers were drawn into their family, knowing the characters as if friends.  When someone comes to your home do you stay nonjudgmental no matter what or who they are, listen, show empathy, care, and concern, and only give advice and opinions when asked? We, as pastor/shepherds, who to have more to offer than bars must impact our culture.  Ask the Holy Spirit how you can be hospitable to everyone and anyone.

The Pastoral/Shepherding Spirit Is In Investment: As a public school teacher, I look at every student as an investment in the future of America, the future of our local community, and the future of each and every life of every student that comes under my care and influence.  The Church must look at each new believer as an “investment” in the Kingdom of God.  Your nurturing, caring, counseling, talk with, listening to, aiding, and developing of every believer placed into your care to help grow into maturity, that is in to the fullness of Jesus Christ, is a monumental calling of time, patience, sacrifice, and care that only one with a pastoral/shepherding spirit can handle through the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Price: Time!  Being there 24/7, when needed, is a demand that new Christians pose.  Jesus spent 3 years teaching pastoral skills to his disciples by walking with them daily. Most of the time they fumbled, fell, look like men lacking faith, fighting amongst each other, yet Jesus knew what he was doing “in their development”, for he “nurtured” and “developed” them into becoming the pillars of the Kingdom of God.  They were quite an investment! If you are a Christian, take time to thank those “spiritual parents” who helped you are your spiritual journey, your faith walk, for they were truly five fold pastors/shepherds.

Practicality - Being Real Rather Than Religious:  Being an effective pastor/shepherd is one willing to drop their “religiousity” to become “real”.  Changing a flat tire without swearing is more effective than quoting scripture to the tire.  People want “real” faith exemplified through “real” people, not through people with religious facades.  Some of the best ways to disciple someone is by just being practical.  Help someone learn how to get a job, write a proper resume, and practice an interview.  Teach males in their 20’s how to properly respect women, do the right things to impress them, serve them, show care for them, not dominate and be macho about it.  Teach females in their 20’s how to be attractive physically without being provocative or a stumbling block, how to take care of their home and later possibly a family, how to develop self worth, etc. These are good pastoral skills. Just be real and practical.

Release The Pastor/Shepherd:  The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE!  You have equipped the pastor/teacher for the “works of service”, so let them serve!  Let them do what drives them: Nurture, develop, care, aide, basically serve others in an effort to help them mature into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Don’t place restraints on them that the other four in the five fold could do for them.  They need not have to birth, teach, give prophetic insight, or see over new converts.  The passions of the others can aide them in the development of these baby Christians.  Release them.  Will we ever think one is “ready” for ministry? Probably Not; will they make mistakes? Yes, of course, we all do, but the evangelist will energize those with pastoral callings through their excitement for birthing, the teacher to teach truth into the pastor/shepherd’s life, the prophet continually refreshing the pastoral/shepherding spirit, and the apostle to give proper oversight, “seeing over” what and how the Holy Spirit is doing in the pastor/shepherd’s life.  The pastor/shepherd will submit to the ministry of the other four as they minister to him bringing proper accountability in his/her life.

Church, let equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the pastor/shepherd bringing accountability, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!

Equipping Series: Part I - Evangelists

“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Evangelist:

I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them.  So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the evangelistic spirit that is in all believers?  That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.

If it weren’t for the spiritually birthing process of the evangelist, most of us would never have heard the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and how it would transform our lives, dramatically.  That evangelistic spirit is in all who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord.  How can we, the 21^st century Church allow the creative evangelistic spirit to arise in believers, then help to nurture it, care for it, develop it, and then release it to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others.  I only offer a few suggestions:

Walk The Walk With Believers:  Actually invite those you are mentoring, preparing, and equipping to bring forth the evangelistic spirit to your home to have an informal time of conversation, modeling how you can talk about one’s faith, how you can have people share their narrative stories about their faith or lack of faith, and what to do with their responses.  Model how to bring the conversation back to Jesus and our need for Him, inviting your guest to accept Jesus as a friend, a listener, a savior, a lord, a care taker, etc.  Show scripture like “The Romans Road”, so you know how Biblically to lead to salvation, if needed.  Encourage them after they make a decision for Jesus to share their new narrative with someone else to solidify their experience.  Then welcome them back A.S.A.P. to share their new walk with you.  If you model the power of one-on-one evangelism, they will feel more comfortable when they are placed in that situation.

Live The Walk, Inviting One To Walk With You:  Most people are lead to the Lord by personal contact with a believer.  Believers must walk the walk in their daily lives and walk with others in theirs.  Walking beside nonbelievers in their daily walk allows you to build trust, help them when they fall, practice your faith in needed situations, and learn to just be “real” with people, not “religious”.  Soon they will see a difference, hopefully, in our life compared to their, and a need for a savior and a change, and then have a model from which to begin their new walk when they feel the need for Jesus.  The price: time!  This method takes “time” and “commitment”, but the results are astounding and fruitful.  Practice this living out your walk around the fellowship of believers as your equipping process before being released to walk it out with non-believers.

Personal Narratives Are Powerful:  We all have a story, a personal narrative, an unique tale that pertains only to us, created by us, and lived by us.  No one else has your story, but there can be some commonalities to everyone’s stories.  Personal narratives allow people to know who you are, how you became that person, and what is important to you because of your story.  In other words, it exposes you, makes you vulnerable, and allows others to see who you were B.C., Before Christ, and after you have known him.  The most powerful evangelistic tool you have is your story because it is how you lived life, and its meaning to you.  You don’t need tracts, nor huge Crusade meetings in sports venues, nor Billy Graham television reruns.  All you need is your own story, for it is powerful, meaningful, which offers life, the life in Jesus you now live.  Practice telling your story to believers as an equipping process to build up your confidence and comfort level.

Birthing Is A Process, Not A Religious Practice:  A true evangelist majors in birthing!  They love new things.  They love starting new things.  New project stimulate them.  Taking someone or something from the “old” to the “new” brings them joy.  Allow people whose evangelistic spirit has risen to birth, start, initiate prayers, visions, insights, and directions that the local congregation as a whole is doing.  Their contribution to the “body of Christ” is not just “biological evangelism”, but the entire birthing process.  They know how to handle “birthing pains”, spiritual contractions.  They can be like Barnabas, the encourager, because they can encourage one to see the birth beyond the birthing pains.  They have a vital role in the body to the body of Christ.

Release The Evangelist:  The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE!  You have equipped the evangelist for the “works of service”, so let them serve!  Let them do what drives them: Birth!  Don’t place restraints on them that the other four in the five fold could do for them.  They need not have to shepherd, teach, give prophetic insight, or see over new converts.  Their passion is to win the lost and birth things in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  Release them.  Will we ever think one is “ready” for ministry? Probably not, for we are called to just let them “do it” after being hearers and seers of what they were to do!  Will they make mistakes? Yes, of course, we all do, but that is the role of the shepherd to give pastoral advice and direction to the evangelist, the teacher to teach truth into the evangelist’s life, the prophet to refresh the evangelist’s spirit, and the apostle to give proper oversight, “seeing over” what and how the Holy Spirit is doing in the evangelist’s life.  The evangelist will submit to the ministry of the other four as they minister to him bringing proper accountability in his/her life.

Church, let equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the evangelist bringing accountability, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!