WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHURCH

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A major issue afflicting the Church is the “clergy-laity mentality.” It is a pervasive mindset where the paid clergy leads the church and they are called “pastors.” They do most of the ministry work and laypeople serve the ministry of that pastor.

The Apostle Paul writes that the Church, the household of God, is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20

Paul continues that the Lord gave fivefold offices for the edification of the Church, specifically

“apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip his 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 4:11-12

All five of these gifts are needed and on a broad-based level, you need the apostles and prophets working together, hearing from God together. To use military terminology: apostles [are] the generals. The prophets being the seers, they’re the ones getting the intel [from God],

For a local church, there needs to be impartation from all those gifts, equipping from all those offices to equip people to minister to those who are not part of the Church, not just to minister to each other. The apostles are the builders, the church-planters, those who are trainers and equippers. And the prophetic is to come alongside them to help guide and speak to that — what is the Lord saying right now in the present. All five offices are needed to work together so that the Church can hear the full counsel of God.

 

Episcopal church ordains lesbian Bishop

Unfortunately, the institutional church came up with the model of training one man, then one man or woman and now transgender as well to be the pastor/leader of the church. This model is not Biblical and is in fact the apostate church Jesus (Matthew 24:12) and Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 ) spoke of as one of the “end times” signs. It has no understanding of the fivefold gifts working together to see each and every believer functioning and bringing the Kingdom into their workplace, in the marketplace, into their school, then a greater expression of Jesus is manifested in society. What is needed is small-a apostles?

Larry Kreider of DOVE International — an interdenominational global family of churches and ministries on six continents believes that an apostolically inclined small-a apostle is motivated by and is thinking on a macro, big-picture level, and wants to see the Kingdom of God extend across their city, state, region, nation and world. As with any other spiritual gift and vocations, this gifting is to be called out and affirmed by others in the Body of Christ. To function in these gifts, one needs to see the gifting’s in others, It’s not just someone who prophesies or carries a prophetic gift, but someone who trains up and pours into others so they can mature spiritually. 

This is truly the church as described in the Book of Acts and will be the church that overcomes during the tribulation in the last days before Jesus returns “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death.” Revelation 2:10-11

FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH BUILT UPON APOSTLES AND PROPHETS

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The bible says that the foundation of the church is built upon apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone.

“You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

Today’s religious system has primarily built churches on the three offices modern believers are comfortable with—pastors, teachers, and evangelists; as powerful as that is, this is not the foundation Christ established. Why? One reason can be found in a simple definition of the word apostle and prophet. The word apostle relates to a mission or sent one, and the word prophet relates to some type of vision. We need prophets and prophecy because it is how God chose to build his church.

“In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28) 

God’s plan all along was a generation of sons and daughters that could hear his voice, see like He sees, feel His heart, and know what to do. 

God has made it possible through the love of the Father, the sacrifice of Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower every human being so that they can share in fulfilling the prayer Christ taught us to pray that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Worth repeating: God the Father through the atoning work of Jesus has provided all believers with the indwelling Holy Spirit to equip us all for the good works He has preordained for us to do. He wants us all to be armed and equipped with a mission and a vision. 

“Why am I on this earth?” is one of the great questions of life. God has made it possible with the indwelling Holy Spirit to not only know the answer to that question but to be empowered to carry out the work He wants us to do.

However, each day we need to submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Just as Jesus said to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not My will, but Your will be done”, likewise, we need to submit daily to the Holy Spirit so that we don’t grieve Him or quench His work in our lives

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20

Let me give a plug for my book to those of you who are called to business – Build a Kingdom Business – Empowered by the Holy Spirit, It is available on Amazon as a ebook or from me (ron@bakb.com.au) as a trade paperback book.