Acting Like Our Father

The Holy Spirit tells us through the Apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1) This is not just some casual statement that Paul is making. He literally means that believers are to copy God's actions and speech exactly. It means to act like God Himself. Now for many, this may seem difficult to believe or it might even seem absurd, but there lies the problem, not agreeing with God's Word. Jesus tells a parable that reveals why many people have such a difficult time believing God's Word. He tells us a parable that we have entitled "The Parable of the Soils." He reveals some important information concerning this particular parable by asking two questions, "...Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?" (Mark 4:13) So, why is this parable so important for believers to understand? Let's see...

Jesus starts the parable by saying, “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow." (Mark 4:3) To get a better understanding of this parable, let us look at Jesus' explanation of it a piece at a time. "The sower sows the word" that is, the Word of God. (Mark 4:14) Simply put, to sow is to scatter (seed) over the ground for growing. In this parable the ground in which God's Word is to be sown, is the human heart, man's spirit, for the purpose of "growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) James tells us to, "...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul." (James 1:21) The more a believer sows God's Word, the more they become imitators of God. The Apostles Paul also says, "...being transformed into the same image (of the Lord) from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Unfortunately, for many believers, they are quick to gloss over this highly important point in this parable. Let's look at why this is so.

In Genesis chapter one we see the account of creation. Nine times we see, "then God said." (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29) In the earth ministry of Jesus, the Son of God, Jesus tells us, "...Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19) "...I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things." (John 8:28) "...I always do those things that please Him (the Father)." (John 8:29) "I speak what I have seen with My Father..." (John 8:38) "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." (John 12:49-50) Without doubt, Jesus was imitating God the Father in His words and actions. Do you see the pattern here? "God said...and it was so." (Genesis 1:3, 7, 9, 11, 14, 20-21, 24, 26-31) Jesus only spoke the words of the Father and I might add, it too, was so. 

It is no different for the believer. Believers are to be imitators of our Heavenly Father just like Jesus was during His ministry on earth. This is one of the most important areas for the believers life, sow (speak) God's Word continuously. Moses went to Pharaoh a number of times and spoke God's Word to Him in saying, "The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you saying, Let My people go..." (Exodus 7:16, 8:1, 20, 9:1, 13, ) If we fully read this account, we will see that Moses continually spoke God's Word, the Word eventually prevailed over the circumstances and the children of Israel were released from their bondage. (Exodus 12:31) But it did not stop there. The power behind God's Word spoken from the lips of Moses unleashed ten plagues that covered Egypt, but had no effect on the children of Israel (Exodus 7 - 12) Also, Israel left Egypt with their possessions, all of the Egyptians wealth, (Exodus 12:31-36) and the entire nation had perfect health. (Psalm 105:37) 

God tells Joshua, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8) Notice, the first thing that God tells Joshua concerning His word is, "This Book of the Law (God's Word) shall not depart from your mouth..." God commanded Joshua first and foremost to continuously speak His Word. Why is that? Paul tells us, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) We are to speak, that is, confess God's Word because it causes faith grow. Paul does not say that faith comes by having heard the Word, but hearing and hearing and hearing, etc. the Word of God. The word for "word" in Romans 10:17 is the Greek word "rhema," the spoken word or revelation of the written word, the scriptures.    

Speaking, that is, confessing God's Word is the pattern that God reveals in creation. Throughout the Bible we see the same with the people of God, speaking God's Word. The gospel of John is where we see this in Jesus' ministry on earth which also reveals incredible results. Why is that?  "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) "The Word of God is living and powerful..." (Hebrews 4:12) God's Word is as powerful today as it was when He first spoke it. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8) So, we have a choice. We can confess God's Word continuously, have our faith built up and see the salvation of the Lord in incredible ways or we can confess the problems of life and muddle our way through life letting the problems literally squeeze the life out of us. 

Look at the words of a very wise man, "You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth." (Proverbs 6:2) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) Jesus tells us, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) In other words, the words of the flesh or the natural words spoken by mankind, have no intrinsic value because they do not produce life. In fact, as we saw in Proverbs, negative confession literally snares us, traps us, and produces death. I want to encourage you today by saying, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:29-30) Corrupt words do not only mean obscene or filthy conversation, but any words that do not produce good fruit. Yes, corrupt words from our mouth will grieve the Holy Spirit. So, let us begin to speak edifying words by doing as Paul tells us, "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Exercising an attitude of thanksgiving in all things will aid us in promoting healthy, edifying, good fruit bearing words, that is, confessing God's Word, because it always bears good fruit. Amen...    

The Sent Ones

God does not desire His people to flounder about trying to figure things out on their own. He has given us His Word that reveals His will, nature, character, purpose and plan. The Apostle Peter tells us, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4) The word "knowledge" is a Greek word defined in English as "precise and correct knowledge."

However, this "precise and correct knowledge" does not arise from human intellect. It comes by way of the Holy Spirit, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." (John 16:13) The Apostles and Elders who convened in Jerusalem over the issue of circumcision for Gentiles, was settled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28) and not the opinions, prejudices or intellect of the men of God who were present. Unfortunately, in many sectors of the church is it said that the gift ministries of apostle and prophet are no longer be needed and they have no place or function in the church today. However, in taking a close examination of the scriptures, we will discover what the it says concerning the validity and necessity of these two important gift ministries for church, not only at its beginning, but also for today. We also will discover that there is no scriptural bases for their termination. So, let us look at what the Bible says concerning the function and benefits of the gift ministry of the apostle and the importance of this gift ministry for the Body of Christ until Jesus returns.

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars." (Revelation 2:2) First we are to test those who say they are apostles with the Word of God. With that said, there are five characteristics, qualifications or marks revealed in scripture that are the litmus test for those who are apostles. The first thing that will separate the ministry of the apostle from other ministries is, it is marked by signs, wonders and miracles, "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds." (2 Corinthians 12:12)  The initial sending of Jesus' twelve disciples, which Jesus named apostles, (Luke 6:13), included the commission to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons." (Matthew 10:8)  There must be this kind of supernatural attestation to the Word of God in the ministry of the apostle.While the apostle is not the only ministry that produces signs, wonder, and miracles, a claim of apostolic ministry is certainly put to the test by this mark.

The second mark of an apostle is, God will reveals this gift ministry to independent witnesses. Every divine fact that the Lord wishes to establish to the Church is validated on the basis of two or three independent witnesses. "Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." (Acts 13:1-2)  It is clear from the language of this passage that Paul and Barnabas already knew their calling as apostles. The Holy Spirit said to the other three men present (independent witnesses) that He had called Paul and Barnabas to the work of the apostle. 

The third qualification is one of the easiest characteristics to identify in the apostolic ministry. God gives apostles other ministers to work with them in team ministry under their authority. One example of this,  "And Sopater of Berea accompanied Paul to Asia, also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia." (Acts 20:4) Whenever you find the ministry of apostle, you should find individuals like the men mentioned here and others whom God is training in ministry by means of the apostle. The apostle will always have individuals God has given to him to train. He will have young prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors to encourage and prepare for greater ministry than his own. God will call some of them into apostolic ministry as well. True apostles will allow this to happen. False or immature apostles will resist others growing in their own callings.

The fourth characteristic of and apostle is the seal of apostleship. "If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 9:2) The seal of apostleship, coupled with the three characteristics and qualifications above, puts the immature apostle and the pretender to apostleship apart from the true manifestation of this gift. While an individual may have the calling of an apostle, the Church at large should not recognize or honor him as an apostle until he has the seal of apostleship. This seal is to have fully functioning churches under his authority. These churches will be ruled by elders appointed by the apostle who continue to
recognize his authority even as he proceeds to plant other churches in other locations. One thought to add to this is, there are many persons who pioneer a church apparently successfully and with God's grace. However, this does not necessarily make them apostles without fulfilling all the biblical criteria of an apostle.  

The fifth characteristic of apostolic ministry is easily overlooked and for many misunderstood by the Church. The Church seems to believe that ministries that are unopposed and accepted must be blessed, and that ministries that are opposed by others must have something wrong with them. Quite the contrary is true. Those ministries that lead the way in power and renewal will also find great opposition from the enemy. Apostolic ministry can be identified by the amount of opposition it receives. Given the fulfillment of the previous four characteristics listed hereon, how can we not expect serious demonic warfare against the apostle? The apostle seeking to fulfill his ministry calling will encounter demonic opposition in different forms. "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." (1 Corinthians 16:9) 

The enemy will seek to overwhelm the apostle before he even gets started. Nevertheless, the apostle will be given all he needs to defend himself and those associated with him. He will successfully bring the battle back to the enemy. The apostle must be experienced in personal spiritual warfare because the enemy will try to launch attacks in a variety of ways. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Serious attacks will come in the form of accusations. "...for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." (Revelation 12:10) This tactic is used against all of God's servants, and particularly the apostle. If the enemy can get the church to believe his lies about an apostle then he can also prevent the local church from becoming what it should be. 
The enemy has been extremely successful in his attempts to convince many that the gift ministry of apostle is nonexistent today. 

Therefore, the Church must be willing to test apostolic claims. The five identifiable features of the apostolic ministry as we have seen revealed in scripture are the litmus test to prove or disprove the validity of this gift ministry. We must get past the intellectual conclusions of faithless teachers and accept the truth of God's Word concerning the importance of the gift ministry of apostle as being as valid today as it was under the earth ministry of Jesus and the early church. If we carefully study the scriptures we will find that in addition to the original twelve apostles, there are at least twelve more apostles, although some of these are hidden by inconsistent translations in English New Testament versions. I pray that the LORD open our hearts to see His truth so that He can build His church as He sees fit. As Peter said, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 

Being Prophetic

The Old Testament clearly reveals God communicating with people through prophets. Without question the Old Testament prophets are accepted as the means by which God communicated to humanity, especially to Israel. (Hebrews 1:1) We also see throughout the Book of Acts the gift, ministry of prophet was an important part of church life. But what about today? Is the gift, ministry of prophet a vital part of the church today or is there no need for it? Was the gift, ministry of prophet terminated by Jesus, the builder of the church? I believe that the gift, ministry of prophet is most likely the most misunderstood gift, ministry for the church today. 

So, let's begin by observing the two main passages of scripture that most sectors of the church refer to, refuting prophets for today. "...But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

In 1 Corinthians 13, "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" is interpreted as the canonization of scripture, that is, the Bible is now complete so there is no longer any use for prophets or I might add, prophecy. In Revelation 22 we see a warning to "anyone who adds or takes away the words of this book of prophecy" as adding to or removing scripture from the Bible. It is the combination of these two passages that has also "denied" most sectors of the church from receiving the entire portion of the ascension gifts that Jesus gave to the church, namely, the apostle and prophet. The thought is that prophets or prophesying adds to the scripture when in fact it supports scripture. If it does not support scripture, then it is false. Keep in mind that there have been false prophets throughout human history, but that does not negate the gift, ministry of the prophet for today. 

Look what the apostle Paul tells us, "...a dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Ephesians 3:2-5) Paul justified his teaching not only with Old Testament Scriptures, but also upon the authority of the "spirit of revelation" and the office anointing of the apostle and prophet. He reveals that apostles as well as prophets now have the ministry of revealing new truth to the Church. This is not saying that prophets and apostles need to write new Scripture, because the Bible is indeed complete and needs no additions. However, the Bible was prophetically inspired (2 Peter 1:20-21) and it requires prophetic illumination and revelation by the Holy Spirit to understand and apply it rightly. Jesus tells us, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13)  Paul also prays "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you (believers; the church) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." (Ephesians 1:17)

For instance, Martin Luther read the scripture "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) and "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) numerous times before the Spirit of revelation made known to him the reality of its meaning. When he received revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning these things, it ushered in the Protestant Reformation. A true revelation always brings a revolutionary change. Martin Luther did not invent or prophecy new scriptures, but received a true revelation about that which had already been written by former apostles and prophets. The same has been true through the various church movements since the Protestant Reformation. The Holy Spirit gives a revelation of God's Word that brings us to a greater reality of the scripture.  Think about this. Did you ever read the same scripture numerous time and then this one particular time you received a greater understanding (a revelation) of that passage? You did not add to the scripture but now you have a greater reality of its meaning. Believe it or not, you received a prophetic word from the Holy Spirit.  

The Bible is God's complete revelation to man. These inspired words were gathered into sixty-six books and canonized into the Scriptures, which we call, the Holy Bible. God's Word is complete, perfect and fully sufficient to bring all the revelation of God that we can comprehend and appropriate. No further communication from God is to be added to it and no words are to be removed from it. Any truly prophetic word given today must therefore be in full agreement with the spirit and context of the Bible. If this is the case, then, many will ask why we need prophecy today? The answer to this question requires first of all that we understand the meaning of two important words from Biblical Greek.

The two Greek words in the New Testament are translated by the English term "word" are Logos and Rhema. Greek scholars and theologians have debated about whether or not these words are synonymous, but many believe that the inspired writers chose each word to express a different meaning. The interpretation presented here is more consistent with those scholars who are walking in present truth. When we use the word "Logos," we refer to the "Word of truth," that is, the Scriptures, the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) The Apostle John also speaks of the "Word" in this way.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) The angel Gabriel tells Mary, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." (Luke 1:31) Jesus was the eternal Word revealed and manifest in mortal flesh. 

Concerning the Word (Logos) the Bible records, "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Mark 13:31) The Logos is the same as God, yesterday, today and forever, because it is God, "The Word was God" the Logos is creative, powerful, true, inerrant, infallible, complete and life giving, it never fails. Any failure or inconsistency in it is due to our failure in understanding, believing, responding, obeying and seeking to fulfill its unfailing nature. The Logos reveals God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan and neither angel, devil, human or any other power in creation can keep the Logos from eternally being and becoming all that it proclaims.

On the other hand "Rhema" is considered "a word from the Word." According to W.E. Vine's, the word Rhema denotes "that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing;" in the singular, "a word." The significance of Rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Ephesians 6:17); here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture."

Rhema is then revelation from the Logos inspired by the Holy Spirit that brings "life", "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63), "power", "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) and "faith", "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) to preform and fulfill the Logos and it must be received through faith by the hearer. The Logos never changes or fails, however, the Holy Spirit give Rhema to individuals which may fail, not due to the Rhema of the LORD, but rather the people who heard it failed to understand, interpret, believe, obey, respond, wait upon, or act upon it.

Therefore, when we use the term "Logos," we mean the Scriptures as a whole. When we use "Rhema," we mean a specific word from the LORD that applies to us individually. No true Rhema spoken by present day prophets will be in conflict with the spirit and context of the Logos. We all must thank God for the Logos, which is the standard of all truth. But we should also be grateful for the Rhema, which provides the precise word needed for the specific situation. All Christians must live by the Logos and receive the Rhema as needed. The Apostle Paul tells us, "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." (1 Corinthians 14:3) Sounds like Logos doesn't it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...   

Thank You For The Gifts

The Apostle Paul tells us, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:7-16) 

Honestly, volumes have been written on this passage of scripture so I am not going to attempt to discuss the entirety of this passage, only that which will challenge what we believe and why we believe it. The first thing Paul tells us is that upon Christ's ascension He "gave gifts to men." There is no record in the Epistles that tells us that once the Lord gives something to His church that He takes it away for any reason. In fact, Paul is quoting Psalm 68:18 concerning these gifts, but let's look at the next verse in Psalm 68. "Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" Selah (Psalm 68:19) No doubt, David knew the Lord as one "Who daily loads us with benefits." 

The gifts of "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers" are benefits to and for the church. So why would the Lord remove gifts from the church that are for its benefit? Actually, He wouldn't! So what are the benefits of these five wonderful gifts? "...for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Understand, it takes all five of these gifts to accomplish these things. However, many sectors of the church have rejected the gifts of the apostle and prophet. There are many reasons for this but we will only look at what seems to be the main three reasons...

Reason one; The gospels reveal that Jesus personally chose the twelve apostles, one of which was chosen for perdition and that the position of the apostles became a permanently fixed number after the resurrection meaning the number twelve then became an eternally established number. Let's think about this. Although the Apostle Judas Iscariot killed himself, the remaining eleven apostles chose Matthias to replace him. Well, maybe the other eleven were acting outside of the Lords will, but if they were, how then did these uneducated and untrained men (Acts 4:13) know Psalm 109:8 "Let another take his office." (Acts 1:20) Also, if twelve apostles was a fixed number after the resurrection and Matthias was not appointed by the Lord through the remaining eleven apostles, but Paul was, (which puts the number back to twelve) then why is Barnabas called an apostle? "But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this..." (Acts 14:14) This would make the number of apostles after the resurrection fourteen with Matthias or at least thirteen with Barnabas if we eliminate Matthias. Of course we see that the Lord appointed more than Twelve apostles after His resurrection. In fact. if we look at Ephesians 4 again, it was after the resurrection that the Lord gave some to be "apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers", all plural and without a specific number or an expiration date.

Reason two: Today there are certain denominations that believe that the phrase “when that which is perfect is come” (1 Corinthians 13:10) is referring to the canonized scripture. As a result of this interpretation many believers have also been taught that not only ministries of the apostle and prophet but also the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12, 14) have been done away with by Christ and are no longer necessary for the Church. Is this true? Well, if it were, then we need to ask ourselves why there is so much division, lack of love and lack of spiritual maturity in the church. The Apostle Paul dealt with this very issue with the church at Corinth and says, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

Again, looking back to Ephesians 4 we see the purpose of these five gifts working together is for the benefit of the church (see above). So, we must conclude, that 1 Corinthians 13:10 does not mean the elimination of the apostle and prophet or spiritual gifts due to the canonization of the scripture, but that it refers to when Christ comes again. It should be obvious that when Christ returns there will be no need for these gifts to function, the gift giver Himself will be on the earth again. To eliminate the gifts of apostle and prophet from the church would be like having an automobile with two cylinders not functioning. No matter if you have a four, six or eight cylinder automobile with two cylinders not functioning the auto will not run properly, if it runs at all, and you will damage the engine.

Reason three: Another reason for the elimination of the gifts of apostle and prophet from many sectors of the church is, Christ only used apostles and prophets in the first century to lay the foundation of the Church, therefore, these two ministries are no longer needed today. Is this true? According to the Apostle Paul,  ^"having been built (the church) on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20) Paul does not specify only certain apostles and prophets or only for a certain dispensation of time, but simply the church is built "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." In fact, even today the foundation of the church continues to be strong because true apostles and prophets are building on Christ the Chief Cornerstone.

I say true apostles and prophets because there are those who say they are apostles and or prophets who do not fulfill the biblical function of the office but only use the title. I am not trying to be critical toward those in the Body of Christ who believe that apostles and prophets are no longer needed in the church today, but only that we need to question ourselves to see if our doctrine is in line with the entirety of God's Word. We need to be cautious of creating doctrine by picking and choosing scripture that "aligns with my thinking" while looking away from scriptures that contradict "my way of thinking." We also cannot read into God's Word things that are not mentioned verbatim with intellectual assumptions. We need to let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit have the final say in all matters of the church. So, with this said, LORD thank you for the gifts...

Let's Not Be Denied

Ice hockey is a fast paced contact sport that was developed in Canada in the 19th century. In short, ice hockey has two teams of six skaters, who attempt to drive a small solid rubber disk (the puck) into the opposing goal with a stick that has a hooked or angled end used to move the puck along the ice and for making goals. The sport has not changed much except today it is played in an ice rink. One of the things that I remember when at a ice hockey rink watching a game, was when the goalie, (a player who guards his teams net to prevent the opposing team from scoring a goal) would block a shot from an opposing team player from entering the goal net. When this happened, the screen on the score board which hung from the ceiling of the rink above the players in the center of the rink would have big flashing letters that said, "DENIED."

In my travels in ministry, as well as reading various media by Christian authors and viewing online videos of various ministries concerning the church today, has cause me to grieve at what is going on in the church, what the church has accepted as truth (which isn't), the twisting of God's Word with liberal New Age influence interpretations of scripture and what it refuses to do concerning building the church up spiritually. I not only believe, but I also see the very thing that General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army said over 100 years in full swing today in the church. I quote, “I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century (meaning the 20th century, we are now in the 21st century) will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.” Let's not be naive. This statement is true in most sectors of the church whether Catholic or Protestant. This should grieve every believer and should move us to change.  

The fact is, we are being "denied" or actually denying ourselves of the wonderful blessings, gifts and callings that the Lord has given to the church. Let us not be deceived with large numbers in congregation thinking that God is somehow blessing us when the spiritual maturity of the church is that of carnal Christianity. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) Let us not be taken by our large congregations when we are not building according to God's Word and being led by the Holy Spirit. There are numerous organizations with large numbers of people who are anti-Christ and anti-church.

One of the things that should grieve us most is our lack of love for one another especially when Jesus, our LORD, commanded us to "love one another." In reality, the early church also had its share of problems, but it had leaders that were willing to confront the issues with God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, not the opinions, thoughts and intellect of man. For instance, Acts 15 reveals a situation between the Jew and Gentile believers that arose and could have split the church completely apart. The issue was over the necessity of the Gentile believers as to whether they should be circumcised or not. However, the outcome came down to who had the preeminence in the church, the apostles and elders or the Holy Spirit? In making this crucial decision we need to notice the order of things, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us..." (Acts 15:28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit above the opinions, thoughts and intellect of these mighty men of God. They submitted to the Apostle James' answer because they recognized the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through him. If it was only James' word, they would not have been in agreement. But they submitted to the Holy Spirit speaking through James and submitted to one another.

Let's be honest, if church leaders are truly being led by the Word of God and what the Holy Spirit is speaking, there will be no division in the church, only submission to one another in the Lord, as it should be. However, this will not be accomplished without "...Faith working through love." (Galatians 5:6) which begs another question. Are church leaders truly letting faith work through love? Without faith working through love the church will be denying itself of all the blessings that are for her through Jesus Christ.  

I believe one of the reasons why the church has lost much of its glory, power and influence which we have not experienced as a whole for nearly 1700 years is due to its lack of dependency on God's Word and the Holy Spirit. This has led the church into the "Dark Ages" for 1000 years which brought on what is called the "Protestant Reformation." Though the protestant reformation which started in 1571 by Martin Luther with his work entitled, "The Ninety-Five Theses" was meant to bring reformation and restoration to the church, it also caused division and disunity from those who refused to return to the Word of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit. But even now, especially among the Protestant churches the division and disunity continues to spread. I am not trying to paint an ugly picture of the Body of Christ, but to bring us to the reality of where we are. Until we are able to admit our faults to one another and turn away from them, have a true love for Christ, His church (all believers), God's Word and to be led by the Holy Spirit, we limit ourselves in bringing hope to a lost world. 

However, there is good news. No matter where we find ourselves, the LORD is always at work in His church, even if it is a remnant that is willing to be a new wine skin to receive the new wine, the continuous working of the Holy Spirit. I also believe that the Body of Christ in many sectors will begin experience the supernatural things of the LORD that have not been seen since the inception of the church. PTL          

Let Love Loose

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul reveals to us a very important foundational truth concerning Christianity, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." (Galatians 5:6) The Apostle John tells us, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18) Let us never forget the wonderful yet challenging words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) 

Without faith, we will not be able to love as God loves, yet, without love we will not operate in the kind of faith that pleases God. This is why faith working through love is the quintessential of Christianity. I believe that faith without love or love without faith on the part of believers has been so lacking in the church, that it is the main cause of all the division. The love that was in Jesus revealed throughout the four gospels, is the love that is to rule the church, every believer. When believers are ruled by love; motivated by love; owned by love; they become imitators of the one who is love, "...God is love" (1 John 4:8) and as Jesus said, "...all will know that you are My disciples..."   

The Apostle John has some strong language for the church concerning love that we should not only think about but take to heart and act on. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) One of the things that John addresses is coming to grips with our love for the world and the things of world. This is not just toward material things, but the ungodly attitudes and actions of the the world. Let's be honest, most people who consider themselves to be Christian, would not admit just how much they are rooted in the world; How the cares of the world have become more important to them than the things of God. John tells us that one of the ways we can know how much the world has captured believers is revealed in the fact that they do not love as God loves, because God's love is not in them.

Next, John says,"...Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother...he who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:10, 14-15) Unfortunately, there is extremely to much unforgiveness in the church. Let's face it, if you cannot forgive another believer, you have hatred in your heart. John says, hating another believer is spiritual death. In other words, the person who hates a brother or sister of Christ, proves by their hatred that they are not truly saved. 

Unfortunately, many people in the church will say, "But I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior so how can you say that I am not saved?" I did not say that you are not saved, the Holy Spirit said it through John, plus we must also remember that though one confesses with their mouth, they must also believe in their heart. (Romans 10:9-10) John continues to reveal to us another problem that causes people to hate a brother or sister rather than love them. "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8) Simply put, if a person hates, they do not know God.

So, how can we let go of any ill feelings that we may have toward a brother or sister. It is by simply remembering and acting on the following, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Remember, no matter how good you may think you were before making a confession of faith, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Jesus died for all even when we were antagonistic toward Him. "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:9-11) Put these scriptures together, we have, "faith working through love." The way we love as God loves, is applying faith and live through Christ, love personified. 

Finally, take at least two times every day for forty days without missing one day, and slowly read aloud to yourself the following, "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)  Let the God kind of love dominate your life, "By this all will know that you are My (Jesus') disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Amen....

It's Supernatural

The Bible records mans three fold being, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) To fully develop man would be to educate him in all three of these realms. To train only the physical is to make him an athlete. To train only the intellectual would make him an anarchist. To train only the spiritual would make him a fanatic. Adam was created complete in all three of these areas. Though the fall of man came, it did not change God's design for man. Through Christ, God has restored man and once again man is complete (John 1:16; Colossians 1:9, 2:10). So, Gods plan for man through Christ, is that he be developed in all three areas; yet, the area that man is least developed is the very area in which he was created in the image and likeness of God, his spirit.

Man's spirit is the only part of him that is capable of knowing and communing intelligently with God. It was God's plan that man should be His companion (Psalm 8:3-8), so his spiritual faculties were originally attuned to interact with God. (Genesis 1:26-27, 3:8) Through the Fall, man was alienated from God and his spiritual faculties were impaired; yet, through Christ, this lost fellowship is restored and once again mans spirit is capable of functioning in both the natural and supernatural realm.

The supernatural realm is really the realm of the believer. No one knows how much the soul and spirit can be developed and even within Christendom, we have been slow to come to the realization that man is spirit and his spirit is his basic nature. We have sought to educate him along intellectual lines,
utterly ignoring the spiritual. Thus man has lost his sense of relationship and responsibility toward God and man. By ignoring the spiritual side of man, we inadvertently have magnified the intellectual and physical parts of man, which has left him craving the supernatural of God, yet, not having the ability to release it in his daily life.  Whether most want to admit it or not, man has a love for the miraculous because it is in his DNA. He was created in the image and likeness of God.

The intellect of every believer is ever conscious of the supernatural forces that operate around him, but due to the lack of spiritual development in most, he cannot understand or interpret them. This is perhaps the main reason why believers long to not only experience the supernatural, but to perform miracles. The curiosity for the miraculous is deep-seated in every believer because he has been born again by a miracle-working God. It has been a scheme of Satan that has blinded us and has kept us from finding the door that will lead us back to our lost inheritance in Christ. Although believers are to operate in the miraculous, many questions arise concerning their validity for today, such as, "Are these things for today? Did miracles end with the death of the disciples in the early church? Are the so-called miracles that men claim to perform today fraudulent, psychic or works of Satan to deceive many?

Unfortunately, there has come a falling away on the part of most sectors of the church concerning the miraculous. In one area, modernism has dominated the church bringing the denial of the supernatural element in Christianity. This in turn has made Christianity simply an ethical religion. There are also those who declare that miracles ceased with the death of the apostles; that Christianity does not need the miraculous today to convince men of the Deity of Jesus. This in turn has placed Christianity among the other powerless world religions. Then we have a third group who claim miracles are still being performed; that the sick are healed, that prayers are answered, and that God is a living reality in the daily life of the believer. This third group of people have it correct. They know that man needs a miraculous touch now more than ever.

The miraculous was the very thing that God used to bring His people Israel back to Himself; the very thing that drew heathen kings to acknowledge that the Lord is God; the very thing that drew people to Jesus the Savior through the early church as well as turning the world upside down; it is the very thing that is needed today to save our land and nation. The entire church must return to the God of Miracles and believe that He will once again reveal Himself and His Christ to all men through miracles, signs and wonders. These are the very things revealed in scripture that opened the door many times to the preaching of the Gospel and the saving of souls.

The Apostle Paul tells us, "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." (Romans 15:18-19) Paul shows us that the preaching of the gospel is not complete without "mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God." This he tells us is the full gospel! God desires to intervene "now" in the affairs of man. So, let us stand against all doubt, fear, unbelief and intellectual reasoning that so easily ensnares and robs us of the miracles that God has for us and the lost world around us. "Let God Arise" and we will see the salvation of the Lord like never before!