The New
Testament Church
The Apostolic/Prophetic Emphasis
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,(“ taking up the cause”; to aid) governments( from the word for “helmsman”; hence first to steer the church, and then to rule.), diversities of tongues.
Greek: And certain
has God set in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers,
then varied and numerous works of God’s dunamis, spiritual gifts consisting of
cures, helping and aiding in a variety of ways, governments, and diversities of
tongues.
Eph 4:11
And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Greek: It is He who
gave some to be
apostles, and some
prophets, and some
evangelists, and some
shepherds and teachers.
q
Please
observe with me the two lists that make up the structure of the New Testament
church. In both of these spiritual
inventories we take note that apostles are placed first and prophets
second. Pastor and teachers, which are
really not two separate ministries but one class of people operating both; (in that a pastor must also have the anointing to
teach his congregation), comes after the mention of apostles and prophets in the second list. Church
governments, which todays are primarily in the hands of the pastoral staff are
also found towards the end of the first
list.
q
When
the Lord Jesus inspired the apostle Paul with these two blueprints for His
church, He was certainly not saying at any time, that apostles are more
important than prophets, who in turn are more important than pastors. Neither did He say that the gifts of healing
are more vital than the governments within the church.
q
All
ministers and ministers are of equal
importance. When they operate under the leading of the
Holy Ghost, they complement each other to bring the fullness of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ into the
earth.
q
These
lists of ministers and ministries are not describing RANK and
IMPORTANCE
but EMPHASIS
and STRESS.
q
The EMPHASIS and
the STRESS
on the New Testament church must be the apostolic and prophetic ministries, and
not on church government. This is an
incredibly important point, as we shall study.
q
The
emphasis today however is on church government. This great error on our part severely limits the glory of God,
has thwarted the salvation of men and women for two thousand years, obstructed
worldwide revivals, forced the church to become like the world in order
evangelize it, and is now slowing down the second coming of Christ.
q
Today
the church focuses on a host of administrative issues, the promotion of church
programs, the establishment of committees to supervise these programs, and
innumerable hours of pastoral counseling given to the congregation. In no way would I ever say that these things
should be disregarded; they will always be an integral part of church life.
However, church governments have ended up majoring in the minors of what God called the New Testament church governments to
be.
q
The
main responsibility of New Testament church governments is to administer and
conduct the apostolic and prophetic ministries (which includes the evangelist’s miracles ministry manifesting itself in
signs and wonders)
within the local assembly.
q
The apostolic and
prophetic ministries, and not church governments, are the foundation on which
any local assembly must build upon.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are
built upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner
stone;
The Foundation of the Church
q
Let us look at
the inventory of spiritual gifts and ministries, and their operations by the
Holy Spirit
q
One rule of
thumb is that the Lord always bestows His spiritual gifts and ministries in accordance
with, and to fully equip the saints of God in the callings which He has given
to them. For example, if one is called
a prophet, the gift of prophecy will abound in him or her.
1
Cor 12:4 Now there are diversities
of gifts,(spiritual
gifts) but the same Spirit.
5And
there are differences of administrations,( ministries) but the same Lord.
6
And
there are diversities of
operations(the
exhibition of the gifts and ministries in accordance to our calling, our
personality, and the circumstances in which God operates the gifts and
ministries through each of us) but it is the same God which worketh all
in all.
1
Cor 12:4 Now there are diversities
of gifts, but the same
Spirit.
Romans 15:19 Through mighty (the dunamis power of) signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
q
Let
us observe the two scriptures above.
The manifestation of God’s spiritual gifts is the result of the work of
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God uses
the “dunamis” power of God as its vehicle or catalyst to energize and manifest
these gifts. Romans fifteen and
nineteen for example tells us that signs and wonders are brought about by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
Eph
1:18 The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints,
19
nd
what is the exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working
of his mighty power,
q If we work Ephesians chapter one verse
eighteen and nineteen backwards, we see that it is the power of God who brings
to each of us individually and to every local assembly the riches of the
inheritance of God. Contained within the
riches of God’s inheritance are the gifts and the ministries, which will endow
us with the spiritual equipment to fulfill the callings of God, which are
molded and shaped in turn by these very gifts.
The gifts and ministries brought forth by God’ power also are “tailored
fit” by Him so that when used effectively and fully by the saints, will bring
any local assembly into its God’s given destiny also termed as “the hope of the
calling”.
q
The apostle
and the prophet are divinely anointed ministers that reveal to the church these
very riches (the gifts which shape our ministries, which will in turn
dictate the callings and vision of God). They accomplish this as
they preach the Person of Christ to the church.
Eph
3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of
Christ;
q
Ephesians
three and eight tells us that Paul’s apostolic ministry revealed to the church
Christ Jesus, and the riches found in Him.
By this revelation the apostle manifests to a local assembly the gifts,
ministries, and callings the Lord has tailored for it and its saints, so that
the “hope of its calling” might be fulfilled.
Eph 3:9And to make all men see (to enlighten all) what is the fellowship of the
mystery,(as to what the participation or sharing into Christ and
His revealed riches as found in verse eight.) which from the beginning of
the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
q
After the apostle
accomplishes the revelation of these ministerial riches to an assembly, he or
she then mentors the body of believer as to what their share and participation
into these riches are.
q
God’s
emphasis on the apostolic and prophetic then serves these purposes. The foundation, which they lay, is the
revelation of these riches. The
building up which must be done by the church upon this foundation is its
understanding and participation into the gifts and ministries, which will allow
it to fulfill the “hope of the calling”.
Hence the New Testament church is an institution, which attains to a
great amount of spiritual involvement and participation through the revelatory
ministries of the apostles and prophets.
Eph
2:20And are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone;
q
The greater
is the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ by the apostle and the prophet, the
greater will be the manifestation of the riches of the Lord. Likewise, greater will be the assembly’s
accuracy in defining its “hope of the calling” as the increase in the potential
for participation into the riches of Christ by the its saints takes place.
Eph
1:18 The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints,
Eph
( Wey) 4:11 And He Himself appointed
some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be
pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:16 (RSV)
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with
which it is supplied, when
each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself
in love
q
As each
member within a local assembly works at their peak spiritual effectiveness to participate
into their share of Christ’s riches, they in turn will mature in their gifts
and will manifest the Person of Christ as well. As this process nurtures itself over and over, the church becomes
the one and only universal storehouse of God’s glory and the “sending out” base
of commissioned people worldwide whom will regenerate this whole process in
other parts of the globe. The earth
then truly becomes filled with the glory of the Lord. Where the glory of the Lord is, revival will always take place.
q
Please
note the type of revival that we should be experiencing right now.
Acts
5:12 ¶ And by the hands of the apostles were many
signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one
accord in Solomon’s porch.
13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to
them: but the people magnified them.
14 And believers were the more added to the
Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
15
Insomuch
that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and
couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some
of them.
16
There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto
Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits:
and they were healed every one.
q
Is
this what the world says about the church today?
Acts 17:6
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto
the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
q
The glorious
power and responsibility designated by the Lord to the pastoral staff is to
administer this incredibly dynamic process in every local assembly, propagating
revival in their respective communities, and equipping and sending out
ministers worldwide to reproduce this never ending progression of God’s glory
upon the earth.
q
The great
purpose of the church then is to reveal the Son of God, equip and send out
ministers towards the propagation of revival and the procurement of the eternal
salvation of souls. The church should
be the world’s most incredibly powerfully active and dynamic school and never
be a bunch of pew sitting people hearing a sermon.
q
Professionals,
highly qualified and skilled people, and people with great personal vision,
need little if no governing of their lives by others. They are self-governing individuals who need little monitoring as
their high level of motivation carries them along into their God given
destinies. A church that has a true
emphasis on the apostolic and prophetic ministries is a highly motivated church
filled with believers participating in, and fulfilling its callings and vision.
q
People that
are highly motivated in that their lives are full of the “hope of the calling”
of God, are not “problem-less” individuals, but people that are continually
solving their problems quickly and effectively through prayer, uncompromising
obedience, and the Word of God so that they may continue on into the
fulfillment of God’s vision for them and for the church.
q
Much of the
present day difficulties that we observe in our congregations today, are
forcing pastors to spend an infinite number of hours counseling what should now
be mature Christians. These pastors
after their time of counseling run to and fro to place small bandages on their
gaping wounds. How can this happen
amongst people that have been in the Lord for a good number of years? The answer can be spelled out as
“disobedience and half hearted commitment.”
q
The
evangelist Mario Murillo said, and I paraphrase him; the lukewarm obedience of
many saints forces the pastoral staff into a never-ending vicious relationship
of co dependent counseling and ministry with so called mature believers. The church that operates like this becomes a
“monstrosity”, he said. Murillo goes on
to say that Dr. Frankenstein created the monster that later came back to kill
him. The monstrosity defined as “many
an American church” turns around and kills its own pastor by utterly burning
him out, destroying him, and putting him out of ministry.
q
The great
evil that is in occurrence now for two thousand years is that the apostolic
prophetic flow of anointing is virtually gone.
Yes, we have the prophetic ministry partially in place, but I must say
that it is only partially in place.
John Bevere a noted Christian speaker made a very interesting comment
about the state of today’s prophetic movement.
He said, and I paraphrase him; many of today’s prophets are majoring in
the minors and minoring in the majors.
We see many fine prophets of God going to churches and giving personal
words to the saints. Bevere goes on to
say that though this is all fine and dandy, the prophetic utterances given to
John in the book of Revelation was not intended as personal words to individual
saints, but as God’s words into the callings and destinies of prominent
churches. The prophet of God must speak
into the vision of individual churches, confirming their direction, or
correcting its lack thereof. This is
part of the foundation, which the prophet must lay and upon which the local
assembly must built. However, I must
say, that without the apostle the church is a V8 engine running on four
cycles. The apostle and prophet
together build the complete foundation of the church.
q
The stress
of the church today is incorrectly placed upon church government. As I had taught earlier, the responsibility
of church government is to administer the apostolic and prophetic anointing,
which brings forth the revelation and participation into the gifts and ministries
and fulfill the destiny of the local assembly.
With the apostolic and prophetic gone, church government has assumed the
emphasis that had been designated to these ministries. The foundation of the revelation of the
Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is no longer being laid. Because the Lord Jesus is no longer being
revealed, the participation by the church into His riches, which are His gifts,
ministries, and callings is no longer there.
Thusly, the church has sunk from being an institution that is full of
highly motivated, and self-governing participants fulfilling the hope of the
calling, to one, which is filled with passive problematic pew sitters that begs
to be governed by its pastoral staff.
Eph
4:14 That we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive;
15
But
speaking the truth in love, may
grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
q
The
revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ allows for an assembly to grow up into Him
in all things. The revealed Person of
Christ becomes its model, pattern, or example.
Growing up into Christ allows the saints within the church to achieve
the same maturity that Christ has in the very thing that they grow fully into
Him in. The church is the only
institution that allows for people to grow fully in to Christ in all
things. Growing up into our example
makes us like our example. When the
apostolic and prophetic can fully perform their function in conjunction with
the governmental flow of anointing, the fullness of the Person of Christ is
revealed and alongside with Him all the riches contained within Him. We have
discussed the ministerial riches found inside of Him. Because the church is the only institution that allows for the
fullness of Christ’s revelation, the church likewise the only institution that
allows for people to fully grow into Christ. Fullness of growth is fullness of
the life of Christ, and enjoyment of what He enjoys. This is the incredible
infinite power and privilege of the church.
q Eph 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us (the accusative mood in the Greek) with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
q
Hath blessed us; is in the Greek accusative mood.
The accusative mood is defined as someone or something that becomes the final
goal of an action. Likewise it is someone or something that is a receptacle to
receive the action of something else.
q
I have copied
from a previous teaching some of the other riches found in Christ and revealed
alongside with Him.
Eph
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
Every last
and tiniest “God given” blessing resides inside the Person of Christ. Growing
up into Christ is growing up into every blessing that God has in store for His
saints. We do not need to ask God for blessings, we need to grow up into Christ
in all things and we will automatically enter into every God given blessing.
The fullness of the blessings that God has for us can only be attained within
the church, and where the fullness of the revelation of the Son of God dwells.
3)Col
2:9 For in him dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Growing up into Christ in all things is
growing up into the fullness of God.
4)Eph
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right
hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Inside of
Christ reside all accomplished victory, and hence all rightful authority over
all the demonic, earthly, and angelic hierarchy of leadership. Christ also has
that same authority over “ every name that is named”. Therefore, this includes the name of sickness, circumstances, and
so forth, for all eternity.
Growing up into
Christ is growing up into the Name that is above all names, and the acquisition
of authority over all demonic works and circumstances.
1Co 1:24 But unto
them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Jesus is the power of God. Therefore when He is revealed in the church, God’s power is revealed with Him, in Him, or alongside with Him. The more that Christ is revealed in the assembly of the saints the more that it automatically operates in the power of God. We don’t need power; we need the Son of God to become a reality in the church and the power will be in its midst!
1 Cor 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by (By or In Him) him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co
1:6 Even as the testimony (the revelation) of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co
1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the
coming (The revelation) of our Lord
Jesus Christ
Re 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See
thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the
testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony (The revelation)
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy
Please look
with me at the scriptures contained in 1 Corinthians 1:5,6 and 7. In verse five it tells us that “by Christ”
and “In Christ” (The Greek
grammatical structure is interchangeable here), we are made rich in
spiritual gifts. Two of the gifts
mentioned in this passage could be the utterance gifts, which could include
tongues, their interpretation, and the gift of prophecy. The other is the gift
of the word of knowledge, which God uses extensively in healing. Verse six goes
on to direct us to the fact, that the enrichment or increase of these spiritual
gifts in a believer’s life is directly proportional to the
revelation of Christ within the church.
Right? Verse seven instructs us that if the revelation of the Lord is
complete in the church, it will lack in no spiritual gift. Therefore, the more
that Christ is revealed in the church, the more that it will automatically flow
in the gifts and ministries that God has called the church to, revealing Him
further. The gifts are IN HIM. As Christ
is revealed, the gifts IN HIM will be automatically revealed along with Him.
Now please look
with me at Revelation 19:10. Please be
careful to observe with me that Jesus does not give us prophecies per se. Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy! Therefore, the more that Jesus is manifested
the church, the more that the church will automatically flow in prophecy!
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
§
In
Corinthians 1:30 we see that Christ has been made into
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Christ does not dispense these blessings! He Himself is the blessings! If we ask God to make us righteous, are
prayers will be only halfway answered.
If we ask God to sanctify us, we have missed God’s best.
§
God’s
righteousness has to do with the manifested or outward qualities of God that
originate from His inward holy character.
§
Sanctification
is defined as the progression of our being purified by the Spirit of God.
§
Redemption
has to do with the process of our being rescued from the power of Satan,
bondage, sin, and the love of the world.
§
Christ does
not produce these things in us as separate blessings. He has been made into these attributes. As Christ becomes is revealed in our church,
God’s righteousness becomes more and more of a reality to the saints within
it. It is automatic! As Christ becomes more discernible to a
local assembly, the more that it will find itself free from sin, bondage, and
the schemes of the enemy. We do not
need some much counseling. We do need
much revelation.
§
Eph 4: 14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
q
When Christ is not being revealed, the church
grows up instead into things. These
things are called the doctrines of men.
Today, doctrines of men has virtually taken over and substituted for
what is the revelation of the Son of God.
The church is tossed to and fro by every new doctrine, as it hungrily
chases after it, believing for that very doctrine to be its source of liberty
and salvation. The church today grows
up into a message of claiming positive confessions, which are done outside of
the rhema word of God. This message
pampers and deceives the church away from the trials and sufferings that it
must go through so as to learn to operate solely by the rhema word of God. The church likewise grows up into a message
of selfish financial prosperity, which robs it from the season of material
deprivation that it must go through so as to learn to walk by “true” faith,
which is the principle for the power of God to be manifested into a lost and
dying world. The church blindly
continues to grow up into things that will never bring it liberty or
salvation. This is why the American
church desperately hurts. Numerous of
the men and women of God which continue to bring these doctrines, because they
themselves are deceived, enjoy great importance and financial wealth from the
very church that desperately goes after their teachings as it seek the joy and
freedom that it will never find until it grows up into the revealed person of
Christ instead. We are indeed caught in
a spider’s web!
1 Cor 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,(Architect)
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take
heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 ¶ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for
the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire
shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. {it shall be: Gr. it is}
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15
If any
man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be
saved; yet so as by fire.
q
In the
verses above we see another instance of the apostolic ministry. As an architect, the apostle lays down the
foundation of the Person of Christ Jesus for the church. If the church builds upon the foundation of
the Person of Christ, it must build with gold, silver, and precious stones.
q
Wathchman
Nee tells us in one of his writings that gold, silver, and precious stones are
the products of trial, heat, fire, and the purifying of all impurities so that
the preciousness of the stones and the purity of gold and silver may come
forth.
q
The
revelation of the Person of Christ can only come through the process of death
and resurrection as His cross kills our natural life and Christ Jesus living
within us in His resurrected state is revealed.
q
When the
church build upon the foundation of things because the apostolic/ prophetic
anointing has not been welcomed within it, it build upon its foundation with
wood, hay and stubble. All of these things shall be burned up. It is sad to say that for two thousand years
the church has built considerably more with wood, hay, and stubble, than with
gold, silver, and precious stones.
q
On the other
hand, many pastors have been thrust into the position of codependency by
disobedient believers, and have come to relish the attention and power that has
been given over to them by default, by their lukewarm parishioners. These believers have relinquished the right
of self-government over to their pastoral staff, and now expect it to handle
most of the ministry issues and responsibilities. The pastors in assuming these relinquished privileges have taken
the control, the power, and the glory of the church’s limelight for themselves.
q
We are now
caught in the web of an unsolvable catch 22 situation operating through an
obsolete “church system” dinosaur. Much
of our methods used in the undertaking of our churches cannot and will not
promote the glory of God or bring revival to the earth, no matter how much
money, programs, or buildings we have or build.
2 Timothy
4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy
spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. <<The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the
church of the Ephesians,
was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.
q
It is my
opinion that towards the end of the apostle Paul’s life the church was already
beginning to get messed up. It appears
to me that in the church at Ephesus, the stress on the apostolic and prophetic
resulting in a highly motivated self-governing and participating church, was
beginning to wane. People were becoming
complacent and were now begging man to govern them.
q
A people
that beg (not that are forced) to be governed by another
human being are unmotivated, disobedient, and lazy, in that they would have
someone else solve their problems by ruling over them. In the earlier church, the apostles and
elders working in conjunction to manifest and administer the revelation of the
Son of God were the emphasis of the church.
q
The Lord had
always desired to be the supreme King over Israel. God sought out a nation that was obedient to Him and by it
produce highly motivated people that would be ruled solely by the voice and the
laws of God. Sadly to say, the nation
of Israel wanted nothing of that.
Instead they begged for an earthly king and finally got Saul totally
against the wishes of the Lord Himself.
In Saul they were searching for someone to rule over and handle their
problems for them.
q
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
q
At
the end of the New Testament it seems that the church had already changed its
emphasis from the apostolic prophetic anointing to one that stressed church
government. Hence we see most of the
churches in the book of Revelation, in just a few years straying far away from
the church found in the Book of Acts and exhibiting drastically similar
problems to our church today
q
God Bless You,
Jose
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