next wave july 2013 final

THE VOICE OF THE FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE | VOLUME 81 ISSUE 7 JULY 2013

IN THIS ISSUE:

LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE – HOW DO I KNOW MY

FIVEFOLD MINITRY ROLE?

Distinctions in Ministry Gifting, Role and Function

What You Should Know About Fivefold Ministry

2

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FIVEFOLD MINISTRY ROLE

Bernie L. Wade

RELIGITICS

International Faith

Based Coalition

Letter to the Editor

FIVEFOLD

ROUNDTABLE

NATIONAL

CONFERENCE CALL

Distinctions in Ministry

Gifting, Role and Function

Barney Phillips

Bishop Derrick Day

RESTORATION OF THE

CHURCH

Pride and Punishment

By Robert Straube

What You Should Know About Fivefold

Ministry Albert Kang

We’ve Lost Christianity Ministry

Andrew Strom

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mailto:[email protected]

3

HOW DO I KNOW MY

FIVEFOLD MINISTRY ROLE?

By Bernie L. Wade

If you are like many others you may not

know for certain your fivefold ministry

role or gifting. You are certainly not

alone. I find that many ministers have

not been helped in this area. It may be

that you are filling a role without really

knowing if that is what God called you

accomplish. I’ve noticed a lot of leaders

fill, volunteer or be drafted for positions

because there was a need, not because

it was how God designed them or gifted

them. As a result, many are feeling tired,

unfulfilled and empty.

Knowing for certain the role you are to

fulfill in the fivefold ministry will remove

doubt, confusion, and indecision. Let’s

see if we can help. For a moment, set

aside the particular role of ministry that

God has called you to and let’s focus on

purpose. We have found that the best

way to start is to understand what God

has called you to do. Most people

know what it is that God has called them

to contribute. This is much more

important in the larger mission as

Disciples of Christ.

If you already know what you are called

to do then you are on your way to

understanding your fivefold role.

The thing that God has given you to

accomplish will be your passion. It will

be the thing that makes you want to get

up in the morning. You will think about it

in some form or fashion nearly all the

time. In most cases it will be the

primary thing in your life even in work

and hobbies. For example someone

who is called to the fivefold role of

teacher will most likely find that they are

passionate about teaching in general;

not just in the body of Christ.

This person will desire or fill a teaching

role in their family, job and community.

We oft times don’t see that the gifting

God has placed in us transcends

beyond that function in the Body of

Christ. God gave you the gifting and it

will function wherever you are located.

4

In this example the purpose is to teach

the Body of Christ. This helps us to

understand the fivefold role which is

teacher. Now let’s turn our attention to

the fivefold roles.

Ephesians 4:8, 11-13 speaks of five

ministry gifts given to the Body of Christ

by Christ after he ascended. “When He

ascended on high, He led captivity

captive, and gave gifts unto men…And

he gave some, apostles; and some,

prophets; and some, evangelists; and

some pastors and teachers; for the

perfecting of the saints, for the work of

ministry, for the edifying of the body of

Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the

faith, and the knowledge of the Son of

God, unto a perfect man, unto the

measure of the stature of the fullness of

Christ.” KJV

The first thing to notice is that these

roles are all presented in lower case.

These fivefold roles were not offices of

the church; these are gifts from God and

He is the only thing that really matters in

the equation. These gifts are also

known as ascension gifts because

Christ gave them after he descended to

earth and ascended back to heaven.

(Ephesians 4:1-16, John 3:13, Psalm 68:18)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,

beseech you to walk worthy of the

calling with which you were called, 2 with

all lowliness and gentleness, with

longsuffering, bearing with one another

in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of

the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The very first thing that all fivefold

ministry needs to understand (and

unfortunately this is very lacking in the

Body of Christ) is we are instructed to

be worthy. Worthiness is not measured

in works but in spirit. We are first

instructed to have genuine humility and

gentleness. This is to be followed by

longsuffering and love. These are

attributes of the fruit of the spirit and

while we should all have them; they are

not manifested in most of the lives of

those claiming to represent God in some

fivefold role. We cannot move forward

without true humility. We are inundated

with load of SELF. Most of those who

are identify themselves with fivefold

roles do so by making it an office, title

and position. They are introduced as,

The Very Reverend, Dr. Bishop, His

Eminence, Lord So and So or some

similar designation. Wow!

Do you read humble and gentle in that?

I expect not. Rather, this is a

manifestation of pride. These sign their

business card and other related items

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Pastor So and So. They have their

name on their Church sign with similar

designation. Unfortunately, these are

not manifestations of God or His

ministry. These are rather

manifestations of man and man-made

religious systems. In case you are

looking for the one guilty of these sins,

let me make it easy for you. I am the

man. I am guilty of these things.

I know that many of us have fallen prey

to these deceptions but the time to

correct this error is now. Claiming to be

a love slave to Jesus Christ and then

signing your name, Prophet so and so,

screams of false humility and pride

whether we realize (or admit) the error

or not. You are not alone. Many of us

have been guilty of these errors. I am

reminded of Jeremiah telling us to deal

with our sins of OMISSION.

Spurgeon reminded us of this regarding

our sins of omission. “There must be

worked in us as a work of Divine

Grace—a deep abhorrence of sin, an

earnest clinging to purity, a resolute

pursuit of everything that is peaceful,

and lovely, and of good repute—or

else let us prate as we may, we shall

have no inheritance in the kingdom

of God! I preach not salvation by

works in any sense or degree, or

shape, or form, but salvation by

Grace alone!”1

1 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Volume 14 org 1

SINS OF OMISSION NO. 838. DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1868, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

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To these profound errors we must make

immediate correction. We are not the

GIFT. Jesus Christ is the Gift; we are

merely vessels He chooses to use. We

need to understand that the fivefold

ministry given by Christ are roles within

the Body of Christ for specific purpose.

These were not purposed to in any way

exalt men or make them seem or feel

superior. In fact, if anything be the case

these make the fivefold more a servant

role than the rest of the Body of Christ.

Yet, we are all servants of Jesus Christ.

To make these errors even more

pronounced we have created a plethora

of ministerial groups most of which lift

up, separate or esteem the ministers

above the rest of the Body of Christ.

We then use these man-made systems

to create division from our brothers and

sisters. This is SIN. This is a man-

made system and is not in any way

associated with the New Testament

Church or the Body of Christ. Of this we

need to repent.

The fivefold ministry is given to help the

Body of Christ not to be superior to or

lord over them. Apostle Peter2 gave us

this instruction: 1The elders which are

among you I exhort, who am also an

elder, and a witness of the sufferings

of Christ, and also a partaker of the

glory that shall be revealed:2Feed the

flock of God which is among you,

taking the oversight thereof, not by

constraint, but willingly; not for filthy

lucre, but of a ready mind; 3Neither

as being lords over God's heritage,

but being ensamples to the

flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd

shall appear, you shall receive a

crown of glory that fades not away. (I

Peter 5:1-4).

I have often said, “If there was no

money connected to ministry most

pulpits would be empty on Sunday

morning.” I would add to that, “Take

away the esteem, the pomp, the

ceremony and the titles and there will

be even fewer feeling the ‘call’ to

ministry.”

This is a clarion call to the people of

God. We have to get back what we

have lost. We have inherited a church

that is more interested in man-made

religion than on being the people of

God; we have to repent. My friends,

drop the titles! Your gift will make room

for you! Let’s not throw the baby out

with the bathwater here. There are

some purposes for ministerial

fellowships, but they are few. One good

2 Note: the capital here is only to designate a proper

noun.

http://bibleapps.com/1_peter/5-1.htm













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example is to provide documents that

help ministers gain access to restricted

places such as jails, hospitals, etc. who

want to know that qualified individuals

are coming there to minister.

While I shall be trying to speak of

your great omissions, perhaps

conscience may be at work, and the

Holy Spirit may work through

conscience so that you may be led to

repentance, and to faith, and through

faith to salvation.3

Pause here and ask God to cleanse

your heart. Ask Him to help you to learn

to be humble as His perfect example

was to all of us. Ask Him to help you to

walk in humility. Ask Him to help us all

to remember that not one of us is

greater than the other, but we are all

made worthy because He redeemed us

from our sins. Nothing else really

matters!

Remember that no man helped Jesus

Christ redeem us from our sins. This He

did alone and for us. Christ descended

3 Ibid. Spurgeon.

to earth to redeem man; and ascended

to heaven to glorify us.4 And God hath

set some in the church, first apostles,

secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,

after that miracles, then gifts of healings,

helps, governments, diversities of

tongues. I Cor. 12:28

Since the writer said first apostles let’s

begin our study with the apostle.

APOSTLE

apostolos = a delegate; ambassador,

from the word delegate; specifically an

ambassador of the Gospel; officially a

commissioner of Christ ["apostle"] (with

miraculous powers):-apostle,

messenger, he that is sent.

4 Robin Kegler.

http://fivefoldministryanswers.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/tip-what-is-the-five-fold-ministry/



8

ambassador = A diplomat of the

highest rank accredited as

representative in residence by one

government to another

It is evident that as Christ manifested

the true and birthed His vision for His

Kingdom that He expected His apostles

to fill the same role in molding the

standards of His Church and instructing

overseeing the general direction of His

Church. "Heaven's blueprint for the

Church."5 The apostle brings no will of

his own but is merely the agent of

heaven and his King, Jesus Christ.

In New Testament times, in the Roman

army, an apostle was a military officer

who enforced Roman cultural standards

and practices in cities where the

Romans had recently conquered. In

5 The Next Wave. Restoration of the Charismata.

Apostle. Page 31. Dr. Bernie L. Wade. 2010. Truth, Liberty and Freedom Press (TLFP).

applying this word, apostle, to the role of

the ministry Jesus extends His authority

to the disciples. This authority and

power is unprecedented and manifested

throughout the New Testament. The

word "apostle", from the Greek apostello

"to send forth", "to dispatch", has

etymologically a very general sense.

Apostolos (Apostle) means one who is

sent forth, dispatched -- in other words,

who is entrusted with a mission, rather,

a foreign mission. It has, however, a

stronger sense than the word

messenger, and means as much as

a delegate.6

The body of Christ is the continuation of

His earthly ministry and is eternal. The

apostle is sent by God to establish the

work of God. When God calls, He also

equips. As we see in Gal 1:21-24,

While Apostle Paul was generally

ignored by the Jerusalem Church he

was mentored in the things of Christ by

his spiritual father Apostle Barnabas

who guided him into spiritual maturity.

There is the misconception that you can

only work for the Lord if you are in full

time ministry, (i.e. you are being paid a

salary). This is not the model of the

New Testament Church as probably all

of the Apostles had occupations like

Apostle Paul who made tents. If you

have an occupation you can also be in

ministry.

For what is it wherein ye were inferior

to other churches, except it be that I

6 Wade. Apostle. Page 35.

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myself was not burdensome to you?

forgive me this wrong.

Behold, the third time I am ready to

come to you; and I will not be

burdensome to you: for I seek not

yours but you: for the children ought

not to lay up for the parents, but the

parents for the children.

Paul was not burdensome on the church

of the Corinthians. We are sometimes

taught by other Christians that we will

one day go into the full time ministry if

we obey God, serve them like Joshua

served Abraham, and if we attend

church regularly, pay tithes or some

other scheme in which men attempt to

persuade you to submit to them. This is

the man-made religious system – not

the plan of God.

Our overall purpose in this article is to

help determine roles in the Body of

Christ. We have developed a quick list

to help you see if your role is in this

area. Each of the fivefold ministry gifts

has specific qualifications. Here are 5

for the apostle:

QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF APOSTLE

1. An apostle will have a servant

spirit. Any position of fivefold ministry,

especially this one, requires a servant

heart.

2. An apostle will have spiritual

authority. It is understood authority from

Jesus Christ, not lording over others; or

dictatorship. An apostle is also under

someone else’s authority answering to

the rest of the Fivefold ministry in

particular and the Body of Christ in

general.

3. An apostle will be a spiritual father (I

Cor 4:15-21) although he will not be

called ‘father.’

4. An apostle will be a visionary. This

vision will make manifest in direction

and leadership others can follow. We

can follow an apostle because first and

foremost he will follow Christ.

5. An apostle will have humility. This

characteristic is coupled with servant

hood. Humility is a necessary attitude

because of the calling of apostleship.

The apostle will have understanding of

the other fivefold roles (prophet, pastor,

teacher and evangelist). In our diagram

of the hand (see below), the apostle is

the thumb.

Like the thumb, the apostle can touch

each of the other fingers. However, all

five fingers are needed for the hand to

function properly. This does not make

him all five as some incorrectly

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understand but gives definition to his

role as the apostle brings Gods

government to the body of Christ.

Being an apostle means being part of

the five-fold ministry. Their purpose is to

bring the body of Christ to maturity so

that the body can do the work God has

purposed for them.

Being an apostle means that signs and

wonders will be part of their ministry.

Their job is to represent the kingdom of

God within the other kingdoms. The

authority of the apostles was modeled

by the chief Apostle, the Lord Jesus

Christ, who taught them that “the Son of

Man did not come to be served, but to

serve,” (Mark 10:45).

Demonstrating the type of authority he

would place in His church through his

apostles Jesus, on occasion, acted

sharply and decisively against certain

sins, such as the desecration of His

Father’s house (Mark 11:15–17; John

2:13–16) and the exploitative hypocrisy

of the teachers of the Law and

Pharisees (Matthew 23). He carefully

avoided the trappings of political and

institutional power and modeled

extraordinary humility and patience for

His apostles.

CRITERIA FOR AN APOSTLE

1. Called by God

2. Appointed to their role by

someone of equal or higher spiritual

authority (i.e. someone in the Body of

Christ).

3. Anointed by other members of

the fivefold as in the example of the

Antioch Church and confirmed by the

Body of Christ.

4. That they should have

independent plenary knowledge of the

gospel.

5. Should be willing to pay the price

(make the necessary sacrifice) to be an

apostle.

6. Preach or be a preacher of the

Gospel of Jesus Christ.

7. Do the work of an evangelist

8. Organize and/or strengthen the

body

9. Identify, appoint and train

qualified ministers to teach others thus

continuing the mission and the ministry

of the fivefold and the relationship of

spiritual fathers to sons.

10. Signs and wonders.

Truly the signs of an apostle were

wrought among you in all patience, in

signs, and wonders, and mighty

deeds.

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PROPHET

nabiy' = a prophet (to speak by

"Eighty and six years have I served

Him, and he never did me any injury;

how then can I blaspheme my King

and my Savior?"

~Polycarp

No exposition of the office of Prophet

would be complete without a

thorough examination of the actual

name "Prophet" in the original

language of the Bible. The Hebrew

word for Prophet is the word nabi

from a root meaning "to bubble forth,

as from a fountain," hence "to utter".

This Hebrew word is the first and the

most generally used for a prophet. 7

The purpose of the prophetic ministry is

to guide the church. The prophets

usually exercise revelation gifts such as

words of knowledge, words of wisdom

and discerning of the spirit in their

prophecies. With the words of

knowledge, they may foretell the future

7 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament

Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

in specific terms. With the words of

wisdom, they provide wisdom in difficult

situations. Jesus displayed such gift of

wisdom when He was faced with the

condemned adulteress (John 8:1-12)

and also during the issue about to whom

should the people pay their taxes

(Matthew 22:15-22). In having the gift of

discernment, prophets are able to

discern whether certain people are

speaking on behalf of God's Spirit,

human spirits or evil spirits.”

While the apostle brings the fivefold gift

of casting vision or direction for the

body, the prophet confirms that the

apostle is hearing from God and moving

the body in the proper direction or order.

“The prophets speak on behalf of God

and reveal His will. They are important

in today's church because all Christians

need to know the heart of God and learn

how to work together for His glory.”i

Like the apostle we find the prophet in

the New Testament as part of the gifts

that God gave to his bride. It is here in

the true that we find the imprimatur for

the prophet which was the dominate role

or office in the Old Testament. God

continually revealed Himself and His

plan for the redemption of mankind to

His prophets and through His prophets

to His people.

We have developed a quick list to help

you see if your role is in this area. Each

of the fivefold ministry gifts has specific

qualifications. Here are 5 for the

prophet:

12

The role of the prophet confirming the

apostle is apparent in many places in

the bible. This shows the importance of

the fivefold ministry working in harmony

providing protection and direction to the

Body of Christ. It is evident in the life of

Abraham, Moses and others. The

prophet does not make stuff up to say or

imagine the will or plan of God.

The whole purpose of the bible is to

redeem mankind from his sin. The

whole of Scripture is consumed with this

theme which would have its fulfillment in

Jesus Christ. The Prophets of old did

not predict in the sense of some extra

sensory perception. Rather (as God

has spoken the end from the beginning

as the lamb slain before the foundation

of the world) the prophets were

reporting on what God had revealed to

them concerning the events leading up

to His coming.

After the Advent of Christ we see

numerous accounts of the prophets

continuing their role of being the

‘watchmen on the wall’ such as the

prophet Agabus prophesying to Apostle

Paul. Like the rest of the fivefold the

prophet finds his true in the New

Testament and is in the pattern of God

in the Old Testament and still today.

QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF PROPHET

1. Prophets guide. Prophets confirm.

Hand in hand with the apostle

2. Prophets must speak not of their own

accord or in their own name or any

other, but in the Name of the Lord only.

3. Prophecies must be consistent with

prior revelation. Prophets do not

recreate God’s plan they confirm His

plan.

4. Prophets speak what the Lord tells

them to speak. Prophets must not

encourage idolatry or any other sin.

Deu 13:5 And that prophet, or that

dreamer of dreams, shall be put to

death; because he hath spoken to

turn you away from the LORD your God,

which brought you out of the land of

Egypt, and redeemed you out of the

house of bondage, to thrust thee out of

the way which the LORD thy God

commanded thee to walk in. So shalt

thou put the evil away from the midst of

thee.

5. All prophecies must come true (the

test of Moses for the true prophet). Deu

18:21 And if thou say in thine heart,

How shall we know the word which the

13

LORD hath not spoken? When a

prophet speaketh in the name of the

LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come

to pass, that is the thing which the

LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet

hath spoken it presumptuously: thou

shalt not be afraid of him.

A very common misunderstanding

about prophets is the difference

between:

1. The role of the prophet and

2. The operation of the gift of

prophecy. The two are distinctly

diverse. There must be distinction

made between one who speaks out

under the unction of the gift of

prophecy and one who is a prophet.

The prophet is a role. The individual

in that office will almost certainly

operate in the gift of prophecy as well

as other revelation gifts (word of

knowledge, word of wisdom, and

discernment of spirits) but should not

be limited to this. Elijah for example

operated in the gift of miracles.8

8 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament

Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

1. Not everyone is a prophet. For

example, a boy may wear a Cubs

baseball cap, but that does not

mean he plays professional

baseball for the Chicago Cubs.

You may prophesy, but operating

in the simple gift of prophecy

does not qualify you to stand in

the office of a prophet, much like

wearing a Cubs hat does not

qualify you to play baseball for

the Chicago Cubs - you must be

gifted. To stand in the office of a

prophet, one must have a

consistent manifestation of at

least two of the revelation gifts

( word of wisdom, word of

knowledge, or discerning of

spirits) plus prophecy.9

2. The gift of prophecy edifies,

exhorts, and comforts (I

Corinthians 14:3); helps us build

up or strengthen; and should lead

us to the Word of God. It is the

ministry of the Holy Spirit to

convict of sin, of righteousness,

and of judgment to come (John

16:8-11).

It is interesting to note that little is

depicted about the role of the role of

the “New testament prophet”. This

can also be said of the other offices

in the body of Christ. It is therefore

no stretch to assume that the role of

the Prophet is essentially unchanged

9http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts

/prophecy.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/word-of-wisdom.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/word-of-knowledge.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/word-of-knowledge.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/discernment.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/discernment.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/prophecy.htm

http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/prophecy.htm

14

from its function and duty in the Old

Testament.10

It seems almost impossible to

eliminate from the popular mind the

idea that "prophecy" means

"prediction." Yet this is a purely

modern modification of its meaning.

It rests upon a false etymology:

the pro in this word is not the pro

which means beforehand (as in

prospectus), but the other pro which

means in place of (as in pronoun): a

prophet is one who speaks in place

of another. When Moses had been

shrinking from the mission to Israel

on the ground of his inefficiency as a

speaker, and Aaron was granted him

as an assistant in this respect, the

words were: `See, I have made thee

[Moses] a god unto Pharaoh; and

Aaron thy brother shall be thy

prophet’ (Exod. 7:1)."

As Aaron is thus the mouthpiece of

Moses, so regularly in Scripture the

prophet is the mouthpiece of God.11

Examples of Prophets

Abraham

Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the

man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he

shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live:

and if thou restore her not, know thou

10

The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D. 11

The Role of the Prophet Reprinted from THE HERALD of November, 1949

that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all

that are thine.

Aaron

Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto

Moses, See, I have made thee a god to

Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be

thy prophet.

It is significant that as Moses emerges

in an apostolic role (like his predecessor

Joseph) that God brings the role of the

prophet into full form through Aaron.

Where the apostolic role brings

government and direction the prophet

provides guidance.

Miriam

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess,

the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her

hand; and all the women went out after

her with timbrels and with dances.

Sometimes "prophets" try to hide the

fact that they are not really prophets.

They do this by saying that something

did not happen because you and I did

not have sufficient faith for it to happen.

Once God says that something will

happen, you no longer need faith - He

15

said it will happen and therefore it is as

good as done and there is nothing you

or I could do (or not do) to prevent it

from happening. This is called FAITH -

God will honor His Word because He

cannot lie, make a mistake or be late

because of unforeseen circumstances.

A faithful servant is better off than a

prophet

The Lord has always been very strict on

prophets (and other five-fold ministers).

His instructions are that we need to

evaluate the information supplied by

these prophets and that we should not

just accept anything they say. But we

have to compare what they are telling us

to God's Word and if this is in line, we

have to obey. But if these are not in line,

these prophets were put to death in the

Old Testament:

DEU 18:20 But the prophet, which shall

presume to speak a word in my name,

which I have not commanded him to

speak, or that shall speak in the name of

other gods, even that prophet shall die.

It is crucial that we know when a

prophet is really talking by inspiration of

the Holy Spirit and not the inspiration of

their flesh or other things.

Judging Prophets

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every

spirit, but try the spirits whether they are

of God: because many false prophets

are gone out into the world.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of

God: Every spirit that confesseth that

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of

God: 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that

confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come

in the flesh is not of God: and this is that

spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have

heard that it should come; and even

now already is it in the world.

In conclusion it may be revealed that the office of Prophet is very much a part of the New Testament Church. His or Her role is one of aiding the various members in hearing from God and placing them in the correct path of God’s will. There are some New Testament Prophets that use their gifts to predict the course of various members of Christ’s body as well as predicting the course of some individuals. Prophets operate primarily in the revelation gifts. They are maintainers of order in themselves and Body at large. The Prophet office is as essential today as it was in the days of Elijah or Jeremiah. 12

12

copyright 2000 Rev. Mark J. Dibois Used by permission.

16

AM I A PASTOR?

STRONGS NT 1317: HEBREW: ra`ah =

to tend a flock; to rule; to associate as a

friend

GREEK: poimen = a shepherd

The meaning of the word Pastor is

linked to that of a person who is

responsible to tend to the flock as a

friend or caretaker.

διδακτικός, διδακτικη, (equivalent

to διδασκαλικός in Greek writings), apt

and skillful in teaching: 1 Timothy 3:2; 2

Timothy 2:24. (διδακτικη ἀρετή, the

virtue which renders one teachable,

docility, Philo).

The most generally acknowledged of the

fivefold roles is that of pastor. There

are literally hundreds of thousands of

pastors in the world. First of all, we

need to remember that God, in His

wisdom, gave pastors to the Body of

Christ. However, He did not make

them the head of the Church. He did

not appoint pastors to rule over the local

congregation. Those who operate in

such a manner have man-made

religious systems – not the plan of God.

The Scripture tells us that a pastor must

be above reproach (Titus 1:6, 7; 1 Tim

3:2). This is the overarching,

summarizing characteristic that is

applicable to all of the fivefold. God

never intended for the pastor to be

somehow spiritually superior to the rest

of the fivefold ministry or the Body of

Christ.

You will find similar (but not identical)

lists in 1st Timothy and Titus. Living a

life above reproach is the first

requirement in both lists and Titus

repeats it. The other items on the list

explain what “above reproach” means. If

we peruse the two lists, as well as First

Peter, we find 17 qualifications of an

elder who is above reproach. This is a

qualification for all in ministry. Apostle

Paul, in his apostolic role, was setting

order in the church. He was not

creating positions, titles or hierarchy.

http://interlinearbible.org/1_timothy/3-2.htm



17

In the modern application the pastor

has in some man-made systems

become the supreme leader of the local

body (in various degrees) and in others

he is merely an errand boy or a hireling

to officiate over the religious services.

None of these are the God given role of

pastors.




qualifications. Here are 5 for the pastor:

QUICK LIST FOR THE ROLE OF

PASTOR

1. Ability requirement. A Pastor

must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim

3:2). All of the other qualifications are

character qualities. This is the only

ability-based requirement. A pastor

must to be able to teach sound doctrine

both by their own example and in

communicating to others. If you are not

capable of teaching then you are not a

pastor as outlined by Scriptural

standards.

2. A shepherd who watches out for

the people of God.

3. Pastor-Teacher. The Greek word

translated as pastor is simply the word

for a shepherd. A shepherd is a person

(man or woman) who cares for a flock of

sheep. He or She leads them to a place

where they can find food and water. He

keeps the flock together, so it is safe

from attack. At the same time each

sheep receives individual attention.

Those that stray are brought back to the

flock, and any sick sheep is healed.

Each one is known by name.

4. A nurturer, a friend. As a nurturer

the pastor will generally minister to a

manageable number of persons that are

in their charge. In the modern church

many of those who wear the title of

pastor oversee a vast network of other

subservient pastors. Note: this is not

the biblical model but the model of men.

5. Teach knowledge and

understanding. (Jer. 3:5).

NOT A TEACHER EQUALS

NOT A PASTOR

It is interesting that many who wear the

title ‘pastor’ see themselves as

somehow disconnected from the people

rather than the biblical model which has

them very ‘hands on’ working daily with

the people. The pastor is not an ascetic

(living a life out of the reach of others)

person but one of the Body of Christ (a

servant).

I am surprised that those who call

themselves ‘pastor’ often admit that they

are not teachers. This does not mean

18

that they are not a value to the Body of

Christ; but it does reflect that they are

not pastors. Most have been assigned

as a pastor as part of a man-made

religious order. Titus 2:15, Paul sums

the pastoral role up in three words:

teach, encourage, rebuke. This is the

work of the pastor and teacher.

JER 3:14 Turn, O backsliding

children, saith the LORD; for I am

married unto you: and I will take you

one of a city, and two of a family, and

I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will

give you pastors according to mine

heart, which shall feed you with

knowledge and understanding.

Eze 34:4 You have not strengthened

the weak or healed the sick or bound

up the injured. You have not brought

back the strays or searched for the

lost. You have ruled them harshly

and brutally.

The pastor is part of the five-fold

ministry, fulfilling a vital role in the caring

for the children of God. They are not the

head of the church; neither do the other

ministries have to submit to them. If you

wanted to contend that anybody has to

submit to anybody else, the pastors

would have to submit to Apostles.

Remember the earmark of the entire

fivefold ministry is humility.

If the Lord anoints a pastor, He anoints

somebody who is according to His

heart. That will mean that they will be

full of love. God calls them because

they are people after God's heart. They

do not qualify just because they

attended Bible School or have some

degrees behind their names. (Jer 3:15).

Pastors are sensitive and reasonable

(Jer 10:21) honest and truthful (Jer

23:14). It often happens that people

leave their secular job to start a church.

Starting churches is not the biblical role

of a pastor.

JER 10:21 For the pastors are

become brutish, and have not sought

the LORD: therefore they shall not

prosper, and all their flocks shall be

scattered.

JER 12:10-11 Many pastors have

destroyed my vineyard, they have

trodden my portion under foot, and

they have made my pleasant portion

a desolate wilderness. They have

made it desolate, and being desolate

it mourneth unto me; the whole land

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is made desolate, because no man

layeth it to heart.

One minister reflected this, “Many who

wear the title of pastor force the people

into doing things by telling them that

they do not love God if they do not do

this or that. They keep the people in

such bondage that they are no longer

allowed to have any friends outside of

the local congregation. They have taken

the people, removed the call of God on

their lives through their lies and replaced

it with the calling of men. Some even

admit that openly and declare boldly that

if you serve other people long enough,

you will qualify for your own ministry!”

People do not qualify for ministries; they

are called by God into them.”

JER 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors

that destroy and scatter the sheep of

my pasture saith the LORD.

2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God

of Israel against the pastors that feed

my people; Ye have scattered my

flock, and driven them away, and

have not visited them: behold, I will

visit upon you the evil of your

doings, saith the LORD.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my

flock out of all countries whither I

have driven them, and will bring them

again to their folds; and they shall

be fruitful and increase.

4 And I will set up shepherds over

them which shall feed them: and they

shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,

neither shall they be lacking, saith

the LORD.

The Lord will restore His flock all on His

own, without involving the church and

the pastors if need be. The children of

God are not really sheep (sheep and

shepherds are an analogy) – the people

of God are temples of the Holy Ghost

and each one of them are lead

differently. So a pastor cannot throw the

whole congregation into a pot and try

and control them all the same way. This

normally happens because the pastor is

not properly aligned with the fivefold

ministry. In place of proper alignment

with fivefold ministry and the Body of

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Christ these ‘pastors’ take the place of

‘sole overseer’. These self appointed or

man appointed pastors then are

generally too lazy to find out from God

what each member of the congregation

has to do, or they just cannot hear from

God.

In order to understand this role better, it

would be a good idea to investigate the

life of Jesus Christ. He kept on giving

the people knowledge and

understanding, showed them the right

ways, but never ever forced them to

stay with Him or follow a certain calling.

He never once told them they were not

allowed to go to other Christians and

fellowship with them. Being a Pastor is

a great privilege and honor. It is also a

great responsibility - one that the pastor

cannot carry alone. They need the

assistance of all four the other five-fold

ministers in order to get their

congregations to the point where they

can successfully flow into their own

ministries.

TEACHER

JOH 3:2 The same came to Jesus by

night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we

know that thou art a teacher come

from God: for no man can do these

miracles that thou doest, except God

be with him.

Translation - didaskalos = an

instructor

The role of teacher is vital to the

continuation of the life and ministry of

the Body. The teacher instructs in the

areas that the apostles have directed

and the prophets have confirmed lifting

truth from Scripture and dedicating this

to purpose. This is proper doctrine and

the teacher is the primary instrument

used by God to bring truth to His Body.

The concept of a fivefold minister is to

instruct and mentor others in the Body

of Christ.

The teacher must have a working

knowledge of the Body of Christ to help

21

nurture, train and mature believers and

bring another The teacher teaches the

students the basics as well as the

intricacies of the Kingdom of Jesus

Christ, the Preacher publishes the

wonderful works that God has done.

Like the Bible says: We have overcome

Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the

word of our testimony". Preaching

proclaims what God has done and stirs

up our hopes. We become on fire for

God and have very high hopes for Jesus

to do miracles in our midst. A real

teacher does not care to prove himself

or herself to unbelieving people. They

know they have the truth and the fact

that God moves with them is proof

enough for him or her. God moves with

them with signs and wonders.




qualifications. Here are 5 for the

Teacher.

QUICK LIST FOR TEACHERS

1. Not just an instructor but

committed to the outcome of those to

who he or she teaches.

2. Qualified and appointed by the

authority of Jesus Christ to bring

understanding through the teaching of

doctrine. Doctrine is truth lifted from

Scripture and dedicated to purpose.

3. He or she sometimes uncovers

things from the Bible that other people

just seem to miss.

4. They teach doctrine. This

becomes knowledge to the people of

God. "My people perish because of a

lack of knowledge" The Teacher

provides this knowledge.

5. Teaching rather than preaching.

ACT 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of

God, and teaching those things

which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,

with all confidence, no man

forbidding him.

EVANGELIST

euaggelistes = a preacher of the gospel

Evangelist is much more about function

than office (as are all the fivefold gifts).




qualifications. Here are 5 for

Evangelist

QUICKLIST FOR EVANGELISTS

1. A Preacher of the Gospel of

Jesus Christ. Preach = kerusso, kay-

roos-so which means to herald (as a

public crier), proclaim, publish as related

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to encouraging, exhorting, the local

church body.

2. Brings the Good News.

3. Evangelists in the fivefold

application bring encouragement to the

body of Christ. One man asked me to

help him understand what his role was

in the fivefold ministry. He was certain

of his call to ministry but confused about

what role he filled. Local pastors had

told him he was a music minister or

music pastor. He was further cofounded

because he could not find ‘music pastor’

in the bible. This man served to lead

worship in two congregations within his

local community. His role was evident

as an evangelist to the local body of

Christ. He was confused about his role

because the body of Christ is divided

because of religious politics, but God

was not confused about how he set His

body in order. Christ is not divided. The

fact that the body in that area was

fragmented into various congregations

has not deterred the flow of the Spirit as

it moves in His gifts.

4. Evangelists have the specific role

of bringing encouragement to the body

of Christ and also to bring spiritual

revival to the lukewarm.

It will be good if the church can identify

those who have this gift from among

their congregation and use their gifting.

As not all pastors are Evangelists, it will

be wise to spot some early. “For

example, a pastor of a small church,

who did not have the gift of an

Evangelist, was constantly frustrated for

years when he preached at his own

annual evangelistic meetings and

received little responses for

salvation. Then on one occasion, he

broke with his tradition and invited a

gifted Evangelist to preach. The result

was astounding. There were more

responses for salvation in one meeting

than all the meetings that the pastor had

ever conducted. A Holy-Spirit

empowered gift is something to be

reckoned.”ii

5. The Lord also blesses

Evangelists with signs and wonders so

as to confirm the words that they

preach. One of the purposes of the

Evangelist is to lead seekers to Christ

new. However, this is also part of the

role of the entire body of Christ. Some

of the greatest men in the bible were

called evangelists, Timothy and Phillip

to name two. Evangelists hold an

important role in the five fold ministry.

The evangelist is key to encouraging the

body of Christ and as such is an

invaluable equal to the pastor and

apostle.

If we look at the Great Commission, are

we then all evangelists? Although we all

evangelize, only some people are called

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to use this calling to train other people in

getting them ready for their ministries.

Remember the call of the five-fold

ministers.

Evangelist is a special gift to the body to

encourage and uplift. Many people who

have been misnamed as pastors are

evangelists. Music ministers are

generally evangelists, as are a plethora

of other gifting to the Body of Christ.

The work of the evangelist is:

To follow the pattern of sound

words (2 Tim. 1:13)

To teach faithful men and women

(2 Tim. 2:2)

To correct opponents of the truth

(2 Tim. 2:25)

To preach the word of God (2

Tim. 4:1-4) - This is an obligation of

every Christian (Acts 8:4).

To “be watchful”

An evangelist is to proclaim the

scriptures, for the reason that they alone

are profitable for the things necessary

for one’s spiritual development (2 Tim.

3:16, 17); an evangelist is not to preach

his opinion but “the whole body of

revealed truth” (Acts 20:27).

To “be instant” - “To stand by, be

present, be at hand.” “Hold oneself in

constant readiness to proclaim the

word” (Acts 13:13-16). “In season” -

literally, “well-season.” The word is

translated “conveniently” in Mark

14:11. The gospel was “in season” in

Acts 2:37.

To “reprove” - “To convict, confute,

refute, usually with the suggestion of

putting the convicted person to shame”

(Acts 24:25). To “rebuke” - “To charge

one with wrong; implies a sharp, severe

rebuke, with a suggestion of impending

penalty” To “exhort” - “To admonish...to

urge, one to pursue some course of

conduct” (Acts 2:37-40).

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“With all longsuffering” - “Forbearance,

patience.” “Patience with regard to

antagonistic persons.” “That quality of

self-restraint in the face of provocation

which does not hastily retaliate or

promptly punish…the opposite of

anger…is associated with mercy” (Acts

14:19-22).

“With…doctrine” - “Sound and

reasonable instruction in the truth” (2

Tim. 3:16,17).

WHAT AN EVANGELIST IS NOT

The evangelist is not an itinerant

preacher, who merely goes from

place to place preaching for what

he can get in special

contributions.

The evangelist is not one who

only holds gospel meetings or

“revivals.” [While an evangelist

may limit his work in such a way,

the Bible does not so restrict him.

He is not someone doing the

evangelist job while “looking for a

church to pastor”.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE FIVEFOLD

MINISTER, ELDERS, AND OTHERS

Character requirements of all fivefold

ministers (the goal is to have the best

example of mature, Holy Ghost filled,

leaders in these important roles in the

Body of Christ):

1. Spiritually mature (1 Tim 3:6)

Positions of authority without spiritual

maturity lead to the trap of pride. When

pride grows in a man, sin abounds.

2. Devoted to their spouse (Titus

1:6; 1 Tim 3:2).

3. Children must be in submission

(Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:4-5).

4. Faithful Steward (Titus 1:7)

5. Humble - not arrogant (Titus 1:7)

6. Gentle - not quick-tempered

(Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)

7. Sober - not a drunkard (Titus 1:7;

1 Tim 3:3). This is not just

overindulgence in alcohol but is

idiomatic for any behavior that fuels

addictive responses.

8. Peaceful - not violent

(Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)

25

9. Must have financial integrity - not

greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1

Peter 5:3)

10. Hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2)

11. Lover of good (Titus 1:8)

12. Self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim

3:2) Self-control is a characterization of

every area life: diet, time, mouth,

exercise, relationships, sex, and money.

13. Upright (Titus 1:8). Integrity in

his relationships and in the way they

treat others.

14. Holy (Titus 1:8). A life devoted to

Jesus externally and internally.

15. Respectable (1 Tim 3:7)

The role of fivefold ministry is to fulfill the function described in Ephesians 4:12-13, " ... to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Leadership's function is to train and equip the body for the work of the ministry! The focus of good leadership is nothing short of aiming for the whole body to attain to the whole measure of

the fullness of Christ! Some contend that everyone has a fivefold role and that the work of the fivefold is to train the rest of the Body so that they know and understand their purpose. I am not certain that everyone has a fivefold role but certainly everyone needs instruction. However, there is nothing wrong with everyone having a ministry role as this is the role of the Body of Christ. Everyone may be called to hold a fivefold role. Certainly, we are all called to do the work of an evangelist. I believe there is value in stressing the truth that there must be diversity of function in the body of Christ... a. This point is often overlooked when churches think about how they might involve every member b. Yet failure to appreciate this truth can hinder true growth, and at the same time be very frustrating for the members of the body of Christ Some congregations have been built around one particular kind of ministry or program. In those congregations, the only members who are really involved are those taking part in that one special program. But the church is a body. A body must have diversity if it is to survive. Evangelism, edification, benevolence, and worship are functions of every local congregation. This by no means concludes the lessons in related to the fivefold ministry. This is only the beginning. Enjoy your journey. I am available to help in any way I can.

28

From the

FIVEFOLD

ROUNDTABLE

TEACHING

SERIES

Distinctions in

Ministry Gifting,

Role and Function

By Barney Philips

Many have wrongly assumed that their

gifting is their ministry rather than how they

are to administer or dispense their gifting.

Gifting is not ministry, but the

empowerment and means God gives us to

accomplish our ministry. God’s grace in

ministry works through our gifts; see

Romans 12:6 and First Corinthians 3:10.

When someone declares their gifting to be

their ministry, he or she usually lacks

understanding and foundation.

The good definition of understanding is the

foundation under which we stand; or what

is under that which we stand? In exalting

the gift, they fail to find their true purpose.

There are many gifts among them—helps,

ministry, tongues, healing, prophecy,

administration, encouragement, salvation,

etc. The empowerment of God’s grace in

any area of our life is a gift. Ministry is how

we are called to serve God; gifts are how we

are empowered by God to minister.

The Bible says that all can prophesy, but

this does not mean that everyone holds the

office of a prophet.

All the leadership can pastor and care for

the “sheep,” but that does not mean they

all have the God-given office of a pastor in

the fivefold ministry. Many can teach, but

each one does not operate in the office of

teacher.

God gives spiritual gifts to all, but ministry

gifts he appoints only some to particular

offices by measure of grace and authority.

This is the distinction between charisma

and ministry gifting. The fivefold ministry

gifts of Ephesians chapter 4 are ministerial

29

offices of authority, given by grace,

according to the measure of the gift.

Whereas, the gifts of Romans chapter 12

are charisma gifts that are given to each

Christian by the Spirit according to His

purpose for their life. Charisma gifts are

part of who we are, and they are in us even

prior to salvation, even though their full

exercise may only manifest in service to

God.

Everyone has been given charisma gifts,

but not everyone has ministry gifts which

manifests itself in offices of authority. Due

to the immaturity of the Church, resulting

from the absence of the Teacher, most

recognize and seek charisma gifts; few are

able to appreciate or recognize ministries of

authority. This is one reason the Church is

so lacking in foundation and Godly

direction.

Those in ministry may flow in a variety of

gifting from time to time. Even though

Timothy was called an apostle and an elder,

Paul told him to do the work of an

evangelist in a certain place because of the

need. However, just because he did the

work of an evangelist at that time, does not

mean that he held the office of an

evangelist. In the same manner, if someone

prophesies, that does not necessarily a

prophet. Just because someone done the

work of an apostle and set up some

churches and helped with foundational

structure does not necessarily mean that

person is an apostle; they are simple

operating a gift of the spirit of an apostle.

The man God sets in a place operates under

an apostolic gift of authority. He should

then train others to minister and should

provide people to care for the

congregation. He should help define their

gifting, ministry and call. The ones who

should fill positions in the Church are those

God has gifted and called for particular

areas of services. When leadership is lacking

this order, you can then pin point the

reason the church is lacking identity and

30

purposes. The set man should seek for the

conformation of the Holy Spirit concerning

the appointment of eldership, and then

bring them before the apostle, prophet and

elders for conformation; a presbytery of

ministry who are in set order.

Give, and it shall be given unto you;

good measure, pressed down, and

shaken together, and running over, shall

men give into your bosom. For with the

same measure that ye mete withal it

shall be measured to you again. (Luke

6:38).

Barney Phillips

serves as ICOF Vice

President of

Missions

http://www.icof.net

"If the Lord tarries, there may yet be a

grass-roots awakening that will overflow

all sectarian barriers. There are a host of

good people... who long for a visitation

from heaven in old-time power. The

kindling wood is scattered all round in all

the churches. May God help us to rake off

the ashes, uncover the live coals and may

He blow upon us with the breath of His

Spirit!"

-Vance Havner

Restoration of the Church

Three things that the New Testament church had that are lacking in the Modern Church: 1. Infilling of the Holy Spirit. 2. The gifts of the Spirit & 3. Fivefold ministry Apostolic Reformation Throughout history there have been waves of the Holy Spirit that resulted in attempts at restoration or reformation of the Church to return it to the original doctrine of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Movements of Apostolic Reformation have happened repeatedly since the time of John Wycliffe. In the last Century there was an Apostolic reformation that birthed the Apostolic Faith movement and subsequent Pentecostal Movement. It is our expectation that we are on the verge of another similar wave of the Spirit. We refer to this as The Next Wave. The Next Wave The Next Wave will move away from the traditions of men and focus on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the New Testament church and the Apostles of Jesus Christ. The next wave has little interest in superficial events and pseudo "outpourings‟ opting for a real and sustaining manifestation of the power of God.

http://www.icof.net/

31

Royal Priesthood

For the Royal Priesthood (or the Body of

Christ) to come to maturity it will take a

fully functional fivefold ministry. To this

end we have committed to ICOF

In a recent weekly Executive Session

we discussed how the enemies of the

cross seem more committed to prayer to

their false deities than followers of Jesus

Christ demonstrate. In discussing the

challenges, understanding that there

has been some 2000 years since the

advent of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry,

we concluded that there is no organized

effort to call the people of God to daily

prayer. Granted, there have been and

remain efforts to such as the national

day of prayer but this is only to direct us

to prayer one day per year. Thus, it is

our expectation to see a global 'Call to

Prayer' where Biblical Christians

(followers of Jesus Christ) would commit

to pray on a daily basis.

Here is our challenge: Prayer - 3 times a

day. We are asking every follower of

Jesus Christ to commit to prayer three

times each day. This is a commitment to

daily prayer for the rest of our lives. This

prayer time can be anytime during the

day but we are suggesting the following:

• Morning - Pray by yourself, with your

family or those where you work or go to

school. This will help set the tone for the

day. • Mid Day - Before or after lunch

take time to pray wherever you are.

Encourage those around you to pray

with you (co-workers, peers, clients,

etc.) • Evening - pray with you family,

your friends, neighbors, etc. Encourage

places of business, church buildings,

malls, etc. to designate a place for daily

prayer. Pray for God to give us space

for REPENTACE!

Pray for your family, friends and others

who are not committed to Jesus Christ.

Pray for healing, renewal, deliverance

and more. Prayer is communication.

The key thing is to STOP what you are

doing. Take time to find a quiet place

where you can communicate with God.

We are not directing you how long to

pray. Rather we are leaving that up to

the individual or the group, but by all

means - PRAY!

Posture - in Scripture we find people

praying in a variety of postures -

kneeling, standing, laying prostrate, etc.

All of these are acceptable.

IF you would like to connect with others

who are praying in like manner please

feel free to email: JOIN THE CALL TO

PRAYER [email protected]


33

Drugs and Drug Addiction have no Religious Preference

June 9, 2013

Letters to the Editor The New York Times 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 To the Editor: As an African-American who works to rehabilitate drug addicts, I am dismayed to see the plight of black Americans used to push a pro-legalization agenda. Most black men in prison for drugs are in for crimes committed because they were under the influence. By increasing

availability, legalization would increase drug abuse and the number of men and women behind bars—black, white and Hispanic. Simple possession represents a tiny minority of prison inmates. Drug abuse is the greatest destroyer of individuals and families, and marijuana is not innocent. Tens of thousands do worse in school and later in life because of this drug. Teenagers who smoke marijuana regularly drop out at twice the rate of non-users. Those who care about racial injustice will note that black men are disproportionately imprisoned for all types of crimes, not just drugs. Legalizing marijuana will worsen, not improve, the lives of black men, women and children. Bishop, Dr. Ron Allen President/Founder International Faith Based Coalition

[email protected] 916-807-1210 P.O.Box 5062 Sacramento Ca. 95818

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'What You Should

Know About Five-

fold Ministry

By Albert Kang

It was He who gave some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be Evangelists, and some to be Pastors and Teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.'

Ephesians 4:11-13

You have heard about the fivefold ministry as found in Ephesians 4:11-13, but have you seen it in operation? The chances are that you may have seen twofold or threefold ministry in the church. In most churches, the pastors are the ones who usually serve as Evangelists and Teachers. On some rare occasions, they might even take on the prophetic role and utter some prophecies. Once a year, they might lead mission teams to plant churches in other countries and thus take the role of an Apostle.

We have to appreciate these pastors for being versatile enough to do the fivefold ministry. However, in the biblical sense this is not ideal. The Lord has never placed all the gifts in one person but wants the fivefold ministry to be shared among the leaders of the church. The church grows stronger when these ministers cooperate and serve the people, building them to become matured in their faith. The end result will be an effective congregation united in Agape love and at the same time doing the "works of service" by reaching out to the community.

Mobilization of Laity

The mobilization of laity is absolutely vital for the church to grow strong spiritually and also grow large

numerically. The "quantity" of the churchgoers goes hand in hand with the "quality" of the church. (Though the opposite may not necessary be true). Seekers respond to the Gospel when the church's lay ministers are spiritually strong and well trained enough to present it with the power of the Holy

Spirit. The fivefold ministry of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers has to be reintroduced in every church. The pastor has to observe, select and train lay people who have such relevant gifts. After training, these gifted people should be given clear guidelines, ministry descriptions, and the appropriate authority to serve and build God's people for other ministries. God has given us a self-perpetuating programme it is up to us to obey Him and implement this in our church.

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Albert_Kang

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Apostles Govern

The early Disciples of Christ were known as Apostles. They were the ones who were anointed by the Holy Spirit so that they could establish the fledging Christian faith in different countries. Apart from the twelve well-known Apostles recorded in the Gospel we have to take note of the Apostles recorded in the other parts of the New Testament. The lack of clear distinction between these two groups of Apostles has led to misunderstanding as to what Apostleship is all about. We now know that there are people who are called to the office of Apostleship and then there are many who have apostolic gifts. Paul the Apostle challenged those who claimed to be Apostles but who were not willing to pay the price of that esteemed office:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been

constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2.Corinthians 11:23-28)

Today, there are Christian ministers who call themselves "Apostles". There is no doubt that some of these are true Apostles but others have assumed this title as position of elevation. (Surf the Internet and you will be able to observe quite a few of these so-called Apostles). Few of them hold apostolic credentials like that of Paul and I suspect that it is their insatiable appetite for recognition and power that has resulted in this abuse.

When I was in China, I had the privilege of traveling with an old Chinese pastor who had been imprisoned for his faith, by the Communists, for 27 years. During the journey, I observed how humble and Christ-like he was. Even at 75 years old, there was fire in his eyes whenever he talked about the Lord and the future of the Chinese churches. He was poor but was most willing to share the little money that he had with others. He had no car or even a bicycle. He dressed simply and had little possession. For more than ten years after his release from prison, he had been traveling around Southern China to establish underground churches. After traveling with him to visit a couple of these churches and watching him counseling, correcting and even reprimanding

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younger pastors, I had no doubt that he was a true Apostle. In every church, he encouraged the congregation to establish more cell groups and more churches. In one church, he had to leave in the middle of a sermon because the police was after him. Even though he had never announced himself as holding the apostolic position, the people whom he served, recognized that.

Missionaries who pioneer and establish churches can be considered to be the modern Apostles because the primary task of Apostleship is planting churches. Even though I have planted more than 16 churches and a few orphanages, I can only say that I am doing the apostolic work. The emphasis is upon the word "work" rather than the word "apostolic". It is a privilege to be used by the Lord in this way and never shall it be used as a position of elevation and honor.

Prophets Guide

In the New Testament, Agabus was known as a prophet even though his advice to Paul was inaccurate (Acts 21). The daughters of the Evangelist Philip were also well-known prophetesses. The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to guide the church. The prophets usually exercise revelation gifts such as words of knowledge, words of wisdom and discerning of the spirit in their prophecies. With the words of knowledge, they may foretell the future in specific terms. With the words of wisdom, they provide wisdom in difficult situations. Jesus displayed such gift of wisdom when He was faced with the condemned adulteress (John 8:1-12) and also during the issue about to whom

should the people pay their taxes (Matthew 22:15-22). In having the gift of discernment, the Prophets are able to discern whether certain people are speaking on behalf of God's Spirit, human spirits or evil spirits.

Prophets speak on behalf of God and reveal His will. They are important in today's church because all Christians need to know the heart of God and learn how to work together for His glory. Most Christians may have prophetic gifts but not all hold the office of a Prophet. Today, there has been an increase in the number of so-called "Prophets" who abuse this position of gifting. Many of them have assumed the mystical aura to impress naïve Christians. Sadly, many Christians are still as superstitious as the pagans and they are taking these "Prophets" to be their personal fortune-tellers. This is a very dangerous trend because if prophecies were based on the practitioners' ability to guess and convince, then the people would not be able to distinguish between the real and false prophets. In some of the surveys done in USA, such prophets were only twenty per cent accurate. This was tantamount to guessing as those who did not have the prophetic gifts also gained similar scores. The shamans and mystics in Asia would have done better

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than that. In the Old Testament, the prophets had to be 100 per cent accurate or else they would be known as false prophets and be stoned to death.

Let me emphasize that we should not reject those who are called to the prophetic office but neither should we accept every utterance without using the biblical guidelines of evaluating and judging them. Let us be cautious as we weigh every prophetic word with the Scripture.

Evangelists Gather

Evangelists are Christians who have the specific gift of challenging seekers to have faith in Jesus and also to bring spiritual revival to lukewarm churches. They are the "sales" force of the church. It will be good if the church can identify those who have this gift from among their congregation and use them for the purpose of winning souls. As not all pastors are Evangelists, it will be wise to spot some early.

For example, a pastor of a small church, who did not have the gift of an Evangelist, was constantly frustrated for years when he preached at his own annual evangelistic meetings and received little responses for

salvation. Then on one occasion, he broke with his tradition and invited a gifted Evangelist to preach. The result was astounding. There were more responses for salvation in one meeting than all the meetings that the pastor had ever conducted. A Holy-Spirit empowered gift is something to be reckoned with.

The Lord also blesses Evangelists with signs and wonders so as to confirm the words that they preach. The purpose of the Evangelists is to create new converts. After that, they hand these converts to the church and let the pastor-teacher does the grounding work so as to make these converts into Disciples. We should encourage those who have this evangelistic gift to come forward to be used for the kingdom of God. This is especially crucial for the future existence of the church because it is only through new converts that new Disciples come forth.

Pastors Guard

We are most familiar with the role of a pastor as this is the most prominent office in the church. He is the under-shepherd of the Chief Shepherd who is Jesus Christ. His gifting is in the area of caring and nurturing the believers. He has overwhelming emotional stamina, patience and also wisdom to resolve church problems and human relation issues. James, the brother of Jesus, was known as the pastor of the Jerusalem church. Even the Apostles returned to report to him and the elders in that church.

Today, the churches are in a confused state because we do not recognize the call of God for ministers to serve in any

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one of the other four ministries, except that of a pastor. Therefore we erroneously deem anyone who has a divine call should automatically become a pastor.

I met a Christian brother who is gifted as an evangelist but he is pastoring a church. This is frustrating him to no end. He has tried to be a full-time Evangelist but during that time, even though the ministry results were good, his family almost starved. For practical reason of getting a fixed income for his family, he became a pastor. Evangelists usually do not get a full salary and have to live from offerings to offerings. It is now time for the churches to recognize the needs of the other parts of the fivefold ministry and to accord these ministers with appropriate income so that they can concentrate on their calling and serve the Lord and His church.

Teachers Ground

The role of the teachers is vital because the spiritual and doctrinal foundations of the church depend upon them. They are the ones who do the grounding work. I can usually tell that a church is strong by seeing the number of good teachers it has. Most pastors are gifted with teaching ability and so they usually take the role of being pastor-teachers.

However, the pastor alone is never enough. He must activate other gifted lay members to take on this teaching ministry.

Spirit-gifted and anointed teachers are different from those who are teaching in the secular schools. This teaching gift is divinely given and special because it allows the teacher to impart divine life and at the same time reveal hidden spiritual truth. With the gift of wisdom, the teacher speaks the mind of Christ to his students and thus stirs up further hunger within them. The more the congregation understands the will of God, the better it is in serving Him. Sadly, many modern Charismatic churches are missing out on the dedicated teaching of the solid doctrines of the Scripture. The overt emphasis upon the spiritual gifts has led to neglect in the didactic ministry. No matter how many spiritual gifts that the Christian might have, nothing is more important than the consistent studying of God's Word under the guidance of an anointed and gifted teacher.

Restoring Fivefold Ministry

For the modern churches to be powerful and effective, they have to reactivate the ministries of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. The fivefold ministry is like the five fingers of a hand. Yes, we can use the hand even though it has only three fingers but it is not ideal. The handicap is obvious when we want to use it for heavier task.

The task of churches today is heavy indeed. We therefore have to restore the complete operation of the fivefold ministry by giving the rightful positions of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,

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Pastors and Teachers. We must emphasize that for the fivefold ministry to be effective we must include the lay people. It should never be reduced to a domain for only a select few.

The maturity of the Church of Jesus Christ is at stake and the fulfilling of Christ's command to make Disciples of all nations has yet to be achieved. The churches cannot afford to play church games any more. Let's arise and make every effort to allow God to use us effectively in whichever part of the fivefold ministry that He has for us. Let's fulfill the Great Commission of the Lord without further delay.

Reverend Albert Kang received his Master of Divinity in 1985 from Far East Advanced School of Theology (now known as Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), a Bible Seminary belonging to the Assemblies of God.

God has used him to initiate 16 churches and 3 orphanages in Asia and USA. His first church in Singapore grew from 23 people to 1,700 within six years. For 7 years, he ministered in Cambodia where he planted a Cambodian church and 3 orphanages. He then co-founded a new church in Pittsburgh, PA before returning to Singapore in 2001. Today, his ministry is based in Malaysia and affiliated with High Praise Church in Subang Jaya.

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WE’VE LOST

CHRISTIANITY

by Andrew Strom

Despite the thousands in our mega

churches today, soaking up the warm entertainment offered to them every week,

I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity. Despite the Christian books now found in every Wal-Mart, and the "crossover" of Christian artists into the

mainstream, and our Christian mega-stores and CD´s and

DVD´s and Study-Bibles, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity.

Despite our lavish Cathedrals in the

suburbs (`Charismatic or not) with their pastel hues and comfortable pews, their

projector screens and $30,000 sound systems, I want to put it to you that we

have utterly lost Christianity.

We left it behind somewhere when we shifted our churches from the inner city into

the "comfortable" suburbs. We left it behind when we stopped welcoming the

bums off the street into our meetings and started welcoming only the

"respectable" people. We left it behind when we stopped preaching "take up your cross" and turned the gospel into a success

formula - `Seven Steps to your Best Life Now.´

Somewhere in our comfortable suburban streetscape with its manicured lawns we

lost the real thing. Somehow in our concern

for "property values" and a better `dental plan´ we left it behind. But that is not the worst part of it. The worst part is that we don´t know how to get it back again. Or

perhaps we don´t really WANT to get it back again. The cost simply doesn´t bear thinking about, does it? And so, as we drive around

in our nice shiny cars with our groovy plastic toys, and attend "church" as we

know it twice a week for 2 hours;- As we live a life that is about as unlike Jesus as you

can get, a life of comfort and coddling undreamt of by billions around the world;- a lifestyle in the top 10% of the earth today (-in debt up to our eyeballs all the while) -

the fact is that we don´t really CARE that we have

lost original Christianity, do we? We are too busy, man. Don´t bother us with that kind

of talk.

It will all be OK, the preacher tells us. We will all make it to heaven in the end. We are all "decent" people here. We have "prayed the little prayer". We have `given our heart to the Lord´. But what is this? What is that thundering voice I hear? "DEPART FROM

ME." `But LORD... But LORD....´

"I said - `DEPART FROM ME´. Don´t call me Lord. You never truly lived like I was your

Lord and you know it. For I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you

did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and you

did not visit me...."

What is the essence of true Christianity that we have lost, my friends? It is simply described by James as follows- "Pure

religion and undefiled is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their

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affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (Ja 1:27).

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PRIDE AND PUNISHMENT

By Robert Straube

(Genesis 11:1-9) “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they

stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” Let’s first look closely at the immense pride that directly opposed God’s will. I. Spiritual pride is rebellion against God (Genesis 11:2-4). Human pride, which is expressed by one’s ambition for self renown in defiance of God’s will, is open rebellion against God. We are not talking here about everyday matters that involve some pride, such as being proud of your work, or proud of your appearance, or taking pride in your children, especially when these feelings of pride are in harmony with the overall desire to serve the LORD. But we are talking about spiritual pride, that attitude that robs God of His glory and His rightful place in life, that lives in rebellion of His laws as if they were out of date and inferior, and that chooses to think that the human race can function very well on its own. People do not start off with this rebellious pride, it gradually incubates; they gradually develop in it the more they refuse God and His will. That gradual development of spiritual pride is also reflected in this passage. A. Pride begins with disobedience to God’s word (v. 2). Here we have to look a little at the context of our story. In chapter 9 God instructed the early human family to move out and fill up the earth. But according to Genesis 11, they all came together in the land of Shinar, which is the region of Babylon. They did not do what God told them to do, perhaps

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thinking there was safety in banding together. They thought there was strength in their unity, even though God told them to spread out in the earth. Now if you are reading Genesis through and you come to chapter 10 it will look like the people of the earth did what God had told them, for that chapter describes them in their lands and tribes divided by their families and their languages. But the presence of this chapter in this place is a stroke of genius by the writer. It is common in Hebrew rhetoric to give the conclusion first and then explain how it happened. Here we have the command to spread out in chapter 9, the report of how the tribes spread out in chapter 10, and the explanation of what made them spread out in chapter 11. The evidence for this is that in chapter 10 they were divided by their languages; but chapter 11 takes you back to when they all spoke one language. So eventually they did what God had commanded them to do, but not because they were obedient.

They were scattered because God confused their language so they could not live together. The fact that they lived in all these lands was therefore evidence of divine punishment for their

refusal to obey the command. And the fallout of it was that instead of having a harmonious race living all over the world we have a list of warring nations and clans that do not understand one another and try to control or destroy one another. That is the best that pride can produce in the human race. B. Pride is strengthened by human ingenuity (v. 3). The people were clever enough to survive and thrive, even though they were not doing what God had commanded. They came to Shinar, a plain, and did not have the products with which to build--no stones, no natural mortar. So they made their bricks and gathered asphalt for cement, so that they could make their city and their tower. The text records their enthusiasm and ingenuity: “Come, let’s bake bricks and make them hard.” That was the first step. With that success they then said, “Come, let’s build a city with a tower that reaches into the heavens.” With each success they became more and more independent, and more and more ambitious, ultimately ascending to the heavens. If you read the Babylonian account of the building of the city of Babylon, you will see the immense pride that comes through. The city was considered so glorious that its building was attributed to gods, who then lowered the celestial city from the heavens and placed it in the plain of Shinar. And the tower that is described is the beginning of the building of the ziggurat in Mesopotamia, the stair-step tower with the temple of the high god at the top. For centuries it stood out as the center of Babylonian worship, the rival worship to the true one. Not until the Book of Revelation

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would the Babylonian world system that rivals God be destroyed. C. Spiritual pride is characterized by ambition and fear (v. 4). The text adds the motivation for their building project: they wanted to make a name for themselves, lest they should be scattered across the face of the earth. Fame and fear, the two motivations for their activities. 1. Ambition: The people sought to preserve themselves in strength and thereby make a name for themselves. It is fame at the expense of God’s reputation. The city and the tower would be a monument to their strength and their unity. They would become famous for it, but they did not realize that “the expectations of the wicked will be cut off.” 2. “Making a name” for themselves. This is a disease that we all have from time to time, and it is not always bad. But it becomes evil when we seek all the honor and the glory rather than the honor that comes from God or belongs to God (see John 5:44). History and literature is filled with samples--but we could add samples from our own lives or our own circle of friends. In the ancient Greek and Roman world, Epicurus would have us believe that he was the first ever to find out the truth about things. Palaemon gave out that all learning was born and would die with him. Archimedes, the mathematician, thought that if he had but where to set

his foot, he could move the earth out of its place. Herostratus burnt Diana’s temple for a name. Protagoras, Plato tells us, bragged that he had lived sixty years, forty of them corrupting youth. Tully tells us that Gracchus did all for popular applause, and observes that even those philosophers that wrote of the contempt of glory, have still put their names to their writings to be remembered. And we could add to this list for centuries. Today, political leaders, athletes, entertainers, pulpit kings and the like, as well as now the common person making his run at television reality, want the fame and the glory, even if it is short-lived. And sadly enough, they want renown at any price, even if it means defying and flaunting the laws of God and robbing Him of his

glory and honor. But there is another, rather telling, motivation to this spiritual pride:

3. Fear: The people strengthened themselves in unity out of fear of being scattered across the earth--the very thing God wanted. This dual motivation of ambition and fear is very much like our modern technological

works, or our military or space initiatives, and sadly, most of our mega churches. In our self-sufficiency we do mighty things to gain fame and strengthen our force. Why? Because we are afraid of being destroyed and dispersed.

We want fame. But we are driven by fear. This should tell us right away that we need God, for we cannot live independently of Him for long. In fact,

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not at all, if we but knew the truth behind all that we accomplish. Eventually, though, all such immense and disobedient arrogance will be abased and subjugated by divine intervention, and the proud will be famous for the wrong reasons as what they feared the most will come upon them.

II. Proud rebellion against God will be judged (11:5-8). The judgment from God is what we call “talionic,” that is, the punishment matches the crime, like an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or whatever we sow we will reap. In the second half of the passage we see how God does this, eventually providing a name for them and scattering them across the earth. A. God investigates the activities of arrogant mortals (v. 5). God, of course, knows instantly what everyone is doing. But in this passage God is said to come down to investigate the matter. This is a very bold human description of God; it is as if He wanted a closer look to be sure that what they were doing was wrong. But it is also condescension: no matter how high their tower was constructed, the LORD still had to come down to investigate

it. They may have claimed in time that the city was built by the gods, but God came down to see what the humans were building. So the language reveals careful judgment by God. He knew He was going to judge them, because He knew what they were doing. But the close examination is designed to reveal that God is cautious in judgment. And God’s examination leads to the conclusion that if these people are united and speak the same language, then nothing will be withheld from them. In other words, their unity is their strength, but if their unity is evil, then what they produce will be evil as well. God’s judgment will therefore be a preventive judgment, preventing them from greater evil. B. God chooses to subjugate the proud (vv. 6, 7). So with the observation that if the race was allowed to continue in its ambitions and fears as well as its open defiance of God’s will, it would produce a despotic and oppressive race, God determined to act. God would not allow their collective apostasy to run its course. He will not allow that to happen at any time, especially now. In the passage the description of the divine intervention is designed to mimic their work in the previous verses. God says, “Come, let’s go down . . . , Come, let’s confound . . . .” The choice of these words shows that God’s punishment will be a response to their pride. God will end their rebellion and accomplish His own will by simply confusing their language and thereby destroying their strength. Disunity, with its wars and conflicts, is better than arrogant, collective rebellion against God. In the end of our age the evil one will once again try to unite people under

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a false, “Babylonian” system, only to see it destroyed by God again. God has innumerable ways of showing his displeasure at human folly and sin. He touches a person’s bones, and they are put out of joint; He breathes upon someone’s brain, and such a one is unable to think; He sends the east wind to dry the earth, and the crops fail; He raises the storms, and life is flooded away. He comes in the night and shakes the foundations of someone’s most trusted works, and in the morning there is nothing but a heap of ruins.

He disorganizes a person’s memory, and in an instant that person confuses all the recollections of a lifetime. He touches someone’s tongue, and that afflicted person stammers. He breaks the staff in two, and whoever was leaning on it falls down. He shakes people’s confidence in corporations, and as the prices fall people see what they were trusting in vanishing away. Or, He can withhold His restraining hand, and terror strikes at the heart of our trusted institutions. When will people ever learn that life lived in open defiance against God will not bring lasting security and peace. God will step in and destroy our false security and peace, not because he is mean-spirited, but because he knows

that we need him in order to find true and eternal security. C. God cuts off the expectation of arrogant mortals (v. 8). The text simply reports the effect of God’s judgment: the people were scattered. The cause for the scattering came in the change of their language. In spite of their ingenuity and their strength to overstep God’s boundaries, God shows greater ingenuity and strength by simply confusing their speech. And since they cannot communicate, they are scattered by groups to every part of the world. And the text says that they left off building the city. The unfinished city was a monument to the abasement of the proud Babylonians. Epilogue (11:9) The contrasting ideas of the passage are aptly summarized in the word play in verse 9. They called the name of that place, “Babel” (pronounced bah-vel), which in Babylonian means “the gate of God” (bab-ili). But the text makes a pun on the name to give it its real significance in human memory: “confusion.” The name does not mean “confusion”; but the name sounds like the Hebrew word for “confusion.” And so the text takes the Babylonian name and by a clever word play gives it its true significance. The name stands forever as a monument to their pride ad God’s judgment. His is not the name they wanted to make for themselves, but it is the name they received. Contrast in Genesis 12 how Abram in his obedience followed God, and God promised to make his name great, to make him famous. Conclusion

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The point of this passage in Genesis is crucial. It shows once again how the human race in arrogance openly rebel against God. Genesis 1-11 is the history of that rebellion; and it explains why people need God’s blessing. Here at Babel the race was judged by God in such a way that it is left hopelessly divided and warring with one another, and scattered around the world without a hope for God’s blessing. Out of these scattered nations God will choose one man to make a new nation, an obedient nation, through whom all the families of the earth may be blessed. The message would present a basic principle for that new nation of Israel: all the nations of the world around them were evidence that God would judge the proud. All nations are under His sovereign control. And this new nation of Israel, chosen to be a true theocracy, would likewise find themselves scattered around the world speaking different languages if they rebelled against God in pride. And that is exactly what happened to the nation at the exile and the diaspora.

To us in the modern world the principle remains. Stubborn, rebellious pride will be judged. Any nation that refuses to live by God’s statutes will eventually be

put down, for God will subjugate the proud who rebel against Him. But let’s think for a moment on the personal level. The individual who refuses to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who refuses to follow any of God’s laws, who insists on living a worldly life by his or her own strength, God will judge. Maybe not immediately, for God is patient. The rebel may live a long, full life without God. He or she may find the ambition and be famous. But in the end there is ruin, and no salvation. Edmund Leach warned, “Unless we teach those of the next generation that they can afford to be atheists only if they assume the moral responsibilities of God, the prospects of the human race are decidedly bleak.” And in the judgment, what will happen? The very thing they refused to do they will do, for every knee will bow and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord. God will subjugate the proud who refuse to kneel before Him. But even though they will be forced to acknowledge it, they will have no share in the world to come. Now concerning those of us who have put their faith in Jesus and are trying to follow Him, the warning of this text should ignite in us a resolution to humble ourselves in obedience to God’s word. Christians, being human, also at times become arrogant and rebellious, seeking selfish ambitions and reputations. But nothing escapes the notice of God: He looks at our diaries and our ledgers to see how we are building our lives; and He examines our motives and our attitudes to see whether our aims are rightly and honestly secured. And although God will deal differently with Christians than with the world, He nonetheless will destroy the

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“ivory” towers that we build in defiance of Him. He is no respecter of persons, even in His Church. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons’...” (Acts 10:34 KJV). But when we build our towers, our lives, our jobs, our ministries, our activities, under the conviction that every act and every motive will be examined by God, we may expect our “Christ-centered” lives to be on the solid foundation of His will. Those who humble themselves in this way to do what is pleasing to God, God will exalt and prosper. It is merely a matter of recognizing our total dependence on God and living in obedience to Him.

In Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey expresses his great remorse after realizing that the pursuit of selfish ambition rather than obedience to God brings abasement and ruin (Act III, Scene II): “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition: By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then, The image of his Maker, hope to win by it? Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee;

Corruption wins not more than honesty . . . . Let all the end thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s; then if thou fall’st, O Cromwell, Thou fall’st a blessed martyr! Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, He would not in mine age left me naked to mine enemies.”

Robert Straube is

President of Rock of

Zion Ministries

49

UGANDA

Dear

greetings in the name of the lord, we had a

wonderful service and we so the holy spirit

moving to the people of God, I shared the

book of Mark (2:25 to 27) it talks about the

pharisees so they were asking Jesus why his

disciples where breaking the law on the

Sabbath day, but we had praised how Jesus

answered them by telling them the story of

David, then we experienced the power of

God that was moving thus making people to

start giving out there testimony. This week

we kindly ask you to have a moment to

stand with us in prayers because there is no

rain and our plants are getting dry up and

now people are worried because this is the

month of hunger, stand with us in prayers

and have a good week, may God bless you

Pastor Alex

KENYA Dear Bishop Bernie, Wade,

Mercy ministry to the widows and orphans.

The photo you see of kids its poor orphan

children who have lost both parents, they

need education, shelter, medical, clothings,

food, and so that they can enjoy the life like

others. They do sleep on the floor, and life

it’s just a challenge to them, they have never

experienced the love of God.

May God bless you, as you pray?

George.

USA

Bishop Ron Allen*

ICOF Vice President of Substance Abuse and

Intervention

51

JULY 1ST, 2013. 8 PM EST FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE All Ministers are invited to participate CALL 218.862.1001 PASS CODE – 680181#

JULY 11th 2013 - 9 AM

ICOF Executive Session Via ICOF Conference Center

218.862.1001 Pass Code 680181#

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 SPECIAL EVENT

FIVEFOLD ROUNDTABLE LABOR DAY CELEBRATION

FOOD, FELLOWSHIP, SINGING AND MORE.

LIFE CHURCH

SULPHUR KENTUCKY FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT REBECCA GOINS [email protected]


52

502.410.4263 i Reverend Albert Kang. ii Reverend Albert Kang

next wave july 2013 final

Documents

fivefold ministry role

fivefold minitry role

fivefold role of teacher

particular role of ministry

ministry gifting

teaching role

gifting god

fivefold roundtable