The Gospel that Jesus brought was the gospel of the Kingdom. He taught it, and He modeled it. Anything that differs from what He taught and what He modeled needs to be brought under serious scrutiny.
Paul wrote:
Gal 1:8 LITV
(8) But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should preach a gospel to you beside the gospel we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Showing posts with label Paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul. Show all posts
Monday, October 04, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Jesus Culture
The 5-fold ministry is described in Ephesians 4:
Eph 4:11 KJV
(11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
These offices are important to the body. They are just as important to the Church as having a mom and dad are to the family. Naturally, there are those who would argue this, particularly those who were raised by one parent or perhaps had to raise children as a single parent. I'm not saying the body cannot prosper to an extent without these offices, but I will argue that it's not the perfect plan, it is not ideal, and if you compare to the body that does have these offices held in rightful submission to God - there is no comparison. One moves in order, authority, and power, while the other struggles in certain areas of leadership and gifting. That said...
These positions - rightfully ordained and occupied - create within the body a 'culture' that otherwise cannot be created. It's a Jesus Culture. It's a culture wherein the body is exposed to the 5-fold potency that God instilled in His body. It's the fullness of the immune system of God. When just one office is missing, there is a chink in the armor.
To the inverse, if you take a person who is fully-anointed as a prophet and turn them loose in a church that does not believe in the gift of prophecy, you run the risk of destroying that body because the 'culture' cannot support the anointing. The result of such a mix would be offense and division. This is not God's will, but the devil's.
But oh... do we not now see the value and power of a Jesus Culture that fully operates within the Holy Spirit and with all the working parts in order? A culture where the saints are 'perfected' and the body is edified? (Ephesians 4:12)
Eph 4:11 KJV
(11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
These offices are important to the body. They are just as important to the Church as having a mom and dad are to the family. Naturally, there are those who would argue this, particularly those who were raised by one parent or perhaps had to raise children as a single parent. I'm not saying the body cannot prosper to an extent without these offices, but I will argue that it's not the perfect plan, it is not ideal, and if you compare to the body that does have these offices held in rightful submission to God - there is no comparison. One moves in order, authority, and power, while the other struggles in certain areas of leadership and gifting. That said...
These positions - rightfully ordained and occupied - create within the body a 'culture' that otherwise cannot be created. It's a Jesus Culture. It's a culture wherein the body is exposed to the 5-fold potency that God instilled in His body. It's the fullness of the immune system of God. When just one office is missing, there is a chink in the armor.
To the inverse, if you take a person who is fully-anointed as a prophet and turn them loose in a church that does not believe in the gift of prophecy, you run the risk of destroying that body because the 'culture' cannot support the anointing. The result of such a mix would be offense and division. This is not God's will, but the devil's.
But oh... do we not now see the value and power of a Jesus Culture that fully operates within the Holy Spirit and with all the working parts in order? A culture where the saints are 'perfected' and the body is edified? (Ephesians 4:12)
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