The He Goats Before The Flocks

This book is the tenth of my father's books, written in 2007. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father and my mother. 

Acknowledgments 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

We are deeply indebted to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing us to experience and understand a small measure of His Truth, as written in the Word and as revealed by the Holy Spirit. NO man can understand the Word of God or the ways of God unless they are revealed to him by His Spirit.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

All verses quoted herein are taken from the Authorized or King James' version, except as specifically noted at the appropriate places.

Permission is freely given to anyone to copy all or parts of this book and to distribute this word in any way that you desire, PROVIDED that you do so without any monetary remuneration. The word of God is free! "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). 

The Unfolding: Volume 10

This book represents the tenth in a series of books centered around the unfolding of the word of God and the revelation or manifestation or unfolding of His great grace and glory.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

For there is nothing covered, that will not be revealed; neither hid, that will not be known. Luke 12:2

God has revealed more of Himself and His word over the years. But there is coming a time when God is going to roll everything back up into Himself. A possible analogy is that of unrolling a scroll so as to read what is written thereon and then rolling the scroll back up. That was the inspiration for the front and back covers of this book and for those volumes in the series yet to come.

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll ... Isaiah 34:4

God's purpose is to manifest His glory. Everything is designed to show forth the glory of God.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5

Some verses that clearly show that God has chosen to reveal more of Himself and His word over a period of time are:

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. 1 Peter 1:20

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Romans 3:21

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. Hebrews 9:8

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Ephesians 3:5

And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. Isaiah 25:7

God's revelation, by His Spirit, is not simply TO us, but WITHIN us. The Word of God must become flesh, for example,

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace,
16 To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Galatians 1:15‑16

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:26‑27

There is still more that God intends to reveal of His glory.

Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. John 12:28

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Romans 8:19

We believe in progressive revelation. The Lord is unfolding more and more of Himself and His Truth. The Holy Spirit continues to reveal deeper levels of meaning to the same verse. Peter said,

Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 2 Peter 1:12

The existence of present truth implies that there is future truth still to be unfolded. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into ALL truth. Jesus IS the Truth! However, we believe that it will take an eternity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us all of the Truth. Even the angels in heaven do not know everything about the Truth!

Unto whom [the prophets] it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:12

If any thing be revealed to another [prophet] that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 1 Corinthians 14:30

But there will come a time when God folds everything back up. Many believers sense that folding up is near at hand.

And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed ... 

Hebrews 1:12

And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 1 Corinthians 15:28

"For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29), and everything shall be consumed by the fire of His Spirit, that God may be all in all.

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The books in this series, to date, are:

Volume 1: The Love Of A Man For His Wife
Volume 2: In The Beginning
Volume 3: A Sure Foundation
Volume 4: Let Us Go On
Volume 5: Children, Have You Any Meat?
Volume 6: Discerning Things That Differ
Volume 7: The Last Joel
Volume 8: Marriage Principles For Christians:A Journey Of Love
Volume 9: Restoration
Volume 10: The He Goats Before The Flocks

We originally believed that there would be only five books in this series. Shortly after the Lord apprehended us, we thought it would be difficult to come up with a different message every Sunday. We have changed our mind. The revelation of Jesus Christ, as given by the Holy Spirit, is unlimited! We have found that EVERY time that we sit down to write on some topic, the Lord gives us more insight ... truth that we have never heard nor seen in print. We cannot tell you the number of times that the Lord woke us up very early in the morning and brought to mind something else to add to this book.

We believe that we are living in a time of great acceleration, both in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm. People are running to and fro and knowledge has increased. This is also a season when the Holy Spirit is shedding much light on the Word of God. Therefore, we fully expect, the Lord willing, that this will NOT be the last book that we will write. 

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:25

*        *        *

Our purpose in writing this book has been first and foremost because we believe the Lord said to do it. It is not possible for us to travel to a multitude of places to share this word. We believe that this word can be communicated more quickly by putting it into a book form. This book is primarily for leaders in the Church, but we use the word “leader” in a very broad, comprehensive way. As such, we envision that this book could be distributed to those who attend a leadership conference. The purpose of a leadership conference, as we see it, should be to elevate the vision of local church leaders so that they, in turn, might go back to their own churches and elevate the vision of those in their local church.

Acts 2:37 states, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” This book attempts to answer that question with respect to the building up and maturing of the body of Christ. Those in leadership positions within the body of Christ have an awesome responsibility to impart that which they have received from the Lord to newer believers. We offer numerous revelations that we have received over many long years ... revelations that in some cases differ from “standard” charismatic teachings in the Church in the United States.

Chapter 1 sets forth God’s will and purpose to have a kingdom of priests. He will have that which He desires! Chapter 2 describes the personal maturity God is looking for in each and every one of those priests. Chapter 3 shifts to the subject of what makes a Christian a leader. Chapter 4 discusses some of the character traits necessary for a Christian to be a leader. This includes five characteristics of a little child, and several traits of a mature son. Chapter 5 then describes the functions of a Christian leader. Chapter 6 discusses a number of topics which we believe to be necessary for corporate maturity. Much of this Chapter is repeated from earlier books because we believe the topics are vital to Church leaders. This is followed by a discussion of the functioning of the body of Christ in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 describes some hindrances to effective Christian leadership. This includes a section about money, which is a greatly condensed version from our book, “Discerning Things That Differ,” along with a few additional, new thoughts. Chapter 9 gives a brief overview of the two kingdoms ... the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Although we certainly should give no credence to the kingdom of darkness, nevertheless all leaders need to be aware of the many lies of the enemy. Chapter 10 then discusses six spirits which have troubled the Church ever since the early days. Leaders need to be alert to recognize and deal with those spirits. Then in the Epilogue we present a final challenge to leaders and would-be leaders in the Church.

We hope that this book will be used by the Lord to increase your hunger after Him and His ways. It is difficult to improve upon my grandmother's prayer: "Lord let me create hunger in their hearts, for until they hunger they cannot be fed."

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

This word simply represents that which we have received from the Lord on the enclosed topics as of this point in time. Our sincere desire is that this word will be a blessing to all who read it.

Foreword

At this point in time, almost every Spirit-filled Christian has read and/or heard of the crisis that exists in the world and in the Church today. The conditions that exist in the Church include materialism in various forms, idolatry, mixture, compromise, immorality, religious hypocrisy, doctrinal error of every sort, lack of understanding, and lack of discernment. For the few who are unaware, please see our sixth book, “Discerning Things That Differ.”

In addition, we are hunted by the adversary simply because we are believers. A mouse is a prey for a cat. What did the mouse do to deserve being a prey for a cat? Nothing! It was simply born a mouse. The second, third, and fourth generation of the Israelites who were in bondage and captivity in Egypt were also a prey. They had grown up in an environment and all they knew was a life of bondage. They had never experienced anything else. What had they done to deserve being in bondage? Nothing! They simply were born into that environment. They never knew there was a better way. Finally, after 400 years of increasing bondage, suffering, and hardship, the Israelites cried out to God and God sent a deliverer, Moses, who led them out of Egypt. How many years will it take for the Church today to cry out to God?

In like manner, many charismatic believers today have grown up in an environment and just assume that their leaders are teaching the ultimate truth. These lovely believers have never known there may be a higher way! Too many Christian leaders walk in the traditions of men and assume that what they have been taught is 100% true. But we all need to be before the Lord, seeking for His understanding and wisdom in all things. That does NOT mean that we have to strive to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches! The Lord knows our heart. When our heart is right and open to the leading of the Spirit, the Lord just comes upon us, many times when we are least expecting such a move of the Spirit.

However the question no longer is, “what is the state of the Church?” The question is, what would the Lord have us do about it? Some preach a political activism and encourage believers to get more involved in the political arena so that we can “clean up” democracy. We believe that God is not interested in cleaning up democracy, even if that may be the best form of government that man has to offer. Democracy never has been and never will be God’s choice of government. Politics can never accomplish spiritual results! Further, when Christians put their hope in worldly political parties for things that only God can do, that is called idolatry! The only question is how soon democracy must give way to the theocracy of God. Nevertheless we have a solemn responsibility to pray for our President and all those in high political places.

Others preach a renewed evangelistic activism. Who can argue with evangelism? It is very scriptural. The only question is HOW do we go about it? Some have made evangelism the most important aspect of our walk in the Lord; and some have done so to the exclusion of building up the body of Christ. Man’s efforts will always fail! All of the many enticements, entertainment, appealing “programs,” etc., in order to bring people unto the Lord are as wood, hay, and stubble. We personally believe that if each believer is listening to the Spirit and obeying the Lord, then the Lord, not man, will add to the Church daily those who should be saved (Acts 2:47).

BUT ... whenever it is God’s timetable to make a significant move in the earth, He always looks for a man through whom He can work. In times past, such men were Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Ezra, John the Baptist, and Paul, to name but a few. We believe that God is looking for a man (or men) now. From our observation and experience, as well as from scripture, the major problems have always been, and still are, with Christian leaders. The Lord is looking for he goats before the flocks. A he goat is a trail blazer; a pioneer; someone who goes before; someone who dares to speak the pure word of God with no thought of the consequences. Paul was such a man. He was “one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8). A modern-day he goat is one, who like Jesus, comes to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. He comes to call into line those who are out of line; he comes to upset that which man has set up. He marches to a different drummer. He is ordained by God but disdained by man. He has no price tags and will not compromise. Like Jeremiah, the word of the Lord is in his heart as a burning fire shut up in his bones, and he cannot stay (Jeremiah 20:9).

Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. Jeremiah 50:8

In the natural, historical realm, that word was spoken to exhort Judah to be the first of the captive peoples to be released from exile in Babylon. In the spiritual realm, that is a current word of exhortation to all those believers who are in bondage to the spiritual Babylon of this current time (and may not know it). Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Then they answered Him, “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man” (John 8:33). So the religious elite of that day were in bondage and never knew it. Human nature has never changed. Throughout this book, we describe situations where it appears that many of the religious elite of this day and our children (charismatic and pentecostal leaders and their flock) are in bondage to the Jerusalem which now is (Galatians 4:25). The answer is, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26).

The United States and the Church both greatly need leadership today ... from the home to the White House. If we are to be a strong nation ... if we are to be a strong Church ... a nation blessed by God, then we need leaders that will take their place in their respective roles, in the fear of, and in obedience to, the Lord.

In Chapter 4 we discuss five character traits of a little child, which are necessary to enter into the kingdom. One of these is that we must have a teachable spirit. A great hindrance to becoming teachable is reluctance to change, which is widely accepted by the field of psychology as a phenomenon of people. Max Planck, who received a Nobel prize for discovery of the revolutionary quantum theory in physics in 1918, once stated:

This experience gave me also an opportunity to learn a fact - a remarkable one in my opinion: A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.

Historically and experientially, the above stated principle unfortunately seems to apply also to the Church, even Spirit-filled Christians. Christians are NOT immune to reluctance to change, which also is thoroughly documented in many scriptures. “We have always done things this way” is an often used expression, both in the world and in Christian circles. Many rather mature ministries say, "I know God put me into this specific ministry in this place." But the question is, did God tell you to stay there forever?" It is very easy to start something ... very difficult to stop that same thing. Moreover, the Lord continues to unveil more of Himself and more of His word. We should not even think about going back to the “good old glory days” of the past!

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:9

A striking example of reluctance to change is recorded in Acts 10 with Peter. The Lord had arranged for Peter to visit and preach the gospel to Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian band. Up to that point in time, Peter was convinced that the good news was only for Jews. Peter also believed that no good Jew should ever eat anything that was common or unclean. After all, that was the law as given through Moses. Peter had a vision, or trance, of a certain vessel descending unto him, like a great sheet let down to earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. Then Peter heard the voice of the Lord to him, saying:

13 Rise, Peter; kill and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. 

Acts 10:13-16

When the messengers from Cornelius knocked at the door, the Spirit told Peter to go with them. The end result was that Cornelius and all of his house were saved, baptized in the Spirit, and baptized in water. Only the Lord knows what Cornelius did after that! Certainly the Lord had a great purpose for his life.

As with most topics, we do well to look at the life of Jesus on earth, as recorded in scripture. The religious elite of the day branded Jesus as a reactionary, a revolutionary, a heretic. FIVE times, in Matthew 5, Jesus said:

Ye have heard ... But I say unto you ... Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43

The religious elite of the day bristled as they heard Jesus say things that seemed to be contradictory to the law, as given through Moses. When Jesus was healing people, working all sorts of miracles, and feeding people with natural food, He was generally well-received, at least by the common people. However, the religious elite of the day objected strenuously when Jesus healed anyone on the Sabbath day because that was contrary to “their” law.

A MAJOR characteristic of our walk as Christians is (or at least SHOULD be) change. There is nothing static about Christianity. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever; but we should ALWAYS be changing into more of His image as He continues His work within us!

How do we change? By looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith ... by being obedient to the Holy Spirit.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 3:18

The closer we walk with the Lord ... the more we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal His Truth to us ... the more we allow the Holy Spirit to change us into His image, the more we will be misunderstood and the more difficult it will be for us to try to explain to others what we have experienced. Any one who really seeks only the will of God is a person who marches to a different drummer. That person will be marked as “different.” People do NOT like to be branded as “different.” There is a price to pay to walk on with the Lord. That walk took Jesus to Calvary. It will take us to that same cross, not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Are we really willing to pay the price? If so, a crown of glory, rather than a crown of shame, awaits us. Salvation is FREE, but it cost the life of Jesus. To enter into the Kingdom of God is NOT free ... it will cost us OUR self life. We must count the cost VERY carefully! May that love relationship we are honored to have with Christ propel us into fulfilling His purpose within us.

This is a book primarily of exhortation. I remember a time about 27 years ago, when a man shared a word on Church government at an elders’ meeting. When he finished what the Lord told him to say, one elder spoke up and said, “That is the best teaching I have ever heard on Church government. Now lets get back to the business at hand.” It was as if that which had just been shared had tickled his natural ears but had no practical value. The Lord said,

To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Jeremiah 6:10

In the natural realm, many problems that accompany our earthly life could be avoided, or at least handled in a better way, if sufficient warnings were given and heeded. We appear to fail greatly in the categories of both warning and heeding. Doctors and dieticians have given many warnings concerning our physical health in the areas of the harmful effects of the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, poor dieting, and sexually transmitted diseases. But there is far too little observance of the warnings, except perhaps for a short season.

In the spiritual realm, there are few serious warnings being proclaimed that affect our spiritual health. The limited amount that is being said and written is being given little heed, as if they are nice words but have no practical value.

No man sees all of the truth. When I eat a grape I eat the pulp and spit out the seed. Nevertheless, we challenge every Christian leader to read this book very carefully and to listen to what the Spirit may say to your heart. Please do not read the Epilogue until after you have read the entire book.

Chapter 1: A Kingdom of Priests

Let us consider what has always been, and still is, in the heart of God with respect to His chosen people. The Lord told Moses to say unto the people:

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.
6 And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Exodus 19:5-6

Note that the people of God were (are) to be a kingdom of priests, with the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest. This kingdom of priests does NOT consist of Levitical priests or the Aaronic priesthood, but priests after the order of Melchisedec. In the kingdom of God there is no such thing as a Catholic priest, or an Episcopal priest, or a Baptist priest, or ... We believe in the priesthood of ALL believers! Please note what Peter said to the Church many long years later:

4 To Whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Christ Jesus.
. . .
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His glorious light. 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9

So the mind of God always was and still is to have a kingdom of priests ... a holy nation ... a royal priesthood. This high calling was originally offered to the Jewish nation, but they rejected that call and crucified the Lord of glory. Therefore the chosen generation is no longer simply the natural Jewish nation, but spiritual Israel ... the Church which is His body. The chosen generation is not a natural generation but consists of ALL believers over all of time who accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

As stated earlier, every believer is called to the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec. Part of that priesthood includes intercession for the lost and for others in the Church who have strayed in some manner. Obviously we have NO control over other people. We do exceedingly well to control our own spirit.

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Proverbs 16:32

But we can groan in the Spirit, weep over the present state of the Church, and intercede fervently for those who need help. (Is there some one who does NOT need help?) Intercession is urgently needed in this hour. If you have not yet sensed the burden of intercession in your life, ask the Lord to show you that truth and then to fan the flame within your soul and spirit. Ask the Lord to baptize you with fire! Stir up the gift that is within you! Ask the Lord to cleanse and purify you because the effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).

It is important to keep in mind that God’s will and purpose is to have a kingdom of priests. He WILL have such, with or without you or me. It is also important to remember that He is the One who has brought a people to such a spiritual state, even though we do not yet see it with our natural eyes.

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6

Chapter 2: Personal Maturity

Make no mistake! Personal maturity is brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit upon and within us. Maturity is NOT brought about by our good works, or by observing rituals, or anything of the flesh.

It is possible that we can frustrate the grace of God. We are not saved by works; neither do we mature by works. Paul said,

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:21

Personal maturity is a process ... a process of growing up (spiritually) into Christ. That is why Paul said, “I die daily.” No instant maturity is possible. Yes, maturity requires our cooperation with the Holy Spirit. The Lord is looking for willing vessels. But even our willingness is because of His work within us.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

My grandmother once wrote in her Bible, “Father, let me create hunger in their hearts, because until they hunger they cannot be fed.” That is wisdom. Unless we see a need for something, we will not hunger after it. A man who is starving to death from lack of natural food will have an immense desire for something to eat. A man who has just eaten a large meal has no desire for more food. But who creates the hunger within us? It is God Himself, through the working of His Holy Spirit. How does He do that? It is a mystery. He works in wondrous ways to create hunger in our hearts for more of Him. One of those ways is through our sufferings, persecutions, tribulations, etc. We must always come to the point where we understand that we can, of ourselves, do nothing at all. He brings us to that place where all we can do is to cry out unto Him, “Help, Lord!” When we come to the end of ourselves, then the Lord can work abundantly within us.

God not only works sovereignly within us ... He also uses people, both Christians and non-Christians. The purpose of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is:

12 For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Ephesians 4:12-16

Personal maturity is the responsibility of each member of the body of Christ. No one will be able to stand before the Lord and say, You never told me that or I never knew that; or I never had an opportunity.

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20

We have always looked at those verses as applying to the ungodly and unrighteous non-believers, which indeed appears to be the context. However, the same principle applies to believers. We, likewise, have no excuse.

In the beginning

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. Genesis 1:26a-27

Now we ask you, what was this original image and likeness? Does God have a body like we see we have today? Of course not! We know that,

God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

Therefore, since God is Spirit and we were originally made in His image, after His likeness, then we likewise were originally made spirit. We believe that man was originally clothed in the glory of God. After the fall of man, as recorded in Genesis 3, man lost, among other things, that covering of the glory of God.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:7

Man at that point had no covering. Man was naked (Genesis 3:7,10). God, in his great love, grace, and mercy, then provided another covering for man.

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

The common interpretation of the above verse is that God must have killed some animals, created coats of animal skins, and wrapped them around Adam and Eve. That makes a nice theory that fits in with the shedding of blood. However, that is not what Scripture says. Adam and Eve did not receive a coat made out of animal skins. Instead, they received the skin that we see in all mankind today. We have skin which covers our physical body.

Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews; Job 10:11

After the fall of man, we lost our covering of glory and exchanged it for the skin we now have and see. So our current body is a vile body. However, when Jesus returns we will once again recover that glorious body, covered with His glory, as in the beginning!

20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. Philippians 3:20-21

How do we recover that glory of God, with which man was once covered? By cooperating with the Spirit of God through our obedience. The Holy Spirit within us does the work, but we must be willing and actively co-labor with Him. We are like a sailboat whose sails are positioned to properly receive the wind of the Spirit! Note in the following verse that it is our responsibility to behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord with open face. We are to be Israelites in whom there is no guile.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 3:18

Another wonderful verse that illustrates our cooperation with the sovereignty of God is,

Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24

There is no place for any focus on self in the kingdom of God.

Know the Lord

By far the most important part of personal maturity is to know the Lord ... develop that personal relationship with Jesus Christ ... Christ in you the hope of glory. We do not develop our personal maturity ... we allow the Holy Spirit to develop the Christ within us. This is a daily walk with Him. It requires a clean heart and a right spirit on our part ... a heart that is attuned to His will, His purpose, His desires. We must always remember that “it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

There are different types of knowing. We can know a nationally prominent person, like the President of the United States. That knowing, for most people, simply means a superficial acquaintance; it means that we would recognize that person if they walked into the room. Another type of knowing, at a much deeper level, would be that a man knows his wife. If you live with someone for 40 years, you get to know quite a bit about the person. However, that could still be at the natural level. For us to know Christ, at the highest level, it is to know him by the Spirit. Paul said,

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. 

2 Corinthians 5:16

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Hosea 6:3

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.
9 And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; Philippians 3:8-10

The knowing that Hosea and Paul speak of in the above verses is not merely factual knowledge; it means an experiential knowledge based on walking closely with Him, as did Enoch, on a daily basis. It implies hearing His voice and being obedient to Him.

No one can do justice in a few pages to the topic of knowing the Lord. We plan to develop this topic at length in a writing.

Keep the temple of God pure and holy

This applies both to the natural realm and the spiritual realm. 

19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

Note again the past tense ... He hath showed us. Paul said,

Keep thyself pure. 1 Timothy 5:22

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9:27

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Leviticus 19:1-2

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:12-13

The Lord has called for and will have holiness and purity within His body. For far too long we have not separated the holy from the profane, but that will soon change. We can either change voluntarily or else allow the judgment of God to overtake us. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of our living God!

It is important to understand that pure means unadulterated or without any mixture. Later we will have more to say about the mixture that exists within the Church today. The old leaven must be purged out. New wine cannot be put into old wineskins.

Our tongue

There are three ways we can use our tongue to speak. We can speak that which is offensive, even to the natural man.

2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue amongst our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind.
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. James 3:2-12

We can speak flatteries, usually to gain the admiration and advantage of men and particularly their money.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. Jude 16

Finally, we can speak the word of God.

For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11

Chapter 3: The Making of a Christian Leader

The locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands [or gathered together]. Proverbs 30:27

A flock of some birds can manage very well without a leader. It is a mystery to see a flock of birds all turn at the same time in the same direction. In the lives of men, however, leadership is very important. Someone once said that everything rises or falls on leadership. It is not possible for men to co-exist peacefully and succeed in life without leadership as designed by God. The Bible makes it clear that God is in charge of choosing leaders.

The most high God rules in the kingdom of men, and He appointeth over it whomsoever He will. Daniel 5:21

And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. Daniel 2:21

Many believers tend to think that a leader is either one of the five-fold ministries of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher; or an elder. However, a Christian leader is not a leader simply because of his/her position, office, or ministry. Someone can have positional authority but still have no spiritual authority, which is given by God.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore ... Matthew 28:18-19a

The word “power,” above is the Greek word exousia, which is more commonly translated as “authority.” The President of the United States, for example, has great positional authority simply because of his position. But he has little, if any, spiritual authority. The Supreme Court of the United States likewise has great positional authority but little, if any, spiritual authority. Unfortunately, there are too many Church leaders who have great positional authority but little spiritual authority. These are self-made ministers who are seeking, perhaps unknowingly, to build their own kingdom rather than the kingdom of God. Positional authority, both outside and inside the Church, has always challenged spiritual authority in a preemptive attempt to forestall the judgment of God. That is certainly true of today.

Each one of us has some dimension of authority in our life. A man’s home is his castle. Each father has some authority over his own household. However, we are fast approaching the day when God is going to pour out His spiritual authority on His people who qualify for the kingdom. One of the ways that we qualify is by demonstrating a desire to use properly what He has already given.

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21

One of the biggest problems within leaders of the Church today is developmental. When positional authority exceeds spiritual authority, then the believers suffer under ministerial immaturity. Unless leaders yield to the application of the cross, they will forfeit future power and authority. At some point God demands that position match power or position is forfeited. The most dangerous thing we can do is to seek a position for which we are not yet empowered. Today’s widespread practice of naming individuals as apostolic creates a huge area of concern. In the past year, even though I have limited open doors, I have met about a dozen men who all call themselves apostles. Are good leaders being set up for failure? If they are out of place and assuming positions either not called to, or before character development has qualified them for parallel power, the result is the same ... heartache and failure. The Church has a rising tide of pollution from “apostles” without power. To submit to the Holy Spirit and His leadership is perhaps the major challenge of our day because He never promotes prematurely! From our limited exposure, it appears that God today is giving spiritual authority to those who have no positional authority. That creates an explosive atmosphere, complete with fireworks. Far too many pastors, even of charismatic/pentecostal churches, do not like to have their positional authority challenged! But that is exactly what happened when Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees when He walked the face of the earth as a man. As a result, Jesus was crucified! Jesus said,

For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Luke 23:31

The green tree is Jesus, the living wood, in whom alone is life; the dry tree, which is usually brown, represents all those who have rejected the kingdom. A brown tree has no life in itself. Spiritual authority is not for the faint of heart! Leaders, count the cost! Choosing God’s way means choosing the cross. The cross is the path to power.

In addition, a person’s physical appearance, worldly education, financial situation, personality, or speaking ability has no bearing on whether or not a Christian is a leader. There is absolutely NOTHING in the natural realm that makes a person a Christian leader. You may be the most polished speaker in the world; you may know all about hermeneutics and homiletics; you may have a Doctor of Theology or a Doctor of Divinity degree; you may have a very strong, forceful, persuasive personality; you may have much worldly power and wealth; you may be the best looking person on earth; and you even may have memorized ALL of Scripture; but all of those things, plus two dollars, will get you a cup of coffee in most places. Yes, you may well impress many people, but you will still be of little value to God unless you have far more spiritual substance.

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

That which is woven into a Christian leader is that they are following the Lord Jesus Christ, have been called by God, have been sent by God, and have allowed the Holy Spirit to break them (of selfish desires) and to make them into the vessel that He desires. Paul said, “Follow me,” because he was following Christ. Amos said,

14 I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:
15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Amos 7:14-15

Who makes a Christian a leader?

Instead of “what makes a Christian a leader?” it would be more accurate to ask, “Who makes a Christian a leader?” The “what” is not a thing but a Person ... the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who makes a Christian a leader as we yield to the moving of His Spirit.

1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea I have made him. Isaiah 43:1-2, 7

These words of the Lord through the vessel of Isaiah are certainly most positive and encouraging. But to whom is the Lord speaking here? If we take the verse literally, the Lord is speaking to Jacob and/or Israel. But Jacob had died almost 1000 years earlier, so it is not likely that the Lord is speaking to the man named Jacob. Further, Isaiah’s ministry never was to Israel, the Northern kingdom. So the Lord was not speaking to the natural Israel of that day. Could it be that this is a prophetic word that has no time or cultural limits? Could this be a word for believers today? YES! It is a prophetic word for all (former) Jews and Gentiles throughout all ages of time who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. (In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.) Could it also be a word for the natural Israel of today? Not very likely, at least not for the nation as a whole. The Lord does not redeem those who consistently reject Him. To believe otherwise gets you very quickly into the heresy of ultimate reconciliation.

“Jacob” in Scripture represents the natural man, perhaps even the morally good, religious man, who unfortunately has no personal relationship with the Lord. Israel speaks of the redeemed man, the spiritual man, the man (or woman, of course) who has been born again and baptized in the Holy Ghost, i.e., equipped with the necessary weapons for the journey and ministry on this earth. This is called justification in the Bible. There are dozens of scriptures which bear record of this truth. (We are in the process of writing a book called, “From Jacob To Israel.”) Jacob is created but Israel is formed. The Lord “formeth the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1).

Please note that the Lord says that He has redeemed (spiritual) Israel. That is past tense, not future tense. It does not say, “I will redeem thee.” Paul uses the same past tense when he says,

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Ephesians 1:4

How can these things be? We do not know. It is a mystery. But God lives in eternity. We live in time.

Note that Isaiah 43:2 applies to Israel, not Jacob. The Bible calls this process sanctification, which we will talk about more in Isaiah 43:7, below. It is true that God arranges all of our circumstances, our environment, etc., in order to bring us from Jacob to Israel. However, Isaiah 43 does not address the period of time between the man Jacob and the man Israel, which could be called “our wasted years without Christ.” This verse describes what happens after we become part of spiritual Israel.

Please note that the verse says “WHEN,” not “if.” In other words this is a promise. After Israel, the spiritual man, has been formed and equipped, we are PROMISED to go through trials, tribulations, sufferings, rejections, persecutions, etc. That is part of God’s plan and has a Godly purpose. (That truth, in itself, is worth a separate, lengthy discourse; but that is not our purpose here.) A few appropriate scriptures are:

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Philippians 1:29

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given for us. Romans 5:3-5

We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

We believe that Peter was very familiar with Chapter 43 of Isaiah. One reason (a second reason comes from Verses 20 and 21, below) is because Peter has very much to say about suffering in the life of a believer. So does Paul. Of course, the only Bible that Peter and Paul had was what we call the Old Testament. Abraham did not have even that available. He had to depend upon that which the Lord spoke to him.

More importantly, note that when we walk through the fire ... when we submit ourselves to the dealings of the Holy Ghost, that the Lord promises to be with us. Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou has been honourable, and I have loved thee: Therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Isaiah 43:4

Who is the Lord speaking to now? Who among us has been honorable? Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” Conclusion? God the Father is here speaking to God the Son, for the Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY righteous, honorable One. The time that our resurrected Lord spent with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus must have been fairly lengthy, because,

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:27

5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Isaiah 43:5-6

Who constitute “thy seed” in Verse 5? This is NOT talking about natural descendants. Neither is this referring to the Lord bringing natural Jews back to their natural homeland. The verse speaks of the seed of Christ, or rather the seed which IS Christ. The seed represents all those whom the Father has given to His Son. The verse speaks of “bringing” and “gathering” thy seed. Bring and gather them to where? Unto the Lord Himself.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between His feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him. 2 Thessalonians 2:1

Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea I have made him. Isaiah 43:7

Who is “even every one that is called by my name”? You and me ... believers throughout every age. So here the word switches back to His chosen people. Verses 1 and 7 of Isaiah 43 can not refer to Jesus because Jesus was not created. He was with God in the beginning before the world was or ere man ever existed.

In Isaiah 43:7 we see three action verbs, compared to only two in Isaiah 43:1, above. The one that has been added is the word “made.” The “making” part is as a result of Verses 2-6. We can speak of the “making” as the “walking out process” called “sanctification.” This is what Paul refers to when he says,

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

I die daily. 1 Corinthians 15:31

In what is called the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), note that the prodigal son was still a son. He is symbolic of a carnal Christian ... one who refused (at first) to submit to the dealings of the Holy Spirit in his life ... one who did not like the process of “making.” In verse 12, this prodigal son says “GIVE ME,” symbolic of the selfish, carnal attitude. BUT, the grace and mercy and love of God was at work in his life, and God arranged for hard times to come upon him, such that this son repented and returned unto his father. Then he said, in verse 19, “MAKE ME.” He was ready to be made into the vessel that God intended for him to become. He was ready to walk through the rivers and through the fire.

Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). I can never recall hearing any mature minister quote that verse correctly. From my experience, most ministers say, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” But that is not what the scripture says. It says, “make you free.” This is the making process which is referenced in Isaiah 43:7. We were set free by the grace of God when we accepted the atoning work of Jesus Christ when He shed His blood at Calvary. We are made free by a process. How do we know the truth? By the working of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Jesus said,

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

Notice that Jesus never said how long it would take for the Holy Ghost to teach us all things! We believe it will take an eternity to unfold all of who God is, because God is infinite. But we have still missed something related to John 8:32, because that promise is conditional. If we go back and read again we see the condition on our part, “if we continue in His word.”

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32

Perhaps an even more startling statement in John 8:31 is that Jesus spoke to those Jews which believed on Him. Just a few verses later in John 8, Jesus tells those same Jews (who believed on Him) that they were of their father the devil (John 8:44). In effect, Jesus says, in John 8:31-42, that just because those Jews were the natural descendants of Abraham does NOT mean they are the true children of Abraham. How can these things be? James and Paul both tell us how.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:9

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 

Romans 2:28-29

It is also worthwhile to go back to the first few chapters in the Book of Genesis to see the parallel when God created, formed, and made. We leave that for the reader. Continuing in Isaiah 43,

20a: The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls:

20b: Because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

21: This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. 

Isaiah 43:20-21

The “beast of the field, the dragons and the owls” represent the enemy in any and every form. The “field” typically represents the world. The owl is called an abomination in Leviticus 11. This part of Verse 20 reiterates the truth,

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. Philippians 2:10-11

In Verse 20b, the Lord says that He gives waters, rivers, and drink to His people in the wilderness and in the desert. Why only in the wilderness and in the desert? Why not other places as well? Because there is no life inside the camp.

11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

12 Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.

13 Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. Hebrews 13:11-13

“Without” means “outside.” The “camp” speaks of religion, which we define as mans’ attempt, in whatever form it takes, to please God. Religion is not limited to any particular form of “church.” Christianity, however, as it is intended to be, is not a religion at all but rather a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ where we are led by the Holy Spirit. In the time that Jesus walked the face of the earth, the camp was controlled by the Jewish Sanhedrin. There has always been and always will be the equivalent of that Jewish Sanhedrin in every age, including the present. The camp has become apostate and does not know it. The camp has a form of godliness but denies (or does not allow) the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). We hasten to add, however, that going forth unto Him without the camp must first of all be a condition of the heart! We could be outside the camp physically and still be nothing but a rebel; and it is possible to be inside the camp physically but outside the camp in our heart.

A word of caution here. We need to be VERY careful that we do not develop a “holier than thou” attitude or a feeling of spiritual superiority with respect to those still inside the camp. It is only by the grace of God that you and I may see a more excellent way. Further, we should pray for those “inside the camp” that they might come out of her (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Who are “my people, my chosen” (in Isaiah 43:20)? Who are “this people”? They are the same people as the “seed” in Isaiah 43:5. They are all those that the Father has given to the Son (John 17:11). Jesus said,

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. John 15:16

We also have in these two verses (Isaiah 43:20-21) a second reason why Peter must have been very familiar with Isaiah 43, because Peter said something very similar.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

The chosen generation is the “seed.” The chosen generation consists of spiritual Israel. The chosen generation is the fourteenth generation from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ. (Matthew 1:17 says that “from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” But if you count those generations from Matthew 1:12-17, only thirteen are listed. So the chosen generation completes the list of fourteen.)

We are a royal priesthood, for He

hath made us kings and priests unto God and His father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:6

We are also a holy nation, whose King is the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas the Jews told Pilate, “we have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15), spiritual Israel, the seed, has no King but Jesus!

Our function, as the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, is to show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Our reasonable service is to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). Glory be to His wonderful name! Amen.

Chapter 4: The Character of a Christian Leader

A Christian leader must have a unique combination of being a child at heart but a mature adult when it comes to discernment, wisdom, spiritual understanding, dedication, commitment, consecration, and devotion to God. A good scripture that states this is:

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. 1 Corinthians 14:20

The word malice means wickedness or depravity, not so much in terms of actions, but in thought and purpose. It means the vicious disposition and desires, rather than the active exercise of them. The word men is the Greek teleios, which means of mature age or thought, or perfect, or of full age.

As a child

2 And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Matthew 18:2-5

The word converted (Verse 3) means “strengthened or to turn self around; to reverse one’s course.” Jesus told Peter,

But I [Jesus] have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22:32

Clearly, Peter had not been converted at that point in time, even though he had walked with Jesus for more than three years. Is there a conversion totally different from being saved? Yes, there certainly is! We believe that Peter was converted on the day of Pentecost. Until that day he was still walking in the strength of his own natural mind. The conversion spoken of in Luke 22:32 is moving from the flesh to the Spirit. Without the mighty baptism in the Holy Ghost, self still rules and we likewise have not been converted. It is only after we learn to walk in a place of humility that we can discern between those whom the Lord has sent as compared to those who send themselves. The Holy Ghost is the One who molds and shapes our character, as we are obedient to His voice. Is there any better example than that of Jesus Himself?

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

. . .

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. Luke 4:1, 14

Please note the difference between Verses 1 and 14, when He returned in the power of the Spirit. The difference is explained by what happened in Verses 2-13, where Jesus had overcome all of the temptations of the enemy.

The word become (in Matthew 18:3) is a key word. It is very easy to get caught up in speaking or doing good works. Those aspects have their place but only if we are becoming. Becoming what? Becoming like Jesus. Having His character formed within us. Christ in you the hope of glory! The Church age has been characterized by much speaking and good works. But the age of the Kingdom is characterized by becoming and by being!

When Jesus said that we must become like little children, He did NOT mean that we should have a childish spirit. Religion, the world, and society are enemies of a childlike spirit. What, then, characterizes a childlike spirit? These are the same characteristics that a Christian leader must possess.

The marks of a little child

In Matthew 18:4, above, a major characteristic of a little child is humility. The word humility occurs only seven times in the Bible ... three in the Old Testament (Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 18:12, and Proverbs 22:4) and four in the New Testament (Acts 20:19, Colossians 2:18, Colossians 2:23, and 1 Peter 5:5). However the word humble occurs many times in both Testaments.

The importance of humility can not be stressed too much. The Lord places a great deal of importance on humility. Both James (James 4:6,10) and Peter (1 Peter 5:6-7) say the same thing.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Please note that we must humble ourselves! Jesus did the same thing!

And being found in fashion as a man, He [Jesus] humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8

Some children who are brought up by Godly parents in the fear and teaching of the Lord manifest this spirit of humility. Children with this quality are a delight to both their parents and to others who see them. It is the same with our heavenly Father! God likewise delights to see us adults who walk in the spirit of humility. It is an inward quality which manifests itself outwardly, even to the natural eye. The action of walking in humility is a first step in order to please the Lord. Humility is proof of a genuine conversion.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

A second, but extremely important quality we must have is that of being teachable. A little child knows that he knows almost nothing. He is open to be taught. This does not come easily, particularly to those who have been in leadership positions for many years. Everyone has probably seen a large concrete mixer truck driving through the streets. The truck has a large container, full of concrete, which is constantly revolving. Many years ago the Spirit brought to my mind a word that I spoke forth in a public meeting. The essence of that word was,

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a concrete mixer truck and the people therein are like the concrete inside the truck. We must constantly be stirred up or we become hard and set in our ways. Further, in order for the Lord to use us, we must be poured out into the mold that He has prepared.

A few years ago I was led by the Spirit to start attending fairly regularly a nearby local church. The pastor at that church was (is?) a highly anointed preacher. Many Sundays I would sit and just marvel at the revelation and anointing that came through that man. After a few short weeks, that pastor, at the end of one Sunday service, took me aside and said, “let’s go into the conference room.” So we both went in and he closed the door. After he had just finished preaching a very dynamic word, he looked up at me like a little kid in a candy store and said, “Teach me.” I was momentarily stunned by such a teachable spirit, so I did not know what to say at that moment. From our experience it is extremely rare for anyone in a leadership position to exhibit such a teachable spirit. Unfortunately, one year later some issues surfaced which made me doubt if the man had been sincere or not. I did, indeed try to teach him concerning some things that he had never experienced, but he rejected everything that I said. Only the Lord knows what was really in the heart of that man. Nevertheless, that is the same attitude that every leader should have ... an openness to be taught by the Holy Spirit through whatever vehicle that He chooses to use.

And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8:2

A third characteristic of a little child is that they have a simple childlike faith and trust in their parents. A moving example that most of us have experienced is the willingness of a little child to jump, from whatever height, into the arms of a loving parent. In like manner, we must have that same childlike faith and trust in our heavenly Father.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5

A fourth characteristic of a little child is that they are without guile; they have a simplistic outlook on everything. What you see is what you get with a little child. They are unpretentious. They speak their minds. They are not inhibited by the ways of the world or by peer pressure. If you ask them a simple question, you get a simple answer. Jesus said, concerning Nathaniel,

Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. John 1:47

Please note that Jesus likened Nathaniel to an Israelite, not to Jacob. Jacob was a deceiver, a pretender, a contender, a man who wrestled with the Lord.

Paul said to the church at Corinth,

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

2 Corinthians 11:3

Have you ever noticed the color of grass that first springs up after you have sown good grass seed? It is the greenest, the freshest looking grass that it will ever be! It has not been polluted or corrupted by the atmosphere of the world, with all of the ozone, smog, heat, etc. It is the same with us when we first come to know the Lord. It is only after we begin to read all of the books, listen to all the tapes, see all the videos, and hear all of the many television preachers that we lose our freshness. We tend to lose that simplicity that is in Christ. Lord, help us to be like little children despite all of the pressures of the world!

Finally, as Matthew 18:5, above says, we must be able to receive a little child in His name, for in so doing we receive Him. This speaks of a receptive spirt that is open and sensitive to hear what the Spirit says through whatever means the Spirit chooses. I knew a man who once said that he had heard the Lord speak through place mats, blinds in windows, a man’s pants, a man’s hat, a man’s shirt, a man’s shoes, a dog, a child, through circumstances, through believers, through unbelievers, and through the word of God, as well as sovereignly. We must be sensitive to hear the Lord speak to us through even a little child. It is not easy for an adult Christian leader to be able to receive from a little child or a younger Christian. Pride too often gets in the way. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is not easy for an adult Christian leader to receive any messenger sent from the Lord, particularly those with a word of correction.

The Jews in the time of Jesus had a hard time receiving Him. They never understood what He was saying. Jesus said, 

I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. John 5:43

Jesus also said,

40 He that receiveth you, receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me.

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Matthew 10:40-41

We also know that, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17).

A righteous man’s reward is peace. When we receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, we receive a righteous man’s reward, which is the peace of God. A prophet’s reward is joy in the Holy Ghost. When we receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, we receive a prophet’s reward, which is joy in the Holy Ghost!

Two times during the year 2006, my traveling friend, Thomas, and I have seen the Lord work mightily among young children between the ages of five to sixteen. The first time was a Sunday meeting in Pennsylvania, in a house that was packed to the rafters with believers. All of the children had to sit on steps going upstairs, but they could hear what was being said. As the final meeting was about to close, the hostess came over to me and asked if it would be all right if we prayed for the children. I said, “Of course!” So all of the children (about twelve in number) came down and stood in the middle of the living room floor. Before any one prayed for them or laid hands on them, several of the children started weeping. Then there was prophecy over each one of the children and most of them were slain in the Spirit. One little boy, perhaps 10 years old, was so moved by the Holy Ghost that he could not walk for almost an hour after the meeting ended. Another little girl, no more than six years old, kept weeping as the service ended. I was so moved over her reception to the moving of the Spirit that I got down on my knees in front of her and tried to explain what had happened to her. I talked with her as if she were an adult. Of such is the kingdom of heaven! Lord may we all become as little children!

As a mature adult

The qualifications of an elder, who holds the office of a bishop, and functions as an overseer, are clearly stated in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Likewise, the qualifications of the office of a deacon, which means one who serves, are stated in those same two chapters. We will briefly summarize the stated qualifications because almost all of those qualifications are necessary for a Christian to be a leader. We say “almost” because we do not believe it is mandatory that a leader be married. If the contrary were true then the saints who lose their wife (like Ezekiel) could no longer be a leader, which, of course, is absurd.

A Christian leader must first of all have a servant’s heart ... a genuine desire to serve the Lord and His people. In Titus 1:1, Romans 1:1, and Philippians 1:1, Paul calls himself a servant of God first, then an apostle of Jesus Christ.

A leader must be self-controlled, hospitable, able to teach, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, not a recent convert or novice in the faith, not overbearing, not quick-tempered, disciplined, has a good reputation with outsiders, loves what is good, above reproach or blameless, upright and holy, temperate, respectable, not given to much wine or drunkenness, does not pursue dishonest gain, holds to the truth, is sincere, and tested. In addition, from Acts 6, a leader should be full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. He who is lacking in these things is somewhat blind and cannot see afar off. Further, a leader must have spiritual discernment.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:13-14

One of my favorite expressions is that a true Christian leader must have his/her “head on straight.” This requires spiritual discernment, as stated above. It also requires the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:17). A true Christian leader must understand God’s plans and purposes for us and be motivated by “not my will but Thy will be done.”

A leader must be well grounded in the written word of God and be able to separate the natural level meaning from the higher level spiritual meaning of the written word. That requires nothing less than revelation by the Holy Spirit. The great tendency today is still to try to pull the word of God down to a natural level where man can understand with his natural mind, based upon his own experiences. I heard a nationally known television evangelist (on more than 200 television stations) say that he believes that everything in the Bible is literally true. We believe that man is in for a big surprise if he believes John 6:53, below, (and hundreds of other scriptures) is literally true.

Jesus most commonly spoke to the Pharisees in spiritual terms which, of course, they could not understand. Even His disciples had no spiritual understanding until the day of Pentecost. For example, in John 6, no one understood what Jesus meant when He said,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. John 6:53

This was called heresy by the Pharisees because Moses had told them not to drink blood. But Jesus did not mean that we should be cannibals. Neither did Jesus mean that we should start a ritual called communion wherein we eat a little piece of bread and take a sip of wine or grape juice. So what WAS Jesus talking about? We believe He was saying that we must appropriate Jesus as the sustenance of our life. Flesh and blood here point to Christ as the crucified One and the source of all life. Jesus speaks of faith’s appropriation of Himself as God’s appointed sacrifice, not of any ritual requirement. Observance of a lifeless ritual will never bring about maturity. Lord open our eyes to see who You are!

Chapter 5: The Functions of a Christian Leader

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. Let us look at the original functions of the Levitical priesthood, as given by the Lord Himself. The Levitical priests, in the Old Testament, were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the day.

8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day.

9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him. Deuteronomy 10:8-9

Please note that Verse 8 lists the three functions of the Levitical priesthood. Also note that these functions are valid unto this day. What day is that? just like it says, THIS day. The word of God is timeless and independent of any culture. Verse 8 is true as long as time exists! The above verses applied to the Levitical priesthood of THAT day, but they represent the prophetical prototype of the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec that we have been called to in the spiritual realm unto THIS day. The whole body of believers, as priests after the order of Melchisedec, are to (1) reflect the holiness of God and that of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ (bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord); (2) offer spiritual sacrifices (stand before the Lord to minister unto Him); (3) intercede for man before God; and (4) represent God before men. Functions (3) and (4) constitute “bless in His name.”

Bear the ark of the covenant

In Old Testament times, the ark of the covenant was a natural, physical object, but it foreshadowed its spiritual counterpart which was to come. All believers bear the ark of the covenant in their heart. The spiritual counterpart is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It is the word made flesh within us, just as Jesus Himself was the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet. Acts 7:48

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

Stand before the Lord to minister unto Him

Please note that we are to stand before the Lord. There were NO seats in the temple for the priests to sit in. The ONLY Person allowed to sit down is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! It is a commonly accepted practice that when Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus is played, everyone stands up, in honor of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Lord still sits on His throne! He still reigns, despite all of the uncertainties that we see with our natural eyes!

When Elijah first appeared on the scene, he was aware, as a priest, that one of his functions was to stand before the Lord.

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1 Kings 17:1

But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope. Malachi 3:2

David answered that question as follows:

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:3-5

Note that our first responsibility, in terms of what we “do,” is to minister unto Him. How do we minister unto the Lord? By offering up spiritual sacrifices. Scripture talks about several different types of spiritual sacrifices. One is to keep our bodies, which are the temple of the Holy Ghost, pure and holy.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

Other spiritual sacrifices are given by the author of the Book of Hebrews.

15 By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.

16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

Worship

A vital spiritual sacrifice on our part is worship, which does not come naturally. Worship is not only the heart of a gathering of believers, but also the heart of our every day life as an individual. Ministry to the Lord is vital! Ministry to the Lord is worship and worship is ministry to the Lord. A few years ago, as I enjoyed fellowship with some brethren in another state, I talked briefly with the wife of a man who seemed to have some maturity about him. When I asked her about worship, she said, “Oh, I never worship at home ... only in the meetings.” How sad! We should be free to worship in all circumstances and contexts. Our life should be a praise and worship to God no matter where we happen to be.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 44:15

The Westminster Catechism states that the chief end of man is to know God and enjoy Him forever. Strange as it may seem at first, God also wants to enjoy us!

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

One of the means God established to provide enjoyment and pleasure for Himself is the avenue of our worship. Let us look first of all at what worship is not and then at what worship is. There is a difference between worship and the activities often associated with the word “worship” and the traditional forms it often takes. Before the Lord apprehended me in 1967, my wife somehow persuaded me to start attending a Methodist church. I remember that church had a Sunday program for their “worship service.” It consisted of 17 items, starting with an organ prelude, a “call to worship,” ending with an organ postlude, with three hymns, responsive reading, a few written prayers, an offering collection with an offertory solo, and the “sermon.” I know that there was a list of 17 items because I counted them every Sunday. I could not wait for the “service” to end! Then the Lord apprehended me and all things began to change! 

In the “hey day” of the New Testament church of which we were a part for about 12 years, we had no written program for our worship service. But we certainly had an unwritten program. It consisted of an opening prayer, the singing of three fast songs, the singing of three slow, more worshipful songs, singing in the Spirit, followed by the prophecies, a teaching or preaching, the chair out in the middle of the room for anyone who desired prayer, and then “fellowship,” which in reality was more like socialization. We rarely deviated from our order of worship. Was this better than the order of worship in the Methodist church? Perhaps, but only because of the spiritual state of the people. Although the house church incorporated many items of spontaneity, allowing more freedom for the Holy Spirit to move, we still missed the mark. Man’s methods of worship are mechanical and binding to those whose spirits are being drawn ever upward to the heart of the Father.

In the Old Testament the most commonly used Hebrew word for worship is shachah (pronounced shaw-khaw'). This is a primitive root; which means to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God):-bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, or worship. The second most used word translated as worship is cagad, (pronounced saw-gad’) which is a primitive root meaning to prostrate oneself (in homage):-fall down.

In the New Testament, the primary Greek word translated as worship is proskuneo (pronounced pros-koo-neh'-o), which means to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand; to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):-worship. 

We can see from these definitions that the worship desired by God primarily refers to an inner attitude, consisting of prostrating ourselves before our Holy God. It also speaks of homage, reverence, service, and adoration. We would do well to understand that while worship is often usefully expressed in outward praise, not all praise is an expression or form of worship. Although there are many physical, outward expressions or forms of worship, worship is our inner attitude or state of our heart toward God. Clearly, from the following verses, God is after our heart, not a routine. Jesus said to the Pharisees,

7 Ye hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying:

8 This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:7-9

One of the greatest definitions of worship was penned by a man named William Temple, who was a brilliant theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 20th century. He said,

To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.

The importance of worshiping the Lord can be seen by the following verses. Note that even Satan recognizes the importance of worship.

8 Again, the devil, taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:8-10

Worship must also be in spirit and in truth.

19 The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:19-24

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision!

3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:2-3

To paraphrase one good brother in Christ who wrote an article about worship:

Worship consists of acknowledging His loving Lordship, being available to Him, putting ourselves at His disposal, waiting on Him, and being obedient to Him. This attitude is a praise to His Name and invites Him to indwell us and direct us more fully. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had such a heart attitude.

We do well to labor more earnestly to enter into His rest, allowing Him access to our hearts in simple expressions of love and care for one another. For it is in His rest that we allow the Holy Spirit to move freely in our midst.

Consider these scriptures:

13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;

14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14

Although we have been fortunate to have been part of a number of gatherings where the presence of the Lord has been manifest in many ways, we are still waiting to see a fulfillment of Verse 14 in our life on earth! Just as we grow toward seeing the hand of the Lord in every circumstance and hearing His voice from many sources, we also grow toward more perfect worship in the midst of all of life’s activities. We become more thoroughly available to Him throughout the day and we become “living epistles, read of all men.” We have been aware for 37 years that the level of congregational worship seems to be proportional to the maturity level of those believers present, where “maturity level” is defined by the degree to which we have become as little children before Him.

One of the most immediately effective expressions of worship, especially in gatherings, is song. However, song is equally effective when we are alone with God. I remember that my grandmother would frequently try to sing as she worked around our house (she lived with us). She always said that she wished that she had a better singing voice so that she could praise the Lord better. Well she got her wish because she is in the presence of the Lord now, singing His praises for eternity!

Every kind of appropriate song, whether psalms like those of the Old Testament, or hymns directed to God, or spiritual songs, blesses the Lord. It pleases the Lord to reveal Himself to us during such moments. Some have even heard the Lord singing in the midst of the congregation! In one high level of worshipful music, there was a witness of being caught up in the love flow between the Father and the Son!

11 For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. Hebrews 2:11-12

However, if our expressions of worship grow no further than singing together then it grieves the Holy Spirit, and eventually even the singing may develop into nothing more than a mechanical routine.

I remember one local gathering of about 12-15 saints many long years ago. One relatively young couple had a gift in music, so they led us in singing praises to our God. The only problem was that they exceeded their anointing and went on and on. The Lord brought to my mind a picture of the Israelites coming out of Egypt during the Exodus. They marched five in a row (Exodus 13:18). With at least one million people (counting women and children), the parade of people must have been at least 114 miles long, assuming at least three feet between rows. (Some simple arithmetic will confirm this.) The singers and musicians, like everyone else, had their specific position in the parade. However, if someone had been sitting on a grandstand and viewed the parade as it passed by, after the singers and musicians passed the grandstand there would come a point in time when they could no longer be heard because of the great distance. In other words, the singers and musicians have a purpose to lead us into praise and worship, but once their function has been completed, they need to be careful not to exceed their anointing. They can become an end in themselves. We need to know when to minister overtly and when to stop ministering overtly. A little pepper is good but a lot of pepper spoils the broth. 

Effective ministries, such as intercession, prophesying, teaching, comforting, exhortation, and all others, are also expressions of worship. Indeed, worship that is acceptable to God is what qualifies ministries as being effective. All functions should be “as unto the Lord.”

Abraham sometimes has been called the Altar Builder. Scripture records that he built three altars in his life time. The first one was in response to God who appeared unto him (Genesis 12:7). He had left his father, Terah, in Haran, and had journeyed to the land of Canaan. We have no record of him ever seeing his father again, although Terah lived until after the birth of Isaac. This was the first of many “separations” in the life of Abraham. He was separated from the idolatry of his country, from his kindred, and from his father’s house (Genesis 12:1). It represents new beginnings in Christ, or being born again.

And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. Genesis 12:7

The second recorded altar was built when Abraham called upon the name of the Lord. It was a form of worship to God. This altar represents being baptized in the Holy Ghost.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Genesis 12:8-9

Verse 9, above, represents the start of our journey into the fulness of the kingdom of God. That journey takes us, like Abraham, through a dry wasteland or wilderness. From time to time, Abraham found it good to return to his former places of worship, and again to call on the name of the Lord.

3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 13:3-4

Abraham’s last recorded altar became a “life changing altar.” He had been through many years of spiritual growth and maturity. But now his life would never be the same again. This represents a breakthrough in our life, the moment when we are released to fulfill our destiny ... the purpose for which God created us.

And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Genesis 22:9

Abraham was in deep trauma as he built this last altar. God had asked for what Abraham valued most dearly ... Isaac, his only son by Sarah. He was the son of the promise. Isaac represents that which we value most dearly in our lives. God had put him to an acid test of obedience, and though bleeding emotionally, Abraham passed the test. He was about to hear,

And he [the Lord] said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me. Genesis 22:12

At no time did God promise to shield us from difficult situations and hard choices. In fact, He allows them in order to assist us in our maturing process. Unfortunately, sometimes we naively blame the devil instead of embracing the fellowship of His sufferings.

Old Testament altars were shadows of New Testament reality! Crises in our lives need to be brought to our altars like our fathers did to theirs. There are painful and confusing experiences and disappointments. We can, and should, make altars out of the dirt which besets us. Let us read the Lord's instructions to Moses:

24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25 And if thou wilt make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. Exodus 20:24‑26

Marion Fretwell, a good brother who was serving the Lord many years before Latter Rain began, put it this way: "I will come unto thee" is the essence of worship. Our approach to God is quite secondary. Unless He comes unto us, our worship service may be nice, but unfruitful. Jesus said,

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My father which is in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:19-20

Verse 19 has been greatly distorted by many preachers. That Verse does NOT mean that you and I can agree that we both will be given a new Mercedes car every year!

Jesus did NOT say that where two or three gather together on Sunday morning (or any other time) that He would be present. He said that where two or three are gathered together (by the Holy Ghost in His name) then He would be in our midst. There IS a difference! The Holy Ghost MUST be in control. Hundreds of thousands gather together every Sunday morning in denominational and charismatic churches. But is the Holy Ghost in control? Is there a manifestation of the presence and glory of the Lord?

Exodus 20:24, above, seems to indicate that the Lord's first choice was an altar of earth. By the time we get to Joshua we find no mention of the altar of earth. I have yet to find even one verse where anyone built an altar of earth. What then, is the altar of earth? It is you and I! It is the Church! We are that altar of earth! The altar of earth is my self and your self! Verse 24 is forward‑looking to the new covenant and the time when the tabernacle of God is with men (Revelation 21:3). We are to offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5) freely and voluntarily. Jesus said that if any man would come after Him, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Paul put it this way:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

What moves the Lord to come unto us? James answers that question:

6 But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 

James 4:6-10

An altar of stone (Exodus 20:25) was acceptable under certain conditions. We should also make altars out of the hard things (stones) of our lives. Please note that it is not acceptable for man to have a part in shaping the stones that are used for an altar unto the Lord. This too is God's work and it is marvelous in our eyes. Man's ways pollute.

Glory and honor are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place. 1 Chronicles 16:27

In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

Don’t try to shape things with tools (gifts and ministries, counseling, etc.). Bring them to the altar of Christ just as they are. Abraham left the altar where he made the sacrifice ... and then he went on. We lay our burdens ... dirt (things of the flesh) and hard things (things of the soul, such as pride), before Him. Then we walk away from them ... before bitterness and hardness sets in.

It is not easy to build altars. We carry dirt and hard things until we wear ourselves out before we make them into altars ... and go on. Small, frequent altars diminish the need for large ones. Take the cross daily ... keep them small. Accumulated dirt and stones can become traumatic, and leave us, like Jacob, with a lifetime limp.

We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. Hebrews 13:10

The altar which we have is the cross of Calvary, which, through the shed blood of Jesus, marked the end of the whole Aaronic priesthood and its replacement by the order of Melchisedec, of which Christ is the unique and only High Priest. Praise be to His wonderful Name that we can offer up spiritual sacrifices at the cross.

Moses understood the importance of the presence of the Lord.

14 And He [the Lord] said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he [Moses] said unto Him, If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. Exodus 33:14-15

How Do We Enter Into His Presence?

First of all we can NOT enter into His presence or be aware of His presence by our own works, strength, or power. We enter into his presence by His grace and mercy and by keeping our garments clean. Another responsibility we have in order to enter into His presence is stated numerous times in the Psalms.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. Psalm 95:2

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:2, 4

A “gate” speaks of an entrance or a door. The human mind is the gateway or entrance to the heart and soul. In the above verse, “enter into His gates” means to understand the mind and the ways of the Lord. We can be inside His gates (born again) but not in His courts. We enter His courts with praise. This correlates to being baptized in the Holy Ghost.

Further, because no flesh can glory in His presence and because no sin can be in His presence, it is vital that we keep our garments clean. We keep our garments clean by walking in the light which we have received.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in Thy presence. Psalm 140:13

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou will not despise. Psalm 51:17

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Micah 6:8

1 Thus says the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2

For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Acts 13:1-2

Notice the order in Verse 2 ... they ministered to the Lord and fasted. (The Greek word translated as “fasted” means to go without physical food.) It does NOT say they fasted and ministered to the Lord. There IS a difference! Some believers fast in order to better minister to the Lord. That constitutes the pre-planning of (Christian) man, not the spontaneity of the Holy Ghost. The prophets and teachers in Antioch became so caught up in ministering to the Lord in praise and worship that they fasted without any pre-planning!

Bless in His name

Who do we bless? The Lord Himself and other people, in His name, particularly those of the household of God.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

When the Lord called Abram out,

1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3

Please note the sovereignty of God in the above verses. The Lord says, “I will do this, and I will do that.” What was Abram’s part in the matter? What was left for Abram to “do”? Only one thing! repent, and come out of Babylon ... out of the worldly religious, political, and economic systems.

Please also note that the Lord never told Abram to go around, lay hands on people, and say, “I bless you in the name of the Lord.” The Lord did say that He would make Abram to be a blessing. One of the very first prophecies given to my wife, Linda, was that she had a ministry of blessing. For a few short years, she thought that meant that she was to lay her hands on people and say, “I bless you in the name of the Lord.” Then one day the Lord told her, “No, you do not understand. You ARE the blessing, not because of anything that you say or do. Just your presence is a blessing to others because I have made you in such a manner.”

Ezekiel 44 describes two types of priests: the priests, the Levites and the priests, the sons of Zadok. An amazing fact is that even though the priests, the Levites, committed abominations, they were still allowed to minister to the house. But the priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of the sanctuary of the Lord when the children of Israel went astray, shall come near to the Lord to minister unto Him. Ministry to the Lord is a higher honor than ministry to the house!

The awesome responsibilities of a Christian leader

Any Christian who functions in any leadership capacity has immense responsibilities before the Lord, not only for his personal maturity and integrity, but also for those whom he serves. The first responsibility of a leader is to be a servant ... a slave ... a bond slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. He must be an example to the flock by his every word and deed. It is one thing to go astray ... it is quite another to lead others astray.

25 But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:25-28

I have met a few believers in leadership positions who seem to believe that if each member of the body of Christ just waits on the Lord and comes to know Him better, then everything else will fall into place. We agree that is a very high priority. However if that is all that is necessary, then why did the Lord give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? Why are there different gifts and ministries in the Church? Is there any need for teaching and preaching? Is there any need for correction?

Eli, which means “Jehovah is my God,” was a good man whose life was pure. He loved and delighted in God’s service, but he had one glaring fault in his life. He failed to exercise the proper authority over his sons. Although Eli had no power to change the heart of his sons, he could have prevented their ministry before the Lord. Perhaps he wanted to be kind to them, but if so, it was a false and mistaken kindness. A word of correction, spoken in due season and in the right spirit, would have saved his sons from ruin. Eli had no need to be harsh and severe, only firm and decisive in the matter of obedience. Eli was warned that judgment would overtake him and his sons, but those warnings fell on deaf ears. The Lord said,

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 

1 Samuel 3:13

How many Elis are there today? Have we failed not only in our home but also in our church leadership positions? Too few men of God dare to bring a word of correction or confrontation. After all, a word of correction might decrease “membership” and/or offerings. It is much easier to just prophesy smooth things, don’t rock the boat, keep the people happy, keep the money coming in, etc. But we must decide whether we would rather please God or man.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some ministers rule with an iron fist. This approach likewise is not profitable. The balance can only be determined by the Holy Ghost. Abiding in Him is paramount. In general, we must speak the word of God as He gives it to us and then let the Holy Spirit do the work. We need to be very careful not to embrace a controlling spirit.

Therefore, one function of a leader that needs to be strengthened is correction or confrontation, as led by the Holy Spirit. That takes nothing less than the wisdom of God. Some segments within the Church today do not look too kindly at any word of confrontation. That group of believers say that “the Lord is in control,” “don’t rock the boat,” and “just love everybody and everything will turn out fine.” Our response to that is that the Lord was also in control when a million plus Jews came out of Egypt, but only two of the original adult men made it into the promised land. Further, we do well to heed the example given to us in the book of Esther when Mordecai told Esther:

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

The apostle Paul never shied away from correction and confrontation when needed. Two good examples are in 1 Corinthians and the book of Galatians. Simply correcting error, by itself, will not bring about maturity in the body. The answer to off-center tangents, and deceptions of every kind does not consist in simply exposing and correcting such errors, although there are times that is necessary. For as soon as one tangent gets exposed, another will rise up to take its place. The only lasting answer is that our spiritual senses need to be exercised and sharpened so that we can recognize and deal with tangents and errors as they occur.

We need to focus primarily on the positive building up of the body of Christ. An important principle the Lord taught us in our own household is “thou shalt not” produces no life unless it is accompanied with the positive word of the Lord.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Waves of deception and the ways of the world already flood the Church, and wolves in sheep’s clothing are getting wealthy off of the Lord’s people, but sadly it will get worse. Jesus said,

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24

Do not run blindly after those who show great signs and wonders. Judge the word being spoken and look at the character of the speaker. Further, leaders have another solemn responsibility, as described below.

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Ezekiel 44:23

Note that the last verse says to cause them to discern; it does not say to simply teach them to discern. Genuine discernment can not be taught! We can teach the Lord’s people the difference between the holy and the profane, but we can not teach discernment. That must be given by the Holy Ghost. The only way we can cause another believer to discern between the unclean and the clean is indirectly by our intercession, our example, and by impartation through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Something to think about?

Chapter 6: Corporate Maturity

In this chapter we discuss several aspects relating to the organization and government of the local church ... names, church government, church structure, locally paid ministries, and freedom and liberty within the assembly. This chapter has great significance with the way a local church should operate or function if we desire to experience God’s restoration. What follows must NOT be interpreted in a legalistic, dogmatic way. We do not believe there is a fixed, static pattern which must be rigidly followed in order to attain to corporate maturity. The common thread in what follows is that we MUST be led by the Spirit in ALL things and not by the traditions of men.

Names

Man, even Christian man, seems bent upon names. About 30 years ago, someone told me that there were 435 denominations in the United States. If that were true then, there must be more than 500 by now. We like to name, title, and stereotype almost everything, particularly church groups. But The Church at Ephesus, for example, most likely NEVER called themselves The Church at Ephesus or any other name. That was only how Paul referred to them. As a matter of principle, whenever a church group assumes ANY kind of name (which is usually in order to get a bank account and an IRS number, with the subsequent "tax deduction"), that is the first step in the wrong direction, toward stagnation, tradition of men, the ways of the world, the leaven of the Pharisees, etc. Yes, God is merciful and often "winks" at our ignorance for a season. But we strongly recommend that you do NOT adopt a name for your local church. This implies that you cannot get a bank account or an IRS recognized status. This means that no donations are “tax deductible.” What a wonderful day it will be when that becomes a secular law! Then we will be forced to render unto God the things that are God’s and render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. We will be forced to trust the Lord and rely on Him for our materialistic well-being! How much better would it be to voluntarily move into that place of dependence upon Him? ... to fall upon the stone rather than the stone fall upon us (Luke 20:18).

It appears that The Church at Corinth did call themselves by some name (or rather names, plural). In 1 Corinthians 1:11-13, "... every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ." In 1 Corinthians 3:4, "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" How does this differ from the modern-day version of: "I belong to the First Baptist Church; I am a member of The Church at Fairfax County; I am a member of the ___________?” (Fill in the name of your group.) 

First Corinthians, of course, is primarily a letter of correction that Paul wrote, concerning a variety of errors (at least seven) that had crept into that church. It is worth reflecting that this situation (members of The Church at Corinth calling themselves by different names) is the FIRST error addressed by Paul. He addresses this problem even before the (rampant) fornication, which he first mentions in Chapter 5. Why the order? Perhaps because "he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" (Chapter 6:18), but the naming process had affected EVERY believer (Chapter 1:12).

BEFORE the fall of Adam and Eve (the timing is significant), "the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof" (Genesis 2:19). Adam also gave his wife her name (Genesis 2:23). Then AFTER the fall, in Genesis 9:1, "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." After the fall, man no longer had the charge to "subdue the earth: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." As a result of losing his God-given dominion, man also lost his authority to give out names. 

Of course, man has continued to exercise the function of giving names, even though he no longer has that authority. This is an external outworking of the rebellion of man. For example, in Genesis 4:16-17, "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, ... and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Another example is recorded in Daniel 1:7, where the Babylonian prince of the eunuchs gave (different) Babylonian names to Daniel (renamed Belteshazzar) and three other chosen men of God. Everyone remembers the Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who remembers their REAL names?

There seems to be at least four categories of giving of names:

(1) Man (in his rebellious state) still exercises the lost charge to give names or to make a name for himself/herself.

Some of us name businesses, houses, lands, streets, boats, cars, and children after our self. This is usually motivated by a proud desire to perpetuate our own name. Such was certainly the case for Linda’s father, who built his own empire and was characterized by the following verses.

10 For He seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. Psalm 49:10-13

(2) Man (in his rebellious state) still exercises the lost charge to give names, but this is later overturned by the sovereignty of God. For example, God changed the name of Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and Saul to Paul. 

(3) Man, in a right relationship with the Lord, seeks the will of God for the name of an offspring, and gives the God-desired name.

(4) God sovereignly provides the name, without man asking. Two prominent cases in this category are John the Baptist (Luke 1:13): "and thou shalt call his name John"; and Jesus (Luke 1:31): "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."

So the dominion (and the right to "name") originally given to Adam, but lost in the fall, now belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of the redemption purchased at the cross of Calvary.

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8-11

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Isaiah 62:2

Any believer walks in a very precarious position when he begins to make a "name" for himself. It is a very easy thing to make a name for yourself, but it requires some compromises along the way. Anyone who has an apparent gift that appeals to the senses (such as healing or miracles) or a reasonable message of "truth" (or even a word that sounds pleasant to the ears) can relatively quickly establish audiences in numerous places. Before long, you can become a speaker at the large conferences and make yourself nationally known. There are currently, in the United States, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of such "names" that will one day be humbled by God in the sight of man. Some already have been. Many of these "names" will surprise you. I remember one such man who years ago had developed a nationally-known "name." Then he was humbled (because of his own deeds) in the sight of other believers. Apparently in a state of repentance, the man received a word from the Lord that, "the Lord has allowed this thing to overtake you such that you will be less known to man, but more known of God." Unfortunately, after a season of repentance, it appears that man has fallen into another snare, which also is related to making a name for yourself. How do I know? Because the Lord sent me one Sunday morning to “his” church to see for myself. Why did the Lord want me to see the snare that brother is in now? to pray for him. I am quite sure he is not aware of his present entrapment. Only a sovereign touch from the Lord will set him free.

Even if man begins to acquire a "name," but not through his own efforts, there is still potential peril, albeit of a different variety. Such a person is subjected to significant attacks by the enemy. There is no better example than Jesus Himself. Not only did Jesus not make a name for Himself, He MADE Himself of NO reputation (Philippians 2:7). Perhaps a better translation of that verse is that “He emptied Himself.” In Mark 1:34-38, after Jesus had healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils, Simon and those with him came to Jesus and said unto him, "All men seek for Thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth." Jesus never sought the applause of men. 

John 6 records the height of Jesus' popularity, because of His miracles and because He provided natural food for the multitudes. But in that same Chapter, Jesus said some things that no man understood. In verse 53, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." Those who heard Him considered that to be heresy, since Moses had told them many times not to eat flesh with the blood. This was the start of the conflict that the Jews had with Jesus. And "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him" (John 7:1). Not long afterwards the Jews succeeded in their mission. Those "hard" sayings in John 6 have no natural-level meaning. Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).

The "best" name for any believer may be summed up by Revelation 2:17 and Revelation 3:12.

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Revelation 2:17

In Revelation 2:17, the OVERCOMER (not just anyone who has accepted the saving grace of our Lord) is promised a new name ... the believer's new name. No one else except the overcomer himself knows that name. Therefore, no other person can prophesy to you your new name.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. Revelation 3:12

In Revelation 3:12, the OVERCOMER is also promised a new name , but this new name is the Lord's name. In both verses, the word "new" is the Greek "kainos," which means new as to quality, not "neos," which means new as to time.

But even better than that is the name of Jesus ... name above ALL names! the name to which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Why is the name of Jesus even better than the new names promised to the overcomer in Revelation 2:17 and 3:12 ? One of the best answers to that question can be found in Philippians 2. Because Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11

Now if your church group gets rid of your “name” and your bank account, will that solve all of your church problems? Not at all! If you have come away with that impression then you have missed what we have tried to say about names. To mechanically implement any change will, by itself, accomplish very little. We leaders somehow need to convey the spirit of what we have just described about names, not the letter.

Church government

The Holy Spirit seems to have revived (and increased our understanding of) this word, first received in the late 1970's, as being quite pertinent to all believers today. The title could just as easily be "The Normal Christian Life" because the same principles apply in the life of every believer as in the subject of "Church Government."

The first teaching we received (through a human believer) on the subject of church government came around 1969, as follows:

(1) A (local) church government corresponds to a (local) civil government. Paul writes to The Church at Ephesus, The Church at Corinth, etc. Since the house church that we were a part of at that time was located in Fairfax County, Virginia, and since the government was (and is) Fairfax County, therefore we (wanting to be scriptural) called ourselves "The Church at Fairfax County."

(2) The pattern for church government is typified by The Church at Antioch. The teaching went as follows. In Acts 15, after no small disputation, James (the pastor at Jerusalem) said (Verses 13-21) ... and that ended the discussion. So The Church at Jerusalem typifies the pastor and the elders, which is still very much present in denominational churches and a few house churches today. In this pattern, the pastor basically is the dominant authority, subject (more or less) to input from the elders. The Church at Antioch, as illustrated in Acts 13, represents a plurality of ministry, where no one person stands out above the rest. In Acts 13:2, "... the Holy Ghost said ..." The teaching was that "the Holy Ghost said" is better than "James said." Therefore The Church at Antioch is the scriptural pattern. (As an interesting aside, a number of believers have written books, arguing which of these two churches is “the pattern” for church government. As we describe below, we believe they are BOTH wrong!)

A few years later the Spirit of God quickened that the above is not quite the way that it is. Furthermore, our house church was NOT The Church at Fairfax County because The Church at Fairfax County consists of all genuine believers who live in Fairfax County. And so we were rather presumptuous and prideful (albeit ignorantly so) in taking on our "name." Further, The Church at Ephesus most likely NEVER called themselves The Church at Ephesus or any other name. That was only how Paul referred to them. Moreover, there is no scriptural indication that the early believers even called themselves Christians. They were first called Christians (by others) at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Some believe that the name of Christians was invented by enemies of the cross of Christ as a term of reproach. As a matter of principle, whenever a church group takes on ANY kind of name, that is the first step in the wrong direction, toward stagnation, the ways of the world, tradition of men, the leaven of the Pharisees, etc.

More importantly, NEITHER The Church at Jerusalem NOR The Church at Antioch is the scriptural pattern for church government. Both groups have missed the point. Church government, like the life of a believer, cannot (or at least should not) be a static pattern. We are being changed daily as we cooperate with the Spirit of the Lord. How can a people who are being changed daily continue to operate under a fixed, static form of government? Surely, somewhere toward the bottom line of God's purpose for the Church is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." God desires that the fullness of Christ be formed within each member of the body of Christ, which is His true Church.

No instant maturity is available. Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). It is amazing how many ministers REVERSE the order and quote the verse as, "I must decrease, but He must increase." The order is significant. If we concentrate on Christ increasing within us, the result is inevitable, namely that I MUST decrease. No man can serve two masters. However, it is possible for me to decrease with no increase of Christ within. The pattern for church government, as well as the life of a believer, must be DYNAMIC, a daily "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

One day in the late 1970's, the Holy Spirit began to quicken His word on church government from the book of Acts. In Acts 1:15, "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together was about a hundred and twenty,) ..." Then in Acts 2:14, "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said ..." The Holy Spirit instantly correlated the 120 in Acts 1:15 with the 11 in Acts 2:14. Then the Spirit revealed that in Acts, Chapters 3 through 8, Peter and John are ALWAYS mentioned together. You never see one without the other. But in Chapters 9-28, you NEVER see Peter and John mentioned together. So there is a progression in the life of Peter, as recorded in the book of Acts, which parallels the dynamics of church government as it is meant to be. Peter with the 120, then Peter with the 11, then Peter and John, and finally Peter and no man, but the Lord. Of course this does not mean that Peter never saw or related to John or any of the other disciples again. It simply is not recorded in scripture.

Compare this with the transfiguration of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 17. Peter, James, and John at first saw Moses and Elijah, as well as Jesus (Verse 3). But after the word from God, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him" (Verse 5), and after Jesus touched them (Verse 7), "when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" (Verse 8). Compare also 1 John 2:27, "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you ..." We must get our eyes off man (no matter how spiritually mature the man may be), and look only to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

An excellent scripture pertaining to church government is:

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7

 
Verse six lists a progression of 4 stages:

(1) unto us a child is born

(2) unto us a son is given

(3) the government shall be upon His shoulder (NOT the shoulders of elders or a pastor, but upon HIS shoulder)

(4) and His name shall be called ...

These SAME 4 stages are typified in the life of Peter, as recorded in the book of Acts. Stage one MAY be typified by The Church at Jerusalem, but the error is in staying there forever. Stage two MAY be typified by The Church at Antioch, but the error is in staying there forever. Stage 3 takes a lot of maturity (seldom, if ever seen in a group as a whole) and can be typified by the "father" stage in 1 John 2. This stage can rarely operate except in individuals who have a revelation of what lies beyond Pentecost. Stage 4 involves the realization and manifestation of the time when the Son turns everything over to the Father that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The major point is that church government is NOT patterned after the Gettysburg address ... a government of the people, by the people, and for the people (where people in our context signifies genuine believers). Church government must always be a progression TOWARD the government OF God, BY God (sovereignly), and FOR God, and AWAY from government of, by, and for believers. Again, the order is significant. We can move away from the government of, by, and for believers and be nothing more than a rebel.

Compare 1 Samuel, Chapter 8, when ALL the elders were in error (Verse 4) by asking Samuel to make them "a king to judge us like all the nations." Just in case you think that it is not possible for modern-day Spirit-filled elders to ALL be in error, the Lord has allowed me to see it happen in six different charismatic churches. In Verse 7 the Lord says, "... they have not rejected thee (i.e., Samuel), but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." Church government has no relationship to democracy (one elder - one vote - majority rule). Neither is Church government a dictatorship through one man called a pastor. We need to change our mind-set from the typical pastor-dominated local church.

A pertinent question at this point might be, "Well, how do you implement this dynamic pattern of church government?" First of all, YOU do NOT implement it; the Holy Spirit does. Second, if this revelation does not produce a corresponding vision, then don't even try. Third, this pattern cannot be implemented if your vision of the church is The Church at Antioch. As far as the mechanics are concerned (if there is any such thing), "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it!" The Holy Spirit must have a freedom to operate.

Now we need to be very careful, lest we fall into the snare of becoming a rebel. This word does NOT propose that there is no place for elders, pastors, teachers, etc. Quite the contrary! Each of the four stages in church government (or the life of a believer) is necessary. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). As a new believer, we need to see and be fed by visible, human ministers; we feel comforted by symbols that we can see (such as a little metal or wooden cross). A pastor who truly exhibits the love of God is a source of much comfort to us. However, the primary purpose of any minister, including pastors, is to help each believer to mature to the point where he comes to realize and walk in the fact that the Lord is my Shepherd, not a man. At the same time, as we grow into greater spiritual maturity and understanding, we must continue to walk in a spirit of humility and submission.

We know of some believers who pooh-pooh the idea of “elders.” (Actually in ANY regular gathering of believers, someone will emerge as a leader or elder of the group.) The impression received from these younger men is that they are past that stage in maturity and do not need elders any more. We believe that kind of thinking represents rebellion to God-given authority. We recognize that the office of an elder has too often been abused and misused and misunderstood. An elder, of course, should be an EXAMPLE to the body, not a dictator. But how, for example, do you explain the TWELVE verses in the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to the apostle John concerning elders? Such as,

And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. Revelation 4:4

John was told that these were “things which MUST be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1). Although the “fivefold” ministries of Ephesians 4:11 are clearly temporal, the concept of “elder” may, in fact, be eternal! These elders sit around the throne of God, clothed in white robes and wearing crowns (4:4; 14:3); they cast their crowns before the throne (4:10); they continually worship and praise (5:11-12); they bring to God the prayers of the saints (5:6); one elder encourages the seer when he is sad (5:5); and one of them acts as interpreter of one of the visions (7:13). Isaiah speaks of God reigning in glory among the elders (“ancients” in the King James version, but it is the same word). We have no specific revelation from the Lord concerning the 24 elders referenced in the book of Revelation. We know that there were twelve tribes of the Jews and twelve apostles. The one true Church is composed of both Jews AND Gentiles. So the 24 elders may be symbolic representatives of the faithful people of God ... those who one day in glory will praise and worship in the presence of God Himself. Many are called, few are chosen, and even fewer remain faithful! God-given, earthly types and offices will pass away, but the spiritual counterpart will remain eternal.

In any event, there comes a time when we must put away childish things (even the elementary things ordained by God) and move on to the second stage (typified by the "young men" of 1 John 2). This is when we begin to function in the gifts and ministries that the Lord has given to us. Symbols start to lose some of their significance to us. It is time for the "plurality of ministry." If we persist in staying in the first stage, then the increase of Christ within us as a believer is severely restricted.

By the same token, to stay too long in this second stage will cause severe restrictions in the growth of Christ within. Have you ever noticed that very few people have straight feet and straight toes? Most toes are bent inward, due, no doubt to the shape of the shoes that we wear (particularly women’s shoes, which are very narrow at the toes). This is symbolic of the great restrictions and constraints placed upon us from the world AND from the religious arena (or perhaps restrictions that we place upon ourselves). But we read in Ezekiel 1:7 concerning the four living creatures, "And their feet were straight feet ..." Also, in Ezekiel 1:12, "whither the spirit was to go, they went ..." The Lord desires to slit our shoes such that our toes have room to wriggle around, with no human restrictions - neither from the world nor from any static religious environment. As a result, we will sense a dramatic increase in freedom ... a liberty to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth ... a freedom to go whither the Spirit leads.

Many at stage 2 have been persecuted and maligned by those at stage 1. Some at stage 3 have been persecuted and maligned by those at stage 2. Do you really think that it will ever be otherwise? But there is a visible, natural church, and there is the Church which is His body, in the realm of the Spirit. The latter will prevail, but only after much suffering and persecution. Like everything else, we must count the cost.

Of the increase of (secular) democracy there will come an end. Of the increase of (Christian) man's church government, there will come an end. But of the increase of HIS government and peace there shall be NO end. The zeal of the Lord of hosts WILL perform this!

Miscellaneous operations in the local church

Church structure

Webster’s dictionary defines the word “structure” as: (1) something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; (2) an arrangement or interrelation of parts as dominated by the general character of the whole; or (3) the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other. The word “structure” does not occur in the Bible. For our purposes, “structure” can refer to either the format, operation, etc., of the gatherings of believers within the local church, or it can refer to the more governmental aspects, for example elders, deacons, pastors, and how they interrelate, somewhat independent of the gatherings themselves. The Sunday services at most denominational churches have a very rigid structure, all of the elements of which HAVE to be completed within one hour, plus or minus a few minutes. The services in our New Testament house church, about thirty years ago, were not so rigidly structured. Most charismatic churches today have some structure about them and usually have an elder “in charge” of the gathering. The functions of the elder “in charge” may be only to see that the meeting starts at a reasonable time, ends at a reasonable time, is led by the Spirit, and that nothing “off the wall” is allowed to continue.

There are some very cumbersome, legalistic, organizational structures in the modern day church. Each church, of course, believes that their structure is scripturally correct. In spite of some binding church structures, hungry hearts still find the Lord. Life flows to some in the midst of, or rather in spite of, all of the apparent bondages, at least for a season. Corporate life in poorly structured, humanistic churches, however, is usually rather limited in light, life, and free flowing Spirit.

By contrast, some insist on being free from all organizational entanglements. There is virtually no structure, yet things still may be spiritually lacking. I remember going to one such group a few years ago, and sharing what the Lord told me to say. Afterward, a man, who supposedly had some substance, spoke up and shared with the group a “revelation” that he had just received as I was speaking. The only problem was that what he shared was clearly “off the wall!” No one corrected the man publicly and I sincerely doubt if anyone said anything later to that man. Was that because no one saw the error in what he had shared? Or was it because no one was willing to confront the man in a gentle, loving way? We were invited “guests” and at the time I did not feel led to say anything to the man. Hindsight, when the meeting was over, perhaps I should have said something to the man privately. Perhaps it was a learning experience for me.

A few years ago, one genuine believer told me, privately, that the house church of which we were a part 30-some years ago, was anti-Christ because of our rigid church structure and organization (that was not true) and because there is no such thing as elders (that is not true either). He neglected to say that he had also been a part of that house church until he was told by one of the elders that he could come to the meetings but could no longer speak because he was in rebellion. He has harbored a root of bitterness for thirty years! Very sad! I tried to help the man, but to no apparent avail.

May we suggest that the fault lies neither in the structure nor in the lack of it. What really matters and what determines how much life flows in the body of Christ in a given area is how men flow in the Spirit of the Lord. We believe that if those in leadership positions are really attuned to the life of the Spirit, then the structure will take care of itself. The opposite is NOT true! NO amount of correct structure will guarantee the life of the Spirit!

Locally paid ministries

We see no scriptural basis for any locally “paid” ministries. Yes, we are aware that Jesus said that the workman is worthy of his meat (Matthew 10:10). But that context speaks of the apostles who were sent out. (We believe that the number of true apostles today who are sent out by the Lord are significantly fewer than those counted by men.) In Acts, Chapter 6, the twelve apostles apparently had no secular jobs. However, even Paul, himself, had a tent making job so that he would not become a financial burden to the churches. In addition, concerning the local churches themselves, Paul said,

If any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Does the word “any” exclude a pastor? I have never understood why a pastor should receive a regular pay check from the local church funds, but an intercessor, for example, should not. Some pastors may say that what they do is indeed work. Perhaps, but it is not as intense “work” as what a true intercessor does, which includes weeping and groaning in the spirit. Unfortunately, from our experience, there are far too few genuine intercessors. We believe that prophetic intercession is perhaps one of the biggest lacks in the body of Christ today. Every member should be encouraged to function for the well-being of the entire body, without price.

Nevertheless, if anyone feels led by the Holy Spirit to give monetary gifts to another member of the body, then obviously do so. Scripture instructs that such monetary gifts be done anonymously and in secret. Otherwise, giving money openly to other believers tends to create a bondage and/or an adverse respecter of persons attitude.

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and the Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:1-4

Finally, scripture indicates that widows who are widows indeed, and over the age of 60, should be supported by the local church. If the local church as a body supports some members of the body, great wisdom must be exercised. Unfortunately some people, even Christians, relish the thought of a free handout.

Freedom and liberty, but led by the Holy Spirit

Always allow a freedom and liberty for each gift and ministry to function. Avoid getting into the same routine at each gathering of believers. A gathering of believers should be anything BUT something mechanical or routine.

At the same time, we must be careful not to use that liberty for an occasion to the flesh (Galatians 5:13). Unfortunately, the Corinthian spirit pops up at times through supposedly “mature” believers in a multitude of charismatic churches and conferences. We must have the balance given by the following verse.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

1 Peter 4:1

Those who have been called to formal leadership positions must encourage the church and help them as they begin to walk in their individual anointing. Each member of the body must begin to develop the gifts which the Lord has imparted to them. Woe to those pastors who hinder the anointing of any member of the body!

Chapter 7: The Functioning of the Body of Christ

How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 1 Corinthians 14:26

The above verse was hammered home to us (the New Testament house church of which we were a part) back in the late 1960's and 1970's. That verse was used as a scriptural reference to reinforce the teaching that every member of the body of Christ needs to function. The teaching came through several apostolic, traveling ministries. The teaching was that every one should have some vocal expression in our assemblies.

Somewhere in the mid- to late-1970's, the Holy Ghost quickened to my understanding that the above verse is NOT an exhortation for the entire body of Christ to function overtly. Now we also believe very strongly that it is vital for the whole body to function. We see the parallel in the natural, physical body. If the eyes or ears or heart or lungs stop functioning, our natural body is greatly weakened, if not dead. However, let us examine the above verse more closely.

We need to be careful to keep scripture in context. The context is important! At the same time, we recognize that the Holy Spirit may take verses out of context and put them into another context. We do not have that same prerogative. 

The context of most of the book of 1 Corinthians is a letter of correction, written by Paul to the Church at Corinth. In addition, Chapter 14 is a chapter of correction concerning what happens when the Church at Corinth assembles together. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 14:26 can not be a commendation to the carnal church at Corinth. In that verse, Paul is not congratulating them that the whole body is functioning. Rather, it is a word of correction. Paul says in that verse that this is what you are doing. Every one of you is popping up with something to say and it is causing confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) in your assemblies. You are all speaking, but you are speaking to be seen and heard by men, and it is not edifying. Paul says “how IS it?” He does not say “this is the way it should be.”

Furthermore, every member of the body is not a mouth.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 1 Corinthians 12:15-17

The members of the Church at Corinth clearly esteemed the mouth greater than other parts of the body. Therefore, each one wanted to be seen and heard. Unfortunately, the Corinthian spirit is still alive today in too many charismatic churches. It was alive at times in our house church 30-some years ago. But if there were proper teaching of this subject within the churches today, this carnal aspect would essentially disappear. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.

Paul goes on to say,

29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other [prophet] judge.

30 If any thing be revealed to another [prophet] that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.

31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:29-33

We must remember that the ministry of a prophet is not at all the same as the gift of prophecy. The ministry of a prophet is given by God. You can desire to be a prophet as much as you like, but unless God makes you into a prophet, all of your desiring is for nought. The gift of prophecy, on the other hand, is to be desired by all (1 Corinthians 14:1). God does not make mistakes! He fashions each one as it pleases Him (1 Corinthians 12:18).

Verse 29, above, says, “Let the prophets speak two or three.” It does NOT say, let those with a gift of prophecy speak two or three. The function of a prophet in the assembly is to discern the mind of the Lord as to the overall, big picture ... what the Lord wants to say during that specific gathering; and then to speak that word forth. Within that overall framework, any one with a gift of prophecy may then prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be comforted (Verse 31). For more on the subject of prophets and prophecy, see our book, “Discerning Things That Differ.”

After the prophets have declared the word of the Lord, the teachers then break down that same word into greater detail. While all of this is going on, the intercessors are constantly praying for the anointing to abide upon the speakers. In reality, we can silently pray for the speaker continuously while he/she is speaking and never miss a word that is spoken! Try it!

As we stated earlier, we believe very strongly that it is vital for each member of the body of Christ to function. On November 4, 1977, I heard a word from the Lord that “It is the fear of man that hinders the body of Christ from functioning, but it is the fear of God which compels us to function.” Another hindrance to the functioning of the body of Christ is a lack of understanding of the ministry to which we have been called. It is vital that each member function in the place they have been called.

On June 13, 1976, the Lord woke me up very early in the morning, about 3 a.m., and told me to get up, go downstairs, and read the “restoration books,” (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Daniel, etc.). I sat on our living room sofa, reading those books. There was no noise, no emotion, no audible voice, no other person present. At one point I read Ezra 6:14.

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia. Ezra 6:14

When I read that verse, it was like a sledgehammer hit me! I heard the Lord challenge me and say, “If you want to see the body of Christ prosper, then you function in the place I have called you.” At that point in time I had been a functioning elder in a New Testament house church for seven years. I had “done” anything you can think of ... teach, preach, prophesy, counsel, had meetings in our home, etc. If every believer I knew had all told me that I was not functioning I never would have believed it. But when the Lord spoke that word to me, I knew it was truth! I sensed no condemnation, no guilt, just conviction by the Holy Ghost. I have often called that the most powerful word I have ever heard from the Lord. Immediately after that word I heard, “I have given you the power to fulfill the ministry to which I have called you.” I remember walking up to our Sunday morning elders’ meeting later that morning. Every time one of my feet hit the concrete sidewalk, I heard a resounding of the power of God. So I can say to every reader, if you want to see the body of Christ prosper, then you function in the place where the Lord has called you!

During a meeting of some saints in July, 2006, the Spirit quickened a word that I had never heard, read, or spoken. That word is that there are three aspects or perspectives to the normal functioning of the body of Christ ... know who you are in Christ, appropriate the Christ in others, and know your joints.

Know who you are in Christ

First, each member must know the calling on his/her individual life. I need to know if the Lord has ordained for me to be an eye, an ear, a hand, a foot, or whatever. How do I find the ministry to which I have been called? Ask the Lord! It is that simple. In general we do not agree with wholesale prophesying of the ministry to which members have been called, although there may be some exceptions. Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it! The Lord wants to quicken to you His call upon your life more than you want to receive it! Then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to develop our functioning in that place where we have been called. Be careful NOT to move out in the flesh in an attempt to function in your ministry!

20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 

1 Corinthians 7:20, 24

One reason why the Spirit-filled community is greatly divided and fragmented, based on different understandings of scripture in general, is because too many ministers are trying to function in a place where they have not been called. The American Church is distinctly “pastor” dominated, almost to the exclusion of other ministries. The pastor preaches, teaches, administrates, and in general “calls the shots.” 

I have never met a true pastor, a believer who has been called to pastoral ministry, who is likewise a visionary. This is NOT being critical in any way because that is not the function of a pastor. I HAVE known several believers who are visionaries and have tried to function as a pastor. In general, this also does not work well, except possibly for a short season. I have also known tremendous teachers who have tried to function as a pastor. This, likewise, does not work well. A pastor is primarily attuned on the horizontal level ... to the needs of people. We need more good pastors. They have a vital role to play in the Church. (The ONLY place that the word “pastor” is used in the King James New Testament is in Ephesians 4:11. The Greek word, poimen, which is translated as “pastor” in Ephesians 4:11, is used sixteen more times, in every other verse translated as “shepherd.”)

What we see in the Church today is that pastors, subject more or less to some elders, are setting forth the “acceptable” doctrine through teachings. But what saith the Scripture?

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. Ephesians 2:19-20

3 How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; Ephesians 3:3-5

Those verses indicate that the apostles and prophets are charged to set forth doctrine. Although there are thousands and thousands who claim those titles, the problem is that there are too few genuine apostles and prophets. In fact, who even sees the need for such ministries? Further, the Church does not discern between the holy and the profane. One good brother in the Lord told me not long ago that the best thing that could happen to the local church in his area was for it to disband completely and start all over on a more sure foundation.

When each member of the body functions in the place where God has set them, they form a well-disciplined army. An excellent passage of Scripture about the Lord’s army is found in Joel 2:5-11. His army is described as “a great people and strong” (Joel 2:2); as “a strong people set in battle array” (Joel 2:5); and “they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks ... they shall walk every one on his ways” (Joel 2:7,8). In other words, each member of the army of the Lord knows his/her place and does not try to function or walk in a place where they have not been called. They are not out building their own apostolic and prophetic networks. As a result, they can not be wounded (Joel 2:8); they can not be stopped; they can not be destroyed; all the earth shall quake before them and even the heavens shall tremble (Joel 2:10). Why? because they are enveloped with the power and authority of God! Therefore they will be used to manifest the manifold wisdom of God even unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10). Leaders! This is serious business!

Is it time for pastors to pastor, teachers to teach, intercessors to intercede, watchmen to stand upon the walls and proclaim what they see, and apostles and prophets to set forth doctrine and lay the foundation in the Church? Is it time for each member of the body to function in the place he or she has been called and for each member of the body to recognize the place where other members of the body have been called? Is it time to realize that God hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him (1 Corinthians 12:18)? Is it time for those who have been set in the body as a mouthpiece of the Lord to speak forth the pure word of God? Is it time to repent and return to our first love? Is it time to call out for the grace and mercy of God to be upon us and all of those whom the Lord has called?

Appropriate the Christ in others

Second, I must know the calling on YOUR life. This is quite important! One of the most critical areas in order for a local church to function as a well-oiled machine, is the recognition and appropriation of the various gifts and ministries that have been placed in the body by the Lord. I remember the very first word that I shared publicly. The word was “appropriating the Christ in others.” I also remember that I spent much time preparing that word and I was very nervous as I spoke. I have no idea whether any of the 40 or so believers present received anything of value from that teaching. Only the Lord knows. But the essence of that word has been made very real to me over the years. The appropriate Scripture is:

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 

1 Corinthians 11:29-30

The word “damnation” in Verse 29 does not refer to God’s eternal judgment but disciplinary judgment such as physical sickness and death, as indicated in Verse 30. Why are many weak and sickly and many sleep (physically die)? ... because they do not discern the Lord’s body; because of lack of discernment of those gifts and ministries that the Lord has set within His body. If you have a tooth ache would you go to a car mechanic? If you have a leaky water pipe would you go to an artist? Too many do not recognize or appropriate the gifts and ministries that the Lord has set in the body as it pleases Him. No matter how hard you try, the hand just does NOT see as well as the eye; neither does the foot hear as well as the ear. Many are not aware of the nature of the Church as the body of Christ, resulting in the self-centered actions of the verses in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22. As a result, we go about our business like we are independent, self-contained microcosms of the body of Christ. We do well to read again 1 Corinthians 12.

A good example is that of a watchman, who stands upon the walls and looks out for any approaching danger. The king (pastor) and the other subjects are sitting down inside the walls. The watchman signals to the king that he sees danger approaching from afar. The king says, “well I do not see that, so you must be wrong.” Of COURSE the king does not see the approaching danger; he is not standing on top of the walls! Neither is that his responsibility or function.

Lord give us discernment to recognize and appropriate the gifts and ministries that you have placed in the body! As we submit to these ministries (through use) the ministries become stronger.

Joints

The third aspect of functioning as a believer is to know to whom I have been more specifically joined. A “joint” is a specific relationship between two or more members of the body of Christ. My arm has a closer relationship with my hand and my shoulder than with my foot. My foot has a relationship with my toes and with my ankle.

But all joints need the Head. Our relationship with the Lord Himself is of extreme importance.

Except for our relationship with the Lord Himself, the most important joint is a husband and wife. Be careful not to violate this relationship!

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. Ephesians 5:31

16 What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:16-17

We also must know with whom we have been called to walk in terms of ministry. This includes both individuals and a local church. This is a time of separation. This is a time when we must examine our alliances and know those with whom we have been called to co-labor in these last days. Moses asked the Lord, “Who is going with me?”

See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Exodus 33:13

From our experience, our personal relationships with other Christians (or our joints) change from time to time. The Lord brings different believers across our path at different times for different reasons.

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Ephesians 4:15-16

Who is in control?

Who is in control? What does it mean to be led by the Spirit? This is a key question which must be answered by every believer, particularly those who have been placed into a leadership position in a local church. The answer to this question will determine our place in the kingdom. It is one thing to be led astray as an individual. It is quite another thing to lead many other believers astray.

Many years ago I heard a man in an elders’ meeting say that “we have the mind of Christ.” The implication was that whatever all of the elders agreed on must be the mind of Christ. Unfortunately, that may not be so. All the elders were wrong when they came to Samuel and asked him to make them a king (1 Samuel 8:5).

I am sure that some pastors and elders would say, “But brother, we believe that we are being led by the Spirit when we get together as a presbytery and plan our services ... what songs we will sing and who will be the scheduled speaker.” However, when any presbytery preplans the agenda for any gathering of believers, there is NO room left for the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit to move in that meeting. And the Holy Spirit MUST be in control. The Holy Spirit MUST have the freedom to move upon whomever He desires to say or do whatever He desires to bring forth at that moment in time. We must always be alert to recognize God’s leading in our midst, through the Holy Spirit, and to acknowledge His hand of blessing upon our corporate endeavors ... the great things He hath taught us and the great things He hath done. Without this sensitive awareness and gratitude, churches, like individuals, can easily lose the focus of their mission and develop a false sense of self-worth and sufficiency.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

We do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we get to the meeting! The movings of the Holy Ghost can not be predetermined or duplicated and are like tomorrow’s wind ... yet unborn. Can you imagine the following scenario? Just before the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts, Chapter 1, all of the apostles got together and determined that it was the mind of the Lord for Peter to be the speaker when the day of Pentecost was fully come. So Peter spent many hours planning and rehearsing his sermon, waiting for that day to come. Does that sound absurd? I hope so!

Now some might say, “But brother, if we allow that kind of spontaneity in our meetings, we would have chaos!” If that is true then we are not teaching the people the right things ... things such as the centrality and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, how to hear the voice of the Lord for yourself, the fear of God, and how to discern the holy from the profane. Certainly, order can and should be maintained during the flow of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is very orderly!

Part of the difficulty is that we have been thoroughly trained and conditioned as to how our gatherings should evolve. Everyone has read all of the (good) books, listened to all of the (good) tapes, watched all of the (good) videos, and heard all of the (good) teachers and preachers. Not the least problem is all of the “How To” teachings and writings ... how to be born again, how to be healed, how to be delivered, how to receive a financial blessing, etc. We are an “I know that” people. We also have a tendency to revel in revelation, rather than in the Author of that revelation. The natural man, the Athenian man, revels in telling or hearing some new thing (Acts 17:21). But,

And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought. 1 Corinthians 8:2

The following is extracted from the June 2005, monthly newsletter, written by our good friends, Marion and Pearl Fretwell. The title of the article is “Pentecost.”

An old friend of ours, Howard A. Goss by name, received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1902. It was just after the outpouring in Topeka, Kansas. He told us of how he couldn’t speak in English for several days. When he would go to the grocery store, he would have to point at things. He couldn’t tell them what he wanted.

Brother Goss told Pearl and me about some of the meetings they had in those days. People would go out into towns, rent a hall, and start holding meetings. There was not much need to advertise – the Holy Ghost did that. Folks came from far and near to see what was taking place. They were seldom disappointed – the miracles of healing, and other manifestations of the Power of God were very convincing – and CONVICTING.

As long as the young people were at a loss to know what to do, and when to do it, God took over and did things the right way. He knew when to do what, and how to do it.

But little by little, men began to “LEARN HOW” to do things, and the Holy Ghost backed off and let them “do it.”

Revival fires burned for several years, however, and in 1913 Brother Goss and a few other men organized the Assemblies of God movement. There was a need, they thought, for a more orderly method of getting the Gospel out. There were some of the brethren who were doing things which were not correct in the sight of most of the brethren. And there could be strength in numbers. More could be accomplished for the Lord.

There are folks today who doubt the wisdom of the move those men made back there. God alone REALLY knows.

The Assemblies of God was split almost as soon as it was born. Bitterness was the result, which remains today.

We have believed for many years that there should be fresh revelation from the Lord through the Holy Spirit in every assembly of believers, whether two or three, or three hundred. We have seen it happen too many times. We have also seen the fresh revelation unable to come forth because of the traditions of men. We need to be careful not to frustrate the grace of God. We do NOT think that the Lord is pleased when ministers rehash the same word for twenty years. During the Exodus, every day brought fresh manna from the sovereign hand of God. The Church must have fresh manna, fresh revelation, or we will starve. The Church can not progress on leftovers from previous visitations. Transformation comes only in the light of the present glory and revelation of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday morning, March 26, 2006, I heard a word from the Lord that far too many of those called to leadership positions in the Church are trying to lay hold of more of the Lord but still try to fit Him into their own molds, formats, traditions, and programs. Then we ask the Lord to bless our “improved” programs. Such will never happen. The Lord will not allow it! The ONLY program that the Lord will bless is His program, as led by the Holy Ghost!

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

Any time we see a church which follows the exact same format, week after week, we wonder why. There are few things that will quench the Spirit in a church more than falling into a traditional rut. Any time that any pastor knows exactly what will happen next in a church service, that church is in trouble! There is no room for the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit to operate. Those churches and their pastors who prepare every song, every prayer, ever sermon, etc., evidently already know, ahead of time, with what we must serve the Lord. Even Moses, the “man of the law,” said,

Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither. Exodus 10:26

Structure, organization, and control are much easier, much more manageable, and much more predictable if we stick with the traditional denominational or charismatic format. The traditional format also helps (on the surface) to keep more money coming in, which seems to promote a more financially secure local church. In reality, it compromises or trades more (temporal) money for the life of the Spirit. We must remember that if the Lord establishes something, the Lord also provides the wherewithal. This principle applies on an individual level as well as a corporate level.

For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 

Psalm 50:10

The traditional format also tends to keep more believers comfortable, because far too many believers do NOT want to be stirred up. We like the tradition, the routine, the fixed format. Change is very difficult for us people. But sadly, we may be missing out on the life flow of the Spirit. Please note that Jesus promised, “I will build My Church.” He did NOT say that the pastor and the elders will build His Church.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

We all need to be ever mindful that the LORD is in control! The big question is ... are the church leaders of today ... the pastors and the elders ... willing to let go of THEIR control and let the Holy Spirit have His free way, producing spontaneity and a freshness and originality in that which is brought forth to glorify the Lord? The leadership of the church in Jesus’ time on earth were absolutely certain of speaking God’s words and doing what God wanted them to do. Yet God Himself showed up in the flesh and they rejected Him. What was the root of the blindness? The same as it is today! The motivation for keeping the full flow of God’s ministry out of our churches today is the spirit of control, that men might do what they want to do without having to submit to others. We are talking about a big change ... a transformation. What we have discussed is radical to many. But we see no other way to true restoration. It takes an adjustment to our way of thinking ... like Peter walking on the water. What it takes ... is faith! 

Frank Bartleman, in a book called “Another Flame Rolls In,” has written of the mighty evidence of the spontaneous working of the Holy Spirit in the Azusa Street revival. He says:

The spirit of singing among God’s people was like a harp spontaneously flowing in the midst of His people. In fact it was the very breath of God, played on human strings or human vocal chords. The notes were humanly impossible. It was indeed singing in the Spirit. We had no pope or hierarchy. We were brethren. We had no human program. The Lord Himself was leading.

There was no priest class. These things have come in later with the apostatizing of the movement. We did not have a platform. All were on a level.

Ministers were servants according to the true meaning of the word. We did not honor man after their advantage in means or education. But rather we honored them for their God-given gifts. He sets the members in the body.

The place was never closed or empty. People came there to meet with God. He was there. Hence a continuous meeting went on.

The religious ego preached its own funeral service quickly.

No subjects or sermons were announced ahead of time.

There were no special speakers for such an hour. All were spontaneous speakers. All were anointed of the Spirit. All wanted to hear God (and not man). We were delivered from ecclesiastical systems. We wanted God.

In honor we preferred one another. When God spoke we all obeyed. It seemed a fearful thing to hinder or grieve the Spirit. He was in His Holy temple. It was the norm to keep silent.

A similar manifestation occurred in what is called “latter rain,” which began in February 1948, in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. One writer, describing this movement in 1948, said, concerning what one young man told him:

I shall never forget the morning in which God began to move in our midst in this strange manner. Some students were under the power of God on the floor. The anointing deepened until the awe of God was upon everyone.

But after a few days of searching in the Word, to see if we were on Scriptural grounds, unity prevailed amongst us and the Lord came forth in greater power and glory day by day. Day after day the glory of God came upon us. Great repentance, humbling, fasting and prayer prevailed. Though men are moved to look for the spectacular, God continues to move silently, below all the noise, in the hearts of His people. The place that God chose to start this restoration of the truth is only significant in as much as it is the most unlikely of all places. No man would have chosen either the town or the school or the students or the ministers through whom God restored His blessings. But that is all most consistent with God’s ways. He chooses what man rejects.

About thirty years ago I was in the home of some Christian friends in another state. They had invited about 50 leaders from a large number of churches to come to their home. The only people I knew were the host and hostess. Very early during that meeting, I received a very strong sense that some of the various church leaders were there to be seen and heard and to make their presence known. That discernment was so strong that I was led by the Spirit to prophesy. I half quoted the verses, “whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26-27), and said a few other related things, which I do not now remember.

Within recent years I went to a conference of church leaders (ministers) from various states. All of them were genuine believers and had been in ministry for a great number of years. At the first meeting, I strongly sensed the same attitude as described above. Some, but not all, of the ministers who had gathered wanted to be seen and heard. A few wanted to “outshine” the others. At the last meeting of those ministers, I saw the same attitude rear its ugly head.

Probably all of you have seen churches where the senior pastor rules the roost, calls all of the shots, and is the equivalent of the CEO in a secular organization. Such men generally have no real check and balance in their ministry. Further, any individual who thinks he alone can bring people to maturity is walking waist-deep in deception. Any one who dares to challenge the top dog becomes persona non grata.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Philippians 3:2

When Paul, by the Holy Ghost wrote that word, he was NOT talking about four-legged animals that wag their tail and go “bow wow.” Dogs, by nature are faithful to the master that they know. Dogs also mark out their territory. Anyone, other than their master, who crosses their territorial lines will be barked at, if not attacked. The dogs that Paul refers to are those territorial pastors who think they are protecting “their” sheep, accept those who come in their own name, but reject those who are sent by the Lord. The last time I checked in my Bible, the sheep belong to the Lord, not to any man. Many churches do not allow outside teachers or preachers; other churches have their own “litmus test” to determine is it is all right for someone outside OR inside their church to speak. I recently went to a large, charismatic church that had an “open mike” for those who had a prophecy ... open, that is, provided you told an assistant pastor beforehand what you were going to say and he approved you.

Frequently “dogs” will say that they have been given their position, office, or ministry by the Lord, and they are not about to let someone else replace them. In reality, most such men have an arrogance and a feeling of superiority about them. In reality, however, whether they realize it or not, they are afraid they might lose control to the Holy Ghost! As one good brother has put it, “There is nothing more scary than the Holy Ghost beginning to take over and a person who has been in charge suddenly not knowing what is happening next. It takes an adjustment, like Peter walking on the water. What is takes is ... faith. Structure, organization, and control (with a one-man rule) are much easier, much more manageable, much more predictable, ... and much more financially secure.”

Another “defense” frequently quoted by such men is that those who function more along the lines of the Church at Antioch (plurality of ministry) have a disgust of order, structure, organization, and authority. To a certain degree that is true. There is a strong disgust for the order, structure, organization, and authority of man (even if the man is a real believer). The fallacies in their way of thinking are: (1) the Church belongs to the Lord, not to man; (2) the function of any ministry is to minister himself/herself out of a job (Ephesians 4:10-16); (3) the Lord said that He will build His Church.

After the Lord apprehended me we were led to a house church, which we were a part of for about twelve years. It was a “good” house church, at least for the first six or seven years. It was also a rather pioneer adventure in that we tried to let the Holy Ghost be in charge. I remember that Derek Prince (a highly respected charismatic Bible teacher in the 1970's) came to one of our meetings. He said, “I hear that you folks are like the he goats before the flocks (Jeremiah 50:8).” He was absolutely correct! At least at that time, that house church was somewhat of an example and approached, but never fully attained to, the church operation that the Lord desires. How wonderful it would be for church groups to be truly led by the Holy Spirit in every respect!

A galley without oars

As a summary, let us meditate on the following two verses.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21 But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 

Isaiah 33:20-21

In spiritual Zion, in the new Jerusalem, in the new temple that the Lord is building without the hands of any man and without the sound of a hammer, our glorious Lord, the One who is full of glory, will be our all in all. Further, no galley with oars shall go there. Man cannot direct that ship; he has no oars to guide the galley. The Holy Spirit steers the galley! Neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. No man, no matter how gallant, will receive honor, praise, and glory ... only the Lord Himself! What a marvelous day that will be!

Chapter 8: Hindrances to Effective Christian Leadership

Hindrances to effective Christian leadership include self, in all of its multi-faceted forms, and ignorance. Scripture indicates three potential, great hindrances to all believers, including effective Christian leadership: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17

Specific examples of these three hindrances are almost countless! They include illicit sexual encounters (including unhealthy relationships), ignorance, the traditions of men, alcohol, drugs, entertainment and competitions of every kind, money and material possessions, desire for natural power and position, vanity, and pride, to name just a few. It is very easy to make an idol out of any of those things. Our adversary knows exactly which specific work of the flesh each one of us is most vulnerable to and that is where he will attack us. In this chapter we will discuss only a few of the hindrances that appear to be of greatest danger to leaders.

“Love not the world.” The word “world” in Verse 15 is the Greek kosmos, which here signifies the world apart from God, or the world which has forsaken the God who has made it. The world in this Verse does not mean the world in general, nor does it refer to the people in the world, for “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Christians cannot escape the demand to be different from the world. Either a man loves the world or he loves God. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).

The lust of the eyes is the tendency to be captivated by outward show, sometimes tinged with jealousy and/or competition. It is characterized by a spirit which believes that happiness or success can be found in the things which money can buy and which the eye can see. Lavish ostentation is equated with real prosperity. That spirit gives itself over to the things which are seen and temporal and has forgotten the things which are unseen and eternal. Too many pastors of churches today believe that outward show attracts people to their church. Some Spirit-filled pastors have told me that, face to face. Sadly, this, more often than not, perpetuates “breech births” and more carnality introduced in the midst of the Church. A “breech birth” is one who comes to Jesus for the wrong reasons, in the wrong position, where the Head does not come first.

In Acts 27, Paul was about to be taken to Rome because he had appealed to Caesar. Paul warned the captain of the ship that they should winter in the port where they were, because it was almost winter and not very safe for a sailing ship to be on the sea. Paul, of course, had heard from the Lord. He had learned to know the voice of the Lord.

But the captain of the ship had other ideas. The port was not a very fancy one (his desires), and the weather was not too bad yet (human reasoning). And who was this prisoner who presumed to tell him what he should do with his ship? He did not need navigating advice from a man in chains (pride and arrogance).

These types of things, and those that follow below, can easily become a hindrance in the life of leaders.

Illicit sexual encounters and unhealthy relationships

Some of the false religions adhere to higher standards than that which Christians practice. The Roman orator Cicero stated that incest was practically unheard of in Roman society. Paul addresses this in his first letter to the Corinthians.

1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much named amongst the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5 To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:1-7

15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid.

16 What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Far too many Christian leaders have fallen into the snare of illicit sexual encounters. This is a favorite ploy of the enemy to try to discredit a true man of God. Nothing will damage the sheep more than to learn of their shepherd’s failure in this area. Some charismatic churches even have disintegrated because of this failure of the shepherd. Leaders especially always need to be on their guard so that their walk is beyond reproach.

Leaders also need to be aware of unhealthy relationships, even if they do not result in illicit sex. Jesus said,

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28

Women, in general, are more spiritually minded than are men. Some times, a Christian wife will go to all of the meetings and leave her husband at home because he is not yet interested in the things of the Lord. So the Christian wife, who is not satisfied at home with her spiritual head (her husband), may attempt to replace, in her mind and emotions, her husband with the pastor who seems to have spiritual insight. Worse still, she may go back home and tell her husband what a wonderful sermon the pastor preached. That only fuels the fire with her husband. If the wife is not satisfied at home, she soon will look to a Christian leader to satisfy her spiritual, emotional, and sexual needs. She will start to tell her pastor how wonderful his messages are and how wonderful he is. The Christian leader gets puffed up by the flatteries and before long ... fireworks! Leaders beware of such unhealthy relationships!

Money

Nothing disqualifies a leader as quickly as the love of the mammon of unrighteousness ... the worldly dis-use of money. How much money does it take to satisfy the natural man? Just a little bit more! We all need to be very careful not to fall into that snare.

Shortly after the Lord sovereignly apprehended me, He emphasized two areas to me: (1) the sovereignty of God, by which we mean the direct dealing of God with man which does NOT come through other people; and (2) our faithfulness with money, or material possessions. I am sure that the Lord is not through with me in EITHER area.

It is a very revealing exercise to search the scriptures to see how much of the Bible is devoted to money and our attitude toward the “mammon of unrighteousness,” as Jesus describes it in Luke 16. According to one reliable source, the word “faith” occurs in about 500 verses in the Bible; the word “prayer” likewise occurs in about 500 verses; but

about 2,350 verses address the topic of money!

The understanding of the place of money in the life of a believer is a topic that needs MUCH revelation. The topic of money is a very uncomfortable subject with too many Christian ministers. Few Christian ministers want to hear this word. Even the majority of so-called mature Christian ministers do not seem to understand what God desires for His people in their stewardship of money.

We are aware that this topic is one that needs to be carefully presented, with much wisdom from the Lord, because it is SO easy to misunderstand. To the best of my knowledge I have spoken publicly about the topic of money only TWICE since the Lord apprehended me in 1967. However, it is time to be silent no more about the things of the Lord. We, the Lord’s people have been seduced far too long from the truth of how a Christian should approach money matters. 

The current state of affairs

The spirit of Balaam runs rampant, unchecked in much of the church world today. Balaam was a prophet who dwelled in Midian and who was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel (Numbers 22-24). Balaam had made quite a reputation for himself and made a profitable living by “selling” his prophecies. Balaam had a strong self-will and went back to the Lord several times in an effort to reap a reward from Balak; but he DID have SOME level of relationship with the Lord because he ultimately would speak only that which the Lord told him to speak. Peter speaks of Balaam as an example of those who walk after the flesh and are self-willed.

13 Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children;

15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 2 Peter 2:13-16

If a dumb ass speaks to you with a man’s voice, that will get ANYONE’s attention! It must be a very humbling experience to know that a dumb ass knows more then you do! Jude likewise says,

11 Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

16 and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. Jude 11, 16

Suppose someone were to tell you that they have a word from the Lord for you and that they will tell you what it is if you give them $100 (or ANY amount of money). Does that sound absurd to you? I sure hope so! Now what is the difference in principle between that scenario and charging you $25 for a Christian book? or charging you $125 to attend a “great” prophetic conference, where “important prophetic revelation comes forth at this significant gatherings [sic]” (quoted from one of many such real advertisements)? Let me state very clearly and emphatically ... if anyone charges money to hear any kind of prophetic revelation, then I, for one, am NOT interested; it is too tainted with flesh. You can NOT mix the ways of the Lord with the ways of the world! Oil and water do NOT mix! If someone wants to charge $25 for a secular book on art or politics, that is fine. However, the last time I checked, the word of God is free. Paul said,

What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 

1 Corinthians 9:18

The prophet Micah said,

The heads thereof [of the houses of Jacob and Israel] judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Micah 3:11

It seems that far too many ministries have never learned that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). So some ministers proceed to "help God out" when it comes to their income. A significant number of men and women in ministry give the spirit of mammon preeminence (which is worship) in the manner in which they conduct their financial dealings. Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). A few years ago I heard of one ministry that charges $2000 to pray for someone! Far too many ministries "sell" the word of God and have become materially rich thereby, even multi-millionaires. How much money did Jesus charge for folks to hear His teaching? I heard one believer say, “If any Christian is not willing to pay five dollars for a Christian book, then something is wrong.” My response is, “If anyone has to sell their Christian book for five dollars, then something is wrong!” If you have a ministry from the Lord of being a scribe, then the Lord will provide all of the financial support necessary for you to fulfill that ministry. You do NOT have to extract money from other believers! Any gift makes room for itself.

Far too many ministries beg and plead for their audiences to give them money. Some friends of ours said they stopped going to a big Assembly of God church when they passed the collection plate four times during one service. Meanwhile the Lord grieves and waits for us to repent in order to bless us in ways which FAR exceed our imagination!

6 He [Amaziah] hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.

7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.

8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. 2 Chronicles 25:6‑9

There have been those like Amaziah, and like Ananias and Saphirra in Acts 5, who just did not understand the ways of the Lord when it came to money. Unfortunately, there are many believers today who likewise do not understand. Too many times believers take advantage of other believers in their excessive charges for services given as well as in under paying or not paying at all for services received. This grieves the Lord. 

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

Freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

Once we give ourselves to the Lord, everything else will follow. If I am providing some service to you, I should do so as unto the Lord, with absolutely NO thought as to what, if anything, I might get from you in return. Likewise, if I am receiving some service from you, I should ask the Lord what I should give you and be obedient with joy. And, of course, if one party is negligent, the other party should still walk uprightly, trusting in the Lord.

Do you remember the very first thing that Jesus did upon His entry into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday? He went into the temple of God, cast out all who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them that sold doves (Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:11, Luke 19:45, and John 2:15). Doves were a necessary part of sacrifice under the Jewish law. Why did Jesus overthrow the seats of them that sold doves? because they were seeking to make money for themselves.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus said,

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Matthew 13:22

Natural riches can be deceitful! They can choke the word sown in our midst. Riches, or the lack thereof, will turn our head. They can cause us to fall back on our natural-level reasoning.

We also need to consider our priorities. If you belong to the Lord, then you are worth far more that any amount of money. We always need to use His money that He has entrusted to us in obedience to His leading and in ways that will further His kingdom and glorify His Name.

Our attitude is the key

It is NOT possible to understand the truth of God concerning money without first laying a firm foundation. Our attitude, the state of our heart, MUST be correct before we can understand what the Lord is after with respect to money. When Jesus was tempted by the Pharisees and Herodians concerning tribute money, Jesus replied:

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Mark 12:17

It is quite important never to mix the two. The things that are God’s do NOT mix with the things that are Caesar’s. We live in a world that still requires tribute to Caesar. The Bible dictionaries say that there was NO coined money in Israel until after the Exile. Before that time, exchange of values took place by trading one thing for another without the exchange of money. Most historians believe that the earliest money pieces came into existence about 700 B.C. in the small kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. In any event, it seems certain that coined money originated with heathen nations. Jesus said:

9 Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Luke 16:9-11

Let us reflect on those verses! As a minimum, we need to know how to appropriate the use of money in a Godly manner. Today we cannot avoid the use of money to buy and sell, but the time is quickly approaching when we can no longer buy or sell without the mark of the beast. You don’t want to THINK about the alternative!!! With the start of the euro dollar in January 2002, it is just a question of time before the United States follows suit and NO man can buy or sell without using the world-wide money system. 

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:17

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Revelation 19:20

Therefore it is IMPERATIVE that we understand the truth of God concerning money and that we allow the Holy Spirit to develop within us the right attitude toward money. As long as I am motivated by “what do I get?” or “what’s in it for ME?” I am in big trouble. Our attitude should NEVER be self-seeking.

The big faith and prosperity teachers have seduced far too many Christians concerning money. Oh, what they preach has a small element of legalistic truth. You can find scriptures that SEEM to support what they preach. But Christianity does NOT consist of blindly following rules and laws as set forth by a faith preacher.

Our motivation, our attitude, must NEVER be to make money to promote our own kingdom or to pursue selfish gain. Money and “things” can never satisfy man, because the Lord has so designed us that only He can satisfy and fulfill us. This is why carnal man is driven to seek out more money, more power, more possessions, believing the deception that more will surely satisfy. How much more money does it take to satisfy the carnal man? just a little bit more! Our motivation, our attitude, must always be:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

One final word concerning our attitude ... Paul said,

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 1 Timothy 6:7-8

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Philippians 4:11-12

Please note that Paul said he had LEARNED to be content in whatsoever state he was. Godliness with contentment does NOT come naturally; it must be born of the Spirit within us.

What about the tithe?

The first mention of a tithe occurs in Genesis.

And he [Abram] gave him [Melchisedec] tithes of all. Genesis 14:20

Please note that the tithe is first mentioned BEFORE the law was given through Moses. Please note also that at that time there was no such thing as money as we know it today. Money did not exist in Israel until after the Exile; i.e., around 500 B.C., so the tithe consisted of animals, foodstuffs, herbs, etc. The Lord told Moses:

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. Deuteronomy 14:22

Therefore it should be no surprise when Jesus said:

But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Luke 11:42

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

Matthew 23:23

Jesus said that tithing has its place, but that there are weightier matters than simply tithing legalistically of your material substance. Furthermore,

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

Some quote the verses in Malachi 3 in an attempt to mentally and emotionally coerce believers into giving them money. This approach is commonly mixed with preaching a prosperity doctrine. Such are false teachers and do not understand what they do.

Some have said that tithing is never mentioned in the New Testament. That is basically correct, except for the times when Jesus addressed the Jews who were still trying to abide by the law. We believe that the tithe is part of the LAW, which has its purpose.

The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24

We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

Should a Christian tithe? YES! Why? as a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ ... UNTIL the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts concerning the proper attitude toward money. There is a place for taking heed and taking heed and taking heed. But unless you see what the Lord is REALLY after then all of our taking heed amounts to little more than walking in the law. Whenever we know that everything that we are and everything we have belongs to the Lord, then the law has no more purpose. The law of the tithe is designed to bring us to the Spirit of the tithe, wherein we can freely give whatever the Lord says to give. The Spirit of the tithe (Genesis 14:20) existed BEFORE the law of the tithe. Moreover, the tithe in our modern-day church has come to mean 10% of our income ONLY. What about our TIME? Should we also give 10% of our time to the Lord? How many Christians devote two hours and twenty four minutes a day to the things of the Lord? (I have a feeling that if we Christians devoted an equal amount of time to the things of the Lord that we spend on sports, television, entertainment, etc., then the Church would be in a far better place today.) Then we have “arguments” that exist as to whether the 10% of our income should be before or after taxes are deducted from our pay checks. Anyone who asks that question does not yet see the Spirit of the tithe.

There are always opportunities to move into the more excellent ways of the Lord in any area. None of us have arrived.

But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you. 1 John 2:27

And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house, Nehemiah 10:38

Under the Old Covenant, the tithes were in the natural realm and consisted of animals, herbs, foodstuffs, etc. Under the New Covenant, the tithe of the tithes are the OVERCOMERS themselves ... those believers who follow the Lamb wheresoever He leads.

No mixture, please

Rat poison is 99% pure wheat; it is the other 1% that gets you. Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and therefore more dangerous.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10

In the world, many artists, such as vocalists, musicians, and authors, have made millions of dollars through their talents. So it seems “normal” for Christians to pursue the same method of making a lot of money. The [false] rationale is that then they will have more money for the Lord’s kingdom purposes. But the Lord never intended for His gifts to be mixed with the ways of the world, for in so doing, the pure gifts of the Lord become polluted. We need to realize that the world recognizes the outstanding beauty of the Lord’s gifts through believers (although they do not recognize the Source of those gifts). Therefore the world waits with open arms to incorporate the Lord’s gifts into the world’s system for profit.

20 And they transformed the beauty of His ornaments into pride, and they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them.

21 And I shall give it into the hands of the foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they will profane it. Ezekiel 7:20-21  

(New American Standard)

The Lord hates mixture and His judgment will prevail. That is why the people of God are told time and again to come out of her (the worldly system) that we might not partake of her judgment.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 

Revelation 18:4

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:17

Beloved, there is a more excellent way. We have not been given gifts by God to use them in the same manner as those in the world use their gifts, with the corresponding monetary rewards! Certainly we should all seek the Lord as to how He would have us to use the gifts that God has given to each one. Yes, we are aware,

For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, the laborer is worthy of his reward. 1 Timothy 5:18

But we need to be very careful here. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). I do not find ANY scripture that says that we should GRASP at or snatch or seize! The Scripture does not say that we are to extract money from our fellow believers! The attitude ... the motivation ... is critical! I should be MORE than willing to share with you that which I have received with NO thought as to what I may get in return. The word of God is free! Any ministry, whether preaching, teaching, intercession, healing, deliverance, books, tapes, music, etc., should be freely shared with other members of the body with no thought of “what do I get in return?”

The ways of the Lord are always right! The ways of the Lord always “work!” Jesus told us what we should do concerning our approach to material possessions.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Matthew 6:19-21, 24-34

A solid principle when giving money to another ministry (we are ALL ministers) is to do so secretly, if at all possible. Whenever you give money to another ministry openly, some ministers will tend to come back for more. In addition, an open gift tends to create an atmosphere of bondage on the part of the giver or receiver. The receiver may feel like they “owe you” something.

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:1-4

Most churches today “pass the offering plate” or equivalent. A few churches have an even more demonstrative procedure where all may see who does and who does not contribute. We do not question the sincerity of the pastors who use such a procedure for collecting tithes and offerings, but that procedure appears to contradict the spirit of Matthew 6:1-4, as above. It may also tend to mentally and emotionally coerce, through feelings of guilt, more members of that congregation to tithe. What we give toward furthering the kingdom of God on earth should be done out of love for the Lord, not out of feelings of guilt. In the house church of which we were a part for about twelve years, we NEVER passed a collection plate. We simply had a basket in a somewhat obscure place where everyone could deposit whatever they believed the Lord would have them to give. Probably very few churches of any variety receive more per-capita tithes and offerings than we did in that house church.

A rather sticky situation is that some believers think that they are God’s gift to the Church and that they should not waste their time with any kind of secular job. They tend to believe that other Christians should support them financially. These same people are usually a source of much hardship to those who provide for them. Paul, of course, had a word regarding such believers.

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

Paul followed his own advice. He said,

33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. Acts 20:33-34

Religious contributions and tax deductions

This is undoubtedly the most controversial aspect of this chapter on “the Christian and money.” This is an area that VERY few Christian ministers want to hear, whether they are in a denominational church, at non-denominational church, or a charismatic house church. Let us state our thesis very clearly. The higher way for a Christian, whether individually or corporately, is NOT to itemize tax deductions for contributions to religious organizations. When Abram paid tithes to Melchisedec he did not ask for a tax receipt. This whole issue can be resolved by a church group not adopting a “name;” for without a name you cannot get a bank account or an IRS tax-deductible number. See Chapter 6, on “Names,” for more insight on this topic. Jesus said,

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. Matthew 6:3

At tax reporting time, what does the typical Christian do? He sits down with all of his tax deductible receipts from religious organizations in the left hand and enters those as deductions on a tax form with the right hand. So the left hand knows EXACTLY what the right hand is doing! Jesus said,

Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22:21

But don’t ever mix them up. In other words, we do not render unto Caesar the things that are God’s and we do not render to God the things that are Caesar’s. The things of the world do NOT mix with the things of the Lord! The Church today has very little power because the Church has allowed all sorts of mixture to co-exist within its ranks.

Yes, I know the typical response: “But it is perfectly legal to take a tax deduction for contributions to religious organizations. If I take the tax deduction I will have more money to give to the Lord’s work.” That response is a product of logical reasoning ... a product of the carnal mind. Did you forget that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills? Did you forget that Jesus told Peter to go take up the first fish that comes up and you will find a piece of money in the mouth of the fish? The little bit of money that you “save” as a result of taking a tax deduction is PEANUTS compared to that which the Lord is ready to pour out upon you if you walk in His ways and please Him.

I remember very vividly an elders’ meeting one Sunday morning about 30 years ago. There were a number of brothers from various other geographical locations at that elders’ meeting ... about 25 Christian men in all, supposedly all with some degree of maturity. Very early at that meeting, a question arose as to whether the house church of which we were a part should renew its “covering” through an Assembly of God church in California in order to continue to have tax-exempt status. Some said one thing, others said another. Then one man, who was the treasurer of the house church said, “let me give you a background of what has happened in this area in this house church.” He proceeded to do so, including how the house church had initially received the “covering” in order to have a tax-exempt status. More debate followed as to whether or not we should renew this tax-exempt status. Finally someone said, why don’t we pray about it right now? No one could argue with that. So several different men voiced prayers that the Lord would show us what to do about our tax-exempt status. After a few minutes, someone said to the group, “what did you hear the Lord say?” The responses were almost comical! Each person had “heard” the same thing they believed before we had prayed. There was still a disagreement. Finally, one man spoke up and said: “Let me share with you what I heard from the Lord. Here we have spent more than one hour with 25 men talking and debating about whether or not to renew our tax-exempt status. What I heard the Lord say was, ‘What does all of this have to do with the kingdom of God?’” There was silence in that meeting for what seemed like half an hour (but in reality was probably about one minute).

The problem, of course, is that Christian man is always trying to reason how we can DO more FOR God. But God wants to do more WITHIN us! Lord have mercy on us!

And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18

The end of the matter about money

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1

We cannot emphasize too strongly that it is our perspective, our attitude, our motivation that is key to our proper understanding of and stewardship of material wealth.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

If our attitude and motivation is in the right place, then,

But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

A final word of caution. If you begin to walk in some of the things we have just shared concerning money, know for a certainty that you will be tested so you can see how real these things are in your heart. For example, I know a man who said that he accepted an invitation to go to teach at a charismatic gathering for two nights. He said that his traveling expenses exceeded $300. He said that he received a “love offering” of a total of two dollars even though the people expressed their great appreciation for the words that he shared. We must count the cost and maintain a right attitude!

Pride

The pride of life is perhaps the most dangerous snare of the enemy for those who walk as leaders. Let us look at one example in the Bible ... that of Uzziah, a king of Judah and the son of Amaziah. “Uzziah” (also called Azariah in 2 Kings 15) means “strength of the Lord.” The meaning of his name reflects that which he should have been. Unfortunately he turned the “strength of the Lord” into the “strength of man.” We will look at 2 Chronicles 26:1-21.

Verse 1: Then all of the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.

All of the people made a 16 year old boy to be their king. Did anyone ever think about asking the Lord who His choice would be? Did anyone ever think that it was never the Lord’s will for the people to have an earthly king? The tradition of man runs very deep! The people had grown up believing that an earthly king was God’s will. They had always done things that way. Further, did they know that the Lord removes kings and sets up kings (Daniel 2:21).

Verse 3: Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

Fifty two years is a long time! The Lord was gracious to Uzziah and gave him a long, prosperous life and reign. The fact that the verse mentions his mother’s name and not his father shows the huge influence that mothers have on their sons. “Jecoliah” means “Jehovah will enable.” So the Lord gave Uzziah every opportunity.

Verses 4-5: And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. 

And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

The above is true for anyone. As long as we seek the Lord, He will prosper us.

Verses 6-7: And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 

And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwell in Gur-baal, and the Menuhins.

Uzziah’s conquests were toward the southeast and the southwest. So Uzziah had numerous military victories.

Verse 8: And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt: for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

A yellow caution flag just went up! His name spread abroad, even to Egypt. Anytime we begin to develop a name for our self, we are crossing into dangerous territory. This may be an opening for pride to enter the picture! Jesus made Himself of NO reputation (Philippians 2:7). Uzziah strengthened himself! Another yellow caution flag! If the Lord strengthens us, that is fine.

Verses 9-15:

9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.

10 Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vinedressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.

11 Moreover Uzziah had a host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Masseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.

12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred.

13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.

15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

Under Uzziah, Judah experienced the greatest natural glory since the time of Solomon. Uzziah apparently had a very successful foreign policy as well as a very successful domestic policy. He accomplished everything that any nation could ask for. Please contrast the natural weapons of war in Verse 14 with the weapons of our spiritual warfare, in Ephesians 6:12-18.

In Verse 15, “and his name spread FAR abroad.” Now we have a red warning flag! The enemy has gradually been working on Uzziah to fan his spiritual pride concerning his position, his power, and his accomplishments.

Verse 16: But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

It was the function of the priests, and only the priests, to go into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Apparently Uzziah said in his heart, “I am the king. I can do anything I want to do. And look at how God has blessed me with all of this prosperity and military success.”

Verses 17-18: And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:
And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.

Here, Azariah the priest goes in after Azariah (also named Uzziah) the king. These were two different people, historically. However, is it possible that this also implies that the spirit of Azariah, through his conscience, tried to tell his own mind that what he was doing was wrong? For Azariah the priest, along with eighty priests, to withstand Uzziah the king took a lot of courage. But they feared God more than a man. This represents the grace of God in Uzziah’s life. Only a loving, merciful God would try to stop Uzziah from making a huge mistake.

Verse 19: Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.

Note that Uzziah had a censer in his hand to burn incense, but he never actually burned the incense. His heart was all wrong, however. He was fully prepared to burn the incense, a function allowed only to priests. His greater sin, however, was the fact that he became furiously angry with Azariah and the other priests for trying to stop him. If Uzziah had accepted the word of the Lord through Azariah and simply left the temple without getting angry (in other words if he had repented in his heart), most likely the Lord never would have smitten him with leprosy.

Verses 20-21: And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.
And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

Unfortunately, Uzziah did not heed the word of the Lord through Azariah. It took a sovereign act of God of making him leprous for Uzziah to understand. Uzziah had done despite to the Spirit of grace, for which God had to smite him in judgment ... there was no more sacrifice for sins.

26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.

27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-31

Note that in the above account, the word of God through a priest takes precedence over the word of the king. Compare that to our day when the word of the Supreme Court in the United States takes precedence over the word of God.

Scripture records eleven kings/rulers who got very angry with a messenger that the Lord had sent, by His grace, to try to bring correction into their life. None of them repented. The end of the matter for each of the eleven, such as Uzziah, was not a very pleasant sight.

There is a strong warning in this story to leaders! Spiritual pride will bring down a leader faster than anything else. Even worse is to reject the word of the Lord, who by His grace, tries to save us by sending His messenger to us to warn us. Worse still is to get angry at the messenger, because that is rejecting the Lord Himself.

Do you think that sort of thing cannot happen in charismatic churches today? Unfortunately, we have seen it happen, first hand, with a pastor who seemed to have a very anointed ministry, with signs and wonders following. We will call his name Sam. Without going through all of the details, we heard a man preach on a Sunday morning in Sam’s church essentially the same word that we have shared here on Uzziah, and how his spiritual pride led to his downfall. Little did we know at the time that the Lord had the visiting minister to preach that word as a warning to Sam. Moreover, later he got violently angry later with that visiting preacher. It is a very sad, but true, story of a man who was destined for greatness but who got sidetracked by spiritual pride and saw himself as a great one. We can only trust the Holy Spirit to speak to the man sovereignly or through another vessel.

So the message to anyone in a leadership position is very clear. Beware when you have many successes, whether they be natural or spiritual. That is the time that the adversary will come and try to puff you up and fill you with spiritual pride. Lord, open our eyes to this serious snare!

Ignorance

Ignorance is a word which at the least is not flattering to the natural man and at the worst may create hard feelings or animosity. That word may be offensive to some. But if any believer gets offended by a word from the Lord, then they NEED to be offended. All of us are ignorant of some, if not many, things in the world. That certainly described the apostles, Peter and John.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

We use the term “ignorant” in a spiritual sense to describe a lack of the true knowledge of God and His kingdom or a lack of spiritual understanding. We are sure that there are very few Christian leaders who consider themselves ignorant when it comes to things of the Lord. This is because everyone has read all of the books, heard all the tapes, watched all of the videos and television evangelists, and heard all of the preachers. We have been saturated with “words”! But do we know Him as He longs for us to know Him? Do we understand His ways?

And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8:2

Part of the problem is that we all tend to bring a word of the Lord down to our own level of understanding and experience. We are an “I know that” people. But the Spirit always says, “Come up higher.” Jesus said,

Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which Thou hast given me: for Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24

Jesus did NOT pray that we would be with Him where He would be but where He was at that time. Where was Jesus at that time? in the realm of the Spirit, in the presence of the glory of God!

Paul, six times in Scripture, says, “I would not have you ignorant, brethren” (Romans 1:13, Romans 11:25, 1 Corinthians 10:1, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 2 Corinthians 1:8, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13). Peter says the same thing in 2 Peter 3:8. Moreover, listen to what the word of God says.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

We are all aware of the stern rebukes that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers, who were the religious elite of that day. In Matthew, Chapter 23, Jesus, eight times says, “Woe unto you ...”. In Luke, Chapter 11, Jesus says, “Woe unto you, Pharisees” twice; “woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees” once; and “woe unto you lawyers” three times. Let us look at one such occurrence.

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Luke 11:52

The very persons who should have opened the peoples’ minds concerning the law obscured their understanding by an erroneous system of theology and faulty interpretation. They kept themselves and the people in ignorance of the way of salvation, or, as Matthew 23:13 puts it, they “shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.”

What is the “key of knowledge”? We believe that the key of knowledge is the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 19:10). Another translation of Revelation 19:10 is “for the witness of Jesus is the essence (or the character) of prophecy.” We must not interpret the “lawyers” of that day as being like attorneys of law in our day. A lawyer, in those days, was one who interpreted and taught the law, as given through Moses. But those lawyers missed the essence (or the spirit) of the law; they knew only the letter of the law. This is what Paul is saying below.

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

The “letter” is synonymous with the law as an external standard before which all people stand guilty. The Spirit who gives life is the Spirit of the living God, who writes that same law inwardly “in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

Now who are the religious elite of today if not Spirit-filled Christian leaders? The nature of man has never changed. Do we have the same type of lawyers in our modern-day Church? May God have mercy on us! Lord, open our eyes that we may see You and Your glory! Leaders who have a lack of true knowledge not only disadvantage themselves spiritually, they lead the sheep astray, perhaps unknowingly. The Lord’s admonition to leaders is “Feed my sheep.” But use the Lord’s food, not man’s.

The antidote to ignorance and the lack of understanding and the lack of knowledge is given by, “and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Our cry, as leaders, should be, “Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21).

Traditions of Men

Traditions of men are like barnacles gathering on the hull of a ship. The ship gradually loses speed. Today we have myriads of doctrines, each with some (apparent) foundation in the written word of God, but interpreted by our faulty, human understanding of that word. They can do no better than lead us astray, if we follow them. 

Let us recall a conversation between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:5-9, 13

The traditions of man run very deep in both the natural and the spiritual realm. We will not here address the multitude of traditions which most natural men practice. Our purpose is to draw a parallel between the Pharisees and scribes, the religious elite of that day, with their counterpart today, such that we will not repeat the process. Leaders need to be aware of the common principles behind walking in traditions and customs, not only for their own benefit, but also for the benefit of the sheep.

When Jesus spoke those words, in Mark, above, the scribes were the legal experts; they interpreted the law, the Pentateuch, and the ten commandments. They came up with thousands and thousands of rules and regulations which governed every possible action and situation. Those rules and regulations had never been written down when Jesus came to earth as a man, but they were what was called the tradition of the elders (in Verse 5, above), where elders means the ancient scribes. In effect, this constituted Judaic legalism, in which man’s outward actions take precedence over his inward feelings. Jesus (in Verses 6-7, above) in effect told the Pharisees and scribes that was hypocrisy. There is a great danger in identifying religion with only outward observance. Going to church, reading the Bible, tithing, and prayer three times a day do not make a man a Godly man. The exact opposite is true. It is because we have allowed the Holy Spirit to make us into a Godly man that we read the Bible, go to church, pray, and tithe. Cornelius, who had all of that, was

a devout man, and one that feared God with all of his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. Acts 10:2

The only problem was that Cornelius did not yet know the Lord! Many have their own code of living uprightly but, apart from Jesus, it is wood, hay, and stubble. If, in a man’s heart there are grudges, bitterness, pride, etc., all of the outward religious observances in the world will not make him anything other than a hypocrite. Jesus also accused the legalists of substituting the efforts of human reasoning for the laws of the voice of God. They no longer had to depend on hearing the voice of God; they depended instead on the clever arguments and interpretations of the legal experts. But out of natural man’s mind can come no good thing in the sight of God.

In Verse 7, Jesus told the legalists that “in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” On one aspect, Jesus and the legalists agreed. Both declared that we must be clean to worship and approach God, for our God is holy. The difference was in how we make ourselves clean. The legalists thought they became clean by observing all of the many external rituals and traditions of the elders, particularly by washing their hands and their eating vessels many times. Jesus said the inside of man, the heart, must be clean in order to worship God in spirit and in truth. True worship requires a clean heart and a loving, obedient heart. David understood the difference. He also saw the great need for repentance.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Paul said, concerning his beliefs prior to being dramatically apprehended by the Lord,

13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:13-14

The traditions of his fathers speaks of the same thing as the traditions of the elders in Mark 7:5, above. Before his conversion, Paul had persecuted and had killed those Christians who had rejected the traditions of his fathers. Note, below, that Paul associates the tradition of men with philosophy and vain deceit and with the rudiments of the world, rather than after Christ.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

Colossians 2:8

In the time when Jesus walked the face of the earth as a man, the Jews were very much concerned (shall we say, obsessed?) with washing their hands many times a day and washing their eating and drinking vessels carefully many times. Is there anything “wrong” with washing your hands before you eat a meal? No! We do that all of the time. So what was the problem? (We will give our answer to the problem shortly.) 

Do we have the same parallel today? Yes! The parallel is not so much the specific of washing hands and eating and drinking vessels. We establish our own traditions and customs. Consider the custom or tradition of some Christians who do not believe that women should wear makeup or dress in a certain way or cut their hair short. Is there anything wrong with a woman not wearing makeup? No! Some others believe that a woman should wear a kerchief on her head during assemblies of the saints. Is there anything wrong with a woman wearing a white kerchief during a meeting? No! Others believe that there are certain foods that we should not eat, even though the Lord told Peter that “what God has cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). Is there anything wrong with abstaining from eating pork? No! We also have seen some Christian groups who believe that women should stoop low as they enter the meeting room and continue to walk stooped over until they sit down. What about the tradition that playing cards and dancing is “wrong”? The list goes on and on!

Today we still see the influence of many Jewish traditions and customs in our Christian churches. (See the section on the Galatian spirit in Chapter 10.) To paraphrase Marion Fretwell in his monthly news letter of November, 2006:

Even though Pentecost has ushered in many very wonderful truths, Pentecost also has some hurtful traditions and customs that were brought in by the people who came in from other denominations. Unfortunately, some of these traditions are becoming established as Divine edicts in some areas of the Christian community. They will produce nothing but confusion and sorrow down the road a bit farther.

What is “wrong” about all of these traditions and customs is they originated from the minds of man, not from God. The point that Jesus made in Mark 7 was that no amount of external actions would make a man Godly or holy. For anyone to believe the contrary is deception. We believe that there is nothing that we can eat or not eat that will make us more holy; there is nothing that we can wear or not wear that will make us more holy. Likewise, we believe that the Lord is not interested in whether a Christian group builds a physical structure to meet in, rents a facility, or meets in a barn or an open field or in someone’s house. What the Lord is looking for is that the inside of the cup be cleansed ... our hearts!

Now, lest any man misunderstand what we are saying, let us hasten to add that not all of our traditions are based upon half-truths or worse. Some fundamentals about our life in Christ have never changed and never will. Jesus was born of a virgin through the power of the Holy Ghost, came to earth in the form of a man, was rejected by His own, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, arose from the dead by the power of God on the third day, and ascended into heaven, where He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is God the Son. Teaching about these types of beliefs must be handed down to other, newer believers.

However, we must realize that the Holy Spirit is still leading us into all truth. We have illustrated a few examples of that leading in this book. The major point is that we always need to be open and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must never rely simply on man, even an anointed man. We need always to be before the Lord for ourselves, seeking Him who not only knows all truth; He is truth.

We need to be very careful not to embrace the traditions of men, even anointed men, simply because they seem to be Biblically correct. From our experience, as well as from the witness of the Holy Spirit, some things that we were taught thirty-some years ago, simply were not truth, even though the heart of our teachers was quite pure. Instead we need to concentrate on cleansing the inside of our cup. When we have clean hands and a pure heart, then the Holy Spirit can and will teach us all things. We still live in an age which emphasizes doing; but the Lord is much more interested in our becoming or being that vessel which he has intended for us to be.

We have emphasized, above, in a very broad, general sense the need not to blindly follow the traditions of men. That approach is certainly acceptable to all because it is non-confrontational. From our experience, whenever any one stays at this general level, very little, if any, impact is made on the reader or hearer. The tendency is to say, “I agree, but all of the traditions that I adhere to are perfectly scriptural.” Therefore, we believe it is vital to mention some specifics. Concerning the Jews in Berea,

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so. Acts 17:11

To avoid confusion, sorrow, and worse from error, may all leaders be like the Bereans and search the scriptures, as led by the Holy Spirit, for the truth concerning church government, church structure, money, pre-planned formats of meetings, and paid ministries, the basis, origin, and manner for observing certain holidays, Jewish customs and feasts, communion, the rapture theory, networking, infusion of worldly music with a worldly beat, apostolic and prophetic seminars and conferences, mega-churches, and other similar topics. We may be surprised at what we find! Just because we see a multitude of Christians running in a certain direction does not mean they all must be right. In fact that is usually a signal that something is wrong! Scripturally and historically, has the majority EVER been right? Will we search the scriptures daily, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us, whether these things are so? Or will we rely on the traditions of those who have gone before?

Chapter 9: Two Kingdoms

Up to this point in this book, we have described numerous qualities and functions that every Christian leader must have. We also have described some hindrances to the maturity of both individual leaders and the Church which have been caused by ignorance, traditions of men, pride, lack of spiritual wisdom and understanding, a tendency to reduce the word of God down to a natural level, lack of discernment, lack of understanding of the place of money, and carnality (a focus on self), to name a few.

Everyone is aware of the two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of darkness, whose head is Satan, and there is the Kingdom of light, whose Head is the Lord Jesus Christ. These two kingdoms have been at war before God ever created man, and before the earth was ever created. Let us briefly consider another of the many remaining sets of “twos.” Please keep in mind that the spirit of Antichrist, which is a liar and which wants to lead us into all darkness, would like nothing better that for us to interpret Scripture with our natural mind and thereby arrive at erroneous interpretations.

Sometimes we Christians get a little confused when we hear the term “Jerusalem” because the Bible speaks of TWO Jerusalems. If we are unable to tell which of the two Scripture is referring to, we can easily end up in a swamp of misunderstanding. The casual observer cannot see the difference. Paul distinguishes between the two Jerusalems in Galatians, Chapter four.

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 

Galatians 4:22-26

Paul told the Galatians (and us) very plainly that the “bondwoman” Jerusalem must be rejected, because it will never fit into God’s eternal plan. The birth of Ishmael was perfectly natural, but it was rejected. Nothing of the natural will be accepted! The birth of promise, that which is born of the Spirit, is ordained of God to be the only one recognized by Him. Just as the law of ordinances, given through Moses, has served its purpose, so has its “city.” “Moses, my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan ...” (Joshua 1:2). Natural Jerusalem has served its purpose, but did not produce any satisfactory results. God has no more need of that city!

His attention is now on that which is to be the bride of Christ, the Lamb’s wife, the City which has foundations, whose builder and maker and ruler is God (Hebrews 11:10). New Jerusalem is being built by God right now out of the lively stones of man. He is building new Jerusalem without the sound of a hammer and despite all of the false starts by man, even Christian men. This city has been under construction since the day of Pentecost.

Many Christians believe that toward the end of time a new temple will be built in Jerusalem. If that happens, it will be the natural man, Ishmael, not the Lord, who builds it! And you will definitely hear the sound of the many hammers of man! Further,

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6

David was writing of the heavenly Jerusalem ... you and me! Should we pray for that which the Lord says He is through with? Even the great prophet, Samuel, had to learn this lesson through the spiritual lacks of king Saul.

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? 1 Samuel 16:1

In addition to the two Jerusalems, Scripture speaks of two brothers (Matthew 21), two sons (Luke 15), two cities (Babylon and the new Jerusalem), two judgments, two loves (agape and phileo), two kinds of righteousness, and many others.

Many Christian churches today teach that the mark of the beast, the rise of a sinister man called Antichrist, and all of the other prophecies in the book of Revelation will occur only in the last seven years of time. The popularity of that teaching has been enhanced by the endorsement of many prominent Christian figures. Our minds are quite well “made up” on certain topics, because “everybody believes it that way.” But has the majority ever been right?

The beloved apostle, John, had some things to say about Antichrist, which seem to invalidate that teaching.

18 Little children it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

1 John 2:18

We believe that Biblical prophecies contained in the book of Revelation are not just for the last seven years of time, but that they apply to the developing history of Christianity and to the ongoing struggle between the Lord Jesus Christ and Satan within the Christian Church, culminating at the end of time.

Yes, the Lord Jesus won the battle between the two kingdoms at the cross of Calvary. He said, “It is finished!” But why then do we Christians continue to struggle? Because God allows the Antichrist to still try to seduce us in order that we might be proved as to which kingdom we really desire. It seems to us that the spirit of Antichrist was present in the Garden of Eden, when the serpent tempted Eve (first). What caused Eve to succumb to the lies of the serpent? Was it the sinister lies of the enemy or was it her carnal flesh? Both! (Adam and Eve were not created perfectly mature, just innocent of sin and evil.) Both the lies of the enemy and the carnal flesh were involved in the fall and both contribute to our battles today. It is only because of our ignorance, pride, traditions of men, carnality, love of self, etc., that we do not overcome the enemy in our personal lives.

It is imperative that all leaders have a measure of discernment and spiritual understanding, not simply concerning Antichrist, but concerning all of the counsel of God.

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

2 Corinthians 2:11

Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27

But we can also go overboard and become almost obsessed with concentrating on the negative. As we stated earlier, there is no life in concentrating on the negative. We must emphasize the Positive. That requires leaders to be thoroughly grounded in the Truth ... to have such a close relationship with the Lord Himself 

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 1 Peter 3:15

May every leader draw closer and closer to the Truth which is in Christ Jesus! He IS Truth!

Chapter 10: Six Red Flags

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Every off-center tangent, every doctrinal error, every false spirit which is addressed in the New Testament, is at work within portions of the Church today. The same spirits which deceived many members of the early Church are at work to try to deceive the Church today. These false spirits pop up from time to time in a new dress. We briefly mention six of these seducing spirits, which are rampant in the Church today and which need to be recognized, confronted and corrected, in a spirit of love, of course, by those in leadership positions. Lord, open our eyes to see all of these spirits for what they are!

In this chapter we describe six red flags ... six hindering spirits to the maturity of both individual believers and churches. All of the following six spirits (and many more) are under the direction and control of a master spirit ... called the Antichrist, with Satan as its head.

The Athenian spirit

(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Acts 17:21

Athens, in that day, was the greatest university city in the world, to which men seeking learning came from all over the world. Athens had long since left behind her great glory days, but men still talked all day and half the night about the newest ideas. So the Athenian spirit speaks of intellectualism within the Church. There are those who can quote almost everything in the Bible; yet they have little knowledge of the Spirit of the Word. The Athenian spirit also speaks of those who love to talk about the things of old; they live in the past ... in the good old glory days, but perhaps do not realize that there is more of the glory of God available today than in all of the past. Finally, the Athenian spirit speaks of a seeking after new scriptural revelation rather than seeking the Author of that revelation. Efforts to analyze the word of God intellectually can be death to the spirit of the word.

Note that the Athenians “spent their time in nothing else ...” In other words they were distinctly out of balance. The definition of “heresy” is an out-of-balance emphasis on one aspect of the word to the exclusion of the whole. Church leaders, beware of this Athenian spirit!

Earlier in this book we stated that there should be fresh revelation coming forth in every gathering of believers. That statement in no way conflicts with the verse in Acts 17:21, above. In reality they are exact opposites! The Athenians were almost obsessed with trying to discover something new to tell or to hear. In other words, they were searching in the flesh for something new. The fresh revelation of which we speak that should be present in every gathering does NOT come from our searching. It is freely given by the Spirit of God when our hearts are attuned to the Lord. Our own intellect (reasoning) can be a great hindrance to our growth in the Lord.

Leaders need to be aware of this tendency among a few believers and keep the focus on the Lord Himself ... on the Author of all revelation!

The Corinthian spirit

Corinth, in the time of Paul, had a reputation for commercial prosperity, but the city was also a by-word for evil and immoral living. Corinth had become a synonym for wealth and luxury, drunkenness and debauchery, particularly the temple of Aphrodite, the “goddess” of love, which was nothing more than a house of 1,000 priestesses who were sacred prostitutes. That pull of the world heavily infiltrated the Church at Corinth resulting in some of the same sexual immorality.

Just as Lot gradually got drawn deeper and deeper into the ways of the world in Sodom, so likewise must have been the history of those believers in Corinth. Our adversary pulls us ever so slightly each day into more of the world until one day we find ourselves immersed in worldliness and don’t even know it. Sadly, this spirit pops up numerous times in various gatherings of the saints. The majority of the time these worldly elements are instigated through those who are called leaders. 

First Corinthians is primarily a letter of correction that Paul wrote concerning a variety of errors (at least seven) that had crept into that church, most of which were due to works of the flesh. It is clear that although the Church at Corinth was gifted (1 Corinthians 1:4-7), it was immature and unspiritual (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). Paul calls them “carnal.” The evidence of their carnality was that they had envying, strife, and divisions. Paul’s purposes for writing this epistle were: (1) to instruct and restore the church in its areas of weaknesses, correcting erroneous practices such as divisions, immorality, litigation in pagan courts, and abuse of the Lord’s supper; (2) to correct false teaching concerning the resurrection; and (3) to give instruction concerning the offering for poverty stricken believers in Jerusalem.

The epistle of 1 Corinthians is timely for the Church today, both to instruct and to inspire. Most of the questions and problems that confronted the Church at Corinth are still very much evident today ... problems like immaturity, instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties, sexual immorality, and misuse of spiritual gifts. In spite of this concentration on problems, this epistle contains some of the most inspiring and beloved chapters in the entire Bible, for example Chapter 13, on love, and Chapter 15, on resurrection.

The exhortation to Church leaders today is very clear. Always be before the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart to seek Him and His ways. Be very careful not to get sucked into the ways of the world. Don’t try to incorporate the best methods of the world in order to increase membership, recruit volunteers, organize, promote programs, etc. In other words, beware of concentrating on the outside of the cup rather than focusing on that which is within. Diligently seek the Lord as to what messages to bring to the church to promote spiritual growth. Be sensitive to the Spirit concerning problem areas and bring forth a word of correction and confrontation, as needed.

The Laodicean spirit

For many years we accepted the teaching we had received 35 years ago that “Laodicea” means “people conqueror.” If that be true then the Laodicean spirit signifies the clergy-laity dichotomy, where the clergy rules or lords it over the laity. Certainly, that spirit exists today in some churches, where the pastor “calls the shots” and expects everyone to obey him. Of course, there is no such dichotomy as clergy-laity in the true Church, where all are priests.

From Strong’s Concordance, the word “Laodicea” is derived from two Greek words, laos which means people, in general, and dike, which means right (as self evident) or justice (the principle, a decision, or its execution). From the combination of those two words, we could easily accept the idea that “Laodicea” implies democracy, where the people rule. That spirit was alive and working in the house church of which we were a part many years ago. But in the government of God, neither the rulers nor the people rule. God Himself rules!

Regardless of which, if either, of the above two interpretations is correct, the context of Revelation 3:14-22 speaks of the rebuke of the Lord to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. Since the rebuke is to the angel of the church in Laodicea, the “angel” must represent either the earthly rulers of that church or (more likely) the personification of the prevailing spirit of that church which had captivated the earthly rulers. The specific rebuke was that they were neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. One attitude that the risen Christ unsparingly condemns is the attitude of indifference, which certainly characterizes much of the Church today. The other rebuke was,

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind. Revelation 3:17

This speaks of great deception, based upon pride. The church at Laodicea was too prosperously wealthy to have any real need of God. Does that verse describe the United States today? Does it describe anyone in the church? How about those Christian leaders who have made multiple millions of dollars selling their wares (books, tapes, videos, cd’s, etc.), live in luxury in mansions, drive expensive cars, and enjoy an extravagant life style? How did the church at Laodicea fall so low? Little by little. It is the only one of the seven churches in the book of Revelation concerning which there is nothing of praise said.

The first bishop of the church at Laodicea was Archippus, which means “master of the horse”. Thirty years before the book of Revelation was written, as Paul was writing to the neighboring church at Colossae, he said,

16 And when this epistle is read amongst you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. Colossians 4:16-17

Paul, in Philemon 2, had called Archippus “our fellow soldier.” Apparently, over the years, Archippus had been caught up in the ways of the world. So Paul gave a stern warning to Archippus in Verse 17, above. Also apparently, the church under the leadership of Archippus degenerated over those 30 years where there was nothing of substance remaining.

Church leaders of today need to pay attention to that same verse. “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.”

The spirit of Baalam

Although we discussed this spirit in Chapter 8, under the heading of money, we could not repeat it too often. Balaam, a prophet who dwelled in Midian, had made a profitable living by “selling” his prophecies and made quite a reputation for himself. He was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel (Numbers 22-24). Balaam had a strong self-will and went back to the Lord several times in an effort to reap a reward from Balak; but he DID have SOME level of relationship with the Lord because he ultimately would speak only that which the Lord told him to speak. Peter speaks of Balaam as an example of those who walk after the flesh and are self-willed (2 Peter 2:13-16).

Jude likewise says, “Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (Jude 11). Woe to those who peddle the word of God for profit! The Apostle Paul said,

What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 

1 Corinthians 9:18

The word of God is free and leaders should not allow the money changers to pollute. But before that, all leaders must see how the improper use and attitudes about money grieves the Lord. (See Chapter 8 on Money.) Leaders, do not allow anyone to make our Father’s house a house of merchandise.

The spirit of humanism

We really are not sure how to name this spirit but we decided to call it a spirit of humanism or man’s approach to God. This spirit has to do with man’s spirit or our ego. Most Christians are not surprised when scripture speaks of our vile body (Philippians 3:21) or the filthiness of our flesh (as below). But the filthy spirit of man is sometimes overlooked. In effect, there is nothing about the natural man, neither body nor soul nor spirit, which is redeemable. That is why we must become new creatures in Christ!

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

2 Corinthians 7:1

The spirit of man moving on the spirit of another man is called witchcraft. The spirit of man moving on God is what we call the spirit of humanism, and is likewise not in God’s order. The only true moving is the Spirit of God moving on the spirit of man. Man then responds in some manner ... either in loving obedience or in selfish disobedience.

The spirit of humanism, which obtains initial entrance through our ignorance, would have us focus on what WE do rather than on what God has done. In our lifetime, this spirit has been aided and abetted by what we call the false faith movement or “name it and claim it.” This one pops up to some degree in many Spirit-filled churches. It is usually accompanied by a prosperity message. It is much safer to teach people to use faith for personal blessing rather than exhort them to take up their cross daily so that God can impart His spiritual authority. It is very subtle, because there seems to be scriptural support for what WE do. For example,

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:22-24

Verse 22 should more correctly be translated as “have the faith of God.” The faith of man in God will never produce anything except wood, hay, and stubble. It is only HIS faith which resides in us that can move mountains. There are numerous scriptures which confirm this; for example, Galatians 2:20, which says that I live by HIS faith. Jesus said He only spoke that which He heard from His Father (John 3:32,34; John 14:24). Does that principle not pertain to us? As long as we speak only that which comes from the Father, then we can indeed move mountains. It is HIS word, not mine, which moves mountains. Yes, we speak the word, but only if it is His word through us. His word does not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11); but my word surely returns void.

The spirit of man moving on man (psychic power and witchcraft)

About thirty one years ago I was introduced to a network of about 100 churches, headed by a man who I will call Sam. Sam wrote some very good articles in his monthly mailing and taught much truth. When I first met Sam, he and several of their elders prophesied over me and told me things about myself and my wife that he could not possibly have known in the natural realm. Any time a complete stranger speaks what appears to be words of knowledge about you and they are all true, it is impressive! So I assumed that must have been God. I was wrong. That was my first introduction to psychic power, which can be difficult at times to distinguish from the Spirit of God. This is what happened with Paul and Silas when they first went to Philippi.

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. Acts 16:16-18

What the damsel spoke, in Verse 17, was certainly true, but the source of that knowledge was wrong. The above verses, like my experience many years ago, point out the great need for the gift of discerning of spirits. Unfortunately in my experience, I was rather young in the Lord and could not distinguish the source. However, God was gracious to me and later sovereignly revealed to me what had happened.

Later, Sam sent a contingent of his people to our area. Hindsight, they had two reasons for their visit: (1) to establish one of their churches in the Washington, D.C. area, and (2) to ordain me as one of two original elders in their new church. Without going through all of the terrible details, the Lord sovereignly revealed to me what they were about. At that point I could not and did not accept that I was to join them and be an elder in their new church. When they learned of my position, they tried to intimidate me and put the fear of man within me. Their number 2 man called at 2 a.m. one night and told me all of the horrible things that would happen to me and my wife if we did not join them. After I heard that curse from that man, I said, “I rebuke that spirit in the name of the Lord,” and I went back to bed; and that was the end of that. “The curse causeless shall not come” (Proverbs 26:2). At that point I was on their blacklist. They considered me a total rebel because I did not accept 100% of everything they said to me.

However they were not through in their attempts to seduce me through their witchcraft. Almost one year later, I was invited to attend a meeting in the Washington, D.C. area where Sam was going to speak. In other words, from their perspective, they decided to give us one last chance to “repent” and join them. I decided to go, but I asked the Lord to surround me with a wall of fire as I went. I also asked another elder to go with me, and he agreed.

At the meeting, I was very conscious of the wall of fire that the Lord had put around me to protect me. The wall of fire was so real I could almost touch it! The man spoke from the book of Haggai. It just so happened that a few weeks prior, the Lord had sovereignly taken me through the same verses that he spoke about. Sam had it exactly 180 degrees backward! His message was that we need to prophesy to move on God. But we do not move on God; He moves on us! Unless the Lord moves, we can do nothing!

That network of churches soon became a full-fledged cult. Shortly after that the Lord sovereignly smote their leader. The real tragedy was that there were many genuine, lovely Christians caught up in that network, did not know what they were in, and had no way to get out because they were never taught to hear the voice of the Lord for themselves. Instead, they were taught to always obey the teachings of their leaders or else they would be a rebel and would incur severe and drastic consequences.

Christian leaders! BEWARE! Two of the most important aspects of Christianity that leaders need to teach other believers are (1) how to hear the voice of the Lord for yourself, and (2) how to discern between the unclean and the clean. 

Do we move on God or does He move on us?

Another aspect of the spirit of humanism is clear if we simply look at a few scriptural examples. Joseph was a Godly man who was thrown into a pit (Genesis 37) by his brothers, who were jealous of him. That was also prophetic about the end times that we currently live in. Jesus said that in the end times, families will be divided one against another (Luke 12-52-53). Joseph’s “sin” was that he told his dreams to his brothers. Some might say that Joseph exercised very poor judgment when he shared his dreams. However, if Joseph had NOT shared those dreams then the Lord would have arranged some other way to get Joseph into Egypt, because Joseph was a “he goat before the flocks.”

Jeremiah was another Godly man who was thrown into a pit (Jeremiah 38) by the religious elite of the day because he spoke the word of God. Everyone likes the word of God when it is soothing and comfortable. How many like to hear the truth that deals with suffering, denial, or rebuke?

Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Proverbs 9:8

Paul and Silas were two more Godly men who were thrown into a pit, the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon in Philippi because Paul had cast out the spirit of divination from a young damsel (Acts 16). That deliverance caused the masters of the damsel to lose a lot of money. Any time anyone, by the word of God, touches the pocket book of someone else, even a reasonably mature Spirit-filled Christian, great difficulty arises.

Now what did Joseph, Jeremiah, and Paul and Silas have in common? First of all, they all were thrown into a pit. Second, they had done nothing to deserve being thrown into a pit. They were all walking in the Spirit and speaking the word of God. But perhaps more important was their reaction to their circumstances. Let us take the example of Paul and Silas to illustrate the principle.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were wrongfully accused, but they never tried to defend themselves. They were wrongfully beaten with many stripes, undoubtedly to the point where they were a bloody mess, but they never complained. Neither did they “speak to the mountain” of the source of their ordeal to have it removed. They never said, “Lord, smite these people who have persecuted us wrongfully and beaten us black and blue.” Instead, they simply trusted the Lord to move on their behalf!

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16:25

At midnight! Midnight is the darkest time of the day! Midnight is when the enemy comes and whispers in your ear all sorts of lies and humanistic reasonings and reactions. Midnight is the time when the enemy tries to tell you that you are going to die. Midnight is the time when if you die they will have to raise you in order to bury you! So here we find Paul and Silas in the lowest, darkest pit or dungeon. They are both hurting, bruised, and bleeding. It is so dark (Acts 16:29) they cannot even see each other.

So they start praising God. “I sing praises to the Lord! Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

Their praises are heard by all of the prisoners. The other prisoners say, “What is it with these men? They are crazy! They have lost too much blood! They have become delirious!

But someone else hears Paul and Silas singing praise to God. The Lord Himself hears their praise. The Lord calls an angel and says, “Go down there to that Philippian jail and get my men out.” So the angel descends.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. Acts 16:26

Note that it was not the walls that were shaken; the walls could have been rebuilt. It was not simply the roof that blew off. The roof likewise could have been replaced. But the very foundations of the prison were shaken. The principle? Whenever we find ourselves in a difficult situation, whenever we are wrongfully treated, perhaps beaten, humiliated, shamed, etc., we could just say to that mountain of discomfort, “be thou removed.” Perhaps we could even talk our way out of the difficulty. OR, we could just praise the Lord in all things and trust the Lord to move on our behalf. Would you rather have the deliverance through a man or deliverance by the hand of the Lord? He whom the Lord sets free is free indeed!

One final example (but there are many more). Please read Hebrews 11:32-40 again very carefully. When most Christians read Verses 32, 33, 34, and the first part of Verse 35, we clap, dance and sing, and shout “Hallelujah.” Look at what those saints did, what they accomplished, the mountains that they moved! But starting at Verse 35b, we read:

35 and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

38 (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:35-40

Now, NO ONE claps, no one shouts “Hallelujah,” no one dances and sings. We believers like the pleasant parts, but we do not care for the suffering parts. We do not care too much for the suffering, travail, and denying of ones self that must precede that “good” part.

But Hebrews 11:39 says that both sets of believers obtained a like good report through faith. In other words, the important aspect is NOT the results that ensue. What is important is that both sets of believers simply trusted the Lord through faith in Him.

When the Jews walked around the walls of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down, it was the Lord who brought down the walls, not men. So now we ask you. Who is it that moves mountains? us or the Lord?

Leaders, be diligent that no one usurps the position of the Lord. The Lord always receive the glory and the preeminence. He is our Head! He is the river of life and the mover of all mountains!

The Galatian spirit

Paul wrote the book of Galatians to expose the false teachings of a number of Judaizers, or Jewish Christians, who believed, among other things, that a number of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament were still binding on the New Testament church. Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians primarily to counter the Judaizers of that day and ALSO of OUR day! The Judaizers insisted that Gentile converts to Christianity abide by certain Old Testament rites, for example circumcision. The apostles at Jerusalem first addressed that problem in Acts 15, but the problem did not want to go away. This same off-center tangent spoken of in the New Testament is alive and thriving today within parts of the Spirit-filled Christian community. Quite a number of Spirit-filled Christians believe, for example, that we should observe and participate in the Jewish feasts. But observing Jewish feasts does not help to bring about maturity.

So powerful and appealing to the flesh was (is) this word of “Judaizing” genuine believers in Christ, that even the great apostles Peter and Barnabas were almost caught up with it. Why is it appealing, even to Spirit-filled Christians? because it “simplifies” Christianity by reducing things down to a list of specific “dos” and “don’ts.” Paul corrected Peter (Galatians 2:11-16) because Peter yielded to the pressure of the circumcision Judaizers, thus going against what he knew to be right. Paul did not shy away from a necessary confrontational position. Correction given in the right spirit is necessary in the Church as well as in the home.

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed.

12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles.

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:11-16

This problem of modern day Judaizers is nothing new. It has surfaced its humanistic head undoubtedly many times over the past 2000 years. It just comes in a different dress each time. We can not convey in words the enormity of this particular word! The Holy Ghost apparently thought this word was important enough to include it in Scripture for all generations to read, understand, and heed.

Paul states in Galatians the essential truth that man is justified by the faith of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16) - nothing more and nothing less; and that he is sanctified not by legalistic works but by the obedience that comes from faith in God’s work for him, in him, and through him by the grace and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

There seems to be a growing belief within the Church that we should get back to our Jewish heritage and traditions. In May of 2004 I heard, first hand, a believer (who claims to be an apostle) say, “The reason why the Church is in such bad shape today is because the Church has lost its Jewishness.” We respectfully must disagree. My Bible says that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. We hope that the Church has lost both its Jewishness and its Gentile flavor!

Not long ago I read a little booklet by a pastor of some 42 years that said,

“Jesus is identified not only as a Jew in His earthly ministry, but continues to be so right on into eternity. ... Without the Jewish people there would be no Old Testament, no New Testament, no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, and no Jesus!” (That, to us, seems to approach blasphemy. In reality, that pastor had it exactly backwards! Without Jesus, there would have never been any Jewish people!) That same pastor said, “We should endeavor to honor our Hebrew roots by having some Jewish flavor in our services - Messianic music, remembering one or more of the Jewish festivals during the year (Passover, First Fruits or Booths), displaying a menorah with candles, etc. ... Our salvation did not originate with the Greek and Roman systems. It came from the Jewish traditions.”

Our salvation came from the Jewish traditions? I thought our salvation came by the grace of God through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ! I wonder if those two ministers (?) have ever read the Book of Galatians or the Book of Hebrews or Acts 15 or Acts 21? Do we, as genuine believers in Christ Jesus, need to go from the type to reality and then back to the type? The Lord gave one good brother a poem many long years ago entitled, “From Symbol to Substance.” The essence of that poem is that once we find the substance, the reality of life that is in Christ Jesus, we no longer look to the symbol.

We, for one, are not interested in returning to Judaism; nor do we believe that outward ritual is what God is after. Further, that is clearly what Paul calls “another gospel.”

6 I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9

The Greek language has several different words which have essentially opposite meanings, but which are both translated into the same English word. One such example is the word “another” in the verses above. The Greek word translated as “another” in Verse 6 means “another of a different kind” or “strange.” The Greek word translated as “another” in Verse 7 means “another of the same kind.”

Paul goes on to say,

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3

Judaism, with all of its rituals, feasts, sacrifices, etc, is based on the law. Paul says,

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

Galatians 3:24-25

9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

Galatians 4:9-11

What are the weak and beggarly elements? The elements of the world are those elementary forms of religion, whether those of the Jews, under the law, or those of the Gentiles, under their old religious bondage (see Galatians 4:8). The weak and beggarly elements represent observance or legalistic trust in rituals, in moral achievement, in law, in good works, or in cold, dead orthodoxy.

Paul says, “ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.” What days and months and times and years is he referring to? Those as set down in the law. For example, the days are the sabbath and the day of atonement, which have never been, and can never be, in themselves means of salvation or sanctification. Examples of months are new moons (Numbers 28:11-15; Isaiah 1:13-14), passover (Exodus 12:18), and firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10). Christ has become all of those to us. An example of years is the sabbath year (Leviticus 25:4). The Pharisees observed all these to gain the favor of God. Too many Spirit-filled Christians today want to return to these weak and beggarly elements and observe these same days, months, times, and years. Some Christians never seem to understand how something (like the law) can be divinely given and divinely set aside. Christ alone IS our sabbath! He IS our day of atonement! He IS the fulfillment of every offering and every feast! He IS our firstfruits! Hallelujah!

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28

What then of natural Israel?

God is God. God can do anything He wants to do. But we are restricted to that which scripture states, as revealed by the Holy Spirit. The natural nation of Israel rejected Jesus Christ some 2000 years ago and crucified the Lord of glory. Therefore they denied the covenant between the Lord and man. Have some natural Israelites accepted Jesus as their personal Savior since then? Of course! Has the whole nation? Obviously not! Not long after the (natural) rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, that nation has gradually given away more and more of their land. Jesus said,

38 Behold your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:38-39

Scripture is clear, however, that some number, and perhaps a large number, of Jews will come, in the last days, to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 

Romans 11:25-27

However, we do not agree that Romans 11:26, above, means that EVERY Jew will come to know the Lord. “Israel” in Verse 25 refers to natural Israel ... the Jew. “All Israel” in Verse 26 refers to spiritual Israel, which includes both Gentile and Jew ... all those who come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 

Romans 2:28-29

Should we pray for natural Israelites that they might be saved? Of COURSE, as you are led by the Holy Ghost!. We should pray for anything that is clearly in the will of God.

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans 10:1

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Will there be a great harvest of souls sometime in the future? Yes. Will this great harvest include many natural Israelites? Most likely. Will this great harvest include all natural Jews? Not according to my Bible. That last verse does not set forth the heresy of universal reconciliation! Will natural Israel recover all of the natural land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15? Only if natural Israel turns to the Lord. Even then I am not at all convinced that the Lord is interested in a piece of natural real estate, which is scheduled to burn up anyway (2 Peter 3:10). There is no blessing for unrepentant flesh.

We believe that the Galatian spirit, like all of the other spirits, has been aided and abetted primarily by ignorance. Far too many Christians, even many who are Spirit-filled, do not appear to understand some of the basics of Christianity. Spiritual knowledge and understanding is a dual responsibility of both the leader and each individual sheep. Leaders, who have been entrusted with the care, nurture, and spiritual oversight of other believers, have the solemn responsibility to teach those members of the Church the basics of Christianity. Certainly one of those basics is that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 2:28), but one new man (Christ).

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Greek word translated as new means new as to quality, not new as to time. Old things are passed away and all things are become new. The word “all” is rather inclusive! It is one thing to say that verse is true. It is yet another thing to always act as if we believe that verse is true. If we really believe that verse, then we can always rest in the Lord and never be anxious for anything!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace. Ephesians 2:15

We do well to read all of Jeremiah, Chapters 18 and 19, very carefully. They tell the story of two different potter’s vessels ... Israel and Judah. We must keep in mind that after the death of Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two camps ... Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom. Both went into captivity because of their idolatry, mixture, and compromise. Israel was the first to go into captivity, about 734 B.C. at the hands of the Assyrians. Jeremiah 18 speaks of Israel. Jeremiah 19 speaks of Judah.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 

Jeremiah 18:4

Clearly we human beings are the clay and the Lord is the potter. The Lord never mends what man has marred. He always substitutes something new ... new as to quality. When Adam and Eve marred that which the Lord had made, He substituted one new Man ... the Man Christ Jesus. The word “another” means “another of a different kind.” So Israel, the northern kingdom, was to be made into a new, different vessel.

About 100 years after Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians, Jeremiah gave a prophetic call that the backsliding Israel had justified herself in the eyes of the Lord more than the treacherous Judah. Judah had seen what God had done to Israel for all of their sins, but rather than take heed, they had drifted to the point that they were even worse that Israel. Please read all of Jeremiah 19 to get the full impact of the depths into which Judah had declined. Then Jeremiah speaks the word of the Lord concerning Judah and says,

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city [Jerusalem], as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: Jeremiah 19:11

Judah returned after 70 years of captivity, but Israel was never to return and be known as a nation. Instead, Israel migrated to the North and West, leaving behind them grave markers and other identifying articles, and populated a good share of Europe and Scandinavia. These are the people who have given the Gospel to the world, as far as it has been proclaimed. These people also colonized the United States, who have also carried on the work.

In Matthew 21:28-32, Jesus told a parable about a man and his two sons. When the father approached his two sons, separately, he got two different answers, and two different results. In reality, what the father (God) had asked each of the boys, Judah and Israel, to do was to be responsible for carrying the good news of the kingdom of God into all the world. The one brother, who said, “I go, Sir,” but never got the job done, is the nation of Judah, which is still the present-day Jews in the land in the middle east now called Israel.

God had also communicated with David that He had some specific plans for the nation of Israel. He would put them into a different land, and they would become permanent residents.

Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime. 2 Samuel 7:10

Israel came (or is coming) into a new land. They came (or come) into a new relationship with God. Whereas Judah remained in the “land” of the law and ceremonies, and retained their identity while failing to do what they had agreed to do (see the parable of the two boys who were asked to work in the vineyard), Israel had come into the “land” of grace and truth in Jesus Christ.

Israel (the son who had refused to work in the vineyard) repented (changed his mind) when he found the Truth (reality of God in Christ Jesus) and the Grace of God in the gospel. Then he began to spread the good news as best he knew how.

For many, many years we have bene taught that God will eventually again turn His attention to the Jews, and make them a nation, because they are His chosen people. We have been told that it will be in the very final end of this dispensation. It sounds good, but it is not in line with what Scripture tells us if we read correctly. The Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, told us that Judah could NEVER be a separate nation again (Jeremiah 19:1-13).

He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. If leaders are teaching the basics of Christianity, then we will not have to be concerned about the prominence being given to the Galatian spirit or to any other spirit! The Lord will be magnified and given all the preeminence through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Epilogue: A Challenge to All Christian Leaders

We believe that all of Scripture is timeless and independent of any culture. The nature of man has never changed; neither has the Word of God. We also believe that what is called the Old Testament is prophetic of the time in which we live. Further, we believe that many events, which were historical in the Old Testament. Have been repeated or will be repeated in the time in which we live. God has set forth many truths in His word, and we need to learn from past history or else we will repeat the same process. One such series of events is described below. We believe that what happened as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is being unfolded in our modern day Church; it is current events. Lord, help us to learn from the past! We challenge every Christian leader to read this chapter very carefully.

Two of the “restoration books” in the Old Testament are Ezra and Nehemiah, which are part of the closing section of Old Testament history. They tell the story of the Jews’ return from Babylon, the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, and the reestablishment of the Jews’ national life in their home land. They cover about 100 years, from 536-432 B.C. The last three of the Old Testament prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, were used by the Lord to minister to the people in that age of the Jews’ restoration.

There were three returns from captivity. In 536 B.C. about 50,000 Jews (see Ezra 2) returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. During a 20-year period, the Temple was rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the priest. These events are recorded in Ezra, Chapters 1-6. The first event of any significance after the 50,000 returned to Jerusalem was that Zerubbabel and Joshua built the altar of the God of Israel and offered burnt offerings, morning and evening (Ezra 3:2-3). Restoration of the sacrifices always precedes the erection of the temple itself. After that, the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord (Ezra 3:10).

“Now after these things” (Ezra 7:1), some 60 years after the Temple was rebuilt, Ezra went back with 1754 males (see Ezra 8) and a lot of financial support (see Ezra 7) to buy animals to offer upon the altar of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. Scripture does not tell us whether any women and/or children were part of this second return. Note that in those 60 years, some of the original 50,000 who went back undoubtedly had grown up, married, and had children.

Scripture tells us that Ezra “was a ready scribe in the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). Further,

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. Ezra 7:10

A few months after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem (see Ezra 9), word came to Ezra that the people had not separated themselves from the people of the lands, but had intermarried with the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites (Ezra 9:1). This was abomination in the sight of the Lord. Worse still,

yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. Ezra 9:2

It is very important to note that the leaders of the people were chief in that trespass of intermarriage, or mixture. Then, 

3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.

5 And at the evening sacrifice I [Ezra] arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,

6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Ezra 9:3, 5-6

In Scripture, only four men are recorded as having a mantle: Samuel, Elijah, Job, and Ezra. (Elisha never had his own mantle; it was borrowed from Elijah.) The mantle of those four men signified much more than simply an outer cloak. Ezra had understanding; he had character; and he interceded for those Jews who had committed abominations by intermarrying. Note that Ezra rent his mantle, which signifies that he had more concern for the will of God than for his own ministry.

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. Ezra 10:1

As a result of Ezra’s intercession and his exhortation to all of the Jews at Jerusalem to put away their strange wives, the people repented and agreed to put away their strange wives.

Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. Ezra 10:5

The last 27 verses of Ezra, Chapter 10, lists all of the priests, and others, by name, who had trespassed by marrying strange wives. This has great significance for us today, as we will see shortly. It is also important to note that it was not possible for Nehemiah to come, 12 years later, to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem until the people, particularly the leaders, had rid themselves of the abominable mixture.

BUT NOW ... NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN!!!

Do you see the parallel within the Church today? Do you see that we, the religious elite of today, have committed the SAME error that occurred during the time of Ezra? Do you see that it is the leaders, the charismatic priests of today, who have not only created a mixture for themselves personally, but have even taught others (at least by their deeds) to do the same? If you do not yet see the parallel, please go back and read this book again, carefully. The mixture consists in using the best ways of the world, including the traditions of men, to try to further the gospel. There is a mixture of flesh and Spirit within His body; a mixture of truth, half-truths, and no truths; and a mixture of impure entertainment posing as pure worship. (See also our book, “Discerning Things That Differ.”) The Lord will never honor such a mixture in the Church that He is building. When Paul told Timothy to “keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22), he referred to something FAR more than the physical realm.

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having their Father’s name written in their foreheads. ...

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. Revelation 14:1, 4

We must not interpret “virgins” in the natural realm. A virgin is a believer who has kept himself pure and unspotted from the world ... a believer who has come out (spiritually) from all of the mixture and compromise in the world. Just as in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the walls around spiritual Jerusalem today cannot be rebuilt until there is a true repentance ... a turning away from all those things which have resulted in a mixture within the Church.

Most believers probably skim over Ezra 10:18-44, which gives all of the names of the priests and others that had taken strange wives. However, this is also prophetic and is in the process of being repeated. The Lord Himself is going to make a public, open display of Christian leaders who have fostered, directly or indirectly, the gross mixture that exists within the Church today. Blessed are all those leaders who repent before they are publicly humiliated.

There is one more, very significant parallel. Where is the Ezra of today who will weep before the Lord, who will intercede for the people, who will count his own ministry as nothing compared to the will of God, and who will confront the trespassers with the truth? The Lord looks for such men in the Church today. Will you accept the challenge? Will you be a he goat before the flocks?