THE TWENTY FOLD MINISTRY AND IT’S CALLING.
I have never been able to work our how it is possible for people to build up complicated, involved, concepts and doctrines and practices – you could even say, a whole culture - from picking up on just one Bible statement – in this case, one single verse – actually one single word - and ignore everything else said on the subject in the whole Bible.
The Five Fold Ministry – with capitals – is a relatively new kid on the block. Since the "renewals" of the 1950s and 1960s, and charismatic churches started to spring up all over the country – it seems there needed to be some kind of justification for the attitudes and "authority" assumed by the leadership of these groups.
And BINGO – here it is. Justification arrived with the discovery of that just ONE – rather obscure, I might add - verse in the entire Bible that gives a short list of some ministry giftings. And far from being The Five Fold Ministries – with capitals – they are simply referred to as "gifts" – or in the Amp – men with gifts. Simply – they are mentors.
And the reason for the giving of those giftings is wholly ignored – because if what the ministry gifts were intended to produce, ended up being produced, the bearers of the gifts would be out of a job – and that would never do.
The pot of gold discovery was that one word – "Pastors" – with capitals. In the more than fifty years since the mid-1900s renewals, Pentecostal and Charismatic "Pastors" – with capitals – have jiggled themselves into a position of authority and control that would have made the old pre-reformation Catholic priests blush.
I am going to acknowledge that just about the only flickering candle of life showing in the Western church world these days is from the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.
So there they sit. Sometimes stand. Sometimes for an hour or more. And jump around and wave arms for a bit. And sit some more – and call into a fast food restaurant for lunch on the way home and spend the rest of the afternoon watching football on TV.
Church is not a club or hobby or social centre.
Church is the most consequential collection of people on Earth.
When Jesus said he would build his church, his intentions were for a Body of people, in union with himself, to take over where Adam had left off and resume the governmental authority on Planet Earth that Creator God had commissioned Adam to perform.
It didn’t happen.
But it is going to happen, and the mess that resulted because it didn’t happen is going to be cleaned up by the Body of Christ when the Body of Christ gets to be the Body of Christ and does as God Almighty commissioned it to do.
What God Almighty intended is going to happen, and it would make a lot of sense for this generation of God’s people to take things seriously while we still have a nation to clean up. Because – believe me – there are satanic forces at work on Planet Earth right now whose fixed and determined agenda is to wipe out all religion and national identity and communities and families – and they are right on target, particularly in the USA. Their intention is to destroy you and everything you hold dear. it is so close to being a done deal it scarcely matters any more. You are very expendable.
So – you sit and stand and jump around and wave your arms a bit and eat lunch and watch football on TV.
Let’s go back to basics and get serious about what we are on about.
We all know that Adam was built to be of the image and likeness of God Almighty. A duplicate of God. A copy of God. A duplicate is not the original, but it is hard to pick the difference. That’s what Adam was. That is what God was looking for in the human creature he had just made – and what he has been looking for in succeeding generations of humans – right up to our time. He is still looking for duplicates of himself. You know – something like "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and the completeness found in him", sort of thing.
The Christian Church is an entity consisting of a combination of human people and God Almighty. It is the humans who have the hands and feet and voice, and it is God who provides the power to produce the intended result. It’s a team thing.
The genuine Christian Church – the Body of Christ – is the most powerful and authoritative institution on Earth. It is intended to provide government and be the national regulator – with God and under God. It is the Kingdom of God in operation that Jesus spent so much time talking about.
There are TWENTY ministries listed by name in the New Testament, as well as some activities that are mentioned but not named.
But first, let’s look at the "pastor" situation. I have recently written a book which should be starting to show up in Christian book shops very shortly - in which I have gone into detail about the ministries.
For example – because "deacon" means so many different things to so many different people, I checked Strongs to get the original understanding of this service. I discovered the word is used 29 times throughout the New Testament – in KJ is translated "minister" 20 times – servant 8 times and deacon 3 times – and it’s various shades of meaning were given. Now we know.
Then I checked "pastors" because this is where the real confusion is centred.
In the New Testament, there is only that one word, mentioned just one time, in a rather obscure verse – yet this phantom has moved in and taken over the whole show. Strongs is not very flattering either. "Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally of figuratively); shepherd; pastor." That’s it !!! No shades of meaning. Now we know.
Actually – there is one pastor in the N.T. The turkey named Diotrephes in 3rd John, who would not allow John into HIS church. He would be right at home in most of the pulpits in our lands.
Let’s get back to the church ministry team described in the N.T.
These next few paragraphs in "quotes" are taken from the book.
"In Romans 12, there are – prophets, servers, teachers, exhorters, contributors, aid workers, mercy missioners. In 1st Corinthians 12, there is added: those who speak Holy Spirit revealed wisdom, those who speak Holy Spirit revealed knowledge, faith workers, healers, miracle workers, discerners of spirits, speakers in tongues, interpreters of tongues. Ephesians 4 adds apostles, evangelists – and our pastors. In 1 Timothy and Titus we find bishops and deacons.
There is an interesting summary in 1st Corinthians: 12.
"You collectively are Christ’s body and individually members of it, each part severally and distinct, each with his own place and function.
"So God has appointed some in the church for his own use: first apostles: second prophets: third teachers: then wonder workers: then those with ability to heal the sick: helpers: administrators: speakers in different unknown tongues.
"Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all possess the power to perform miracles? Do all possess extraordinary powers of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
"But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces."
How about that????
The obvious answer to these questions is "no". However the questions indicate that this team of people have been trusted to exercise these abilities in their local church. And did you notice that "pastors" did not rate a mention.
Search the N.T. from one end to the other – and apart from Diotrephes – you will not find even one pastor – as we know pastors. Such people do not exist in God’s plan for his Assemblies.
Christendom has taken the 1 Corinthians 12 listing of these ministries and put them in a box labeled "The Nine Spiritual Gifts."
I have heard preachers develop quite a sermon linking these gifts to "The Nine Fruit of the Spirit".
Which is simply standard regulation religious nonsense.
These are NOT nine spiritual gifts - these are PEOPLE - George - Suzan - Bert - Roselyn - who have allowed Holy Spirit to develop them into attaining "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" to the extent he is able to trust them with these abilities - which is just the plain natural and normal expectations of those whom Jesus said would do greater things than he did.
This team of people is set up and equipped and operational in EVERY local church and is intended to be active and functional in any typical church gathering.
Confusing? In our church context yes!
If you are in a "church" that has a pulpit up front, and a "pastor" standing there – the same person every time - three or four times every week - looking at and talking at all those people sitting like rows of mullet in a fish shop window - THAT IS NOT A CHURCH ASSEMBLY– you CANNOT grow and develop there. (I was going to say to get out of it, but perhaps I had better not say that in this forum.)
God set up church as a device designed to build and establish the character and person of Jesus into the people in the church, through the interaction of the many sided ministry of those Holy Spirit empowered men and women who have been equipped and authorised to attend to the specialist situation they have been gifted to operate." End of the book quote.
The pastor is simply part – and a minor part at that – of the ministry team. It can even be said that every person in every church who has allowed Holy Spirit to develop the Character of Christ in him/her is a full blown minister with a ministry in their local Assembly.
The mentors mentioned in Ephesians 4.11 are put there by God –
"His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints that they should do the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body – the church – that it might develop until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God, that we might arrive at really mature manhood, the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and the completeness found in him." Amp.
This is where George and Susan and Bert and Roslyn and all the rest of the team are working together with each other and Holy Spirit to produce the development of the functional Body of Christ.
Look church people – these are critical times. The insane violence and hatred against Christian people and churches around the world and traditionally Christian nations has certainly caught me by surprise. This is not a trial run. This is for real – and they are coming to get you – and if you continue to just mess around playing religion games – they are GOING to get you. Forces from both outside and inside are dedicated to destroying you.
"I will build my church and the gates of Hades – the powers of the infernal region – shall not overpower it or be strong to it’s detriment or hold out against it." Amp.
What went wrong????
The powers of the infernal region HAS overpowered the Western church and has been strongly detrimental against it. Well – actually – the church we are saddled with right now is not really the church Jesus said he would build. It’s not even a real church.
As I said in something recently – it is time for folk to get off their big fat pew and get seriously on their face before God Almighty.
This massive, satanically powered outfit at work in your nation and mine, is hell bent on destroying both of us.
However - it is the business of the Body of Christ - operating as the Kingdom of God, working with God and the massive army of warrior angels already in Earth - to wipe this scourge - and ALL of it’s hangers on - off the face of the Earth. Nothing else can do it, but you can as part of the Body of Christ team.
Christ-one people – get hold of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 and what he said about the action of the ministry in chapter 4 – in a decent translation – like the Amplified - and stay with it until something breaks loose.
It’s that critical.
If there were just one hundred people across the Western world who live and walk with God, who are filled with the presence and life of God, who walk in humility before God, who hold up our nations before God in deep intercession – who will bin their agendas and pet projects and ambitions – and drop ALL the whacko religious mess down a big deep hole and flush it – and who will get together in agreement with God and each other – we could have our nations on their ear in three weeks flat. It’s up to us. God is waiting for us to do it. It’s that easy.
The functional Body of Christ is the answer to the problems that are destroying and the rest of us with it.
Those of his people who are called by his name - let’s do it.
Laurence Lilley
