Foundations And Pillars
Doug Fortune
 

One of the functions of the Apostolic is ‘rooting up and tearing down’ in order to BUILD. I want to address a subject, or actually I should call it a principality rooted in religious Babylon that is prevalent in the church. This is not meant to be a thorough Biblical exegesis, just some of my thoughts, so please take it in that vein as I don’t claim to be a theologian.

God is building a ‘temple’ fit for Him to dwell in and rule from in these last days. This ‘temple’ not made with hands is built upon the FOUNDATION of Apostles and Prophets, Christ Himself as the Cornerstone and, I believe Christ is the Capstone also. The ‘measure’, or ‘metron’ in the Greek, to which the ‘temple’ grows or is built is determined by the Capstone, the crowning pinnacle of the temple. Nothing is built beyond the Capstone, it determines the height. Apostles and Prophets are FOUNDATIONS, overcomers are referred to as PILLARS in the book of Revelation... these are supports to ‘under’ gird and hold up the ‘temple’, they are NOT what determines the height or outcome.

I want to challenge your mentality... most of Christianity as we know it is built upon a system that is upside down! Often those of us in leadership think in terms of people being ‘under’ us... usually we couch it in terms like ‘under our care’ or under our ‘spiritual covering’ (note: I’m not questioning anyone’s heart motives here, I’m just questioning the mentality). Often those who are ‘lay’ people (remember, Jesus and the disciples were actually a ‘lay’ people, not priests) think of those in ‘leadership’, especially the pastor, to be in some separate and possibly unapproachable class. If I think of people being ‘under’ my spiritual COVERING, then I become the ‘metron’ or MEASURE to which they are built... I become the ‘capstone’. What if God wants to take someone ‘under’ my covering and grow them in revelation or ministry or character way BEYOND where I am?... this presents a problem. Usually they end up either leaving or waiting for me to retire or till God removes me (don’t tell me you haven’t seen this!).

If I understand that I am their FOUNDATION and PILLAR of support, that I am ‘under’ girding them as their servant, THEN the ‘temple’ can be built to the ‘metron’ of Christ, the Capstone! When I am the ‘head’ of the ministry, it grows no higher than I... it is bound by the natural realm, under soulish limitations. When I serve as a FOUNDATION (in Christ, of course) ‘under’ girding the ministry of Christ THROUGH those who I am privileged to sow into, then the ‘temple’ or ‘ministry’ is free to grow to the measure of Christ, not bound by this realm... THIS is advancing the Kingdom! I think now of an individual whom I have been privileged to sow into for some years... in some areas her ministry has gone far beyond mine. Is this a ‘threat’ in any way?... heavens NO! The ministry of Christ through her has gone where I could never go... besides, it is HIS ministry anyway! ‘Dead’ people don’t have ministries of their OWN... I am crucified with Christ... it is HIS ministry, HIS ‘temple’.

The change I speak of is not so much a structural change, but a major change of mentality. Now I’m not advocating Christian anarchy where no one is in charge and there is no accountability, quite the contrary, as we are to respect and honor the deposit of Christ and the ministry FUNCTION of Christ through those individuals we describe as ‘leadership’ and defer to the grace of God operating through them. Let us keep in mind that it is a matter of FUNCTION, not ranking though... God is no respecter of persons, neither should we be.

Occasionally there may even be an instance where one of those that we perceive as being ‘under’ us (I speak with tongue in cheek) must bring a word of correction into our lives... will we receive it? I think of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Peter being the obvious elder, yet Paul brought correction. Recently I had to confront the dear saint that is probably responsible for praying me into the Kingdom! This must be done with honor and respect, NO personal attacks, then leave the results up to God, NO badgering! We must submit to one another in love and humility.

Unfortunately there are perhaps those who have taken the name ‘Apostle’ and tried to fit it into the old ‘hierarchy’ mentality... it does not fit! True Apostolic ministry seeks to destroy the hold that principalities have in the strongholds of religious Babylon in the church. This is not a popular position and perhaps even the things you are reading on this page are rubbing you wrong... if so, I exhort you to humbly seek the Lord as to the TRUTH, for I believe this matter is crucial to advancing the Kingdom of God. There are no ‘superstars’ in this Apostolic work of God, no ‘one-man shows’... for the authority and revelation being poured out now cannot be contained by one person and will only be upon those who are walking in humility.

If one desires you to come ‘under their covering’, I say BEWARE... if one desires to ‘under’ gird you as a foundation and pillar, then you are headed the right direction. Remember, CHRIST is the Capstone, the ‘metron’, the measure... NOT man. If reading this has turned your world ‘upside down’, then praise God! Keep in mind that I know ‘in part’... I do not believe anything I’ve written here is wrong, but I do know it is incomplete... let God fill in the blanks for you.
 

Watch Out For That Dragon!
Doug Fortune
 

I personally believe that we are living in one of the most exciting and crucial times known to man. God is birthing something in the earth that has not necessarily existed to this measure before... I speak of the fulfillment of Eph. 4 where Paul speaks the five fold ministry of Christ bringing forth the corporate ‘perfect man’. This is not meant to be an in-depth biblical exegesis of the subject, but rather just a sharing of my heart on the matter.

I believe we see a symbolic picture of this many membered ‘perfect man’ being birthed in Rev. 12 as the ‘woman’ (church) with the apostolic crown (government) gives birth to the ‘man-child’. (Of course, Jesus was an initial fulfillment of this.) The point I want to draw some attention to in this symbolic picture is the ‘dragon’ that is poised to devour that which is being ‘birthed’. I have been exposed to a good number of people involved in the Apostolic and have been made aware of something present in many (sorry guys, just being honest)... something I am painfully aware of in my own soul sometimes (and I only see a portion, I am blind to most of it!). The ‘dragon’ I speak of that would like to devour us is PRIDE.

The Apostolic IS releasing deeper understanding, a revealing of mysteries and greater authority... let us make certain that this ‘knowledge’ doesn’t get us ‘puffed up’. In the realm of the SOUL (mind, will & emotions), that is often the case... as if by some effort of our own we have attained greater stature.

If we are truly living from our SPIRIT, this won’t happen though. Can we say with Paul, ‘I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives IN ME’?... only when we die to SELF (being ruled by our soul) cam we live in the SPIRIT.

What does this have to do with pride?... ‘dead men’ don’t get puffed up with pride! I can go to the local mortuary and speak a compliment to the body in the casket and they won’t get prideful... I could also insult them and they won’t get offended... they are DEAD. Here is the ‘litmus test’: If you ‘poke’ me verbally or emotionally and I jerk, then I’m not dead. If your compliment brings pride in me, I’m not dead. If you can offend me, I’m not dead. If I feel I must defend MYSELF (not defending the faith, that’s different), then I’m not dead.... you get the idea.

That ‘dragon’ has NO authority in the realm of the SPIRIT, ONLY in the realm of the SOUL, for my spirit IS seated right NOW in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, FAR ABOVE all principalities and powers. This is why I believe that God must take us to the place where we can see clearly the absolute depravity of our own SOUL, to smell the stench of death there in our SOUL before He lifts us out of that abyss into true resurrection life. About the only thing we can do in that abyss of our SOUL is cry out in repentance and humility.

This repentance is absolutely necessary, but there is a danger if we stay there too long. It is a subtle and deadly form of pride called FALSE HUMILITY... we become PROUD of how humble and repentant we have become! As I went through my ‘personal abyss’ there came a time when the Lord told me it was time to ‘rise up’. I said, ‘Well Lord, I’m repenting now.’ He said, ‘It’s accepted, now rise up!’ ‘But You don’t understand Lord, I’m still repenting.’ ‘No you’re NOT, you’re taking pride in your humility!’

Well, I rose up! Don’t take me wrong, I’m NOT saying that I don’t ever repent anymore, I DO... but I rise up and move on because my focus is not the sinfulness of my SOUL, my focus is the deposit of Christ IN ME, the ‘glory in the mirror’ (2 Cor.2:18). We cannot bypass the abyss and repentance, but we cannot stay there either. Once we really get a glimpse of what the Apostolic is bringing to bear, ushering in the ‘powers of the age to come’, it would be very easy to become lifted up in pride if we have not seen the depth of the depravity of our SOUL.

Having seen THAT though, we can step into an authority in the realm of the SPIRIT where the ‘dragon’ has no authority.

Interesting thing is though, when someone who is operating from their SOUL realm with a strong spirit of religion comes across one who is operating in the SPIRIT with a strong Apostolic anointing, they may well perceive the Apostolic as arrogant... when in fact, the false humility of the religious spirit has blinded the soulish religious one.

This is the spirit of anti-(instead of) Christ... it looks and sounds spiritual and humble, but it is based on training the SOUL to act religious rather than DYING to SELF. It is a great deception, but Christ is setting multitudes free from religious Babylon even now. So we must be discerning and gentle when dealing with those who have not yet ‘seen’ with the SPIRIT the Apostolic dimension being released in the earth today... We must seek to ‘activate’ within them, by our words, the Christ anointing (seeds) already deposited but dormant.

We cannot let the abundance of revelation being poured out now become a source of pride in our SOUL, we must give the ‘dragon’ NO authority lest he devour us. In reality, I have probably written this because I NEEDED to read it!

Let us continue to press on into greater dimensions in Christ as the ‘seals’ are broken open!

Doug Fortune <revival@mpks.net>
 
 

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