Dec 25, 2002

Reformation In The Church Today

Right now, let's drill down into the detail on this first aspect of reformation; Restoration of the five-fold ascension ministries of Ephesians 4:11 and understanding as to how they relate with each other within local and trans-local settings in mutual, reciprocating submission and equality. What Are The Five-fold Ascension Ministries of Ephesians 4:11? In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 Ann Duffy, a prophet friend, recently received a prophetic message to the Church in America. It began with a profound statement ... "There is a cry in the Fathers heart. And that cry is for life." John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. This is what the five-fold ascension ministries/gifts are all about. For after all, Christ came, that we may have life and have it to the full. That life, is indeed the light of men ... and still is! During recent history, the Charismatic movement came with a marvelous revelation regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are wonderful, but they are not the light of men, neither are they the full expression of the Father's heart. You see, the Father has a cry that is being heard, and that cry is welling up in the hearts of those whose ears are tuned to His heart. The five-fold ascension ministries are the answer to this cry, they are God's solution for the answer to this heart cry for life in the Church. With all that is going on with revival meetings and the last burning embers of the Charismatic movement, there still is something lacking, there is a great feeling in the hearts of God's people that there is "more". Indeed there is. There is fullness of Christ, found in the equipping of the saints through the five-fold ascension ministries. We Are In Transition ... In most churches in America and throughout the nations, there is an unusual pattern that has developed over the centuries. Generally speaking, the local churches or their overseers, through some method of selection, hires or otherwise pays for the services of a pastor, to prepare messages and administer programs that are to be a benefit to the local congregation. The pastor is appointed to lead the local congregation in spiritual matters. However the local congregants or overseers are most often the ones really in charge, since they control both the purse-strings and the appointment of the pastor/leader. For the most part, there is generally one pastor/minister that is appointed. Anything considered "true ministry" is performed by this pastor/minister. In some larger churches there are multiple pastor/ministers appointed. This pattern is flawed. Why? Because this pattern does not exist in the Bible. What is the pattern we see in the Bible? We see servants, called and subsequently appointed by the Holy Spirit to equip the saints in specific ways. This equipping is done so that the saints may do the ministry God has prepared for them to do. The servants are the five-fold ascension gifts we see spoken of in Ephesians 4:11. As God orchestrates this multi-faceted equipping, the Church is built up and edified and ultimately performs what God desires. How Could This Possibly Work? A question that really needs to be asked at this point is this; Is the Church doing what God desires? Have we fulfilled the great commission? Are the saints doing the work of the ministry [instead of a pastor/minister doing the work of the ministry]? Since the obvious answers to these questions is a resounding NO, then perhaps we need to look at how God has designed the Church to operate. Perhaps we need to look at the model the Lord has laid out in scripture. Perhaps it is time to give the headship of the Church back to Christ. This is where the real crux of the matter lies. Who is really in charge? You know, I have met a lot of pastors over the years that struggle with this whole issue. I recently listened to an elderly pastor tell of how he was helping as much as he could ... without getting fired. He asked me; Is it better to be put out or help them as much as I can by keeping my mouth shut? Another pastor told me last year how he was standing before the congregation on Sunday morning preaching on Christ, the Head of the Church. During the message he was interrupted by one of the board members. The board member corrected him before the entire congregation saying; Christ is not head of this church - WE are. Now, these may seem like extreme examples, but let me assure you, this is how it exists today. People want to hire themselves a pastor to take care of things. They want to depend on the preacher telling them what they need to hear. They want him to marry their children, bury their old folks and preach a good message on Sunday morning. They want to feel good about themselves and the traditions they hold so dear. Of course, they want the sinners to hear how bad they are and how much they need to repent, and if some are saved ... praise God! But most of all, this man they have hired must protect them. After all, that's what they pay him for. There is the big trap. God is not truly in charge of many Churches. Neither does His Word reign supreme. Rather tradition, the way things have always been done, reigns. And the overseers will see to that continuing on. Because, after all, they believe that is the right thing to do! Most of the people on this list know this is so bogus that it is not funny, but many congregations across American and throughout the world live in a religious vacuum.. They don't really know what the Word of God says about ministry and worse yet, have no true example to follow. God is Raising Up Models Without the grace of God in operation to bring a change, we could talk all day about "how it is supposed to be" but get nowhere. However that is not the case today. All over there are little rumblings. God's grace is at work. There are little changes happening. God has been quietly restoring the five-fold ascension gifts over the past 50 years. He has done this. It started with a shift away from "ministers" to pastors. Then God continued this quiet restoration of the other ascension gifts; teachers and evangelists and prophets and most recently apostles too. How are these equipping ministries to work together? Obviously, the best pattern is to have these equipping ministries available in each congregation. Then, all the grace God freely gives is made available to the saints. After all, it is by God's grace that people are equipped to do the work of the ministry ... not their hard work! This is a hard mindset to break, but God's grace is at work doing this. Many congregations preach today about the equipping of the saints to do the work of the ministry. However, few really utilize all the equipping ministries. This is also changing. As these ministries become available and are received in communities, this is where we see models begin to form; models of servant hood amongst the equipping ministries. There, congregations are sharing the foundational ministries with other congregations. Relationships of trust are making this possible. This is a slow work, but this work is forging strong links within the Body of Christ. Links based on mutual submission and trust. Links built on mutual, reciprocating submission and equality. Such things indeed are happening and are the foundations that are truly being restored in the Church today. This is the most significant aspect of reformation that God is performing in this hour. Few can articulate this, but many recognize this at work in their midst. In Conclusion

Are you a leader in the Body of Christ, an equipping gift in the Church of your city? Then get active. Begin searching out these links of relationship. Become part of what God is doing. Are you a believer that wants to receive fully of the equipping gifts in the Church of your city? Then pray and begin to receive of the ministry of those already placed in your community. Attend special equipping meetings. Drink in what God is pouring out. Begin believing and receiving what the Word has to say about being equipped. Get equipped to do the work of the ministry, that God has given you. Become part of what God is doing. If this is all new to you, then I would suggest you begin to read the Bible with a whole new set of eyeglasses. Look at what God has to say about these multi-faceted aspects of His grace freely given to us ... the equipping gifts, the ascension ministries of Christ. Ask yourself the obvious questions ... where are the apostles? Where are the prophets? Where are the evangelists? Where are the teachers? Then ... find them. They are already in your area. They are already in your city. Become part of what God is doing. If this is all old-stuff to you, then I would suggest you begin to pass the word amongst those in your region. It is not old-hat to most of the Church. Share what God has shown. Teach when you have the opportunity. Most of all, don't just be a hearer of God's Word, but a doer. Are you partaking of all the ascension ministries in your life? By all means, do what God says. Get equipped. Then, you too can become a reformer in your own area. Become part of what God is doing. Keep radically following Jesus!!