A reminder of the Lord for us on 160609 during B.I. class

As delivered by Huilian:

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Something embarassing...

Hi guys, I'm sorry to announce that our lack of consistency in collecting offering is affecting the church. :( Sorry for not bringing the envelope regularly enough. Promise to make it a routine and to bring it next time.

Btw, if you're wondering why we collect offerings:
1. Big reason: part and parcel of our giving to God--not only is it our blessing and privilege to give, but it's also one of the ways that God blesses us back much more in return (and in all the areas of our lives, not just money)
2. Where does the money go to:
i) Special speakers who speak at the Outreach,
ii) The poor,
iii) Organising in-depth CE classes
iv) The venue (in the near future)
...and even more.

Would encourage one and all to give liberally to the church as it's in need of money: we've been quite faithful in organising Christian Education classes, supplying materials, giving to the poor, and giving to the full-time pastors who depend on God for their livelihood. So we're appealing to all who've been blessed by this ministry to give, not to us per se, but to the Lord and his work.

Here's a posting I promised -- The FiveFold Ministry (Part VI)

Before moving on to the gift of the Apostle, there is also something else we would suggest about the Prophet. We would suggest that although most church structures have a preaching time, it would be better if a Prophet abstains from teaching, and simply spends the time ministering to the people. (Preaching is only fine if there is an extended message given by God for the people; and even then we would argue for a moderator to check through because of the amount of abuse nowadays from the pulpit.) This is because the strength of the Prophet tends to lie more in delivering God's will to the people, rather than necessarily teaching the Scriptures in a systematic way or in being a motivator (although we must say that God's word, with conviction power, often carries its own motivational power). So we would advise that a Prophet abstain from teaching/preaching (except in the case where the Prophet has both strengths of teaching and prophesying, which happens to be pretty rare by the way).

Also, like the other eldership gifts, personality also plays a role in how the Prophets express themselves. Prophets do not necessarily have to be harsh, although in recent times there have been quite a few prophets who are more blunt and direct (largely, we would argue, because of their personality than because God demands it be that way). The Old Testament shows a variety of prophetic styles: ranging from Samuel, Hosea and Jeremiah, who are among the more sensitive, gentle prophets, to Elijah, who is really a prophet of fire. One thing though that they share in common is the willingness to do God's will whatever the cost and to suffer disappointment or even persecution for it.

Leadership Gift #5: Apostle

Apostle = comes from Gk apostellos, which means "sent out one".

To properly understand this term, we need to take note of:
A) What it would have meant in ancient times--The messenger concept;
B) What Jesus used the term to mean;
C) Who were those being called apostles in the New Testament.

A) Now in talking about this word "sent", it is important to understand what in ancient times is called the "messenger concept". Basically given the lack of technology, people had to rely on messengers to convey a message, or sometimes even as their agent to get things done for them, whenever they cannot be personally present. Now in today's context, we also have some remnants of this around--we have housing agents who represent us to help us choose houses, and countries have ambassadors who represent the home country in a foreign land. But given the lack of technology at that time, this concept was far more pervasive. Not only is the messenger supposed to carry a message (like a postman), he also could be tasked to give a present or to carry valuable items for the sender. He also could be tasked to make decisions on behalf of the sender. So let me give you a nutshell of what this whole "messenger process" comprises:

1. The "sent one" or messenger has to be completely obedient to the sender;
2. The sent one is also allowed to make decisions on behalf of the sender;
3. The courtesy or disrespect given to the sent one is regarded as given to the sender rather than to the messenger. (i.e. if you execute a messenger from another country, it's not as if you have something personally against the (poor) messenger. It's rather an insult to the country he is from, or the King who sent him).
4. So long the sent one is obedient (Rule #1), the sent one is allowed to make a whole host of decisions which fit his mission. This decision making will be regarded as if the sender himself made it. (It is legally binding in ancient times by the way.)
5. The sent one, upon completing his mission, goes back to the one who sent him, and gives a report of all that happened.

Now this happens more than once in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Abraham, for instance, sends his most trusted servant, as his sent one or representative to find a wife for his son. Notice that i) specific instructions are given to the servant; ii) the servant represents his master and obeys the instructions totally (e.g. not to take a Canaanite wife for Isaac); iii) he prays, not just to make a good decision for his master, but partly because this is one of those important times that he has to use his own initiative (making decisions on behalf of the master); iv) upon identifying himself, the servant gives jewellery and precious items to Rebekah (in order to show that he is serious about the affair); notice the hospitable treatment the servant is given (not because he is of high status but because it is the respect they would have given Abraham)--all this goes to show the kind of formalities you would expect in a negotiation and that Rebekah's family had no intention of offending Abraham whatsoever; v) finally, after negotiating the terms and conditions with Rebekah's family about her dowry etc (making decisions for the master), he asks to be sent home speedily to deliver the report to his master. Notice also that Rebekah's family ask him to stay for quite a few days? It's partially because they don't want their daughter to go so fast, but partly also part of showing courtesy to Abraham's servant, as part of showing it to Abraham.

Now for Jesus, this is also the case. Notice that in John's Gospel, you get Jesus emphasising more than once that people should "believe in the one God has sent". In John 17:8, Jesus refers to his disciples as those who believed that "you [the Father] had sent me [Jesus]". So Jesus is effectively the "sent one" by God. That's why in John's Gospel, you see statements from Jesus like "whoever has seen me has seen the Father"; "I came not to do my will but the will of him who sent me"; John 3:17-- "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through him"; John 3:34-- "For He is sent by God, and speaks God's word, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit". What these statements demonstrate is that Jesus came not to represent himself, but the Father; all he said and did was meant to demonstrate who the Father was (and thus whoever saw him saw the Father); John 5:43 says "For I have come to you in my Father's name, and you have rejected me"--this shows that the rejection of Jesus is not just a rejection of Jesus himself, but of the Father that he was representing. The whole of John is littered with these references to Jesus as "sent" by the Father.

Notice also that the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father is just like the reporting back of a messenger to the one who sent him. We're not taking away any of Jesus' claims to be God, but Jesus' mission on earth is very focused and definite: to be the perfect messenger of God to carry out what God had intended all along--the salvation of the world.

So if Apostle means "sent one", how do we see this in the New Testament?
1) Jesus can be seen as the ultimate Apostle, as mentioned above;
2) The Holy Spirit as sent by Jesus to take his place-- "But when the Father sends the Paraclete as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you" (John 14:26). Notice that the Holy Spirit thus functions as the messenger and representative of Jesus: doing everything that Jesus would do if he were still on earth, and representing Jesus to the apostles (to the entire church, in fact!) in his physical absence. It thus is no stretch to say that in the same way Jesus was the Apostle of the Father, the Holy Spirit is the Apostle of Jesus.

Now what about the apostles as the disciples of Christ?

Continued in the next post.

U gotta check this out! Interview with a CNN journalist and CNN Broadcast!

http://www.revivalmediaserver.com/media/Podcasts/tomforeman05252006.mp3
http://www.revivalmediaserver.com/media/www/CNN_OnAir/WMV300K.wmv

"The best way to hit at the devil...is to see people touched by God"

http://www.revivalmediaserver.com/media/www/COR10116_fny/WMV300K.wmv

Funky URL to Check Out...

Hi Guys,

Just want to recommend this particular blog for us all:

http://kenschenck.blogspot.com/

It's being written by Prof. Ken Schenck of Indiana Wesleyan University. In case you didn't know, as Pentecostals, we have our roots in the Wesleyan Holiness movement (a variant of Methodism)...so in terms of theology, we (and the Methodists) are cousins. Prof. Schenck is the pupil of Jimmy Dunn, one of the Anglophonic world's foremost New Testament scholars. Schenck is just an out-and-out brilliant guy lah, who teaches and writes with a real big heart for the Church and her vocational Ministers. You can find tons and tons of stuff on his blog...to read what he has to say on a topic, just click on one of his labels.

-- Chris

Something for all of us to think about in spiritual warfare

Bill Johnson wrote, “The safest place in this war is obedience. In the center of His will, we face only the situations we are equipped to win. Outside of the center is where many Christians fall, facing undue pressures that are self-inflicted. His will is the only safe place to be.”

A relatively good example of how Prophecy is used in an edifying manner.

Craig Kinsley: "The Bait"
by Craig Kinsley
Jun 5, 2009

Recently, I awoke from a dream which I knew had serious meaning both for myself and, in a larger sense, the Body of Christ. I have been in a heightened prophetic season as of late and I believe God is giving both me and our team fresh outlook on life and ministry. In the ministry of reformation, I'm finding that at times God challenges my life and thought processes without giving me a definitive answer to the question that He poses. This dream was just that sort of situation.

Without going into every detail of the dream, I will give you the highlights, and then the core, of the message. Myself and many other people I know, including my wife, died. We found ourselves in what seemed to be a large lodge on the edge of a large river. One by one each person was interviewed by a group of heavenly beings that took the form of three or four women. After the interview process, the people were placed onto a boat which took small groups to Heaven. For a long while I stood on a dock by the river and watched as one group after another disembarked down the channel. Soon, I realized that I was the only person left and began to wonder if there was a problem. As soon as I thought this, the heavenly beings were standing next to me. They said that it was my time to be interviewed, but that it wasn't my time to go.

As I walked into the room where I was to be interviewed, I had an intense feeling that what was about to happen had serious and eternal significance. I sat in a chair across from a desk which one of the beings sat behind. She posed one question to me, and only one: "Just what kind of bait were you all fishing with?" As soon as the question was posed, I awoke. It took me a few minutes to gather myself and to fully come out of the experience.

As I pondered the dream, it didn't take long to grasp the core of the message. The general feeling of the dream was that God was speaking a message to me with consequences that dealt with people's eternal salvation. This wasn't something to be taken lightly. The question was simple, the answer is not. We are called as fishers of men (see Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). The question posed is, What exactly are we using to attract people to our message?

I believe the idea of evangelism is one of the major areas of our lives, churches and ministries that God is calling us to reform. If we will have ears to hear, I believe God is guiding us to question both our thought processes toward reaching those outside of His Kingdom and the actual processes that we put into action.

"Hate the Sin, Not the Sinner"

I am not a fan of clichés, especially within the Church. My reason being that when a word of wisdom becomes too commonplace, it loses its power and is no longer actually considered.

The old adage, "Hate the sin, not the sinner," is a true word but has lost its power, and it is not widely understood nor practiced by a large majority of Christians. We have lost our compassion and love for those without Christ and have replaced these with a disdain and disgust for those in the world. We call this "standing for righteousness." I believe one of the keys to Jesus' effectiveness at changing the hearts of men from the world to the Kingdom, was His ability to not look at people where they are, but to look at them in the sense of where they could be. He called people out of their sin, but not simply by condemning their sin; rather, by giving them the gift of hope in something greater.

The main message that Jesus spoke of was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This phrase has become synonymous with evangelism, as I believe it should, but how can we truly use the message of Christ in preaching the Gospel without a true understanding of Jesus' heart behind the message?

The word repent has become a word that brings connotations of weeping, guilt and, at times, pain. In actuality, true repentance has nothing to do with pain, guilt or sadness. In reality, the message of repentance has its foundation in the hope of the Kingdom of Heaven being available. You see, Jesus never condemned the people, but rather gave them something better. Changing from one way of life and one thought process, which is what true repentance is, doesn't come by simply realizing that your current way of life is bad, but rather by the reality of a better way. "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." That is the central theme of Jesus' message. That message is what actually causes repentance.

In our quest to condemn sin, we have actually begun to condemn the people that are caught in the traps of sin. We place the focus of our message on how bad sin is, rather than on how amazing Jesus is. Before I knew Jesus, I was living in the depths of the world's system and in a drug culture. I knew what I was doing was wrong. Between my past in religion and the ingrained human knowledge of morality, I knew that the life I was living wasn't the best that my life could be. The problem was that I had tried religion; I had tried to do all of the right things, but that didn't change me. What finally changed me was the reality that something better existed. That God had ordained a destiny for my life, a destiny that had eternal significance. And the knowledge that the Kingdom of Heaven was a living reality available to me...that is what changed me.

The world is looking for hope. Our current president was elected on this message. People understand that the current state of things is hopeless. They are looking for change. Between war, famine, disease, economic struggles, there isn't much to believe in. We have the answer. The grace and love of Jesus Christ is the greatest message of hope in all of eternity. Our message should be a message of hope, and leave the conviction to the Holy Spirit.

What are We Standing For?

A few weeks ago I was part of a summit involving Christian leaders from every facet of entertainment, government, education and many different denominations. We gathered to discuss the current crisis facing Christianity in America and to gather a strategy to continue to move forward the message of Christ throughout society. One of the truths that I realized as I sat through a few days of deliberation, was that we as Christians are much more known for what we are against, rather than what we are for. There is much talk within the Church about standing stronger than ever against immorality, but there isn't much talk about standing for anything.

The world knows that we believe homosexuality is wrong. And the majority of people know that the majority of Christians believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Now is not the time to stand stronger against homosexuality, now is the time to begin to let the world know why we do. Is it simply because the Bible says so? Or could there be a better way?

I believe if we begin to stand for what Jesus stood for, more and more people would be attracted to our cause. Jesus' message of love and grace is sufficient. This message is what causes those in sin to leave their current life and to embrace a new life in Christ. For the most part, those outside redemption do not know that the core of our message is love and grace. Why? Maybe because it hasn't been the core of our message.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Grace?

Some people would say, "Craig, aren't you afraid that a simple message of love and grace would cause people to be more open to sin?" This is a widespread concern for some. I understand the concern and I am not a proponent of sin; in fact, just the opposite. My belief is that the more love we acquire, the less sin we will desire. *No rhyming intended.

What changed the woman caught in adultery recorded in John, Chapter 8? I believe this is one of the greatest stories of love and grace found in the Gospels. The Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus. This woman was caught in the act of adultery. There was no question that she had committed the sin in dispute. The law of the day was that this woman should be stoned. This, in the eyes of everyone present, is what should happen. Jesus stooped down to the dirt and began writing on the ground. He then posed a question to all of her accusers and condemners that had gathered: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" (John 8:7).

Soon all of her accusers were convicted of their own sin and left. Jesus was left alone with her. He then poses a question to the woman, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" The woman replies, "No one, Lord." To this Jesus responds, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." No committee needed. No discussion of what should be done. No process of healing needed. Only one thing was needed: pure and undiluted love and grace. Jesus didn't send the woman out to sin again, rather the love that He showed changed the woman.

Was this too much grace? Did Jesus allow her to "get away" with her sin? Should something more have been done? You see, the love of God is so beyond our human understanding that we feel the need to insert something "more" into the process. Divine love changes people. Condemnation does not. That day the woman found hope. In her search for fulfillment and pleasure she fell into sin. In the very moment the religious system wanted to condemn her, Jesus saw an opportunity to show her the love of the Father. That is evangelism.

After Jesus' instruction to the woman, He addresses the religious leaders that were gathered to Him and says, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." For the most part, our mindset says, "If you don't walk in darkness, then you can follow Jesus." The truth is that encountering the love of Jesus causes you to not walk in darkness. Follow Him and you will not follow darkness. Show people love and the darkness ceases to have power.

Jesus: Was He a Minister to Sinners? Or a Friend of Sinners?

Part of the reformation that is coming to the Church has already begun. I believe the message that calls us to get outside of our buildings and reach people is a needed message. We weren't called to gather people to our buildings, but rather to go out and be light in the world. I applaud this growing message in the Church, but I want to challenge you to take it a step further.

Over the years I have been challenged more and more about Jesus' life in and around those outside of redemption. Lately, what has been especially challenging to me, is the name given to Jesus, "Friend of sinners." While I was pondering this picture of Jesus recently, the Lord said to me, "Craig, was I called a minister to sinners? Or a friend of sinners?" God always seems to ask me questions in order to cause me to think. I thought to myself that I have ministered to those trapped in sin on many occasions, but can I honestly say that sinners are my friends?

In our righteous quest for holiness, it seems that we have forsaken being a friend of sinners, in favor of simply seeing our time with them as a ministry opportunity. We are scared to associate with these people for fear of seeing it as condoning their lifestyle. Jesus' life of love was evident at all times. Whether He was speaking directly about the Kingdom or simply displaying the Kingdom through the Spirit that was upon His life, He was both a friend and a minister, at all times. I believe we are missing a large part of the evangelistic call, which is the call to friendship.

View Through the Eyes of Friendship

As I have sought to understand more and more how Jesus was able to so love us when we were so filthy, I believe I have grasped a key to His heart. I was taught this through the calling of Peter. Peter was a guy that I so relate to. He wasn't perfect by any means, but through the love and grace of God He was able to change the world. As Peter was fishing one day, Jesus came walking by. He simply said, "Follow Me." This wasn't Peter's first encounter with Jesus; his brother Andrew had taken Peter to Jesus prior to this in John 1:42— although this time Jesus called him not just to be near Him, but to be a part of His life in an intimate way.

What would cause Peter to drop his entire life and follow this Man? I believe the key is found in the way Jesus saw Peter. Peter was a fisherman. Not a pillar of society by any means. If you've ever been to a fishing wharf, it's not the most godly place on earth. Peter was probably not the most godly man on earth, but Jesus was able to see past that. Jesus didn't see Peter according to his present circumstances, but saw him according to who he was created to be.

It is hard to see the eternal potential created within someone when we become aware of their faults. We even seem to label people according to their sin instead of according to God's design for them. Once we see a person's or a people's sin, we immediately link them to that sin. For instance, we call people trapped in drug addiction, drug addicts. We call people trapped in homosexuality, homosexuals. At times we even call people trapped in religion, Pharisees. Once we have labeled someone by their sin, it is hard to see them any other way. What caused Peter to follow Jesus so quickly could be Jesus' willingness to look past Peter's faults and into his heart. Jesus continually called Peter to a high calling. He drew him to His heart and did not let Peter's faults, even when Peter denied their relationship, disqualify him from that high calling.

We should pray that God would give us the eyes of Christ, that we would be able to see the lost through their eternal destiny. Only then will we be able to effectively call them out of darkness by showing them the light.

Signs and Wonders Show the Love of the Father

As we begin to talk more and more about relationships with the lost and seeking to love, somehow it gets separated from the power of God. Miracles, signs and wonders are a vital part of demonstrating the Kingdom of God and showing people the reality of His love. We need to understand that Jesus had one life. His life as a friend was at the same time the life of a healer. His life as a teacher was also a life of a miracle worker. He didn't switch gears in order to do ministry, it all went hand in hand.

Jesus taught of the necessity of signs and wonders in this often misunderstood passage concerning a nobleman and his sick son: "When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, 'Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe'" (John 4:47-48). Out of context, it seems that Jesus is rebuking the man for coming to Him for healing on behalf of his son. If we look at this in context of the nature of Christ, we know that Jesus desires that we would come to Him. His gentle rebuke was not on the sign and wonder, but on not believing unless one can actually see it. You see, Jesus did perform the sign, but not in the pomp and circumstance that was expected. The man wanted Jesus to actually come to his house to perform the miracle. He didn't understand that all Jesus had to do was speak the word and it was done. Jesus simply said, "Go your way; your son lives."

Jesus actually said that the works He does, the signs and wonders, are what point to Him as the Son of God (see John 10). The supernatural works of God cannot be separated from our establishment of God's Kingdom on the earth. If we are to accurately point people to the Father, we have to not simply tell them about the Father, but show them the Father.

The signs and wonders themselves are not where a problem arises. The problem arises when the motivation for the supernatural becomes the building of ministry or the building of self rather than love. I cannot say it enough. Love is our foundation. Without it, none of this exists. The pursuit of love is the now word of the Lord. We have pursued the supernatural and rightly so, but why? Some have rebuked me for preaching a message that promotes the pursuit of the miraculous. I say that I am guilty as charged, but I also preach first and foremost the pursuit of love. Love mixed with power will change the world. Power absent of love will promote your own kingdom. Paul said, "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). The gifts are needed, as long as the pursuit of love is the foundation.

The Bait

So, back to the question at hand: What bait are we using? What is or is not drawing people to our message of salvation? What bait should we be using? The answer is both quite simple and yet eternally complicated. Love is the answer. Not a manmade love, but divine love. A love that should be pursued because it is not natural. A love that Jesus displayed in such a way that the hardest of hearts could be turned to Him. A love that was demonstrated through a variety of miracles, signs and wonders. A love that broke the chains of sin and gave food to the hungry. A love that looked past natural circumstances and excavated the divine purpose buried deep within the human heart. Simply showing someone their sin doesn't change them. Showing them the way of love and life will change the world.

Craig Kinsley
Awake International
Email: info@awake.org

About Craig Kinsley: Craig Kinsley can best be described as a reformer. His desire and passion to demonstrate and proclaim the reality of who Jesus really is comes through in every word he speaks. You will not find the "norm" with Craig, but rather someone who is constantly at war with the status-quo. In his own words, "My calling is to free the world from the enslavement of religious lies, proclaim a message of love and to raise up others to do the same." As is available to every Jesus follower, signs and wonders seem to follow him wherever he goes.

Craig Kinsley's Itinerary:

August 5-9, 2009
Godstock II
Ab-Nab-Awen Park
Grand Rapids, MI
Contact: empowered@supernaturaltrai

ning.org

September 18-20, 2009
Lighthouse Church
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
Contact: 780-963-3110 or lighthouse@lhpc.biz

December 9-12, 2009
Conferencia Dunamis (Dunamis Conference)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Contact: 55-11-3746-0754 or 55-11-8764-3499 or thedunamisstory@gmail.com


Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Announcement: Post done

"The Fivefold Ministry (Part V)" has been completed (on the Prophetic). You can now scroll down to take a look!

Sermon from 23rd of May 2008 by Eddie Yeo

Jesus and False Teaching (EDDIE YEO)

Matthew 16:1–23

Preacher’s Note: This does not mean that our binding will overrule heaven’s will.

1. The False Teachers came to Discredit Jesus

The Pharisees and Sadducees never accept each other: they are divided in thinking, in doctrine, in school, etc. Cf. how Paul takes advantage of this in the Book of Acts.

Yet these two groups come in great unity to oppose Jesus: birds of a feather flock together. What is the main impetus for uniting against Jesus? Probably, unity will bring strength to them, as their united opposition will bring defeat to Jesus. People would have expected Jesus to lose.

The question they ask Jesus appears deceptively simple. Their question did not stem from a genuine desire to learn, but was an attempt to discredit Jesus. Indirectly undermining all the miracles of Jesus as being of no consequence, their act was an act of despising Jesus’ healings, raisings from the dead, etc. This shows their arrogance and wickedness, as Jesus healed more than any other prophet. Jesus alone has the authority to grant salvation to man, and this counts as the greatest miracle Jesus can offer, and the Pharisees and Sadducees’ fixation on some dramatic sign shows how blinded they were to this central miracle of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus compares them to weathermen, and shows that they are about as effective and as good as weathermen. Jesus did not enter into a theological debate with them, but instead made a reference to the story of Jonah, where the people did not wait for a dramatic sign from heaven to repent. They repented straightaway at Jonah’s preaching.

Jesus thus shows us what false teachers do: they create doubts to prevent us from doing what the Scriptures command us to do (turn to God).

2. Jesus in turns warns his disciples to watch out for the “leaven of the Pharisees”.

Jesus used “leaven” to refer to the teachings of the Pharisees. The leaven referred to a piece of fermented dough kept over from a fermented baking. Leaven is something not allowed to be used in any sacrifice to God, and in the Passover, only unleavened bread is allowed. This is because leaven’s fermentation process is symbolic of corruption. Just like leaven is hidden and mixed inside the bread, you cannot tell its presence is there, and you can only know that the leaven is there once the bread is baked. Once the leaven and the dough are mixed, they become inseparable.

This is why Jesus told them to watch and be careful. To watch means to watch at a distance: you don’t need to listen to them, you don’t need to read their books, and you just watch their fruit to see what they are producing. The kind of fruit teachers are producing will tell you what kind of teachers they are. Are they practicing what they are preaching? What kind of disciples are they producing? There are a lot of teachings that are coming out in the church today, whereby a lot of corrupted teachings are mixed with pure doctrine today. It is very hard to totally dismiss false teachings because they often mix the true in together with them, which cause people to fall for them.

Jesus warns his disciples to stand at a distance, “to take heed”, “to properly stare”, “to discern”. You cannot watch if you are already inside: it is very hard to disagree if we are already immersed. We must put some kind of guard against false teachings to let them into our hearts and into our churches: we need a good antivirus software.

3. Yet, Jesus wanted to know what people thought of Him.

This is not because Jesus is not being insecure about Himself, but because Jesus is trying to make a point to his disciples in light of the wide range of interpretations as to who He was. People back then gave him so many names and titles, just like how people have so many competing interpretations as to who He is. Yet, these descriptions are good for men only, but they are not faithful to the nature of Jesus Christ: they are, in essence, false teachings as well. It’s not important what people think about Him, but it is important that His disciples Know.

Peter is seen to be a remarkable character here: he is the only one who dared to speak out when the rest did not dare to. This question is remarkable: even the rabbis did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, so who are these uneducated fishermen to give a proper answer to this question? This explains why they largely kept quiet. Yet, we see that God chose to reveal the identity of Jesus to one of the disciples. We must not come to a conclusion that Peter is set on a pedestal above the other disciples. Jesus states Himself that He is going to build His church and not Peter’s church. Peter was not singled out as special, but his boldness is put on display here. The massive growth of the church is a good example of how Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled. At one sermon, 3000 got saved. This is a massive outstanding feat. And the church multiplied daily.

Authentic and genuine teaching will produce real disciples. A real disciple is a disciple who is bold. I would add that a real disciple is a disciple who is full of faith. Peter is the only one, for instance, who actually walked on water. In addition, I would also say that a real disciple is one who perseveres.

Here's a posting I promised -- The FiveFold Ministry (Part V)

Leadership Gift #4: Prophets

Prophet = one who prophesies
Prophecy = supernatural utterance; revelation of God's will; speaking for God

In this discussion, we'll split the ideas into three parts:
i) How the Prophet functions
ii) The Prophet's role in the Church

Let's start with i) How the Prophet functions

This question could be easily answered: the Prophet prophesies. But it's important to define what "prophecy" really means. The Bible has two definitions for the term "prophecy", depending on when (and who) used it. The first is a general definition which refers to any kind of supernatural utterance which is inspired by God (like in the Old Testament and in the first part of the New Testament), while the second is much more specific: referring to God speaking (in a known language) what he wants to say to the church (like in 1 Cor).

Let me explain what we mean by "supernatural utterance". In the Old Testament, the word "prophecy" is used in a variety of ways which almost seems to indicate that it's a very fluid term, used anytime to describe when someone has been filled with God's power and as such speaks s God empowers him to. This speech however is regarded as something utterly supernatural. So let me give you 3 examples for your consideration.

A) The call of Isaiah (Isa 6). In that episode, Isaiah had a supernatural vision of the Lord, seated on a throne with all his glory, and where the whole Temple was filled with smoke (Isa 6:1-5). The guy had a miraculous encounter with God which was to set the tone for the rest of his ministry and to give him the strength to deliver a terrible message to Israel and to be ignored/persecuted for it (Isa 6:9-10). What you get after this supernatural episode is pages upon pages (66 chapters, actually) of revelation of God's will throughout the prophet's life. So in this case, "prophecy" here started with a supernatural revelation of God, and then an ability to hear God and to express his thoughts in a known language.

B) The appointing of the 70 Elders in Israel. Another case was when God told Moses to appoint 70 elders to help him manage the people of Israel (Num 11:16-30). As part of their spiritual preparation, God promised to "take the Spirit that was upon Moses, and to put it on them". We'll come back to this, but the main point of this episode is that when the Spirit came upon the 70 elders, they all spontaneously prophesied. Now what was interesting was that there were 2 elders who were not present with Moses at the time this happened (i.e. there were 68 present with 2 AWOLs). Haha. For some reason, they probably overslept or were late and so did not join the rest. The Holy Spirit nonetheless came upon the 2 that were in the camp, and they prophesied. What is noteworthy is that this act of prophesying was quite a significant and unconventional activity. Firstly, the people (including Joshua) were amazed to see this spontaneously happen back at camp. Secondly, Joshua gets concerned that their act of prophesying would erode Moses' special position as God's spokesperson for the people. Now this shows that the term "prophesying" here is probably very different from Isaiah's case. It would be weird to see 70 people telling each other God's will for each other's lives--but it is even more unlikely that this can be a threat to Moses' position. After all, if you were there, if someone told you God's will for your life, you wouldn't know if it were true or not, and so most likely you would be cynical, wanting to wait-and-see-if-it-really-comes-true, rather than to immediately believe them and treat them with special honour. Whereas, in this case, when the 70 started prophesying, people could see that something really special was happening and thus began to esteem them differently (which would then explain why it was a potential threat to Moses' special spiritual position). So it is quite likely that this "prophesying" was a spiritual, supernatural activity, something quite wondrous, humanly impossible, and the people recognised it as something other-worldly and thus had the effect of elevating the "spiritual status" of these people to the onlookers.

(Also a note before we go on: two interesting things happen here as well. The 70 elders prophesied, but "never did so again". This is in contrast to Isaiah who prophesied all his life. Furthermore, Moses makes a very significant statement: "I wish all of Israel were prophets!". This statement is going to be very significant when we come to the New Testament.)

C) King Saul and his troops. This, by far, is the funniest example of prophecy I have ever seen. If you know the story of King Saul, you would know that he was a very disobedient King who was 'condemned' by God (both literally and in an army sense of being left on the shelf). Now King Saul was very jealous of David because he knew God was blessing David and he had the gut feeling that David was going to be the next King. But when he sent his soldiers to pursue David, just as David was going to be caught, the Spirit of God helped him to 'stall time' by filling all of them (1 Sam 19:18-24)! One reason why this is funny is because it's so SO ironic: this is one example where the Holy Spirit falls on someone, someone sinful for that matter, for no other reason than to protect someone else! (Take that, all those who put God in a box and say he can't do ridiculous stuff! :D) Another reason why this is so funny is because you can see their reaction when the Holy Spirit fills them: firstly, they are so overwhelmed that they cannot even continue their chase, and secondly (v24) in the midst of Saul's 'prophesying', he "tears off his clothes and lies naked all day and all night" in front of all the people. Haha. Not the kind of prophetic action I would recommend if I were you. Here we can see that God deliberately wanted to embarrass Saul for going against his will--but it also shows us how "prophesying" works. Saul starts blabbering things which are not mentioned, but this is also accompanied by a state of being controlled supernaturally by God. It is quite unlikely he would be going around saying "Thus saith the Lord"; it is more likely that he was blabbering things which would have sounded like nonsense to the people, except that people recognised that this "blabbering" was not normal, but caused supernaturally (by God). Here, as we can see, prophecy results from a supernatural encountering of God, yet in an utterly ridiculous fashion. Although it fulfils the purpose, it's not exactly for the good of the person involved (interesting huh!).

So "prophesying" can mean a lot of things in the OT. It ranges from the continuous, meaningful expression of God's will (like in Isaiah's case) to just supernatural blabbering (like in Saul's), and it is often accompanied by supernatural phenomena. It is possible for it to be beneficial or even an expression of judgment by God. And a person can be so under the control of the Spirit that he manifests in downright ridiculous ways. So the only common thread you can note between these examples (and more, in the OT) is the idea of supernaturally inspired utterance, and that the source of this supernatural utterance is in fact God himself.

Now, if you come with this understanding, you can then appreciate why Joel's prophecy is considered as fulfilled by the supernatural phenomena. Joel prophesied that "in the last days, I [God] will pour my Spirit upon all flesh, and they shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28-32). In that prophecy, there are 3 main points: 1. He describes all kinds of supernatural phenomena that accompanies prophecy; 2. That this phenomenon is not limited to a few, but to "all flesh", even to the "maidslaves and menslaves" (in our context, think toilet cleaners, construction workers--all the lower strata of society); 3. and that this will take place "until that great and terrible day of our Lord", where God (through Christ) comes back to judge the world. So all of God's people are potentially prophetic people. Once they are filled with the Spirit, this potential is utilised and released to bless the people. (Which fulfils Moses' wish/prophecy that "I wish all of God's people were prophets"!)

(Once again, can you see how every Christian is meant to be a 5-fold Christian? In the same way that all God's people evangelise, teach, and care for others, all of God's people are meant to hear his voice, discern his will, and experience Him supernaturally. And Joel's prophecy reinforces this sense that the prophetic is meant for every Christian, not just the Prophet.)

So this brings me very conveniently to what the Prophet does. The Prophet specialises in discerning the voice of God, spending time with God, hearing his Will, and releasing God's command when appropriate to the people. I would say that based on what God has done in the Bible, 90% of prophecy tends to be encouragement and commands as to moral behaviour, reinforcing the truth that already has been taught. 10% of it is foretelling about the future. The behaviour of the Old and New Testament prophets also suggests that this ministry is supposed to be heavily accompanied with signs and wonders that, in a way, demonstrate God's presence that flows with the individual.

And, like every other elder, the Prophet inspires others in their gift and raises others to flow in that same gifting they have.

Let me also take the chance to explain the Pauline passage in 1 Cor that puts tongues and prophecy as so-called oppositions to each other. It is easier to appreciate this passage when you understand that the Corinthian church, in their enthusiasm over spiritual ecstacy, elevated tongues as some kind of evidence of semi-divine existence. So you will notice that in the discussion of 1 Cor 12-14, the emphasis is always thrown from tongues to other gifts (ch 12); from tongues to love (ch 13); and finally from tongues to prophecy (ch 14). Here we would argue that Paul is using this term "prophecy" in a very very limited sense--definitely not the one the OT is using it for. The prophecy he mentions here is a congregational prophecy, a word of the Lord that is addressed to the church or to an individual, and taking place as the community gathers together. The rest of the New Testament however indicates that prophetic activity--with visions, personal prophecy, etc--can take place in any setting at any time (Peter in the roof, John in exile at Patmos: where he hardly would have a church to fulfil this idea of a "congregational gathering"!). So we would advise that it's better to understand "prophecy" the way the rest of the Bible indicates it--as "supernatural utterance inspired by God"--and see Paul's definition as part of that wider definition, than to try to use Paul's very specific instance and force fit other passages of the Bible to justify it.

Let me give a non-exhaustive list of the supernatural phenomena that accompanies the ministry of the Prophet:

1. Miracles, extraordinary phenomena that cannot be achieved by human means (e.g. Elijah and Elisha [1 & 2 Kings], Moses [Exodus-Deuteronomy]);
2. Dreams and visions (Joel 2; Stephen [Acts 7]); ability to hear God (Samuel in 1 Sam)
3. Healings (cf Elisha and Naaman [2 Kings 5])
4. Trances;
5. Foretelling of the future;
6. Knowing of other people's secrets (as revealed by God) so as to bring them to realise that the Gospel is true (1 Cor)
7. The ability to deliver God's command authoritatively (e.g. Samuel, John the Baptist, Agabus)
8. The ability to see into the spiritual realm (e.g. Elisha [2 Kings 6:16])

Let me also jump the gun and give some of the functions traditionally associated with the Prophet:
1. Worship ministry (this is since OT times: think of Asaph and Miriam);
2. Intercessory and Prayer Ministry (again, since OT times: think Moses, Jeremiah, Samuel);

--------
ii) The Prophet's role in the church

The Bible gives some indication about how the prophetic role is supposed to be played. This is one of those leadership giftings that is very useful and versatile, and yet with its versatility, has one of the greatest potentials for abuse (think of "with great power brings great responsibility", cf to the negative saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely").

Let me explain why we think this gift is very very crucial, and also a gift of tremendous responsibility.

Firstly, the leader who is a Prophet occupies a position of key leadership within the church (Eph 2:20). In Ephesians, Paul mentions how the Church of Jesus Christ is a holy temple for the Lord, with the hint that it is still "work-in-progress" (v21-22). What is interesting is that it is built with Jesus as the cornerstone (i.e. 1. the most important one, 2. the one responsible for aligning everything in the house), and how the apostles and prophets form the foundation of the house. So this leadership gift is in fact quite important and arguably one of the key leadership positions in any local church or church network.

Secondly, the prophets in the New Testament always saw themselves in continuum with the Old Testament prophets. The declaration of the gospel, for instance, was always "proclamation"--the authoritative style with which an Old Testament prophet would have declared God's will. Agabus reveals God's will using symbolic tools and with total correctness, in a way that is very similar to the Old Testament prophets (Acts 21:10-12). There are 2 criteria for judging a prophet: 1. Their representation of the truth (i.e. they must represent God's truth properly, and not mislead people or guide them into idolatry); and 2. Their prophecies MUST come true (or, according to OT law, they would have spoken presumptuously and must be stoned). This presents us with complications when we come to the NT prophet. So let's start simple, and draw the picture with more details as we go by.

So how do we see the function of a prophet in the church?

1. We think it's quite easy to see why they are part of the 'foundation' in terms of leading the church. Firstly, the Bible is prophetic and is a necessary part of the direction in any church (not to mention that it is administered by prophets of old). But secondly, since the main role of a Prophet is to spend time with God, to listen to His will, and to be the first to alert when a change of direction is needed or when there is a major problem underlying the surface, it makes sense that the Prophet contributes in terms of the direction, or as some in corporate terms would say--"vision and mission"--of the church. Because no one should presume to take the Church where he or she wants to go; good ideas are not enough. They must be God-endorsed ideas and direction, or they can be very fruitless and disappointing. So hearing the will of God accurately is quite fundamental in terms of the leadership of a church.

2. They help to confirm the promptings that God gives other leaders of the church. Later, when we come to the gift of an Apostle, we will appreciate this a lot more. One reason why this is so so important is because good leaders tend to move quickly and decisively, but this can also be their shortcoming when they presume that God wants things the same way they do. Besides, think of it also from a human perspective: how do we know if what the Apostle or Teacher says is absolutely right? Trusting them without question would put too much authority/power into their hands, which is actually inviting the enemy to put a snare on them and lead them into pride. Many a great man of God has fallen that way because they couldn't withstand the misleading "approval" of the world. So Prophets can play a very pivotal role here. If the Apostle or any other elder sets a direction that he/she thinks is right and pleasing before God, the Prophet can act as a "check" to ensure that God's leading is really that way. And if the 2 don't agree, then that means that more prayer and clarity is needed before proceeding. In fact this is even clearer when it is not ONE prophet making the decision, but a group of prophets who individually, and without consulting each other, come to the same conclusion about whether God is with or not with a project.

From this, you can see how subjective the whole ministry of a Prophet is and the potential for abuse is definitely there. For instance, if the most mature Prophet gives you a word from the Lord, and it's a decision that you have to make on the spot, how do you respond? Especially if you're not sure about your ability to hear from the Lord? Or what if a Prophet disagrees, just purely because it is not his style?

Let us give some guidelines before coming back to this question, which will help to provide some clarity as to how you utilise this gift.

Firstly, we believe that for anyone to be appointed as a Prophet, prophetic giftings are NOT enough. We would check the person's life against a list which would look something like this:

i) Spends a lot of time with God in his/her private capacity--something between 3-6 hours every day
ii) A range of prophetic phenomena
iii) Accurate rendering of God's word (not foolproof, but 80% accurate). That means that the prophecies were incisive and accurate, AND that the Scripture used to back them up must be in context (or at least, the Prophet must be trying his best to do so--because not all Prophets are good theologically/some may even be illiterate)
iv) Posturing--humility and giving ALL the glory to God. Any sense of pride and the elder will be SEVERELY counselled.
v) Principle of Mutual Submission--although it may grit his teeth, he must not attempt to go solo or to make unilateral decisions simply for the sake of "pleasing God". The rationale for this is that an elder must have the patience to let other (elders), who may not be as sharp as him, have the time to find out God's will for themselves (which is the right of a prophetic people). So he must bear with the lag time that other elders may take to decipher God's will. In any case, if he cannot even bear with this lag time, it will be worse when he deals with the sheep; the sheep are far more confused AND insensitive to God's voice. And some sheep even think that even though "God said so", it's still negotiable! So if the Prophet cannot wait for elders, there's no way he can deal with sheep. He will die young of a heart attack. :)

If your Prophets meet this criteria, the chances of abuse and misguidance will diminish quite a bit. And ultimately any decision must be made by at least 2 to 3 elders, and never unilaterally.

Probably something else I must add: prophets, like all the other elders, need time to grow. So there will be some times when they are making learning mistakes. Don't stone them, just gently let them know they got it wrong. Prophets, if you wish to grow in your gifting, remember to:

1. Exercise GREAT faith in hearing God and delivering his message; banish fear and doubt!
2. If you miss it, apologise. God will like your posturing and he will reward you with a sharper gifting. Don't try to explain it away/cover it up.
Sidenote: people, if a Prophet messes up and apologises, forgive him. Don't crucify a brother/sister who is trying to do you good.

Now that we've talked about this, what should you do when receiving a Prophetic message?
1. Check it against the Scriptures. If it's something morally consistent with the Scriptures, then it probably is something God would want you to do.
2. What if it's circumstantial (i.e. "in 2 months' time, God is going to give you a job"). Well, in the case I just mentioned, you don't have to do anything, so you can just wait and see. If it doesn't happen, God has not spoken through that person; if it happens, you can affirm that God has used that person to speak to you. On the other hand, you might get "go to your Doctor and get him to check that your cancer is gone" (which is something Jesus can do in our contemporary context btw). If so, then better do it.
3. Use common sense. "God has said that the 2 of you should get married". In cases like this where a bit more care is required ('cos marriage IS a very weighty thing), ask for confirmation from God. In fact, principle #3 is the principle to use whenever in doubt. Don't be scared to ask God (and don't be intimidated by the Prophet!). You are a prophetic people, and God likes to speak to you anyway, so if you ask him to confirm, he will. In fact, he can even confirm for you 4-6 times if you really really need it. What is very important: if you confirm it, you better obey! :) In terms of problems, some people have problems knowing if it was God, which is an ok problem, since it's part of growth; but far more people have problems obeying God when they know it is him. All I can say is, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey" (Lyrics of a hymn). Take it from the ancients, people. Learn how to trust, as counter-instinctive as it may be. If you don't trust, you'll end up walking in circles to the same path again. But trust him and you'll be in an adventure, an exciting one, and one that will end well because he will definitely be there for you.

Remember: if he hasn't let down so many people thus far, why should he ruin his reputation with you? :)

As a parting note, we would also suggest that Prophets start thinking out of the box in terms of how to use their prophetic giftings. Instead of just prophesying, for instance, my friend Chris has a great suggestion: why not be a facilitator of prophetic activity? You could take the mic, invite in the presence of the Spirit, and release the time for people to deliver messages. You could even ask God to speak to you first as to who he wants to prophecy; so much so that if someone tries to be presumptuous and speak when God has not spoke to him, you could command him to stop mimicking the work of God (which would shut down other would-be attention seekers, btw, and in the long run, this is a good thing). By doing this, indirectly you're practising some really good pedagogy: you're training others to be Prophets, and not just you. Instead, you as a Coach stand at the sidelines and "help the players to sharpen their game", so to speak.

To be continued with the last post on the Apostle!

Here's a posting I promised -- The FiveFold Ministry (Part IV)

So, to end our discussion on the Evangelist:

1. As usual, we are 5-fold Christians. So all of us are meant to spread the Gospel, not just the Evangelists;
2. The Evangelists are there to specialise, inspire and train;

Now let me add one more note about elders in general:
-- Elders come in all shapes and sizes; not just literally, but also in terms of personality. In 1 Cor 12:4-6, we see that not only are there "different kinds of spiritual gifts", but also "different workings of the gift". What that means for our discussion is that not all evangelists work the same way, just like how not all teachers and pastors work the same way too.

What accounts for the differences? Well,
1) The Spirit of God. He does not give ALL the attributes of the Evangelist to one person. Rather, perhaps out of 10 different things an Evangelist may do, Person A might be capable of good communication, word of knowledge, and signs and wonders. Then there'll be Person B who is also a good communicator, but who has deep theological knowledge and is able to use this effectively for apologetics. Then you'll have Person C who is not a good communicator, but one who, by the leading of the Spirit, is at the right place and the right time to perform signs and wonders. And so on and so forth. So you will have different "mixes" of the same gift. This is important for you especially as we start discussing the next 2 gifts: the Prophet and the Apostle. Always remember that there are different "mixes" of the same gift because the Spirit gives his gifts as He wills. And also because our God is a very creative God who loves diversity.
2) Our personalities. God is not asking us, because of our calling or our gifts, to change who he has made us. Some of us are more quiet while some are noisy. Some are flamboyant, and some are serious. Again, it shows the diversity of God. So since God made you and formed you the way you are, there's no need to change your style to fit someone else's (unless you have good reasons to do so). So if you have an introverted evangelist, the person most likely will end up getting a lot of people to believe the Gospel in a very quiet, non-intrusive way. On the other hand, take a hyper, life-of-the-party person and make him an Evangelist, and you will see the guy jumping up and down the stage, being very inspirational and all, and using catchy phrases that help people to remember the things he said. Very possible! Take also the expression of signs and wonders. Some people (like yours truly) are actually very serious people. So if ever we use the power of God, we always will tie it in with a serious purpose--changed lives, deeper love for God, etc, etc--basically, to use it for something significant for the glory of God. On the other hand, there are playful people around! And as much as it grates me sometimes, these people will use the power of God to have fun--it will be funny seeing someone staggering under the power of God, someone being unable to speak because he's just too overwhelmed by God, or people so jubilant they start doing cartwheels and jumping up and down. Yes, it happens in church. And yes, I don't like it ('cos it's just not my personality). But God can accept it. He's the one who created people to be serious and playful, outgoing and shy, flamboyant and measured. So long nothing is in excess (either the seriousness OR the playfulness), it is all for the glory of God.

Let me digress a bit here and suggest that part of the reason why we sometimes see so much drop-outs from church, is that we tend to have a cultural mindset that anything due to God must be SERIOUS. After all, when we take things 'seriously', it means we put our maximum effort and treat it with proper respect. As I suggested, this is all good. But in an extreme, people get tired out. And they soon lose their joy. Can we suggest that there needs to be a proper mix of fun and seriousness in our relationship with God? After all, in your romantic relationships, serious things are at stake: your whole future and lives together. Planning for marriage is a no-joking matter and it can often be very stressful as well. But there's always the fun in the relationship: the romance, the nights out, the marital union, the talking to each other, etc. Not to mention that as a couple you probably went on group dates as well and played board games or went for a holiday together. Same thing: in your relationship with Christ, there is always the fun element around. Let that fun element be present in our teaching, in our pastoral care, in our signs and wonders, and yes, in our evangelism. What matters is that there must always be a balance. =)

To be continued...