Five-Fold Today - A Word For Leaders - Holy Bride - Spiritual Warfare Or Just Dancing With the Enemy? - Throwing Away the Jawbone - Pastoral Dependency

April 21, 2001

A Word For Leaders

I have set you upon My heart as a seal. I see your every move. I have shown My love and mercy and I have given promotion unto you, My child.

Now, I call you to put yourself in remembrance of My Hand and My Work when you were little in your own eyes. Return unto My favor, unto My restored blessing. This is a matter of the heart and it is between you and Me. My Holy Spirit gently draws you, only pride will prevent this from happening.

Let the breaking work for you. It's a new season, even a new day. Look ahead to what I have for you from this moment. I will work, even these things, for your good. I will not waste one thing, says the Lord. This is for you and you are Mine.

I still hold you and I yet will work My plans and they are mighty, says the Lord. Trust Me with all your heart. Don't look to the damage that has been done, but look to Me, for I am The Restorer and I will cause a new Strength to come, says the Lord, and life will come out of death, for this is how I move and this is where I receive the maximum glory, says the Lord!

Jana Alcorn
JAlcorn@aol.com

Holy Bride

Jay Atkinson

The restitution of all things. That has a nice ring to it doesn't it? The restoration of we the children being restored to the faith of our fathers and apostolic truths being put in their proper order. The apostle John wrote in his first letter for us to love one another, that God was love and His love is perfected in us. Saint Paul wrote that love is the fulfilling of the law. Jesus told us that the law and the prophets were contained in love to God and to each other. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Do we wish to be perfect? We are to be the holy bride ready to meet the Bridegroom. Are we ready? If God is love and we are to be perfect and holy like our Father in Heaven, then it only follows that love and holiness entwine. The restoration is here. Of course faith and obedience and grace and walking in the spirit play their parts but without love, each one of them is misplaced and without proper direction. Think about it. To have love one for another was not a request from Jesus - we are commanded to love. So with all the cutting edge prophetic revelations that we receive from God in these last days, it still comes down to this greatest commandment in that we are to love each other and that means dying to our own flesh and living for others. Get ready for the Coming of the Lord.

Christians are known by their love? You know what history shows - schismatic doctrines being perpetuated to protect privileged positions and trying to take the kingdom by force. Would you call them a holy people simply from their position in Christ? This is a tragedy that should bring you profound grief. Has it changed any? Only in the hearts of the faithful that have risen above the pettiness that has plagued Christians almost from the beginning. There has always been a remnant of those that would not follow narrow bias and confrontational arrogance.

If we truly want revival, we have to look within ourselves. How many truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ enough to be a part of that remnant? How many of us expect the worst in others. You want to see Jesus? Then see Him among us as we love. Jesus died for us all. The spirit is being poured upon all flesh. There has always been that victorious faith that transcends the petty quarrels of man and reaches out in love that will overcome all the rest. Now we can meet Him. Are we ready yet? Can we be those overcomers that will inherit the earth and join the heavenly host? We are the lights sent forth out of the darkness. Are you ready to shine?

Jay

jay@latter-rain.com

Are We Doing Spiritual Warfare Or Just Dancing With the Enemy?

J. Conrad Lampan

It seems to be in the mind of many intercessors and leaders in the area of spiritual warfare the idea that we have to somewhat, somehow 'deliver' a city from spiritual oppression, or past evil curses in order to have the way paved for the Presence of God to come into that city.

We need to do spiritual warfare, but the goal is not to bring down the presence of God through it. All of our strategies, and banners, and chants, and shouting per se will do no harm to the devil. In a sense we can be sure that the devil will help us in doing our spiritual warfare as long as we are replacing the Presence of God with our own battle turmoil, and thus causing Satan no harm at all. As Eddie Smith would put it "the devil has been teaching the church how to do spiritual warfare"

Spiritual warfare will not bring down the Presence of God, conversely we can un mistakenly affirm that the manifest Presence of God will immediately start trouble in the middle of darkness. There is a reaction, demons simply cannot stand the Presence of God. That is the beginning of it all: start by putting the Presence of Jesus in the midst of your town and you will be engaged in a tremendous battle, but you will be standing in the position of the victor in HIS PRESENCE.

THE ARK HAS TO GO BEFORE US

When the people of Israel were conquering the land they always had the Ark marching in front of them, and we must seriously admit that when they conquered city after city it was not because of the mighty warriors they had, or because of how strong they were in battle, but rather because of that Ark of the Presence which was marching in front of them.

We need to put the horse back in front of the cart if we want to make a difference in our city. Why do we have so much darkness everywhere in spite of so much spiritual warfare going on? Let's put it this way: you will have your room in darkness until you turn the switch on, when light is on, darkness simply disappears.

ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR PLACE?

If we are walking through our place in life without making any difference around, then we must admit we are not doing our main job: SHINE. No matter how much we shout against darkness, it will not go until the light shines!

Commanding darkness to go will not bring light. When we let JESUS be absolute Lord and reign supreme in our lives HIS light shines in and through us, and then when we just shine because of His manifested Presence, darkness dissapears and there, not before, only at this point when light has come we start doing effective spiritual warfare. Simply because when the light shines the inhabitants of darkness are exposed, cannot hide any more. What they are and what they are doing comes clearly in sight and then we can come against them with the weapons that God gave us: The BLOOD and the WORD.

JESUS IS THE CENTER NOT US NOR THE BATTLE ITSELF

Rev 12:11 says "And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony . . . AND THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH"

We have been so focused on the battle itself, and on what we can do, that we have forgotten the last part of the verse: 'they loved not their lives unto the death'. As long as we center ourselves and what we do and the battle as a goal in itself we are not going to achieve anything, on the contrary the devil will -actually he already is- profit from the way we do spiritual warfare.

We are so centeredin spiritual warfare per se that we sometimes desperately look for an 'enemy' to battle against. We investigate, map, and whatever until we come across something that can be considered a curse. Wow, we found a curse -the oldest the best-, so we dedicate our time to polish it and to speak about it, and to explain how ALL of our troubles come from that curse, and we dance around it, and we cherish it, because it justifies all of our war faring 'budget'.

Our problems do not originate in some hidden curses. Our main problem is our sinful nature which does not tolerate light. There are many curses -real ones- that need to be dealt with and destroyed by the power of the Lord, but this will be achieved only from His Presence.

OUR MAIN WEAPON: HUMBLE BEFORE GOD

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We need to do spiritual warfare, but we must realize that the only way to be victorious is to let the Victorious One stand in front. We need to make sure that we are not climbing on the throne.

We sing songs that in a sense are an example of what we actually do, some repeat once and again that "WE went to the enemy's camp and WE took back what he stole" or "ME and the devil had a tussle but I won" Question: where is Jesus in all this?

Do not misunderstand me: Do battle against the devil, make intercession, bring down strongholds, curse the curses, but do it from His Presence and a position of absolute rendition. Jehosaphat was told "Face your enemy, STAND STILL in the PRESENCE OF THE LORD and see my salvation, this battle is not yours" What does "stand still" mean? Answer "To be actively doing nothing" Make sure you do nothing, but be sure to do it from amidst His Presence. Stand in His Presence, and wait in Him until the command comes "now"!

Pastor J. Conrad Lampan

From Argentina Spreading the Fires of Revival
info@thesecondcall.org
www.thesecondcall.org
prayer@thesecondcall.org
fwd Diggers

Throwing Away the Jawbone

Bryan Hupperts

Hi, SheepTrax!

"God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform," so goes the old hymn. Throughout history, God has dealt with his people in marvelous and varied ways. He seldom repeats himself. His arsenal of weapons and vessels is stunningly unique.

God used the simple shepherd staff of Moses to effect miracles and deliverance. What was ordinary wood became, under the anointing of God, an instrument of divine power. The Lord once instructed his people to make a brass serpent on a pole so that whoever would look upon it would be healed of deadly snakebites. Later, this brass serpent became an idol and stumbling block and it was destroyed lest it lead the people into idolatry. When its' purpose was fulfilled, it was discarded.

Even the Cross of Christ, a Roman instrument of death, served an eternal purpose – and was no doubt promptly reverted to ordinary use for the torture and execution of criminals. For a brief moment, the Cross served a holy purpose – to kill God Incarnate - and was then laid aside. The victory of the Cross is eternal but the actual beams of wood were only lumber.

Consider the strategic victory of the prophet Samson. After taunting Israel's enemies, the Philistines, in Judges 15:14-17, he rose up under the Spirit's power and waged war. "Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him… He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said: `With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!' And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand."

Once the victory was complete, the jawbone of a newly dead ass that Samson used was promptly discarded. It had served eternal purpose to fight the Lord's battle, and was then thrown away. Was this jawbone holy? For a brief moment, yes, but only for that decisive moment.

Consider how the people of God marry themselves to methodologies and systems that were once used mightily of God. There is something safe in having well rehearsed ritual. The known is comfortable territory. Yet God is constantly breaking out of our comfort zones doing the most extraordinary things that baffle even his closest friends. To behave as God is his supreme, sovereign right.

Different people and seasons call for different tools and approaches. There were times when God would speak in the OT through his prophets, yet he also spoke through dreams and visiting angels. Often his servants performed signs and wonders, yet his greatest OT prophet, John the Baptist, did no miracle. Other times, when a victory was needed, he would move through the army of Israel, yet, in the case of Gideon, he shrunk that army to 300 men armed with clay jars and trumpets lest his people think the victory was wrought by their own strength.

God is the Original original.

In our time, it's painful to watch entire spiritual movements attempt to reconstruct the way God used to move using marketing and motivational techniques. Right now, the JESUS film by Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most effective evangelism tool ever devised – yet the day will come when God will give his people something new to proclaim His Word. I use this film to share the Gospel but I am not married to it. It's only a tool to be discarded when it has completed its purpose.

My suspicion is that there are many ministries being weighed down because they are vainly holding onto "jawbones" there were anointed for a season that has long passed. Acoustic pianos and pipe organs belong to another era. We've transitioned into a digital age. Methods and tools that were effective in the 70's aren't effective today because the world has fundamentally changed. Does the term "post-modern" frighten you? The message of the Gospel never changes – but our approach in sharing it must always be open to new ideas.

A fresh wave of battle is upon us for the souls and affections of men. May we have the wisdom to get into the anointing of the Spirit of God with the proper "jawbone" in our hand for this present season. When we are finished, may we have further wisdom to discard our current "anointed" weapons and strategies, seeking God yet again for His strategy for the next season.

Finally, the battle belongs to the Lord.

Bryan Hupperts © 2001
St. Louis, MO
www.SheepTrax.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SheepTrax

Pastoral Dependency

By Richard Zeller

The Posts on Minister/Pastoral dependency have been good, and have sent me to my Bible again. I have not responded to the list for sometime, but feel that I must do so now.

I am a Pastor! When I was saved in 1969, and called to preach His Gospel, He called me as a Pastor/Teacher. I had no doubt about it, although I did not want to be a Pastor. I wanted to be an Evangelist, or Prophet. However, God had given me a Pastor's heart, and I could do nothing else then, or now.

The word, PASTOR or Pastors is found nine times in God's Word. Minister, ministered, ministereth, ministering, ministers, etc. is found in 171 verses, with Ministry being found in 22 verses. I am only going to deal with the word PASTOR in this writing. I will get to the verses shortly

There seems to be a growing problem in the church, (all believer's) today. That is the Diaspora, or the leaving of the church, because of problems in the local body. I do not believe that this comes from God, but is demonically inspired to attemp to destroy Christianity.

In the early church, there was USUALLY no large local gathering place for them to meet, because of persecution, so instead, they met "from house to house." In China, today, the church functions in much the same way. They have to be careful NOT to attract attention, because it could cost them their lives. Some of the leaders in China function in the role of an Apostle, and oversee a number of "churches." Others serve as the local Pastor/Teacher. No one is considered to be "the boss", but one is clearly "in charge."

In the writing by Sister Wade, several things jumped out at me. First, was her quoting of Mr. Cann, that "Minister dependency is an early warning sign of decline and possibly fatal ilness in the church." She then goes on thgive her own experiences of "minister dependency."

God intended for the church to be "minister dependent." Jeremiah 3:15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." The word for pastor in this verse, and all ensuing verses in the Old Testament is translated "to tend a flock", and "shepherd." In the New Testament, the only reference to Pastor is in Ephesians, and it is translated "shepherd." Let us look at what the Word says, and take it to heart.

All of the Old Testament references to "Pastor" are found in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 2:8 "The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." Here the pastor is referred to as having transgressed against the Lord.

Jeremiah 10:20-21 "My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains. For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered." Here the pastors have soiled the Tabernacle, and their flocks are scattered.

Jeremiah 12:10 "Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness." In this verse, God says that the pastor's have destroyed the vineyard.

Now, Jeremiah takes a different tack on what he has been saying. Up until now, the "diaspora" has been the rule. He says in Chapter 17:16 that he has not quit being a pastor to follow God, on the contrary, he has stayed as a pastor, even when all are leaving.

Jeremiah 17:14-18 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now. As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

He returns to his dissertation against the "diaspora" in Chapter 22, when he says that their pastors that HE has given them will be eaten up by the wind. and the FALSE pastors will also be taken away. (for all thy lovers are destroyed)

Jeremiah 22:20-23 Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

But, true to form, God loves us so much that the Holy Spirit prompts Jeremiah to say: Jeremiah 3:14-15 "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." He says that the "diaspora" have backslidden, and that they should turn IF they want Pastor's after GOD'S heart.

Then He deals with the FALSE pastors. Those that try to control the congregation in their own strength, and not the strength of God. Listen to Jeremiah in chapter 23:1-4: " Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD." Here, God says that once again, as Jeremiah said in Chapter 3, that He will set up "Shepherds", (Pastors), which shall feed the flock.

NEVER did God say that the church should not have Pastors over the local congregation. NEVER did God say that the PEOPLE should be in charge. In the Book of John, Jesus told Peter to "Feed His sheep." Sheep are incapable of taking care of themselves. They will eat poisonous grass, and even if they find good grass, they will eat themselves to death. They will die of thirst if they cannot find a quiet pool to drink from, and they can get lost in a crowd. They have no natural defenses of their own, and that is why they are such easy prey.

Returning to Ms. Wade's writing, she lists some signs of "Minister-Dependance." Sermon focused service. The sermon should be the main focus of the service. This is the time that God's Word is taught and expounded. Some say "oh, no, the worship should be the focus of the service." Worship is important, but, we should be "worshipped up" when we enter the service. Shame on you if you come to church "TO" worship God. We should come to church "BECAUSE" we worship God.

In Nehemiah 9:3, The WORD of GOD had been found. Listen to what happened: "And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God."

The Word is to be the most important part of the "worship" service. It is what feeds us, and what strengthens us.

Next she lists Sermon usually given by one man, and uses 1 Corinthians 14:26 to "prove" her point. "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." Paul is ADMONISHING the Corinthian church here because there is no order in the church. He is not telling them TO do these things, but rather to NOT do these things. Also. in Colossians, he is not referring to the CHURCH, but to all Christians INDIVIDUALLY.

Next, "members vie for the attention of the minister." This is true, but paul also admonishes the church to NOT set one member above the other. The Pastor is to treat all members alike, but those that need more help/attention should get it. If one member is sick, you anoint that member, not everyone.

"Members perform for the minister" "members focus on minister and his family" "a mindset of 'we MUST have a minister/pastor or we can't have church" All these relate to the MEMBERS, and not the PASTOR. The Pastor is to teach the sheep, and in their early stages, ALL christians do what she chastizes all for. It is part of the growth process.

She finishes her writing by comparing "Saul type" and "David type" ministers. I agree with much of what she says, but the Body of Christ is SUPPOSED to be minister dependent. In the book of Revelation John writes to the seven churches. To the church of Laodicia he writes in chapter 3:14-22 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

God never intended for the people to "rule" the church. One interpretation of the Laodician church is "Lukewarm." Another is "the people rule." God's way is and always has been that GODLY Pastors should lead his people here. Are all Pastors Godly? Obviously not. Are all Pastors CALLED by God? Again, the answer is "obviously not." Is the Church, (His Body), to disperse? again, "obviously NOT."

I close this writing with a story. My first Pastor, Roy Johnson, of the Philadelphia church in Seattle had gone to the Holy Land, and was on the tour bus. He saw a flock of sheep ahead of the bus, with a man and several sheep dogs walking BEHIND the sheep. He watched with some interest, and finally said to the your leader: "This really messes up my belief and teaching, because I have always taught that the shepherd LEADS the flock, and this man is not LEADING them." The tour guide began to laugh and said: "Pastor, you are not wrong. The Shepherd does LEAD the flock. However, this man is NOT the shepherd. He is the BUTCHER."

If a person is in a church that is led by a Pastor that is NOT Godly, and that Pastor is DRIVING the flock, they should leave, BUT they should find a church where the Pastor IS the God given Shepherd for the church.

Rather than destroying the Church of the Living God, we should do all we can to build it. Again, I know that all pastors are not Godly. Listen to what Paul told Timothy: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his king dom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." This is the charge, if you will, that ALL pastors should heed.

In the Master's service,

Richard Zeller, a Pastor

Richard Zeller
hrvstime@bellsouth.net

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