| << | Contents | >> |
The Apostolic and Prophetic Foundation
The Lord takes longer to build His house than His people often feel comfortable with. He plans to live in it forever. Therefore, He builds according to His own specifications.
God’s “specs” have to do with the hearts of His people. Bringing heart attitudes and motives into line with His holy character always takes longer than assembling and tuning a “well oiled machine.” Those who are more concerned with quick results than with seeing that the holiness of God emerges in His people will take shortcuts and, in the end, will wind up with something other than what God intended. Remember, the goal is to reveal Christ. Apostles will endeavor to reveal Him as the foundation and builder of God’s house.
...having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone...
...as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation....For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
This verse makes it clear that the foundation stone has already been laid. It was being set in place way back in the days of Isaiah.
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation.
(Is. 28:16 NASB)
Old Testament history reflects the activity of God in clearing away the ground and setting the stage that He may lay His perfect cornerstone into place. The question we face is, how do we lay a foundation that has already been set in place by God?
Again, the issue is not so much that we work for God as it is to cooperate with Him in His activity. We must recognize Christ in His proper God-given place in the midst of His people. God has designed His Church to be built upon the person of His Son. But a major problem in the Church is the “dust” that religion has piled up concealing the Rock beneath. We must sweep aside everything that obscures Him! Many things, such as fear, insecurity, religious tradition, selfish ambition, jealousy, competitiveness and confidence in our own abilities will hinder the unveiling of Jesus Christ as Lord in the Church.
There are many strongholds in the Church that have been constructed in the minds of God’s people. These inhibit the revelation of the Lord in our midst. One of the functions of apostolic men is to help us recognize and remove these hindrances.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
False teachers had come to the Corinthians and undermined Paul’s authority. The strongholds that had been constructed in the minds of the believers through heretical teaching had not only produced doubt in them concerning Paul (2 Cor. 10:10 - 11), but they had obscured God in their midst. These strongholds (fortresses) were lofty things or high places (Grk. hupsoma - “height” cf. Rom. 8:39) that were raised up against the revelation of God among His people. This is one of Satan’s primary objectives - to prevent God from receiving His proper recognition, first in the Church and then also in the world. However, there is emerging a clear trumpet sound that Christ must come to have first place in everything - especially His own Church (Col. 1:18). He must break forth in our midst!
The restoration of the Church is not simply a restoration of certain truths and ministries to God’s people. It is the restoration of God’s Son to His rightful place in our midst. Divine order is reflected when a people on the earth give to the Son the same place of honor and authority that the Father has given Him in the heavens. Paul set out to recapture the thoughts of the people and bring them into obedience to Christ. Apostolic declaration of God’s word has the effect of exposing whatever is exalted among God’s people and thereby obscuring the Lord.
Where do these high places come from in our midst? Have we constructed some of them ourselves? Rather than blame false teachers (obviously that can be one source), let us repent for the ones we have erected. Many of us have gone through traumatic experiences (child abuse, rejection, parental neglect, etc.) that have produced insecurity in us. As a result, we have built strongholds of defensiveness, judgmental attitudes, anger and self-centeredness as places of security. We must recognize that Jesus Himself can be our only stronghold. He is our port of refuge (Ps. 62:8; 91:9)! We must run into Him, abide in Him - and there find safety.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Whenever we construct anything in which to find security, we are establishing a false stronghold, an alternative to God. This is where idolatry comes from. Idolatry in the Church has its roots both in our pride, as well as in our doubt that He will be to us all that He has promised.
For example, greed is idolatry (Col. 3:5). When we do not trust God to be our sufficiency, we turn from Him and in our pride gather an abundance of material goods to make us feel secure concerning our future. Physical wealth can never bring the inner assurance that only the Lord can give.
Not only have many individual Christians sought safety in material wealth, many churches have done so as well. It is expressed something like this: “We must have a nice building in which to meet if we would be a successful church in this city.” Nice buildings to meet in can be a blessing. Clearly though, the thought pattern that a local church must have a building in order to impact its city is a stronghold that God wants to tear down.
The problem lies in our insecurity concerning what God has said about our identity. He identifies us as His people. However, many in our society (including some Christians) think of the church as a physical building. Church is a place you go to. If one “goes to church,” then it is important that “the church” reflect our heavenly priorities. In other words, we must put much time, effort and money into building something that “brings glory to God.” However, the Scriptures teach that God does not dwell in buildings made with hands. He is glorified when we submit to His Spirit as He works His nature and character into our lives. The result of misdirected priorities concerning buildings is that more and more attention is given to these natural edifices than to Him who is the Builder of His eternal dwelling.
Another stronghold (or high place) in our midst is the need some believers have for titles and organized structure. Again, whatever we construct to give us a sense of identity and safety is an alternative to Christ who is to be our only refuge.
Our tendency is to seek distinctiveness and usefulness by fitting into the defined positions of an organization. However, our true identity is found only as we abide in the presence of the One who created us. He has a unique place of service where He wants to meet with each of us. His purpose is to carve out from heaven a particular niche in His house for every one of His children and then woo us individually to Himself in that special place - so that where He is, there we may be also (Jn. 14:1-3). The key to finding our individual sphere in God’s house is simply that we pursue Him!
Too often, His efforts to build His house in this manner are hindered by our attempts to “bring order.” The false sense of security that comes from our endeavors to bring definition to a struggling group of believers is a stronghold that hinders the unveiling of the One who alone brings true peace and corporate formation. The Holy Spirit must be released in our midst to build His house; He must be free to set the course toward divine structure.
This is not to say that the local church is to be an aimless chaotic gathering. While a brand new group probably will appear somewhat haphazard, the divine pattern will emerge over time as God’s people submit to His leading within them to serve. Local leadership will oversee this process. Apostolic and prophetic input can be a tremendous help during this time as well.
Apostles will not only seek to understand what the Lord is doing, but be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit wants them to guide, admonish, fine-tune, etc. It is precisely during this time of corporate structuring that the tendency to organize by human ability will be strongest. It must be resisted. Remember, we are to recognize what Jesus is bringing forth, rather than to simply organize what most quickly “gets the job done.” What the Lord establishes through His life will then reflect His headship instead of the organizational and administrative skills of men. We flirt dangerously with idolatry when we do not understand these things (Gen. 11:4).
The Church is to express the character and nature of God. Just as Jesus represented the Father, so we are to represent Him. This is the essence of being an apostolic people. The alternative is idolatry.
Scripture forbids us to make any graven image in the likeness of God. Since He is infinite, how could finite man ever create anything that could adequately explain Him? It would always fall short of His glory and misrepresent Him. Yet this is precisely what we do when we attempt to corporately build through our own strength a work in His Name. Then, when we say, “This is what God is like,” we guarantee His judgment upon our endeavors. The end result is often an organization with members who are more devoted to and identified with it than with Christ.
The greatest “instrument” God has given to bring us corporately into the image of Christ is Himself. His promise to us is that as we behold Him, we will be changed.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I always interpreted this verse as a promise to individuals. While this is certainly valid, it was not Paul’s primary thought. The Corinthian church was in need of major adjustment. While they had obeyed the apostle’s first letter to put out of the church the unrepentant immoral man (1 Cor. 5:1 - 5), they had not properly recognized his response of sorrow and repentance. To minister to them, Paul began to contrast the Old Covenant of death, condemnation and impermanence with the New Covenant of eternal glory and righteousness (2 Cor. 3:1 - 11).
When he looked at the Corinthian church, he could not see the abiding glory of God resting upon them as he desired. Yet he spoke with great boldness and hope concerning what God had promised (2 Cor. 3:12). There would come forth a people ministering the Spirit and glory of God on the earth. One thing he refused to do was to be as Moses, who put something over his face to disguise the fact that the glory was fading.
...unlike Moses, who used to throw a veil over his face to hide from the gaze of the children of Israel the passing away of what was but transitory.
(2 Cor. 3:13 Weymouth)
Today, churches have often put on external “veils” to convey to the world and other believers that the glory is in their midst when in fact it has faded. However, theological degrees, beautiful buildings, clerical robes and talented musicians are no substitute for the glory of God. How much better it is to face up to the reality of emptiness than to communicate falsehood. The bottom line is that we either have His glory permeating our gatherings or we have artificial alternatives that mask our barrenness. These may seem impressive to men but they have no power to change lives.
To this day, the same veil that was upon Moses lies over the corporate heart of the nation of Israel (2 Cor. 3:14 - 15). That “veil” communicates to the Jewish people that the glory can still be found in the law of Moses. However, God is moving today and revealing His Son among them and...when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Cor. 3:16)
The result is both liberty in the Spirit and a taste of the glory of God that is found in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:17 - 18; 4:6). Paul goes on to say that this was the hope for the Corinthian church. As they would all come (both Jew and Gentile) into the presence of God and behold His glory, they would experience corporate transformation.
Today, God’s glory is the only hope we have for the churches we serve. Too many believers think of Church restoration in terms of simply having gifts of the Spirit, effective evangelistic programs, and some measured function of the five-fold ministries (apostles, prophets, etc.). However, a restored Church will only emerge when all “veils” have been removed. We must stop portraying to others a false picture of an abiding glory when we have substituted many things in its place. We must repent for supplanting the power of God with the strength of man. We must see our total inability to build God’s house in our own power and face up to our barrenness. Then as we turn to Him with an unveiled face we will behold and be transformed into the image of the One we are viewing. God will not be satisfied with anything less than the image of His Son in us. Jesus is our goal.
Lord, sweep away in my own personal life any stronghold that I have constructed as a part of my personality for a place of security and refuge. I know that it will only hinder the revelation of You in my life. Bring forth a purity of expression of Your Spirit in me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0049 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page