| << | Contents | >> |
The Apostolic and Prophetic Foundation
What does it mean for Jesus Christ to be the foundation of a local church? Simply this: everything must depend on Him! Our human insecurity causes us to build in such a way that, just in case He doesn’t “come through,” the work can still go on. Knowing how to have good meetings, whether or not God moves in our midst, is a sign of human religion. How foolish we are to continue in such activity.
We know we should be totally dependent on the Lord; yet something within us pulls us away from this. We somehow entertain the idea that our efforts will guarantee the success of His kingdom. The truth is that He alone is the guarantee that His efforts will succeed. Our hope must be in Him (1 Tim. 1:1).
Christianity is to be a miraculous experience of God’s life. If His manifest presence were to be suddenly withdrawn from a local church, all “business as usual” activity should stop while the people seek for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. Nevertheless, instead of building this way, many leaders endeavor to keep the ball rolling. Human effort actually increases! As a result, the tendency is then to try to control meetings, the focus of what is ministered, where people should relate, etc. It is true that oversight does involve watching over the flock of God, keeping error out, and warning younger sheep about situations where they could stumble. Clearly though, godly oversight is not control.
Human nature tends to wield too much control over what goes on in Christian gatherings. Our corporate times together in the river of God are spent with the water up to our ankles, knees, or waist (Ezek. 47). It feels so good to “touch bottom,” enjoy the water of life and only go as far as is comfortable. However, the river cannot take us anywhere until we totally trust Him and launch out to where it is impossible to stand.
When we abandon ourselves to Him, the whole work rests solely on Him - and we lose control! At this point, meetings will begin to go in directions that the eldership did not plan beforehand. God does not always “read the bulletin” prior to the gathering to make sure He is in order. Our attempts to keep Him within our comfort zone not only reflect our pride, they will consistently be inadequate. He is always breaking out of man-made constraints to express Himself more fully.
Jesus did not fit in the comfort zone of the Pharisees. He was just too different from what they were expecting from their Messiah. They were more comfortable with their interpretation of what Messiah ought to look like than with the reality of God Himself in their midst. When He walked out of the temple declaring it to be desolate of God’s glory, many did not understand the importance of what was occurring. Similarly, many Christian groups have experienced a diminishing of God’s manifest presence in their midst and have not understood either the significance or the reasons why.
As with many Jewish leaders of the first century, it is a tendency of some builders in our day to reject the Cornerstone.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
It is not that they reject Him as their Savior, but as the One on whom their whole ministry rests. In other words, they often get more enamored with results than with the process. “What works” can become more important than endeavoring to walk in harmony with God’s Spirit.
However, if God is building for His own eternal habitation, then the way in which His house is constructed is of paramount importance to Him. We must allow Him full access to the gatherings so that He may bring His perspective of what the interior of His home ought to look like. Often though, it is easier to opt for “order” and a measure of God’s glory than to let go and allow God’s people to respond spontaneously to Him.
His life will produce what some might view as disorder but which is, in reality, the beginnings of a corporate move into new dimensions of God’s order. We cannot structure the house of God! He alone is able to do that. He knows the unique place where each of us belongs. He knows the dormant grace that is in the hearts of those who have not been able to emerge in ministry because the structure of their local church afforded no opportunity.
Of course, this is not to say that we are not to recognize and suggest certain practical tasks that need to be prayerfully accomplished for the benefit of the local church. However, it must be the Holy Spirit who confirms in people’s hearts where they are to serve.
Some may say, “If I don’t maintain control, the work will fall apart!” But it is better to have God shake the work today and find out what will not stand than to wait for His return and find out too late that what was built has fallen.
Many feel that they preserve the life of God by what they have built. They look at their leadership, their home groups, their prophetic musicians, etc., and think, “Hallelujah, God’s life is flourishing in our city.” In reality though, what we build does not preserve His life; rather, it is His life that preserves us (Rom. 11:18; Jn. 15:4 - 5). Where do we place our trust? Is it in our structure, our teachers, pastors, apostles, home group leaders and musicians? Or, is it in Him who is the life of His people?
Our human tendency is to get things turned around. While we desire to see His house built in our midst, we too easily fail to believe He will build it. So we put our hands on the work of the Lord and bring our strength to bear in “maintaining order.” Jesus gave us clear warning concerning man’s inflexible attempts to contain His Spirit. He said His new wine would destroy old wineskins. In trying to hold on to what we have, we guarantee that we shall lose it! On the other hand, inflexible corporate structures of themselves are not the primary problem; they are merely symptoms of old wineskins. First and foremost, God is after our hearts.
There is much prayer for revival today, yet many of us will be shaken when it comes. Many leaders will either endeavor to squelch it because it will upset their “normal” way of functioning and leave them without control, or they will try to grab hold of what God is doing and redirect it in a way more agreeable to their own concepts of church order. We must let go of the reins to have the freedom which God requires to restore His many-membered body. What the Lord seeks to do in the Church is to reveal new dimensions of His glory that will both surprise us and amaze the world!
It would be foolish for anyone to believe he fully understands what God is raising up. Our insight is limited, for....“we see in a mirror, dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12).
This raises an obvious question. How do we build in anticipation of a God who refuses to do things our way? Very simply: we must build on a foundation that anticipates all that is to be built on it.
If one plans to build a small doghouse, he doesn’t need a very large base; if he intends to erect a magnificent mansion, then a sufficient foundation must be set in place. The house that God is presently building is beyond what the whole Body of Christ (including its apostles and prophets) can conceive! How then are we to proceed?
If we simply minister our interpretation of who Christ is to people (dispensing information), then what is built will be limited by the limited definition we bring to the foundation. On the other hand, if we impart Christ Himself through our lives and teaching, God’s people will seek to increasingly know and respond to Him. Then, as all of us come more into harmony with Him, He will bring definition to the corporate structure of God’s house.
Paul understood God’s strategy and gave himself to proclaiming the unfathomable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8). He preached and disseminated wealth that he discovered by revelation hidden in the Son. People were then drawn to the Lord Jesus to begin plumbing the depths of His person.
The treasures in Him were and are beyond human capacity to grasp. Something that is unfathomable is so deep that it is impossible either to understand with a finite mind or to communicate with a finite language. Yet this was the task before Paul and it lies before us as well. Preaching the gospel is not hard; it is impossible! Apart from the anointing and grace of God, we will only give information. Even if that information is biblically accurate, it will not bring the power of God to bear on the hearers. What we then build corporately will reflect the limitation of our human understanding. However, God wants the Church to reveal His Son! Therefore God raised up Paul to
...bring to light what is the administration of the mystery, which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things.
(Eph. 3:9 NASB)
God does not want the mystery of His Son hidden from the eyes of the world forever. He has a plan to administer it on the earth. Is it that He will raise up a few mighty prophets who will reveal the great mysteries of God’s Son? Or perhaps some powerful intercessors will gain the insight we need. Or maybe a housewife? What do the scriptures say?
...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.
God intends to reveal His multi-faceted wisdom to both the seen and unseen realms through His people! This precious treasure will only be disclosed as the whole Church is released to bring whatever facet of insight each member is carrying within. Jesus must be released to speak in our midst through whomever He desires. This is “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11).
Of course, this does not negate the need for loving oversight of the gatherings. God wants those who are spiritually mature to train His people to become increasingly accurate in hearing and obeying Him.
When fellowships are formed and controlled by our hands we can only expect shakings; when they are fashioned by His life, we can expect glory and the revelation of God’s manifold wisdom. Because He does love us, He will shake everything we have built that can be shaken so that we have the opportunity to repent and build correctly.
From Scripture we see how apostolic ministries of the early church were concerned with building properly. The apostolic burden today is to be the same - that God’s house be constructed correctly. Even though much has been erected in the name of Jesus, it all falls short of God’s ultimate intent. Mixture abounds. The Lord is going to root this mixture out of His Church. It may be difficult to let go of ideas and practices to which we have grown accustomed. However, if we desire His glory, we will make the necessary adjustments.
Lord, first root the mixture out of my heart and then out of that which I do in Your name. Cause there to be a purity of Your life springing forth in me and in the fellowship of believers of which I am a part. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0072 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page