Stability & Discernment (1/3/11)

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Eph 4:11-16.

 

    "Then we will no longer be infants."  This mature condition is stated as being the result of believers being equipped by Yahweh's appointed ministry "for works of service."  If we look at it in reverse we could say that the reason for immaturity and instability in our churches is the tendency to let the "ministers" do all the work.  The professional ministry can hinder the work of the Body of Christ.  Some ministers get arrogant and keep their congregations from moving in power and authority because it challenges their position, at least they believe it does.  Some congregations expect the professionals to do all the ministry and sit as spectators watching and evaluating every move the ministers make, most often critically.  We've got to find the balance point where both are doing the work of ministry according to their role and function as appointed by the Holy Spirit.

    We need teachers to help ground us in solid biblical truth, and to pass along a love for the truth so we'll all search the scriptures diligently for ourselves.  We need pastors to help guide us in the ways of our Lord, equipping us to help encourage and protect one another.  We need evangelists to impart Yahweh's love for the lost to us, and to equip us to share the Gospel ourselves.  We need prophets for strategic guidance, and to teach us to know the voice of our Lord.  We need apostles to take all the different parts of the Body and fit them together into a functioning whole, and to give us a right authority to turn to when problems do arise.  All five are necessary for a balanced, healthy, Christian Church.

    There are five things to avoid found in this set of verses.  As a result of being properly equipped we'll: 1) No longer be children.  2) Not be tossed about by troubles.  3) Not be carried away with "popular" doctrine or teaching.  4) Not succumb to the trickery of men.  5) Not be misled by craftiness or deceitful scheming.

    Stop and think about how the Church has done at these things.  It only takes a few seconds to realize that we haven't done very well.  This is a result of settling for less than Yahweh's best.  We've allowed ourselves to be led by only a fraction of Yahweh's appointed five-fold ministry.  Many today don't even acknowledge that there are apostles and prophets.  Most churches don't have a local evangelists, they just bring in traveling ministries.  We've swung too far into the "teaching" mode and intellectually moved away from having Yahweh's ordained structure keep us from such error.  Somehow, men have reasoned that since we have the Bible we no longer need the offices of apostle and prophet.  The verse doesn't say that Jesus gave us these ministries only until the Bible would be printed.

    New Testament ministry is called to be a team, and any team lacking members is weakened.  Many churches are missing 80% of their ministry possibilities because they only have a pastor.  How strong can we be with ony 20% effectiveness in ministry?  Most of us are comfortable with boards or councils doing the administrative work of our churches.  We've got to move away from that humanistic approach and trust that our Lord will appoint those he knows to be worthy of serving as our leaders.  We need to trust in the ongoing manifestations of the Holy Spirit, working through our leadership and every member, to guide and direct us to be doing true Kingdom work.

 

    1) We are no longer infants.  This means that we're supposed to grow up.  I'm astounded at times when I here people who've been in the Church for many years ask what I mean when I speak of spiritual maturity.  All we have to do is look at Heb 5:11-14.  In the deepest and meatiest book in the New Testament we find the author lamenting the fact that his audience is immature.  He teahches on subjects like the Melchizedek priesthood and the preeminence of Jesus.  But his complaint in this passage is that his readers need milk, not solid food.  How many people in our modern churches understand the Book of Hebrews?  Not enough of them can rightly connect the Old and New Testaments to be able to teach or understand the fullness of Yahweh's Word.  If they can't handle the baby food, how can they mature in the faith?

    Yes, there are some who understand the meatier parts of the Bible today, but in general too many Christians have been taught that they don't need the Old Testament.  Many in our churches today have only been led by one part of the five-fold ministry, and they've sought only shepherding while neglecting self-responsibility.  They may have been given a lot of revelation, but they tend to have little practical grounding in how we need to be able to make the connections between the Old and New the way the Book of Hebrews does.  So with many of the people who attend our churches lacking this basic understanding of the Word, they're stuck in immature faith and then have very little ability to "do works of service."

    The goal of Christian ministry should for all of us to be able to teach and preach at our individual level.  We should all be able to heal the sick, cast out demons, and have wisdom like Solomon because the Holy Spirit lives within us.  Where is the depth, the maturing in godliness, the knowledge of our Lord's ways and purposes?  We need active five-fold ministry in every body of believers!

    2) We aren't to be tossed about.  Moves of the Holy Spirit are often referred to as waves.  The Holy Spirit is doing many wonderful things in the earth right now, but if you tried to be a part of every one of them you'd be like a cork in the ocean.  Too many hungry believers end up being tossed about because of their hunger.  Their lack of wisdom leads them to attend every conference and seminar and revival they possibly can.  And their emotional excitement about the teachings they hear overwhelmes them because of their lack of spiritual maturity.

    The word for tossed about means to be on raging waters.  We're not talking about the gentle waves most often experienced when we're out on deep water.  This is about a raging storm, tossing and rolling us to the point of capsizing our boat.  When things get that rough on the ocean not many people can think clearly.  The majority of people lose their equilibrium and and become physically ill, causing them to be confused and incapacitated.  Our Lord Jesus doesn't want this to happen to us so he says we need to be taught and led by his appointed leaders.  And when they are functioning properly, we have a mature knowledge that keeps us calm on the stormy seas of our world.

    We must be discerning about what our Lord is doing within us and around our area.  We should be happy for what he's doing in others and around the world, but not jealous or envious or overly eager to try and bring some to our community.  We shouldn't feel that we need to chase everything that's going on in the Body of Christ.  This kind of maturity and discernment comes from being properly grounded in our relationship with Jesus so we have security and know where our foundation lies.

    3) We won't be carried about by every wind of doctrine.  It's interesting that there's no particular mention of false doctrine here.  Like trying to follow every wave of the Holy Spirit, we can actually be carried about and become superficial in our faith by trying to chase every new teaching that comes along.  If we're going to be stable and go on to maturity, we must recognize what our Lord is teaching us and sink our roots solidly in that place.  We can become a tumble weed, rolling around whichever way the wind blows because we don't have good spiritual roots.  According to Psalm 1:3 we're to be "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."  Set your roots deep in the knowledge of your Lord Jesus and don't let the wind move you.

    The literal description of this wind blowing us about is to be whirled around, a violent swinging that makes us dizzy.  So just like the waves causing us to become sick, we must also be careful to be securely rooted so we won't be spun around and again lose our equilibrium.  Yahweh wants his people to be rooted and grounded in his truth, secure in the knowledge we have of who he is and how he works in our world.  We have a phrase we like to use when we get off track during a discussion.  We say we're "chasing rabbits."  What that's referring to is when a dog can't focus on what his master wants him to be doing because of distractions.  So don't chase rabbits!  Keep your focus on Yahweh and his teaching instead of the distractions that may even come from good places.

    4) We won't be fooled by the trickery of men.  It's shocking the way so many believers will follow those with a nature contrary to our Lord Jesus.  When the wolf comes we should be able to easily discern his tricks and put him out.  When an emissary of the devil infiltrates the Church he should be easily identifiable and quickly shown the door.  We're in desperate need of this kind of discernment today.  This cunning and trickery is done by unscrupulous men who want influence.  Their desire is to gain status, and they're willing to use any means to get it.  They're basically gamblers seeing how far they can take their deception.

    If we have the balance found in the coordinated ministry of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher the whole group of believers can discern and overcome these types of men.  According to 2 Cor 2:11, when we're rightly giving and receiving forgiveness, which can only be found in a solid group of believers, we gain a good foundation where we can also say; "in order that Satan might not outwit us.  For we are not unaware of his schemes."  The discernment we gain by having right hearts before Yahweh and among ourselves will keep us from easily being fooled by man's cunning and trickery.

    5) We won't be misled by the craftiness or deceitful scheming of men.  Crafty is what the serpent was called in the Garden of Eden.  Craftiness is the tendency to try to bend the rules and get away with being less than obedient.  This is a characteristic of the devil, and when we see it operating in a person it's a good indication that there's deceit and scheming also going on.  Again, if we have the solid balance of a working five-fold ministry, less people will fall for these kinds of tricks.  This kind of activity often comes from within our fellowships.  People don't want to sacrifice and be committed fully so they compromise in small ways, which if accepted by others, will lead to further compromise and a walking away from Yahweh's truth and order.  This was the problem that caused the Pharisees to be the enemies of Jesus.

    In the Amplified Bible the "deceitful scheming" is described as "inventing errors to mislead."  These deceitful men are doing this on purpose.  They're introducing error to mislead and draw believers away from their Lord.  When there is solid leadership and an equipped body of believers these scoundrels have much less effect.  If these wolves enter the sheepfold they'll be quickly chased off when Yahweh's appointed team ministry is in place and the sheep themselves are ready to fight them off because they've been properly trained.

 

    The Church of Jesus Christ seems to be awakening to Yahweh's call again.  Apostles and prophets are coming back into a right prominence.  We're returning to the design set forth by our Lord Jesus, the one he said he put in place for our spiritual maturing.  We need to recognize and receive the five-fold ministry, and allow it to operate as it should within our fellowships.  We need to seek for Yahweh's best and quit telling him what he can and can't do among us.  We have no right to tell our Lord God Almighty that there are no more apostles and prophets.  If we can move in this direction we can anticipate our Lord leading us into another Great Awakening.

    We must also be careful because there are some who are too quick to jump on bandwagons or are overzealous in pursuing new things.  Some are going to extremes, calling people apostles or prophets too freely when they don't actually measure up to biblical standards.  Some individuals are trying to call themselves apostles and prophets to gain influence just like the deceitful men we discussed.  But we can count on the ultimate stability, maturity, and strengthening of our Lord Jesus to come as these ministries are restored to the Church as a whole.  It's essential that this happen if we're to become what Yahweh has called us to be.

    To close, listen to a warning from 2 Pet 3:17.  "Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position."

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike