vrijdag 21 juni 2013

Part 8. Prophecy, proclamation and divine guidance in Gods Church

More about prophecy, proclamation and divine guidance in Gods Church


But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
Numbers 11:29
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel 2:28

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Acts 2:16-18

I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
1 Cor. 14:5

So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
1 Cor. 14:23

But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all,
1 Cor. 14:24

For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
1 Cor. 14:31

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
1 Cor. 14:39

Prophecy

It has always been God’s deepest desire to have a close relationship with people characterized by mutual love, respect and care.  It involves commitment, trust and open communication. Unfortunately due to humankind's fall into sin this relationship has been affected to the point that even if we are reconciled to God and back into a close relationship with Him through faith in Christ and His gospel, we still hear, see, understand and experience God incompletely. In the words of Paul  in 1 Cor. 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  At present we only know and understand in part as the effects of the fall are still present in our lives, hearts and minds and even as believers we struggle with our old self (Romans 7:14-25; Gal. 5:16-21). As a result it is possible to confess the one moment that Jesus is Lord and the next moment speak words inspired by Satan as happened to Peter (Matthew 16:16, 23).   

Therefore as a community of believers we are told not to reject prophesy but to test everything and hold on to what is good but avoid even that which appears evil (1 Thes. 5:20-22).  

It has always been Gods desire as expressed in the words of Moses in Numbers 11:29 and repeated by Joel in Joel 2:28 that all of Gods people would be prophets. That is that all would speak Gods truth on God's behalf in a godly manner (love, respect, humility) to Gods people and to a world in need.  

It is for this very reason that Jesus, the embodiment of Gods Word, told His disciples that we should go into all the world and make disciples of all nations....teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us (Matthew 28:18-20).  Through the Holy Spirit we have been made into a community of prophets who share the teachings of Christ with the world, that is the message of Pentecost as Peter explains in Acts 2:16-18.   

Now our prophesying might simply be a matter of forth-telling the gospel and the teachings of Christ, or it may be helping people to apply these in their day-to-day lives, communities and nations. Since Christ is the full revelation of the Divine Being, certainly forth-telling about Him and His teachings is our primary task, hence the strong emphasis on us being witnesses in word and deed of Christ. The Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of prophecy makes us witnesses of Christ.  It is also written that the Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19:10). Consequently any word spoken or written in God's name which us points at Christ and His teachings or helps us to apply it in our specific situation and context is a genuine prophetic word. Anything that does not point at Christ or His teachings does not help us to have a closer walk with Him and should be rejected as unnecessary and if it contradicts Christ and His teachings it is false. As Paul states in 2 Cor. 10:5 we capture every thought and make it submit, obedient to Christ.  He is our focus as the initiator and the perfecter of our faith.

God through His Spirit works in many different ways in different people so we can never make our personal experience the yardstick by which we measure and judge something as of God or not. We must judge according to the guidelines of Scripture interpreted from a Chrito-centric perspective as He and His teachings are the core of our faith and testimony to the world (Matt. 28:19-20). However, both biblical and church history demonstrates that normally God works normally in our lives and context as we study his word and teach, preach and proclaim it, share it in our counseling and our normal interaction in the family of believers. However God in His sovereignty may also provide us with visions, dreams and revelations which are specific for our time and situation in order to provide more specific or detailed direction. We may think of Philip who was told to go to a specific location and share the gospel with the Ethiopian he met there (Acts 8:26-31). We may think of Ananias whom God spoke to in a vision (Acts 9:10-19), of Agabus whom through the Holy Spirit was informed of Paul’s impending imprisonment (Acts 21:10) or of Paul whom God spoke to in a dream (Acts 16:6-10).  However, as exciting as such happenings may be, they should never become our primary focus or desire. The issue is not whether the natural or supernatural way in which God chooses to work; after all not the method of relaying the message but from whom the message comes and the content of the message is what is important. Our primary focus should be Christ and His teachings. Our desire should be to take Him and His teachings seriously, applying them to our lives and become more like Him and to invite, encourage and help others achieve the same.  As prophets our primary prophetic task is bearing the testimony of Christ in word, deed, thought and behavior.

Although we belong to a prophetic community and part of a royal priesthood, a people belonging to god, this should not make us proud and incorrigible. The truth is that on this side of eternity our spiritual hearing and vision is impaired, let alone our ability to correctly interpret and communicate!!! In the words of Paul our prophesying is imperfect as we do not yet see face to face. We see, but we see as in a (dim) mirror (1 Cor. 13:9-13). Yes, some may be spiritually more mature as their spiritual faculties have been trained over many years by living close with the Lord (Hebrew 5:14). Such people have to some extent acquired the mind of Christ as they have internalized His Law and seek to live by it consistently. However, even then each one of us will at times err as we will remain imperfect human beings and will in unguarded moments remain susceptible to the influence of our own flesh, the world and at times even the devil. Therefore, whether a message communicated in God's name is done by a respected professor in Theology in a university setting, or by a well-known pastor in a church, or by a gifted charismatic speaker, or whether it comes to us in an exciting and impressive supernatural manner: Every message must be tested using the standards of Holy Scripture. By the end of the day it is far less relevant who the messenger is, or how excitingly it gets delivered, than what the actual content of the message is, and whom it really is from. Even if we are convinced it comes from God we must take heed that how we interpret it accurately reflects what He wants to communicate to us.   

How do we perform the test? The most important test is based on the immutability of Christ who does not contradict Himself and is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrew 13:8). This means that He will not communicate anything to us that is in contradiction with the example He set for us and all that He has taught us.  This test actually dates back to Moses and was applied to all those who claimed to be prophets throughout the ages (Deut. 18:18-22).  If a prophet gives specific directions which do not contradict Christ and His teachings and these directions agree with what Christ demands from us as recorded in Scripture, we should follow these directions.  

If a prophet gives specific directions that are not explicitly demanded from us in Holy Scripture but may be a special task for us, the biblical principle that decisions should be made on the basis of two or three reliable witnesses should be applied (Deut. 17:6; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Hebrews 10:28).  Our God is a loving and caring God and He knows that we do not always properly understand the directions He is giving us so He will certainly provide confirmation if He requires something specific from us.  Now in some cases as in the case of Philip who is told to go to a certain road and speak to a certain person we may not have the opportunity to have something confirmed by fellow servants of God. However, if it is not a life and death matter we can in faith step out and follow whatever guidance we feel God is giving us and trust God that along the way He will either confirm that this was from Him or lovingly correct us. Philip went and met the Ethiopian and so the circumstances confirmed it was indeed God who had spoken to Him (Acts 8:26-31). However, we also see at times that God stops us from even doing something that normally would have been good and right but for His own reasons He considers it not the right time, or because He has other priorities just as Paul and his companions were prevented from preaching the word in the province of Asia (Acts 16:6).

In some cases we may find that what we thought was Gods guidance is not confirmed and that we may have been mistaken and yet even then God will be pleased for at least you have shown your willingness to serve and obey Him. Of course sometimes things do not come true because the outcome did not just depend on your obedience only but also on the co-operation of other people. However, you do not need to try to justify yourself with all kinds of explanations why your prophecy or what you felt as guidance did not (yet) come true. This shows it is still too much about you and not about Christ. Besides, how do you know for sure you were right about the issue of the timing? To insist that you are always accurate in hearing gods voice contradicts Scripture and is a matter of pride. You will not always be right as our prophesying is imperfect so it is much better to admit in humility that you may have been wrong about the issue or the timing but that you trust God to use everything and turn it for the good of those who love Him just as He promised in Romans 8:28. Even if in some cases you are proved to be right later, why should that be important either? Is is that you want people to put their trust in you? Is it that you like a sense of power and influence so people obey all that you say? Is it that you haven't found your self-worth and confidence in belonging to Christ and His Kingdom that you are still trying to be something in the eyes of man? Let go it, find your value in Him and How He thinks of you. It is time to grow up in Christ, learn to follow and trust Him and instead of making people follow us we should help them follow Christ and put their trust in Him alone!!! Strife to be a faithful and humble witness of what it means to follow Christ in your day-to-day life.  This actually includes a humble attitude and the admission that only God is infallible, but you are not! Even if you are striving with all your might to live right it is not your reputation in the eyes of other people which should be your concern, but your reputation with God and His reputation among His people: He deserves all glory and praise, lets not even try and divert even the smallest amount to ourselves. 

The above principles do not just apply to prophecy and hearing Gods voice or sensing His guidance but to anything we say or do in the name of Christ. We must do so with humility, accepting the fact that like Peter we can also at times be misled (Matthew 16:16-23). Therefore we must humbly subject our words and actions to testing by other faithful servants of Christ in the light of Gods word (1 Thes. 5:20-22).

Of course it may be hard to admit mistakes out of fear of being labeled a false prophet. However, the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is not the absence of error. David is called a prophet by Christ and yet we know that he made his share of mistakes and even committed some serious sins too. The difference is in the heart. David was a man after God's heart for He loved God and loved God's people and longed to serve God and Gods people faithfully and therefore he was humble enough to allow himself to be corrected by his fellow prophet Nathan.  A false prophet in contrast mainly loves him/herself and is not driven by a desire to serve God and Gods people faithfully but by self-serving motives.  Sometimes the motive may be as simple as financial gain or the desire to exercise control and influence over people. In some cases wrong motivation may be so subtle that even the false prophet is hardly aware of how he or she is being misled. For example deep down they may be very insecure individuals with a fragile self-image and they may use spiritual gifts to prop up their self-image. Others may deep down feel like they are failures and that no-one will respect them unless they perform well in a spiritual career. Again others have attachment issues due to lack of sufficient nurturing and love in their upbringing and so they fear to be abandoned or rejected. They may choose a spiritual career so that people may like them and accept them. Sometimes false prophets can be, or appear to be very genuine. Also what they preach, teach and predict can be exciting and exhilarating and much more pleasing to the ear than what a true prophet proclaims as we read about in Jeremiah 23. False prophets will often justify behavior and attitudes which contradict Gods word and the example set by Christ. If they are called to account for what they have spoken or done they usually take it very personal and behave very hurt no matter how kindly and lovingly we address the matter. They will be defensive and may even mount a very personalized counter-attack. Such response serve to demonstrate that it is about them and not about Christ and His glory. Such people are divisive and serve their own appetites. They need to be warned once or twice and otherwise asked to leave the congregation until they have truly repented (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:10-11).

Sometimes the false prophets may have established self-affirming and self-validating religious and/or ecclesiastical structures which have a semblance of respectability and reliability but ultimately are based on human traditions rather than Christ and His teaching. We see this among the pharisees in the time of the New Testament and throughout history in all kinds of human constructs, whether intellectual, legal or institutional constructs.

In all cases we must also be self-critical and do not act on impulses that reflect self-interest or the interest of certain groups and parties in society. If there is even the slightest possibility that you might be influenced by your own wishes and desires or by those of others and wait until God confirms through reliable witnesses.
So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, be eager to prophecy because in Christ you are a prophet, priest and king, with the high calling to share the testimony of Christ in word, deed, thought and behavior. And secondly, after careful and humble testing, lovingly obey any specific instructions whenever you are convinced in your heart that it is the Lord who has provided these.

maandag 27 mei 2013

Part 7. The Church


The Church
The Church of Christ consists of all who are genuinely born again by the Spirit of God when they heard and believed the word of truth about Christ and His gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:13-14). Being born again by the Holy Spirit they were baptised into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), receiving a New Inner nature, namely Christ in them, the Hope of Glory. It is rooted in Him that His streams of living water can flow from within them, namely the Love of Christ towards one-another and the world in need.  As long as they remain in Him, that is in His truth and love, they will bear much fruit (John 15:1-17). This fruit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit consists of self-giving love (as further explained by 1 Cor. 13), and is accompanied by joy, peace-making, words and acts of kindness, of goodness, as well as faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (particularly keeping the old-self, our flesh under control (Gal. 5:16-21) through the Holy Spirit, in whom we find our new-self, our new nature created in Christ Jesus. 

Local fellowships
Prompted by love the family members of the Church of Christ exhibit a natural desire to want to fellowship together and assist, encourage, help, teach, exhort and serve one-another so that together we can better serve our Lord, particularly in working with Him in His mission to the world.  These fellowships are visible local representations of the worldwide and eternal Body of Christ.  These fellowships can be as small as 2 or 3 with Christ in their midst (Matthew 18:20), or number many thousands.  In His teachings Christ never prescribed a certain format of how we should fellowship which implies that there is freedom in such matters.  Also the apostles do not prescribe one standard format of how we should fellowship. In the New Testament we find all kinds of forms of fellowship from worship in a national temple to street meetings, lecture halls and home churches.  The same applies to church leadership. In different times and contexts different models are applicable. For example when the apostle Paul talks to Titus he seems to put him in control of all the churches in Crete with the mandate to appoint local fellowship leaders in every town (Titus 1:5), which implies a rather hierarchical structure. However, the Jerusalem church had a leadership formed by a council of twelve apostles (Acts 6:1-4).  Again we find house-churches in Rome led by a few leaders (Rom. 16:3-5). However, regardless of the model we deem appropriate in our context, the aim remains the same: To equip the saints for service so that the body of Christ may be built up and together we grow in Christ, becoming more like Him (Eph. 4:12-13).  When together we become more like Him by being rooted in His Love, we get a better understanding of His enormous love (Eph. 3:14-19) and are then also able to serve Him better in the great commission to go and make all nations into His disciples.
Every single one of Christ’s disciples is entrusted with resources by God, these may be material or immaterial sources. They include finances, possessions, abilities, intellectual resources, emotional resources, supernatural gifts and so on which enable us to serve God by serving and helping Gods people and in reaching out to the world. There are various lists of gifts and abilities that God entrusts to His people in Scripture which indicates that these lists are not exhaustive and many more can be added. What is important to keep in mind is that whatever God has entrusted to us, it being spiritual or unspiritual depends on the Spirit in which we exercise these gifts.  Is it in the Spirit of Christ, in His Spirit of Love for God and for our fellow humans, or is it from a different motivation? Even the preaching and teaching of scripture done out of a different spirit than that of Christ makes it an unspiritual affair. Truth without love is very dangerous and damaging! The same applies to any other so-called spiritual activity. It is only spiritual if inspired and executed in the Love of Christ, only then it will be good for edification, exhortation, comfort and correction. It is only when we communicate the truth in Love that we grow up in Christ and are held together firmly (Eph. 4:15-16).