the SPIRITUAL GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT

murjahel · Aug 27, 2014

THE REVELATION GIFTS
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I Corinthians 12:8,10
"FOR TO ONE IS GIVEN BY THE SPIRIT
THE WORD OF WISDOM;
TO ANOTHER THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
BY THE SAME SPIRIT...
TO ANOTHER DISCERNING OF SPIRITS..."

The Holy Spirit still wants to operate in the church. He wants to supply us with supernatural gifts - "AS HE WILLS." Divine energies are implanted in the Christians. These "gifts" are unmerited bestowments from the Lord. The gifts that are divine implantations of knowledge, understanding, and discernment from the mind of God, are some of the most neglected of the gifts.

Paul longed to impart to the Romans some spiritual gift.

Romans 1:19
"FOR I LONG TO SEE YOU, THAT I MAY IMPART UNTO YOU SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT, TO THE END THAT YE MAY BE ESTABLISHED."

The revelation gifts are vitally important to the church today, so that it may be established and stable. These gifts are often the "best gifts" since they are so often needed.

What are these gifts ?

1. WORD OF KNOWLEDGE is the supernatural revelation of facts in the Divine Mind. The Word of knowledge gives us a bit of knowledge that is needed either as a sign, or as guidance. This does not come by logic or analysis, it comes by divine bestowment. We must beware lest we mistake intuition for this gift. This gift is God's way to guide and teach in special circumstances.

2. WORD OF WISDOM is the supernatural revelation of the purpose of God. The Word of Wisdom is God's method of helping His church understand His purpose in events that are happening. We need to know why some things happen. The Word of Wisdom tells us what God has in mind. By this revelation, we can know what we can do to fit into God's plan.

3. DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS is the supernatural insight into the realm of the spirits. Discernment of spirits is God's way to reveal whether the agent at work is the human spirit, a demonic spirit, or God's Spirit.

These three gifts are partial revelations of the divine knowledge, imparted to Christians for the express purpose of informing us of needed information in our work of the ministry. It is not impartation of omniscience, nor is it the making of us to be infallible in our thinking. We do not become gods with all knowledge, we only are in contact and receiving of a bit of the omniscience of God.

The initial lie spoken by the devil in the Bible is still stumbling some. In Genesis 3, we find the initial lie of the Bible, no other recorded lie any earlier, and the devil has used this same lie, or some form of it, upon many through the ages.

Genesis 3:1,4
he (serpent) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?... The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then shall your eyes be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing.

This first recorded lie of Scripture came from the father of lies. The devils lies have been so abundant, mankind has fallen for many of them. Some make it a habit falling for lies of the devil.

John 8:44
he is a liar, and the father of it...

Multitudes have believed lies of the devil, and the one to Eve, his first lie, is one that many believe, even today. Some think that other saints are not as knowing as they. They often do not know much of the Word, so they know that, and so they denigrate the Word. If the Word of God is shown to be in disagreement with their so called revelations, they believe their experience of knowing, rather than the Bible.

There are many in the ministry that get thinking that they are gods. Their supposed revelations are considered by them, to be infallible. They at least get too much pride in their education, their speaking ability, their power and gifts, etc. Their pride in self is assertive against the worship of our own Lord. They take credit for healings, miracles, and the salvation of souls. They keep count to brag, as though they did those things. They fall for the trap of the initial lie of the devil, and begin to think that they are gods of some kind. They claim to have revelations of changes of doctrine from Bible doctrine, to new, and according to them, superior revelations over what the Bible says.

They have been deceived by the devil to think that they are so blessed, and they think they are Gods chosen one to come and reveal things not in the Bible. Often, these things turn out to be contrary to Scripture. Yet, that does not stop these ones from spreading the lie, that their doctrines are from God. Gods revelations never contradict His written Word. Yet, some think that their experience, their vision, their dream, is higher than Gods written Word.

The revelation gifts of the Holy Spirit, i.e. the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and the discernment of spirits, are not some endowment of infallibility and of greater truth than the Word of God. They are small, short, needed revelations, that do not make one omniscient, but make one able to minister with a bit of needed knowledge for a particular situation.

Rabbis in Judaism put their decisions, and explanations of Scripture above Gods own. They change and alter truths of the Word, and think their revelations supercedes that of the original Scripture. Many in our time call themselves apostles and put their new truths above the Written Word of God that they often contradict. This is playing God, and is falling for the same lie as the initial lie of the devil in the garden to Eve. Those are not the revelation gifts but those are deceptions of the devil who is still trying to convince some that they are becoming gods.

Today, we have god claiming ministers writing their own books, (nothing wrong with writing books, unless they contradict Gods Word, and claim to be of higher authority than Gods Word). These false books being written usually have a dozen or more pictures of the author, and include glowing descriptions of the author. They often contradict basic Bible truths, but claim to be revelations verbally from God, and therefore above the Written Word. These books are as false as the gnostic books of the early church period.

What makes the idea that some get a special knowledge that is superior to even the Bible, a dangerous heresy? Their teachings are so contrary to truth, that to believe their doctrines compels one to not believe the doctrines that would bring them to salvation. The devil uses those gullible enough to believe the lie that they can have a special knowledge to go on to more and more asinine lies. What starts out to be simple revelation (they think) soon develops into a complex doctrine that contradicts the plain teachings of the Bible.

Books are written on how to build the church. Some claim that repentance needs to be no longer taught. Some say to put away the cross symbols, and preach some message of tolerance of other faiths. Chrislam churches are growing where they teach that the false god of Islam is the same God that is the God of the Bible. Some preach that there are many roads to heaven, and we need to tolerate all other faiths. These are doctrines taught by some who think they are gods and are knowing enough to supercede what the Bible teaches.

Modern gnosticism is a complex sect. The modern gnosticism differs from early church gnosticism. There are in each age, several systems for defining and categorizing. There is no popular one, especially with gnostics. So, even a most basic outline of their beliefs, will be debated even by their own adherents. There are some in the ministry that believe the initial lie of the Bible, that they are like gods, knowing. They do not know, for they are errant from the revealed truth of the Written Word of God. When some neglect Gods infallible, eternal truths in the Bible, they are more open to that initial lie of the devil.

Efforts to give a common description of these ones who get this god complex, and think their knowledge, wisdom, and discernment, supercedes that in the Written Word of God, is unending for there are daily additions, alterations, and modifications made to their supposed and falsely claimed revelations.

There are many false doctrines out there preached by these modern believers in their own claimed wisdom, that it is hard to categorize all of them. But, to attempt a basic definition of their dogma, we can frame these tenets.

1. They believe in a direct, personal, and absolute knowledge that is accessible to human beings, and that knowledge is the supreme achievement of mankind. The originator of their experienced knowledge is built up in pride, and will then attack any who do not blindly accept them as Gods gift to mankind.

2. This salvation of humans by these new revelations replaces, in their eyes, the sacrificial atonement of Jesus as taught in Christianity. They do not like (to put it mildly) the doctrine of sacrificial atonement. They want no dogmatic dogma, no commandments, no possibility therefore of sin, and no dogmatic affirmations. They want only a progressive revelation with no static creed.

3. They see salvation as coming only through them. Every other group or denomination in Christianity is seen as inferior and they pronounce curses and judgment on all who do not give them worship as the revealer of new truth for this age.

THE INITIAL LIE OF THE DEVIL STILL FLOURISHES

The idea that the serpent told Eve, that she could, if she listened to him, be as gods, knowing... is still flourishing in this age. It is still a lie of the devil. Pastors, lay people, evangelists, prophets, etc fall for it daily. The Im Elijah, but too humble to tell you complex is one of the devils favorite. Their visions, revelations, dreams could be tested and found to be errant, so they avoid those who want to test all by the Word. They pronounce some kind of curse, thereby committing the sin of witchcraft, and hurry away.

The devil is called the deceiver of the whole world.

Revelation 12:9
...the great dragon, was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and satan, who deceiveth the whole world.

So, he not only is capable of deceiving all, but at some time or another has deceived all. He is still working. We will find more and more of these as we approach the rapture. Each deception to which persons succumb will lead to another.

One example of their claimed god-like revelations, is the Cain heresy. Some have claimed revelation that all black people are descendants of Cain. Since all Cains descendants were wiped out in the flood of Noah, they had to come up with some fabricated scenario to explain how some survived. So, they decided that Noah was to take two of every kind of animal on the ark, and they decided that black people were akin to animals, so that is how they got past the flood. Now, though supposedly saved from extinction in that way, they decide that all Cainites are evil and therefore should be punished and even killed as Gods way. One lie led to another, and all were not from God at all. The bias and hatred of the originators of that lie was the reason they fell victims to the devils lie that he would show them things too deep for Bible believing Christians to understand.

Another such claim of god-like revelation, have much of the world being nephilim, and therefore not able to be Christian. That lie leads to the next lie of the devil, that those with this special revelation need to gather weapons and ammunition to be ready to kill these evil ones. Anyone who would be dumb enough to teach other than they believe is judged to be one of the nephilim. So, even me teaching this fact about them, would make them decide I must be a nephilim, for I oppose their errant knowledge.

One deception leads to another. They later will be deceived of the devil that now is the time to kill those who are Cainites, or nephilim, etc. The devil has long used one lie to lead to another till he gets murder committed. The babes in Egypt were killed, and few survived, Moses being one. In the time of Jesus first coming, 14,000 babes were killed. Today, many justify abortion. Some that kill abortion doctors also are deceived by the same devil. The ultimate goal of the devil is to bring death. He does not care who, whether babies or adults, Christians or non-Christians, he wants to have them murdered.

Judas traveled with Jesus. His name, according to Jesus, was written in heaven, and yet, he believed the devils lies, and entered into a conspiracy to kill the perfect Jesus. If the devil can convince one of Jesus own disciples, one who heard truth taught daily, how much easier is it to convince many Christians today.

John 13:27
...after the sop, satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Judas could be deceived. Likewise, we could, if we are not careful. We also could be dumb enough to not need the devil to deceive us, for many fall for the lie told by the deceived one. They do not check the Bible to see if it is Scriptural. They do not recognize the pride and arrogance of the one who passes on the devils lies.

They have believed themselves to be gods, and think they know, and the believing of the devils initial lie, is leading to many stupid, heretical cults that call themselves churches.

It is time for us, as ministers, to study the Word, humbly, completely. It is our certain source of truth, and the little voices we hear need to be verified to be Gods voice, and not the devils. We hear the devils attempt to make us believe that we are gods and we know. We must renounce that INITIAL LIE of the devil, and be humble in our Bible study.

There are true revelation gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are imparted to us as He wills, and given to meet the need of such wisdom, knowledge, or discernment, for a particular situation in the church. They are not permanent endowments of total wisdom, or of complete knowledge, or of never ending infallible discernment. They are to always be tested and confirmed by the one receiving them, and then by the church also.

murjahel · Aug 28, 2014

THE DEVIL WANTS TO POLLUTE GOD REVELATION TO MAN,

GOD WANTS TO REVEAL BITS MORE AND MORE
TO WHAT IS ALREADY GIVEN TO MAN.

The devil tried and succeeded in polluting the pure mind of Eve, and the knowledge she had already been given from God.

Disguised as a serpent, the devil convinced her that God may have been keeping a secret of knowledge that she may want to know. He convinced her that the forbidden fruit was a key to finding truth. Yet, she was believing a liar, and allowing her mind to become polluted by sin.

Adam allowed the suggestion of Eve to bring his mind into the pollution of sin. We are now nearing the end of this rebellion against God, this pollution of the minds that God had created pure and perfect. Christ will soon return, and this end the devils work against the minds of mankind. He will come, and bring with Him the saints, who have been redeemed from the curse. We will rule and reign with Him for a 1000 years on this earth. Then, a final test, will determine who, of the ones we rule and reign over, will allow their minds to be polluted again. Those who allow this pollution of the mind, will be destroyed, along with the earth. The redeemed, mercifully forgiven, justified, and righteous-in-Christ, saints will then rule and reign with the Lord on the new heaven and the new earth for eternity!!! Our minds will be free from pollution at the rapture, and the minds of the humans of the millennium will also then be free from sins pollution.

So, the devil has planned to continually try to rob mankind of the revelations of wisdom, of knowledge, and of discernment already offered from God.

When Adam and Eve allowed their minds to be robbed of Gods knowledge and substituted with prideful and evilly errant ideas from the devil, it brought to end the first dispensation of mankind, the dispensation of innocence. In it, mankind was on probation. Could he resist the errant offerings of error and sin, or not.
The dispensation of innocence had a very favorable beginning. Everything was perfect, sinless, and under man's dominion. He had only one command to obey, and everything else came natural to him. The acceptance of knowledge not harmonious with what God has already revealed, brought disaster to the human race.

In this age of the Holy Spirit, God is trying to give back needed and timely revelations of wisdom, of knowledge, and of discernment, to bring us to a place where the church will be without spot nor wrinkle. Gods revelation gifts are meant to bring the church out of the errors of carnal wisdom, errant knowledge, and faulty discernment, that has so plagued the church in the ages.

Genesis 2:17
"But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest, thou shalt surely die."

This was their only test to pass. Could they resist the foul ideas of temptation, to make them believe that evil was good? Could they be made to think that God would have tried to rob them of something they deserved? Could their minds be twisted to think that they could rise to the level of God? Mankind failed, due to polluted minds, that twisted the pure and true thinking they once had.

Genesis 3:6
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

Adam and Eve had the power of choice. If God had not given the power to mankind to choose sin or righteousness, mankind would have simply been robots. God's purpose was to test see if mankind could remain innocent, and be true to God's trust, and thereby remain perfect under all conditions. Mere untried virtue does not deserve the name. Goodness is not a passive quality, but a deliberate choice between right and wrong.

God has given REVELATION GIFTS, for the purpose of leading us to righteousness, to power over the lies and deceptions of the devil. God wanted mankind to be wise, knowing, and still be faithful to Him as their Father and Creator. God still knows we can be fooled by the devils wiles, by the worlds stupid ideas, and by our own fallible, deceitful heart. He offers revelation gifts to aid us in our walk with Him, to warn the church of errant and sinful ideas.

God knew Adam and Eve would be deceived and yield to error. He is offering these revelation gifts now in this age, to lead us out of the errors of the past, to victories in this age of SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

People are now corrupt, have a bias toward evil, and are totally unable in themselves to restore their former purity of mind. God cannot be pleased with even the good works of a sinner, for the mind is polluted, tends toward evil. The CORRUPTED mind is universal, and all people must be born again into a new mind that is mercifully given. Total depravity in our minds make mankind unable, outside the merciful grace of God, to please God. Though mankind may possess goodness, civility, good deeds, charity, and seem religious, without the repentance of sins, and the acceptance of God's divine gift of the Lamb of God, i.e. Jesus Christ, and His atonement on the cross for us, there is no salvation from the polluted mind of sin!

Depravity of mind has infected all people. Inborn pollution of our minds will damn everyone who does not find the atoning work of Christ, and accept that atonement as their own. We often need a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a discernment of spirits, to keep us from the mistakes our depraved minds would cause.

Romans 5:12-21
"Wherefore by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many, judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience, man were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

Jesus came to die for our sins, to offer us salvation in His name. He then said it was needful that He go away, that the Holy Spirit could then come. Jesus instructed the disciples to tarry until the Spirit came, so they would have power for their ministry. We are now in that age of the Holy Spirit, and part of the power we need is bits of REVELATION for our ministry.

The tragedy of the corrupted mind, is that many stay trapped in its errors, and do not let revelations of wisdom, knowledge, and discernment from God be the corrector of errant ideas.

Jesus made a way of escape from sins defilement. He made a way for us to be made holy from our sins, so the Holy Spirit could come to teach us and to reveal to us the knowledge we need to minister to a deceived world.

Ephesians 4:22-24
"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt ...be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

God has placed within the mind of mankind - both a soul and a spirit. The soul has the evil tendencies and lusts. It is the part that is polluted due to original sin, of accepting the lie of the devil, and rejecting the truth of God. The spirit is the part of man, that before the fall was "hand in hand" with God. When sin came that grasp to God was broken. Since then, the spirit of mankind reaches out for God. It is never satisfied until it finds God. The soul is reaching out for self, and in self-seeking battles the spirit for control. The soul of man wars against the idea of turning control over to the spirit to seek, find, and worship God.

The REVELATION GIFTS are part of the way in which God redirects depraved minds back to the knowledge, wisdom, and discernment needed.

Ephesians 1:9-10
"Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ."

Jesus died for our sins, redeemed those who accept His sacrifice for sin, and now is wanting us to learn and grow, minister and manifest the redemption of the mind and body from sins stupidity. The flesh and the soul battle our spirit. The fleshly desires can overcome one's spirit, if allowed, and lead one to a wicked life. The battle is on this side of the grave. Our lusts and sinful desires hate our spirit that wants to serve God. If we feed the mind, the lusts of the soul, it will thrive and grow strong. The things of sin and lasciviousness make our polluted mind to be strong in that pollution.

If we feed our spirit - the things of God, the Word of God, Christian fellowship, prayer, worship, etc. - then the spirit will grow strong, the part of us that would want to yield to sin will be weak. The gifts of revelation will aid us in that feeding of our own spirit. As we correct errant ideas from the devil and from the corrupted deceitful heart, we can direct our ministry as God wants us.

Romans 8:1-13
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled un us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, do mind the things of the Spirit, they that are in the flesh cannot please God . If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

Man is a free moral agent. Mankind serves the devil or God -- as he freely chooses. Choosing wrongly allows more pollution into the mind. Part of the revelation of the Holy Spirit to us, comes from the revelation gifts, which therefore are greatly needed.

THE ORIGINAL ERROR OF MANKIND REVEALS SOME STEPS WE MUST HEED SO THAT WE ARE ACCEPTING OF THE REVELATION GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, AND REJECTING OF THE ERRORS OF THE DEVILS LIES.

Adam and Eve allowed the devils ideas to enter their minds, and they accepted that pollution, and rejected the knowledge already given by God.

First, Eve allowed the devil to insert, into her mind:
DOUBT OF GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:1
"hath God said"

Lucifer questioned God's veracity, and injected doubt into Eve. She had not heard the original message of God to Adam, and had heard it second hand from Adam. So the devil used that fact, to inject the seed of doubt, of either Adam, or of God, or of both. There are many today who allow doubt of Gods Word into their minds. This is a horrible pollution, and leads to great sin.

Secondly, the devil:
ADDED TO, and MISQUOTED GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:2-3
"...lest ye die..."

Lucifer implied doubt as to the certainty of death. Many today have added to, or misquoted, or ignored certain parts of Scripture- to satisfy their own desires. Satan wants us to reject certain portions of the Word. If we do, the adding to, the misquoting of the Word of God will pollute ones mind.

Thirdly, the devil put into the mind of Eve:
a CONTRADICTION of GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:4
"...ye shall not surely die."

Lucifer sought to give his denial a rational basis, by casting an aspersion on God. This serpent, making a blanket denial of the truth of God, gave Eve the "authority" she desired to excuse her rebellion. Many look for someone to make a claim against the truth of God, so they can blame their own rebellion on the word spoken by another. The pollution of ones mind soon brings this contradiction of Gods Word. We see it in the world, we see it even in the carnal church.

Then, the devil inserts into the mind of Eve:
a MISINTERPRETATION OF GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:5
"For God doth know... your eyes shall be opened.. ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

II Corinthians 4:4
"...the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not."

Lucifer offers a reason for God to have been untruthful with Adam and Eve. Eve is anxious to believe such an aspersion against God, for it fits in with her desire to partake of that which was forbidden. She begins to believe the devil's implication.

Then, the already polluted mind accepts the devils:
TEMPTATION TO TRANSGRESS GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:6
"... the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise."

I Timothy 2:14
"Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."

The devil has tried to get all of us to this point of trusting another source, other than God, and disobeying the Word of God. Deception is still possible, and that is why there are "false prophets" galore in our day. The Bible is filled with warnings against them. Beware, for disobedience against God's Word is still a temptation that we must avoid, rebuke, and shun.

Finally, it is easy for Eve, and her descendants today:
to TRANSGRESS GOD'S WORD.

Genesis 3:6
"...she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat."

I John 2:16
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world."

How easily we sin. How easily we lose the revelations of God, and accept the deceptions of the devils. We need help, we need gifts of power to have Gods knowledge, Gods wisdom, Gods discernment uttered to us from the Holy Spirit, to correct our difficult times.

The devil still is inserting errant thinking, and that leads us down a staircase of such steps as shown here about Adam and Eve. All of us have so often ignorantly fallen for the same kind of deception as they did. Beware of the polluted sin of the devil, it kills, corrupts, and ultimately damns!!!

[

murjahel · Aug 28, 2014

part b of today's

Because of the pollution of the mind, mans thinking is darkened. We desperately need REVELATION GIFTS of wisdom, of knowledge, of discernment.

I Corinthians 2:14
"the natural man receives not the things of God for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned..."

Those who have pollution of the mind are debased in thinking, deceived by their own minds into thinking they are still pure in thought.

Jeremiah 17:9
"the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?"

Pollution of the mind makes the will to be weak, unable to choose right, unless the pollution is eradicated by the grace of God.

Romans 7:15
"For that which I do, I allow not, for what I would that do I not, but what I hate, that I do."

Mankind is so easily seduced into allowing insertion of pollution of sinful thinking into themselves. We need corrections to the so called wisdom of the world, the so called knowledge of the world, and the incorrect discernment based on errant ideals. The revelation gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to correct all that error, to lead us out of temptation and danger.

Ephesians 2:2
"..in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air..."

Isaiah 53:6
"All we like sheep have gone astray."

Isaiah 59:2
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God."

The revelation gifts lead us to victory, to Gods wisdom, to Gods knowledge, to discernment of spirits from God.

The early church, as founded by the apostles, was not perfect. They struggled too with the mind pollution. They remembered the teachings of Jesus, and fought the pollution of sinful thought. Our churches of today are very different though. In the interim time between our church, and the early church, much has happened. The false doctrines in the early church led to a departure from certain primary factors that had given the early church revival and power.

The early church degenerated into such sins as selling indulgences, forgetting the importance of the prophetic message, abuse of others, dogmatic judgmentalism. The protestant reformation changed some of these, but it soon degenerated into a competition for people with the Catholicism that it had broken from, and soon used infant baptism to try to outnumber the other churches. The abuse and false doctrines have so permeated congregations today, that it bears little resemblance to the original foundation of the church. The church, both the protestant, and the catholic, are greatly polluted by evil thinking inserted by the devil through the ages.

We need to step away from the dogmas of denominationalism, and look to the New Testament, and study the doctrines and truths presented by the early church. To hold onto the present adulterated traditions and dogma, does not result in the power and love the church is to have. Many do not want to admit it, but the powerless, impotent, confused, apathetic, ignorant churches of today cannot, will not, and have not made the impact that the Lord intends. To have revival, we must un-pollute the minds of those in the church. We must get back to the purity of truth, to the Word of God, so that the mission, truths, and sincerity that can be received by the mind of Christ will rule our hearts and minds.

The main thing that caused all the degeneration of the minds in the church is the carnal thinking that has overtaken the spiritual understanding that we are to have. The word for "carnal" is the Greek word "sarkikos" which literally translated means: "meathead." We have a "meathead" mentality in far too many Christians, and this has engendered a "meathead" church. They fought this tendency even in the early church. In our age, we find many churches, many in those churches to have pollution of mind. The meathead mentality is that polluted mind.

Romans 8:6, 10-13
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. ...For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live..."

In Christianity, a "meathead" mentality often re-emerges. It has led many to false doctrines, wrong emphasis, and mistaken ideas. Many in Christianity have wrongly emphasized the carnal life. Many teach how to have carnal riches, how to have physical prosperity, but neglect the many Scriptures about spiritual blessings, riches in heaven, and eternal rewards. When the early church was in revival, they emphasized the spiritual, and mostly, they ignored the fleshly.

We need the gift of discernment to lead us away from such meathead ideas. We need a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom to know what we need to know in our time.

As the revival of the early church subsided, many allowed the pollution of thinking to be more and more on the physical and carnal plane. This led to many problems, some of which we still suffer. We need to cleanse out, with repentance, the pollution of the mind. Let us now begin to have a spiritual minded approach to the gospel. We need the revelation gifts to cleanse the corrupted mind.

We must keep the polluted "meathead" mentality out of our thoughts, as did Paul, and keep the spiritual mind in control.. The "meathead mentality", the pollution of mind, has devastated the most of the church today. We are to ask largely, and not to simply ask God for the minimum. We have a God Who can do "exceeding abundantly above..." all our requests. He had already promised us gifts, revelation gifts, to enable us to be victorious over the devil, and not be fooled by his corrupted ideas.

Ephesians 3:20
"Now unto Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think."

The prodigal son, when traveling home from his rebellious stay away from the father. He only had faith to ask the father for the position of a slave, but the father gave him a robe, ring, shoes, fatted calf, feast, and sonship. The elder brother complained that the younger brother received so much... and the father told him that he only had to ask, and he could have always had it. Many of us are like the prodigal and elder brother, and we ask little, we ask for the wrong things, or are too busy to ask at all.

Why do we ask so small? Why do we think so carnally? Why do we not ask largely? The devil has polluted minds to make many think God is unable. Others, have the polluted mind thinking that their requests should be greedy, selfish requests.

Matthew 17:20
"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Why do we ask a stone, when the Lord wants us to have bread? Why do we ask for Him to help us struggle over the mountain, when He wants to remove it altogether? Why do we ask for a sprinkle, when He wants us to have a flood? Why do you only hope for a tingle of blessing in the worship service, when God wants you to be filled to overflowing. Can God only do the easy? Must we settle for only the little? If you were in the wilderness when the ten spies returned would you have thought God able to give you a land with giants, walled fortified cities, or would you have wept in despair all night as they did?

We need wisdom and knowledge, to know what to pray. We need to desire these gifts so that we can escape the stupid thinking of the world and of the devil. God wants to do so much more for us than we know. We fail to understand His thinking, we need revelation gifts to help us.

God is tired of hearing us ask for crumbs, when He has said: "Come and dine..." Would He have said, "Come and dine" and then only want to give us crumbs? No, He wants to give us great feasts, not leftovers and scraps. God is tired of us asking for a sprinkle of revival, when He has told us to ask for floods of blessing. He has promised that in the last days, the "knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas...." -- so why would He want to give us only sprinkles of blessings? Ask for revelation gifts, and watch the Lord correct our meager faith, our errant ideas, our corrupted thoughts.

murjahel · Aug 29, 2014

THE GIFT OF WISDOM

THE GIFT OF WISDOM is the special, supernatural revelation, from God to the believer's mind, of the purpose and reason for the workings of God. Paul describes this gift in some detail in I Corinthians 2:6-12:

"HOWBEIT WE SPEAK WISDOM AMONG THEM THAT ARE PERFECT: YET NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD, NOR OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD, THAT COME TO NOUGHT: BUT WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY, EVEN THE HIDDEN WISDOM, WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD UNTO OUR GLORY: WHICH NONE OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD KNEW; FOR HAD THEY KNOWN IT, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY. BUT AS IT IS WRITTEN, EYE HATH NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NEITHER HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN, THE THINGS THAT GOD HATH PREPARED FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM. BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT; FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHETH ALL THINGS, YEA, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD. FOR WHAT MAN KNOWETH THE THINGS OF MAN SAVE THE SPIRIT OF MAN WHICH IS IN HIM? EVEN SO THE THINGS OF GOD KNOWETH NO MAN, BUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, BUT THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE FREELY GIVEN TO US OF GOD."

Since the Spirit knows all the things in the mind of God, and He dwells in us, we can freely be given fragments of that wisdom to use. We are not tapping into a great computer, but into the very mind of God who knows - not only all the facts, but also all the wherefore's and reasons behind all the facts.

This gift is the receiving, knowing, and presenting of the wisdom of God, and the purpose of God behind His doings. It is the insight into the divine acts as to how and why God is working. It is the unfolding of the purpose of His dealings.

It is the greatest of the revelation gifts.

Wisdom presupposes knowledge. To just know what God is doing, or what the facts or events are, is not enough. We must also know why, and the purpose of God in these facts.

The gift of discernment tells us "WHO" is at work, whether it is God, or not:

the gift of the word of knowledge tells us "WHAT" God is doing:

but the gift of wisdom is ultimately needed then to tell us "WHY" God is doing these things.

In I Kings 21:18, Elijah is told a word of knowledge- i.e. - to meet Ahab in the vineyard. Then, he is given a word of wisdom:

"WHERE HE IS GONE TO POSSESS IT..."

This wisdom told Elijah the purpose of Ahab. Then God instructed Elijah with more knowledge and wisdom as to God's purpose in sending Elijah there.

The revelation gifts are needed to be received as a package. To have all of them is ideal. There are occasions in the church, where one is given the discernment to know that God is at work in a certain situation. As that discernment is given, another may be given the facts from their gift of knowledge of what is about to transpire. Then God may use a third to reveal the word of wisdom, and tell why God is doing these things.

God can use the different revelation gifts in this way to teach us to depend on each other, as a body of believers. It also helps us to realize the source of the information is God, not some super-gifted person. Yet at many times, because we have not allowed God to use us with these gifts as He would like, God must use one person with all three of these gifts at once.

So it is wise to seek all three as a package, so you may be available to use all three at once, or if God can find two more with these gifts, to be used in conjunction with them with one of the three gifts.

The gift of wisdom is often confused with deep spiritual insight. It is sometimes confused with administrative wisdom. Others may confuse it with prudence or discretion. Yet, it is none of these. It is a revelation from God's mind to us about His purpose to help us understand why He is working out certain events.

How do we recognize the true word of wisdom?

One sure test is "THE FEAR OF THE LORD." Wisdom and knowledge are given to those who have a "FEAR" of God.

Proverbs 1:7
"THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE."

Proverbs 9:10
"THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM..."

Thus, to have the proper respect, and awe for the greatness of the Person of God, is necessary before the Spirit will begin to reveal the thoughts, purposes and facts from the mind of God to us.

There are many reasons for the word of wisdom.

These include:

1. A word of wisdom is given to warn and guide people concerning future judgment. Noah was told a word of knowledge about the flood, but then was given a word of wisdom concerning what God intended to do in saving his family, and in judging the rest of the world. Abraham was told a word about the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. The wise men were warned about the intent of Herod, so they departed and did not return and inform Herod of the Messiah child's whereabouts.

2. A word of wisdom is given to reveal God's plans to those He is going to use. Joseph was told the meaning of Pharaoh's dream. Daniel was told the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams.

3. A word of wisdom is given to assure a servant of God that he has a divine commission. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and told him of his calling to lead Israel out of Egypt.

4. A word of wisdom is given to reveal the acceptable order and manner of divine worship. God revealed to Moses, upon Mt. Sinai, the way they were to worship God.

5. A word of wisdom is given to explain to a prejudiced person that God's love is not restricted to a select few. Peter was told of the foods once considered unclean were allowed to be eaten. Then God revealed to Peter that the Gentiles were included in the gospel message.

6. A word of wisdom is given to assure of coming deliverance in the midst of calamity. Paul told the people of the ship that the ship was to be destroyed, yet God would save every life aboard the ship.

7. A word of wisdom is given so God may declare His future plans. Paul was told of God's plan to include the Gentiles into the church.

8. A word of wisdom is given to assure a future blessing. Abraham was told that he would be the father of many nations.

murjahel · Aug 30, 2014

THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE is the supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God to a Christian. Man has nothing to do with it, except to receive that bit of knowledge that God chooses to reveal. The knowledge will help make a scholar, but being a scholar will never help one to obtain this knowledge.

God does not impart all knowledge, only a fragment that is needed for a temporary need. This knowledge is not acquired by study, but it is a miraculously conveyed knowledge. It is a mental impression, or picture, or vision in which the Spirit discloses some hidden fact or circumstance.

This is not a vocal gift, it may be spoken, but it is received in silence. The gift of prophetic utterance is a similar gift, but the one who speaks the prophecy listens to it as the other hearers. The word of knowledge is given to the mind first, and the use of that knowledge varies. It may be held in silence, as Mary pondered in her heart the facts told to her about Jesus by Gabriel. It may be spoken, as Noah preached about the flood that he was told about.

Why does God give us a word of knowledge? There are many reasons, these include:

1. It may be given to tell us to pray for someone's need, that we wouldn't know naturally.

Sometimes God will tell someone what is in the mind of yourself through someone else having a word of knowledge. This will show you that God is aware of your thoughts.

I Samuel 9:19
"I WILL TELL THEE WHAT IS IN THINE HEART."

2. A word of knowledge may be given to help us recover lost property.

3. It may reveal causes of sickness, or demonic possession.

The Lord revealed to Peter that Satan had inspired Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. So Peter knew the source of the trouble was satanic suggestion. Sometimes in the lives of people today that are troubled by the demons, there is an underlying reason that needs revealed. For Ananias and Sapphira it was their greed and selfishness that allowed the devil to make them lie.

4. A word of knowledge may reveal facts in the lives of others for spiritual correction or profit.

John wrote to the seven churches and revealed their spiritual condition to them. Elijah exposed the hypocrisy of Gehazi by knowing from God what he had done. Through a word of knowledge the hiding place of Saul, amidst the baggage, was revealed. David's sin with Bathsheba was revealed to the prophet Nathan.

5. It may reveal facts for us to use in our witness.

Ananias was told of Saul's conversion and blindness. Peter was told in a word of knowledge about the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, and was told to not use it in his witness until later. Jesus knew about the past of the woman at the well, and thereby could witness better.

6. A word of knowledge may tell us facts to enable us to know what to do.

The location of the Syrian camp was revealed to Elisha. Peter was told of the soon arrival of the men from Cornelius' household.

7. It may be revealed to enlighten and encourage us.

Elijah was told by God that he was not the only one left, there were 7000 more.

8. A word of knowledge may be used to take away the arguments of opponents.

Luke 21:14-15
"SETTLE IT THEREFORE IN YOUR HEARTS, NOT TO MEDITATE BEFORE WHAT YE SHALL ANSWER: FOR I WILL GIVE YOU A MOUTH AND WISDOM, WHICH ALL YOUR ADVERSARIES SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO GAINSAY NOR RESIST."

murjahel · Aug 31, 2014

BEWARE OF FALSE WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE

Paul dealt with the misuse, and the false, the out of order gifts in Corinth. Today, centuries later, we find the devil is still seducing some in the church to misuse, and to counterfeit gifts of the Holy Spirit.

As we watch Christian television, listen to radio preachers, and read many books found in Christian books stores, we are shocked to see many teachings that are errant, but believed by many in the church. The souls of those doing the preaching are sick with deception, error, false doctrine. The hearers are often totally deceived by the false doctrine, not realizing that the things taught are not Biblical, not Godly.

Recently, I have heard preachers give words of knowledge (supposedly)to tell the hearers then to bring an offering. They supernaturally, spoken from God, kind of words of knowledge were to interpret verses that spoke of the type of a lamb, a symbol of Jesus sacrificial death, to be re-interpreted to be a monetary offering, not the Gift of Himself that Jesus came to give in sacrifice of His body. These false gifts were used to claim the verses were directions for the hearers to give them an offering.

The horrible fact of their deception is that the offering referred to was a lamb, and Jesus is the fulfillment of that type. They perverted Scripture with the false claim of a word of knowledge. Their greed blasphemed the passage, belittling and ignoring its true meaning, and making it look like pleasing God was possible with a monetary gift. The truth is that salvation cost the sacrifice of Jesus, and the passages in the Bible that their claim of a word of knowledge refer to that wonderful story of redemption, not to their money claiming word.
Some claim to have a word of knowledge that many blessings could be purchased with an $88, or some other specific amount, given to them. No request is made to accept Jesus, only a gift to buy Gods blessings. Whether the giver is Christian, muslim, saved or lost, does not matter to God, according to them, as long as a certain amount is made immediately, with no time even given for God to confirm in any way. They want it on ones credit card for several reasons: first, there is no time to think it over and change ones mind, and second, they get the money in their account immediately. God does not sell blessings. Jesus has already paid the price for salvation, healing, etc. on the cross. God loves a cheerful giver, not a desperate purchaser. No amount of money buys blessings for a sinner, God owns the universe, He is not a desperately poor beggar.

The list of perverted words of knowledge, the corrupt the truth, that feed their greed, that blaspheme our Lord and His Written Word can go on and on. The deceptions of the preachers, the cunning of hypocritical false prophets, is being used by the devils to rob truth from the congregations.

The Bible predicted such a time to come in the last days:
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (KJV)
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

The passage Paul wrote to Timothy predicts that in these last days, some will depart from the faith. The word depart is the Greek word afistemi meaning to withdraw oneself from what we know is the faith and then they give heed (Greek is proseko, meaning giving ones mind to favor). There is much of giving heed, agreeing with the words that are not Biblical nor godly. Christians are being deceived by evil spirits.

The seducing spirits mentioned are from the Greek word planos, meaning deceivers, imposters. In II John 1:7, we read: many deceivers are gone into the world. Many are still today in our world, speaking deceptive words, issuing fake words of knowledge, giving lying doctrines, misleading people away from truth, and into damnable darkness. This is a very serious situation in Christianity today.

Demons are at work within the faith seeking to seduce and engender false and evil doctrines into the congregations. We refer to devils', and refer to an evil spirits, but the root word means to distribute fortunes'. They are spirits that try to convey the idea that they are giving fortunes of ideas and philosophy. They seek to offer persons whatever is their hearts desire.

Another word translated devils, is diabolos, and means adversary, false accuser.' (I Timothy 3:11, II Timothy 3:3, Titus 2:3) Where ever we see demons at work, there will be false accusations given against those who serve and worship Jesus. That is the nature of devils, that is their whole purpose. Like their head evil one, the devil, satan, the dragon, etc. who is also called the accuser of the brethren'. And like father, like son.

The devil knows that he is defeated, and will meet this horrible end, but he continues to deceive, lie, and attack. He, and his demon helpers, frantically try with their last gasps to lead people from God's salvation. He wants to "gloat" in eternity, that he is not the only one in the lake of fire. His only victory can be the "fools" that the "greatest fool" ever has brought to destruction.

I Peter 5:8-9
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith."

That warns us that the devil is seeking to devour, and the way to resist him is to be firm in the faith. We need to hold the truth, value the truth, and contend for the truth, not being led to destruction by being deceived from the truth. Demons and their deceptive doctrines must be discerned, tested, resisted, and rejected.

Jesus was called by those in His day to be a deceiver. Yet, He was not a deceiver. He spoke the truth, and He did rise the third day. The devil has, since Eve, been trying to convince people that God is the deceiver. Rather, the devil and those who falsely teach his ideas are the deceivers. The faking, the counterfeiting, of words of knowledge is one of the methods of these false prophets. The word of knowledge that Jesus spoke turned out true.

Matthew 27:63 (KJV)
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that Deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Using fake words of knowledge, words of wisdom, discernment of spirits, is one of the methods of the false prophets of the age.

2 John 1:7 (KJV)
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world...

There are some preachers who are currently deceiving many, for they have chosen to believe the devils deceptions.

Do not marvel at this charge that many ministers are his ministers for they preach doctrines that doom souls. The deceptions they preach and instill in their hearers need healing.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (KJV)
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

False words of knowledge often have their origin from evil spirits. False words, claiming to be from God, are rather inspired by devils, with the twisting of Scriptures, providing dreams and visions, and imitation of the true gift of a word of knowledge given in moments of pretend inspiration.

I John 4:1-6
Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone into the world.

We must try and test all visions, of ourselves, or of others. Many have visions, but not all visions are from God. They may seem spiritual, may seem religious, but all visions must be tested. All prophetic words, esp. in these last days, must be tested and verified by the Word of God, and the witness of the Spirit.

THE DEVIL IS WANTING TO DECEIVE THE WHOLE WORLD,
INCLUDING THE CHURCH.

Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

ALL OF US HAVE BEEN DECEIVED AT SOME TIME. WE MUST HUMBLY REALIZE DECEPTION IS VERY APPEALING, AND THEREFORE, WE MUST BE CAREFUL AND WATCH AND PRAY.

Titus 3:3 (KJV)
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Our hearts are prone to believing the deceptions of the devils. Therefore, we need the Lord to periodically search our hearts, and make sure if we are in the truth, or believing of deceptions. The deceptions that get into our soul need to be healed, cleansed from our persons.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (KJV)
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

DECEPTIONS ARE A DISEASE OF THE SOUL.

Corrupt ideas in the brain, guide mankinds behavior to deadly decisions. If one had in their mind, and believed it, that the truck speeding toward them was going to stop before reaching them, they might stand in its way. That false idea in their mind would doom them to certain death. The corrupt ideas in the soul can doom our souls too, if we allow those errant words of knowledge to be believed. We need healed from ignorant deceptions of some false words of knowledge, that do not pass the tests of Scripture.

The devil has gathered some deceivers into the church, with some of them in pulpits, and some of them in high profile ministries with television congregations hearing those deceptions quite often. Like the enemy in Matthew 13, the tares are sowed amidst the wheat, and are doing damage to the wheat.

The devil deceived Eve with a fake word of knowledge. Then the devil could stand back, and watch Eve lead Adam into the same sin. Then, the error of deception has been spreading throughout mankinds history. Yet, it was started by the devil, and mankind has propagated the same error.

The devil is still finding those who innocently listen to his fake words of knowledge. Some accept them, and spread it more and more for the devil.

There are some false words of knowledge, not harmonious with the truth of Scripture, being spread by preachers, ministries, of the church. The devil cloaks and hides his real purpose, disguising his evil reasons, and then lets the deceived preach his lies.

There are some good looking ministries, claiming to be of God, claiming they have had words of knowledge, corroborating visions, dreams, and twisting the Scriptures, but are really deceptions of the devil. The size of the crowd, the success of the offerings, the smiles on the deceived preachers do not indicate that the word of knowledge (supposedly) is truth. If the one in the pulpit is deceived, many in the congregation are soon fooled too.

SEE PART 2 OF TODAY'S

murjahel · Aug 31, 2014

THERE IS A CURSE ON SUCH WORD OF KNOWLEDGE DECEPTIONS.

In the story of the garden of Eden, there was a curse on the deceiver, i.e. the devil, who uttered the fake word of knowledge. There was also a curse on Eve, the one deceived. There was a curse also on the one who listened to her deception and chose to also be deceived, i.e. Adam. There is still a curse on the earth due to that initial deception. The victims of that deception are still suffering a curse. God does not want us to continue in a pattern of deception. He wants to heal our soul of deceptions.

WHAT ALLOWS DECEPTION TO CORRUPT OUR SOULS ?

The Bible gives us precise information, and yet, we often are easily distracted by the devils, that we do not see Gods plain instructions and warnings. There are certain sins which lower the resistance to fake words of knowledge. When we commit those sins, though we often count them as little, yet, they have dire consequences and open us to DECEPTIONS.

1. If we hear Gods instructions in the Word, and do not do them, we open our soul possibly being deceived by evil words of knowledge.

James 1:22-25 (KJV)
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Therefore, if we know to not steal, and we choose to do it, soon we are deceived into thinking it is justified, all right, condoned by God. That deception leads to more and more deceptions. The deceptions plague our souls. We are sick spiritually if we allow deceptions into our souls.

If we lie, and condone the lie, as a white lie, and hope God understands, we are deceiving ourselves. The list could go on and on. Many deceived Christians have been deceived by fake words of knowledge, that start with the sin of hearing the Word but not doing the Word.

2. Claiming we are sinless allows deceptions to molest our souls.

1 John 1:8 (KJV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

There is none of us here upon this earth who have reached sinless perfection. Our wills may be strong, our mind set may be on being as pure as we can be, but the weakness of our flesh should keep us remembering as Paul said, O wretched man that I am. If we allow ourselves the luxury of pride to think we have achieved perfection, that pride is the first of many sins that can lead to us being deceived by fake words of knowledge.

3. Thinking we are special, and unique, and God cannot do well without us, is a sin that will allow further deceptions to sicken our souls.

Galatians 6:3 (KJV)
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Notice how often the Bible indicates the source of deception to be ourselves. Surely, the devil is encouraging this deception, surely, he plants the seeds. Yet, God wants us to remember that we are not innocent in deception, there is a choice made by those deceived, that they chose to allow the deception.

4. If we let our worldly learning be a pride, and want to announce to the world how worldly wise we are, we are thereby open to deception, and have created a gap in the hedge of protection that we once had. We can therefore test a word by our own understanding, and be deceived, not letting the Word of Scripture, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit be our guides.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (KJV)
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

5. An unbridled tongue brings more and more deception into our souls.

James 1:26 (KJV)
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

Deception of fake words of knowledge is engendered by the unbridled tongue uttering more and more words that we will have to defend, and thereby deceive ourselves into believing they are defend-able. In moments of passion, in times of crisis, in times of speaking without first testing, some words of knowledge, later proven to be false, are uttered.

Evil spirits suggest into the minds of those in the church, ideas that may sound good, that may seem to answer the need in which the person is found. Those ideas are dangerous thoughts. They need tested.

There is the real word of knowledge, there are also the fakes. As with all gifts, blessings, and revelations of God, they need tested, and proven.

The 'greatest' of the revelation gifts, is the 'discerning of spirits', and yet, it is also the most ignored and forgotten. We will look at it next, for it can greatly aid in avoidance of deceptions of fake words of wisdom, and fake words of knowledge. stay tuned...

murjahel · Sep 1, 2014

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS is insight into the spiritual realm to reveal which type of spirit is at work in and through a person. This gift is the ability to determine whether someone is speaking or acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, or under the influence of their own spirit, or under the influence of a demonic spirit.

The word, "discerning", comes from the Greek word - "diakrisis." It means - "judging through." This refers to a seeing through of that which is outward. God sees the heart of man, and man looks on the outward appearance. The Spirit, through the gift of discernment, helps us see through the outward, and into the inner being.

There are three kinds of spirits.
There is the Divine, the satanic, and the human.

To know which of these is at work in a situation is very difficult. Sometimes, if on our own, we would only be able to guess. The Holy Spirit can enable us to pinpoint the source.

There are many instances whereby we can see this gift in action.

Elisha perceived a lying spirit in Gehazi.

Peter exposed a demonic influence on Ananias and Sapphira.

Peter also exposed the evil condition of Simon.

Paul exposed the woman who praised Silas and himself, as being demonically inspired.

There is a definite need for this gift today. We have been warned often in the Bible that in the last days, there would be many false prophets, many who would sneak into the church to disrupt the work of the Lord, and many who would fall away from the grace of God. Satan will attempt to deceive the very elect, if possible. The doctrines of devils will flourish in the last days. If we are to stop these false doctrines, and seducing spirits that are so evident in the last days, we need the gift of discernment to alert people to the problem.

The gift of discernment is to be used to:

1. help in delivering those afflicted by demons...

2. discover a servant of the devil...

3. expose plausible error...

4. unmask demonic miracle workers. (II Thess. 2:9

)

There are different methods by which people receive the gift of discernment. These include:

1. Sight - The person actually sees the demonic spirits.

2. Hearing - The person hears God speak a word to them concerning the spiritual activity.

3. Spiritual insight - The person has a kind of knowing, an intuition about the situation.

4. Physical sensation - Some have experienced the hair on the back of the head to stand up whenever the demonic influence is near. For others, the ears burn. Many have reported a sick feeling in the stomach whenever a human or demonic spirit is doing an evil work.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The revelation gifts are best to be sought as a package. When out on the work of the Lord, it is most often necessary to need all three at one time.

We need to "COVET EARNESTLY" (I Cor. 12:31) these gifts, because they are vital to the church. We would see more healings and miracles if the word of knowledge were more in use to tell us what God wanted done, and how, and if there were a reason for the healing not coming yet. All of these revelation gifts need to be in operation daily in the church body. These are not gifts that are only needed several times a year. There are church problems, doctrines, attacks of the devil, etc. that come daily to a congregation.

The operation of these gifts in one's life should not be used as an excuse for not studying the Word of God. Bible study is commanded, and to neglect that command, yet still expect the Lord to give a word of knowledge is presumption. These words of wisdom, and words of knowledge, and the discernment of spirits, come to those who "FEAR" and reverence the Lord. If we reverence Him, we will reverence His Word. If one does not study the Word of God, he cannot adequately test the revelations given to see if they are scriptural and valid.

HOW DO WE OPERATE THIS GIFT OF DISCERNMENT?

1. KNOW YOUR ENEMIES, KNOW YOUR ARMOR, PUT IT ON. WE NEED TO BEWARE WHO OUR ENEMIES ARE, SO GOD CAN THEN BEGIN TO INFORM US OF THEIR PLANS, THEIR WORKINGS, THEIR ATTACKS.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Since we are in a battle against these evil spirits of various ranks and powers, we need the armor of God. There are powerful enemies that we battle in the spirit world.

These beings that Paul is telling us we battle are these:

archas (principalities)
- These are the highest rank of evil power under the authority of the devil himself, these are probably like arch angels of the devil. Perhaps they were arch angels to God before their sin.

exousias (powers)

- These are those immediately under those of the highest rank, these are probably angels that fell with the devil in his original sin, or angels that transgressed later, as in the days preceding the flood when they came and transgressed with women and produced a race of half-angelic giants.

kosmokratopas (rulers of the darkness of this world)

- These are the ones that rule perhaps a 1000 other demons, these are probably the spirits of the giants of the pre-flood days, and they are more powerful than other demons, because they are half-angelic, and half-human.

pneumatika ponerias ( literally, this means "wicked spirits")

- These are the normal demons that we are accustomed to dealing with in spiritual warfare, they came into existence from the humans that were of the creation before Adam, that the devil was to lead in worship to God. They were all killed in the rebellion that came as Lucifer sinned and had these beings worship him instead of God. Their spirits now roam this earth, and they desire to inhabit a human body, since they no longer have a body. They are extremely evil since they have fallen in league with the devil.

They all belong in the abyss, if they are disobedient to the commands made in the name of the Lord. Many demons are already there, to be kept there, until we, who have bound them and put them therein, leave this world, then they return to wreck havoc on the world in the tribulation. Luke 8:31, Rev. 9:1-21

Demons know their fate. (Matthew 8:31-32) Demons fear God, and those who act with the authority of the Lord.

James 2:19
"...THE DEVILS BELIEVE AND TREMBLE."

2. THERE ARE MEN WHO ARE PREACHING DECEPTIONS THEY LEARNED FROM THOSE EVIL SPIRITS, AND WE NEED TO CONTEND, NOT ACCEPT THEM AND THEIR PERVERTED DOCTRINES. YET, REMEMBER, THEY ARE LIKEWISE DECEIVED BY THE ENEMY, THEY ARE NOT THE ENEMY. WE NEED THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE.

Jude 1:3-8 (KJV)
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Due to them not being the enemy, but are deceived and doing work for the enemy, we contend for the faith, and we pray for them to be changed. We can be irritated at seeing them foolishly spreading the deception poison to other innocent victims, but we do need to remember, that they have too been deceived, and that deception cancer of the soul needs healed. Pray for them to be given wisdom, to hear the true Spirit, to find in the Word, the real truth. As for ourselves, we search the Word, and trust it, not them. They are speaking words of deception originating from seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

The gift of discernment can help us recognize them, and then with a word of wisdom and word of knowledge, we can know what to do, and why God wants that done.

3. BEWARE OF HYPOCRISY, and HYPOCRITES WITH SELFISH MOTIVES.

Hypocrites abound, and are often unrecognizable in the natural. The gift of discernment can allow us to know who they are.

1 Timothy 4:1-3 (KJV)
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

The word hypocrisy comes from the Greek word hypocrisis meaning acting in deceit. The word speaking lies is pseudologos, meaning speaking false words. What Paul is speaking of here, is the putting on an act of self denial, a claim of vision/dream/revelation to prove their false teaching.

Some have gone beyond simple deception, but are through greed, or power seeking, willingly deceiving others, knowing that they are speaking words that do not originate from God.

Hypocrites claim holiness, but are evil. Hypocrites claim to be clean, but are unclean. Hypocrites are persons used by deceptive spirits. Like the pharisees of the New Testament time, they are white vessels that are filthy inside, or whited sepulchres full of dead bones.

Many today, in the churches, in pulpits, and on Christian television programs spend most of their time raising their money to be on to again raise money. Their mansions and jet planes do not show poverty, but they fleece the pockets of many poor, hoping they can achieve what the deceivers promise in the gaining of wealth. Jesus is interested in winning souls. Yet, the hypocrites of prosperity preaching do not ask if the giver is a Christian, the promised vision is given for anyone who gives money, regardless of their faith or standing with the Lord. Hypocritical pretense, lying deception, all aimed at raising money is the message.

The gift of discernment is more needed in the last days, than ever before.

4. TEST, DISCERN, SPEAK TO GOD ABOUT ALL TEACHINGS. DISCERNMENT IS NEEDED TO RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE AND MEANING OF TEACHINGS.

1 Corinthians 4:4-5 (KJV)
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

God wants to reveal truth. In order to adequately do so, He must also reveal the hidden things of darkness. Discernment is vital to discern error. The Holy Spirit can give a check in our hearts, and lead us to Scriptures to disprove the deceptions of the devil, before it corrupts our minds.

MORE TO COME

murjahel · Sep 2, 2014

The word, "discerning", comes from the Greek word - "diakrisis." It means - "judging through." This refers to a seeing through of that which is outward. God sees the heart of man, and man looks on the outward appearance. The Spirit, through the gift of discernment, helps us see through the outward, and into the inner being.

There are three kinds of spirits. There is the Divine, the satanic, and the human. To know which of these is at work in a situation is very difficult. Sometimes, if on our own, we would only be able to guess. The Holy Spirit can enable us to pinpoint the source.

There is a definite need for this gift today. We have been warned often in the Bible that in the last days, there would be many false prophets, many who would sneak into the church to disrupt the work of the Lord, and many who would fall away from the grace of God. Satan will attempt to deceive the very elect, if possible. The doctrines of devils will flourish in the last days. If we are to stop these false doctrines, and seducing spirits that are so evident in the last days, we need the gift of discernment to alert people to the problem.

The gift of discernment is to be used to:
1. help in delivering those afflicted by demons,
2. discover a servant of the devil,
3. expose plausible error,
4. unmask demonic miracle workers.

There are different methods by which people receive the gift of discernment.
These include:

1. Sight - The person actually sees the evil spirits.

2. Hearing - The person hears God speak a word concerning the spiritual activity.

3. Spiritual insight - The person has a kind of knowing, an intuition about the situation.

4. Physical sensation - Some have experienced the hair on the back of the head to stand up whenever the demonic influence is near. For others, the ears burn. Many have reported a sick feeling in the stomach whenever a human or demonic spirit is doing an evil work.

The book of I John gives some great tests with which to test the words and doctrines of possible deceivers.

1 John 4:1-6 (KJV)
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

5. KNOW THE WORD.

2 Timothy 2:14-16 (KJV)
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

There are many profane and vain babblings called doctrines in these last days. They teach that there will be no rapture or second coming, that we are to take over the world ourselves, they teach that all are to be rich in money, and our time here should be spent in seeking that carnal mammon, they teach that there is no hell, that there is no judgment, that all will be saved, even if they worshiped buddha or mohammed. Those are all profane and vain. How do we know? We are to search the Word, to be approved of God.

With a knowledge of the Word, and with a personal knowledge of God, we can avoid error, and expose it in others..

If we preach the truth, expose error, we will not have to avoid the profane babblers. Rather, they will avoid us.

1 John 4:6 (KJV)
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

6. CLEANSE OUT THE DECEPTIONS OF YOUR OWN SOUL.

Romans 12:2 a (KJV)
2 And be not conformed to this world... that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our goal is to prove what is the will of God. The word prove is dokimazo in the Greek, and it means to discern, to approve. We need to know Gods will, Gods thinking, Gods ways.

If we are not conformed to the world, we can be transformed into His way of thinking about this world. Gods thinking is good, acceptable, and perfect. We can only do that if we resist the worlds deceptions, and TRANSFORM our mind, by RENEWING it.

We must resist being conformed to the world, and resist having the deceptions that they believe be a part of our thinking.

Conformed is from the Greek word, suschematizo (G4964), meaning to conform to another's example.

We must be not and that means a choice needs to be exercised. We have to choose to straighten out our own thinking, cleanse out from our minds the pollution of corrupt, deceptive thinking.

7. ALLOW THE RENEWAL OF THE MIND BE DONE UPON US BY GOD.

Romans 12:2 b (KJV)
2...but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

If we make that choice to not be conformed to the worlds deceptions, something happens.

It is a miracle of healing, the Bible calls transformed. That is the Greek word, metamorphoo (G3339), meaning transfigured by a supernatural change. If we choose, if we search the Word, if we reject doctrines discerned to be errant, the Lord does a healing work on our minds, and we are transformed, by this renewing of our mind.

Paul tells Titus, a former criminal, that like him, Paul had a soul polluted with deception, totally deceived. Yet, they both were saved, and washed and cleansed by the supernatural regeneration of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit renewed their hearts and minds. We all need to be sure this has been done for us. We need a cathartic healing from deceptions.

Titus 3:3-5 (KJV)
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

This RENEWAL OF THE MIND is a progressive work, for the media, even Christian television, is polluted with deceptive doctrines, errant teachings, and we must constantly be getting cleansing and healing from deception.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV)
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

This catharsis process helps get our thinking, our beliefs, into harmony with Gods thinking. We need to see things as God does, believe things that God does, and when we do, the new man we become, is then renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created us.

Colossians 3:8-10 (KJV)
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:

The Jewish nation once had Gods calling on them to be the missionaries to the rest of the world. They rejected that idea, ceased to do the will of God, and therefore were blinded. That blind deception has made it like a vail on their face, covering their spiritual sight from realizing many spiritual truths. There are many in our day too, of the church, who have strayed from the will of God, who have accepted a vail of deception upon their eyes, who do not know, any longer, the truth of the Lord.

We are supposed to be beholding as in a glass the glory of God, and allowing that glory from Him transform, renew, miraculously change our thinking from deception to truth.

2 Corinthians 3:14-18 (KJV)
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The renewing of our mind, the cleansing of our mind from deceptions, is a process, that ends up with a supernatural, miraculous work upon us by God. We have a part in this, but the end result is a miracle of God on our minds.

The gift of discernment, if we follow those steps, will be easy to test. The testing of all three of the REVELATION GIFTS, is vital and necessary.

murjahel · Sep 3, 2014

THE REVELATION GIFTS
ARE FULFILLMENT OF THE TYPOLOGY
OF THE URIM AND THUMMIN
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The ephod, its shoulder stones, the breastplate, and the two stones inside that pocket, formed the prophetic dress of the High Priest, the speaking voice of God to His people. By means of these items of clothing, the High Priest could learn the counsel and judgment of God on various problems the nation would face. He could then declare the course of action that the people should take. He could sometimes then tell what events were about to happen. This is a gift that all of us in ministry today need also. Jesus is still bestowing gifts to the ministries.

Jesus has sent back the Holy Spirit to enable us to ascertain the will and plan of God, to give us His knowledge in troubling and trying times of this world.

Abiathar (the only surviving priest of the line of Eli) fled to David with the ephod, having escaped being killed at Nob. David, using these parts of the High Priests garments, ascertained the purpose of the men of Keilah was to deliver David up to Saul. (I Samuel 23:6).

At Ziglag, David again consulted the Lords answer through Abiathar and the garments, and obtained a favorable answer. (I Samuel 30:7-8)

Later, David enquired of the Lord, and obtained favorable answers. (II Samuel 2:1). In these three cases, the ark of the covenant was not with David, only the priest and the breastplate on the ephod, with the urim and thummin within it.

God spoke to His people, answered their questions, gave judgment of situations, via the garments of the High Priest. Today, with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, it is not just the High Priest, with the urim and thummin that we can have a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, or discernment of spirits, but all of us have these gifts abiding in our infilling of the Holy Spirit.

The breastplate, is called the breastplate of judgment, and yet, too many have viewed and studied such breastplate, as though it were only a decorative item of clothing. It was so much more, and we need to see what God is showing us in shadow, in type, and in symbolism, with the breastplate, and the two (seldom mentioned) stones that were carried within it.

We do not receive a literal breastplate to wear, nor do we receive literal urim and thummin. Yet, there are spiritual gifts, that those things represented, that we can receive in this age. We need to see what they represent, what they teach to us, so as to be cognitive of the blessings Jesus bestows to us, ministered to us by the Holy Spirit, and planned by God for us.

The URIM and the THUMMIN

Exodus 28:30
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment, the urim and thummin; and they shall be upon Aarons heart when he goeth in before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart continually.

The breastplate and its contents, the urim and thummin, were over the heart of Aaron. The ones to whom we minister must be upon our hearts, must be carried as something for which we have a great loving burden, if we want to have these gifts bestowed upon us in these days. If love is not the motivator of the use of words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and discernment of spirits, we are abusing these gifts and the people we are meant to serve with them.

The breastplate was folded so as to form a bag, a pocket, and the urim and thummin were placed within it. (See Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8, I Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63, Nehemiah 7:65)

Urim means lights, enlightenment.

It is the Hebrew word uwriym, the plural of uwr. Uwr means light, flame, to enlighten, to set on fire. Urim is also translated fire in Isaiah 24:15 wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires., and in Isaiah 31:9 his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion. (See also Isaiah 44:16, 47:14, and 50:11).

Thummin means perfection, integrity.

This is from the Hebrew word tummiym which is the plural of tom. Tom means completeness, innocence, and integrity, upright, perfect.

In the Septuagint, these words are translated with the Greek words delosis and aletheia, meaning manifestation and truth.

These were already made when Moses told about them, and who made them, from where they came, is not told.

The High Priest, with the urim and thummin, became the channel by which God would speak and manifest His opinions and decisions. The High Priest could have been judged harshly for decisions he would have to make. He could have been charged with favoritism, harshness, leniency, etc. But God made the urim and thummin, which in some way revealed Gods judgment. The High Priest became only the conveyor of the Lords message. The High Priest was given enlightenment and integrity.

All of us can have enlightenment, revelation, and Gods revelation of bits of knowledge needed, with the revelation gifts of the Holy Spirit.

James 1:17 shows that God is called the Father of lights, from Whom every good and every perfect gift cometh down. These urim and thummin represent the presence of the Lord, in our hearts, there to give enlightenment, and perfect wisdom and counsel freely to us.

Operation of the urim and thummin

Supposedly, Joseph Smith received plates and instruments called interpreters (urim and thummin) which helped him translate the reformed Egyptian and made from that the Book of Mormon on September 22, 1827. This is, of course, not truth, and a misrepresentation of what the urim and thummin were, and how they operated. For the reason of this Mormon story, many in Christian circles have avoided studying the urim and thummin. In fact, many in Christianity, have never heard of these stones.

There are three channels by which God spoke in the Old Testament. We find them revealed in I Samuel 28:6:
When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by urim, nor by prophets.

Abiathar used the urim and thummin to answer Davids questions and concerns (I Sam. 22:20-23, 30:7-8). But we see that Saul had no dreams to answer his quandary, the urim would not answer him, and no prophet was given a message from God to answer him.

In Numbers 27:21, Eleazar, the priest was to ask counsel for Joshua after the judgment of the urim, before the Lord. Moses had authority over the High Priest, but Joshua was to ask counsel of the High Priest through the urim and thummin. Joshua later failed to get such counsel later (Joshua 9) and was deceived by the Gibeonites.

Many in ministry today, try to use their textbooks from learned ministers of the past, their psychology books from educated scientific minds of the recent past, and from self help books of wise? advice. These pale in comparison to the available counsel of the Lord Himself, our urim and thummin.

The tradition told by the Rabbis was that the High Priest put on his robes and went in to the inner veil. Facing the veil, all alone, with the person wanting to know the answer standing outside. The High Priest would inquire of God, speaking audibly. Then he would withdraw the urim and thummin, and somehow receive the answer. The rabbis indicated that the shining of the stones, one or both, in some way indicated an answer.

Josephus said Now the breastplate and this sardonyx left off shining 200 years before I composed this book.

The Jewish encyclopedia suggests that the urim and thummin were in the form of sacred dice. Hastings Dictionary of the Bible also claims that the urim and thummin were two stones, used by the High Priest in casting lots. Some have in great error thought that we can substitute these urim and thummin with the flip of a coin, or the tossing of dice to get answers. That may be an easy way to get an answer, but these stones represent the wise, personal, direct, and perfect enlightenment that the Lord Himself wants to convey upon those who carry His people upon their heart in love.

A story involving Saul gives us an idea of the modus operandi of the urim and thummin.
I Samuel 24:41:
And Saul said, Lord God of Israel, why hast thou not answered thy servant this day. If this iniquity be in me; or in my son, Jonathan; Lord God of Israel, give urim. But if it be in Thy people Israel, give thummin. Then Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot.

Some things we can note from this story are that the urim and thummin were recognized as a method to find and discern guilt. One question seems to be answered at a time. There was an agreed upon interpretation of the stones beforehand.

In the revelation gifts, in the receiving of wisdom, knowledge and discernment from Jesus via those gifts, we find all the lights and perfections, all the grace and truth, all the mercies and righteousness.

Jesus is the LIGHT, and Jesus manifests forth that light. He is urim. Also, in Jesus, we find PERFECTIONS. He is the thummin. He uses the Holy Spirit, via the gifts of revelation, to reveal His bits of wisdom, knowledge, and discernment that we need in our ministry.

Jesus is the unblemished Lamb of God. He lived a sinless life, tempted of the devil himself, but unblemished, unsoiled by sin. Jesus, as the great High Priest, made manifest the counsels and purposes of God. He is the light to our lives, He has no darkness at all. He is the brightness or shining forth of Gods glory. He dwells within His people, as the urim and thummin were within the breastplate of the twelve stones. And looking to Him, we find all the answers to our problems. The Holy Spirit now manifests the information via the revelation gifts.

The urim and thummin were instruments ordained of God, kept hidden within the pouch of the breastplate. This breastplate was worn only when the High Priest was clothed with the ephod. The urim and thummin were used to find Gods will and guidance. Gods decisions were ascertained with the use of the breastplate and the hidden stones within, were the most vital part of the breastplate.

We, in this age, in the various ministries to which we are called, have Jesus dwelling within us, we have the Holy Spirit infilling us, and we have the wisdom, knowledge, and discernment needed as problems arise, with which to answer the needs. We have all the answers to the various problems we encounter with the revelation gifts. We need enlightenment and wisdom from the Lord, and Jesus is there to speak to us, His guidance, His judgments of the situations, via these revelation gifts. How blessed we are to be in this ministry of Jesus through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The answers are there, abiding within us, upon our heart, and every child of God is now able to have the gifts that the urim and thummin were only types and shadows of what was to come.

murjahel · Sep 4, 2014

THE MINISTRY GIFTS

Ephesians 4:11-16 (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Christians all have an office to fill. There are three offices available. These are:
ELDERS
DEACONS
PRIESTS

All believers are priests.

Even as priests we have a ministry. We may not all be elders (pastors) in charge of a church. We may not all be elected to the position of deacons (board members). But we are all priests, and all priests have ministries.

The gifts of the Spirit are given to aid the church, and to aid our own ministries for Christ.

I Cor. 12:7
"BUT TO EACH ONE IS GIVEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT FOR THE COMMON GOOD."

God places these gifts in the church as He desires. This way, we all need each other.

I Cor. 12:18
"BUT NOW GOD HAS PLACED THE MEMBERS, EACH ONE OF THEM IN THE BODY, JUST AS HE DESIRES."

If the ministry gifts are given for the equipping of the saints for service and perfecting of the saints, then the church would be gravely hurt without them. Spiritual growth is vital to the church body. Some saints do not grow in the Lord. But these gifts are not optional, and we cannot let the clergy try to do all the ministering. There is in this list, a ministry gift that is meant for each saint.

Ephesians 4:11 (KJV)

1. And (Gk = kai = Also, Likewise, Moreover,)
He gave some, apostles; (apostello = a delegate; specially an ambassador of the Gospel, one sent out to a new area with a message of good news of Jesus, the cross, salvation, eternal life)

2. and (Gk. = de = but, in addition to, and then)some, prophets; (Gk = pro - phemi, = speaking forth of things to come, i.e. return of Jesus)

3. and (Gk. = de = but, in addition to, and then)some, evangelists; ( Gk. = euaggelizo = a preacher of the gospel)

4. and (Gk. = de = but, in addition to, and then)
some, pastors and teachers; (Gk = poimen (shepherds, caretakers) (Gk = kai = Also, Likewise, Moreover,) ( Gk. didaskalos = teachers) (literally, ones who are caretakers and teachers)

Four classes of ministry callings are shown here.

apostello

First, one is sent to an area and a people who do not know the gospel of Jesus. They are often called missionaries in our time. They give the good news of what Jesus did in dying for their sins, and that through Jesus they can have salvation.

Pro phemi

Then some come with a message of what is soon going to happen, i.e. the return of Jesus. Signs and wonders, are shown to emphasize the possible nearness of that coming. This encourages the new converts to prepare for His coming.

Euangelizo

Then preachers come. We have marginalized this word in our minds to refer to the ones who seek to win souls, but in actuality of the meaning of this word, it is the continuing preaching of Jesus to the new converts, and to the still unsaved. Soul winning does continue, but it is a broader message than just that.

Poimen & didaskalos

The two are one ministry of caring for the flock, and teaching them, i.e. discipling the new founded church.

Our connotations today of what each of these ministries are, has brought about much contention in the church. Some want to make the first to mean most important, or most in rule. Yet, it means first in timing of taking gospel messages to the unsaved. This is a time order, not an authority order. Jesus is the Head, we all answer to Him. There is no mediator between God and man, but Jesus.

When we apply the original meaning, instead of our connotation of the translated words, we see a plan laid out for which kind of ministry is to work in the evangelizing of the world.

PURPOSES OF THESE MINISTRY GIFTS

Ephesians 4:12-16 (KJV)
12 For the perfecting of the saints,

There are a number of words translated from the Greek to be perfect. What kind of perfecting of the saints is referred to here? This is the Greek word katkartizo. This word means to perfect the relationship and fellowship of the saints. The word for perfect in verse 13 is teleios meaning to reach the end of the process of maturity, holiness, and a finished state.

for the work of the ministry,

for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

We will go into each of these in detail... stay tuned

murjahel · Sep 5, 2014

1. THE GIFT OF PASTOR-TEACHER, & TEACHER

The gift of pastor teacher is one gift, not two. The description of it takes two words to explain. The word, "pastor", means "to shepherd." The elders were all to be shepherds of the "flock." (Acts 20:28-31, I Peter 5:1-5) This word -"pastor" - shows that the elder is to have the God-given ability to feed, lead, and give heed to the church. The second word, "teacher", means that the person is to be divinely equipped to prepare and serve a balanced, nutritious, and spiritual diet.

There is another gift, i.e. Teacher, that is a separate gift from pastor teacher. We shall deal with it shortly.

Every believer is a priest, but some are called to have the "pastor-teacher gift." They are to aid in the leading and feeding the flock.

Elders were to "shepherd the flock" (Acts 20:28, I Pet. 5:1-4). They were not to "lord" over the flock, but to be "examples" to them. This was a position of leading by example and love. Too many, in that day and this day also, try to make the leaders of the church a superior class of Christian. They want almost a priesthood, to "lord" over the laity. This was the doctrine of the "Nicolaitanes" referred to in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The Lord said He hated this doctrine. We are all "priests" to God. The elders were in leadership of the facilities, outreach, and serving of the priesthood. They were not the "bosses" of the flock. Only the Jesus is our "Lord."

Elders were to be "able to teach" (I Tim. 3:2). The early church had a plurality of elders in the local churches (Acts 14:23, 20:17, I Peter 5:1-4). One of them may be elected to head the church, but many "pastor-teachers" are needed in the church. Some teach, some will edify or exhort others in other positions in the church.

Paul said that he was a "pastor-teacher." He described this gift in I Thessalonians 2:7-12:
"GENTLE...AS A NURSING MOTHER...FOND AFFECTION IN LABOR AND HARDSHIP...WORKING NIGHT AND DAY...DEVOUT, UPRIGHTLY, BLAMELESSLY WE BEHAVED...EXHORTING, ENCOURAGING, IMPLORING...AS A FATHER...SO YOU MAY WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF GOD..."

THE GIFT OF TEACHING is one who is supernaturally endowed with the ability to explain God's Word in a comprehensible manner. It is mentioned in several lists (Romans 12:7, I Cor. 12:28-29, Eph. 4:11). Sometimes, a teacher takes no role in the pastor, or shepherding part, but simply is a teacher of the Word of God.

Paul had the gift of teaching. He spent a year and six months in Corinth. There he was:
Acts 18:11
"TEACHING THE WORD OF GOD AMONG THEM."

Aquila and Priscilla were gifted teachers (Acts 18:26).
Those who are teachers will love to teach. They will do it with enthusiasm. They will love to study the Word of God. The gift is supernaturally endowed, yet they will not depend simply on the Spirit for the words. They will take the insight and truth the Spirit gives them, add it to the special insight into the pupils that the Spirit gives, and add much preparation in the Word, and present the truth in a way that startles the understanding of the hearers. Every church should have many with this gift. If it has only a few with this gift, and the other teachers are trying to do it with only natural talent, hard work, or training, -then the gifted ones should lay hands on the others so they may also receive this gift.

The pastor teacher takes an administration role along with the teaching role, assumes responsibility for the flock that he/she is teaching, and is given more leadership responsibilities.

God has set some in the churches that have a calling of being a teacher. The apostles are the missionary, church planters, that take the gospel to new unchurches communities. The prophets are those who speak forth the rhema Word of God. Then the churches so established need teachers to help the congregation to put down deep roots.

The word teacher is the Greek word didaskalos. Some identify this calling with pastor, but the pastor calling has teaching, preaching, and administrating a church.

1 Corinthians 12:28-31 (KJV)
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Paul, Barnabas and others were given a teaching calling from God. This calling is a vitally important and powerful calling.

Acts 13:1-3 (KJV)
1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

God Himself is the Teacher. It is His nature to teach. The opening chapters of the Bible show God as a Teacher. In the garden of Eden, He instructed man as to mans role, mans duties, mans privileges, and requirements He was putting upon mankind.

Isaiah 45:21 (KJV)
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me.

Psalm 27:11 (KJV)
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Psalm 32:8 (KJV)
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.

OUR TEACHERS

God is our Supreme Teacher. He has been instructing for ages, and chooses agents of His children to teach His ways also. Many Old Testament believers obeyed Gods command to teach.

Moses was a teacher, and it was a command from God that he teach.

Deuteronomy 4:5 (KJV)
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

Samuel had a school of the prophets. King Jehosophat sent 16 teachers to all the cities of Judah, to teach the law. Ezra and Nehemiah opened a Bible school in Jerusalem following the captivity. Isaiah said the young should be taught precept upon precept.

Isaiah 28:9-10 (KJV)
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Jesus came as a Teacher.

Matthew 4:23 (KJV)

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Jesus is addressed 90 times in Scripture, and 60 of those times He is called a Rabbi, or Teacher. Nicodemus considered Him a Teacher.

John 3:2 (KJV)
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with Him.

The enemies of Jesus even called Him Teacher, though it may at times have been sarcasm.

Matthew 22:15-16 (KJV)
15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.
16 And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou regardest not the person of men.

Jesus considered Himself to be a Teacher.

John 13:13 (KJV)
13 Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

Jesus commanded His disciples to teach also.

Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV)
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The disciples, and many others since, have obeyed the command to teach.

Acts 5:42 (KJV)
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

The early church was a teaching church. The first persecution was promised by the teaching of Peter and by John. They commanded to teach in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:18 (KJV)
18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

Later, the disciples were charged with:
Acts 5:28 (KJV)
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

Peter responded to their charges about his teaching:
Acts 5:29 (KJV)
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Paul was a teacher. He was appointed to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher:
2 Timothy 1:11 (KJV)
11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul had been a scholar taught by Gamaliel, and well trained in the teaching of the synagogue. Early in the ministry, he taught with Barnabas at Antioch for a year. During Pauls ministry, upon entering a city, he would go to the synagogue and teach. Paul encouraged Timothy to teach and to train other teachers.

2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV)
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Paul taught that the church was to have a teaching ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (didaskalos, teachers);
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:28 (KJV)
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Later centuries have shown many great teachers of the faith. John Wesley was certainly one of the great teachers of the faith. In 1737, he felt called of God, and made the sudden conversion and complete forgiveness of sins as the foundation of his teaching. He wrote books, he traveled extensively, teaching the Word. Many like him have continued the teaching as the early church did.

more on Pastor teacher, and on teacher, to come...

murjahel · Sep 6, 2014

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER

In July of 1780, Robert Raikes, editor and proprietor of the Gloucester Journal, turned his attention to children who were working in the sweat shops of the day, without the advantage of education. He decided to provide activity for them on Sundays, their only day off. He gathered them into private homes, for instruction in reading, writing, and religion. The hours were 10 to 12 in the morning, and 1 to 5:30 in the afternoons. This was the beginning of the Sunday School. The news of it spread, the Queen herself gave her approval. Some clergy disapproved, and tried to stop it.

The Sunday School movement in England preceded the public school. The first Christian tracts came as a result of the Christian schools. Missionaries were then called from those teaching schools. When Robert Raikes died in 1811, the Sunday school enrollment in Great Britain had reached 400,000.

Six years after Raikes first attempt at Sunday schools for teaching the children of England, the first Sunday school in America was started. William Elliot, in Virginia, gathered boys and girls on Sunday afternoon. Both white and black children attended, though at different hours.

Bible teachers were needed. Bible teaching provided more that God could call to be teachers of the faith. In 1790, the Methodist church gave official recognition to these schools. By 1800, there were more than 2000 pupils in the Sunday schools of Philadelphia.

God wanted to bring revival to the world. The beginning of the revival was with the Sunday schools, teaching the Word. Those children grew up, taught more, and a revival broke out in this world that is still having great effects. Teaching is an awesome part of revival.

The elementary schools of the Jewish system of public education were much like the Sunday schools of our age. Jesus attended one like this in Nazareth.

By 1900, in North America, there were 20,000,000 enrolled in the Sunday Schools, Yet, between 1916 and 1940, a steady decline occurred. In one six year period, there was a 20 million drop in enrollment. Many churches in our current day, have dropped Sunday schools, have replaced them with parties, activities, fellowship. Those could have been helpful, if they were in conjunction with teaching. Teaching the Word is a commandment, not a job to be handed to public schools that ban the Bible and prayer. They cannot do the job, will not do the job. The church needs to teach children, teach adults, make teaching a priority.

OBJECTIVES OF PASTOR TEACHERS, AND OF TEACHERS

In all the education of the church today, done by those called by God to be teachers, there are several main objectives.

1. Salvation
To lead each person to a personal experience of the new birth.

2. Biblical knowledgeTo help each person know, believe, obey the Bible as the inspired Word of God.

3. Christian growth
To help each believer grow toward Christian maturity

4. Christian service and living
To lead others into commitment to the Lord, to finding a place for service to the Lord, and to apply Christian teachings to their daily lives.

All this is done, due to many commandments from God. One of the first commandments instructing this teaching calling to operate is:
Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (KJV)
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

Worship is an experience that comes with the relationship we gain at salvation. We get to know the awesome Lord Who saved us, the Omnipotent God the Father Who sent Him, and the Spirit Who now comforts us. As this relationship develops, teaching a vital part, to let us know all the whys to worship. Worship is a fantastic part of our faith. We receive Gods presence in an intimate way, when we worship. We need to know all we can learn about what God has done, that needs to be appreciated in our worship. We need to know what God is doing in our lives now, so we can work along with God in that. We need to know what is going to come to pass, so that the prophetic revelations can be appreciated as we see them be fulfilled. All this requires teaching. The Spirit is our main Teacher, but He employs many saints to work with Him in our education. Our worship and appreciation of God is relative to our having been taught.

A program of teaching should be the foundation of the work of the church, so that all its activities, from worship to witness, can be carried out effectively.

Our evangelism is dependent on teaching. The world is going to have questions, they are going to want answers, and our witness is far stronger if we have an answer to give to every man.

The effectiveness of the church is dependent on the teaching done, teaching receive. The Lord gave a great commission. It did not say to have spaghetti suppers, nor to have a gymnasium and athletic competition. Those may be well and good, but the great commission said:
Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

We have a message to teach, and if we do, they can choose to believe or to not believe. Their salvation, the signs and wonders of the church, are first decided by whether the teaching we do, is believed or not believed. We must become effective in our PREACHING AND OUR TEACHING ministries.

murjahel · Sep 7, 2014

2. THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM

A person with this gift has the capacity to present the gospel message with exceptional clarity. The Spirit leads him to the right place, at the right time to reap a harvest of souls. Just as Philip was led to the Ethiopian eunuch, a person with this gift often finds that he is near a person ready to accept the Lord.

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS

1. Consuming passion for souls

2. Clear understanding of the gospel message

3. Ability to present the message clearly

4. Great joy in seeing people come to the Lord

Every believer is to witness, and spread the gospel message. Yet, there are some whom the Spirit will give this as a special ministry gift. A few have a gift for mass evangelism, as Billy Graham. Yet, many have a gift for face to face evangelism. Philip was an evangelist (Acts 21:8), and he did both public (Samaria), and personal (Ethiopian eunuch) evangelism.

Timothy was told to do the work of an evangelist.

II Timothy 4:5
"BUT WATCH THOU IN ALL THINGS, ENDURE AFFLICTIONS, DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST, MAKE FULL PROOF OF THY MINISTRY."

Obviously, this was not his primary gift. Yet, he still was told to do the work of one. So all may evangelize, but the evangelists have a special anointing to clearly, and powerfully present the gospel message.

The EVANGELIST Calling

Ephesians 4:11-16 (KJV)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

The Lord calls 'apostles' to be missionaries, sent ones, to take the gospel to new areas.

Prophets are sent to preach and speak the rhema of God, identifying how the path to God.

Pastors, teachers, then come and feed the sheep.

Evangelists come and continue the evangelization of the area.

These ministries all fit together, working under ONE Head, i.e. Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8
And ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and ye shall be My witnesses unto Me..."

An evangelist gives evidence of the truth. We all know of those with a gift of evangelism that consider their prime ministry to be winning souls to Jesus. Some of us have a different ministry gift, but still are to be witnesses, and still to do soul winning. No matter what our ministry calling and gifts, we are to make our message to be "Jesus" .

The word witnesses in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word martureo from which we get the word martyr. A martyr is one who gives their life for their message of Jesus. A martyr is one who dies to self all other claims or demands upon their life.

When one will witness "Jesus, they tell what they have seen, heard, experienced In Jesus.

The idea is to disciple others into the family of God. Jesus is the means of entrance into salvation, and witnesses show the means of entry. The word for to disciple is the Greek word mathateuo.

Matthew 28:19
"Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple) all nations..."

Our witness has a purpose. We are to disciple others. Some call this to be converting them. This means to change them, and yes, we do, we change them from damned to saved, from doomed to righteous, from lost to found, from family of the devil and his doom, to the family of God and His eternal joy. Some countries have declared converting one from their faith is a crime.

Our goal is to convert from false religions, from atheism, from agnosticism, to the true and only true way to heaven, i.e. Jesus.

This is repugnant to many, even to some Christians.

So, the job of witnessing Jesus, the job of discipling others to Jesus, is a lost ministry in most areas.

Evangelism is awakening people to their sins, and showing Jesus as the Answer. The Spirit wants to do miraculous things to bring souls to Jesus. The Spirit knows the hurts, angers, problems of sinners, and can speak directly to them.

Evangelism calls for a decision about Jesus. Soul winning is more than causing one emotional commitment time. Many of those ones who have only that are back in sinful rebellion against God before the day is over. Evangelism is to bring a change in a sinners life, and a change that brings a relationship with Jesus, not just an introduction to Him.

The lowering of evangelism to something less than that, is one of the main reasons, we are not seeing the salvation of souls as we should.

The Biblical motive for evangelism, for soul winning, is that we are commanded by our Lord to disciple others to Him. Sinners need Jesus to be their Answer, their new crutch for when they can barely walk, their guide when they cannot see.

Alcoholics turn to alcohol for their answer. If happy, the answer to them is alcohol, if sad, it is the same, and if mad, they likewise turn to alcohol. The alcoholic finds alcohol to be their answer to everything. When one is won to Jesus, Jesus is to become not just their One to meet on Sunday, it is a life style change where Jesus is our Answer for everything, every time in our lives.
To simply get people to agree to an occasional church service is not evangelism.

In evangelism, the person invites Jesus inside, and there, Jesus lays claim to everything in their lives, to all decisions, to all conversations, to all duties of that person. He is now Lord, not occasional visitor, not good friend, not just a one to sometimes thank. Jesus is the everyday, live in, take control of our lives Person.

When the church watered down Lordship of Jesus to things far less, we find that salvations decreased, happiness in the Lord waned, and services were lightly seasoned with blessings. To make Jesus to be "Lord", and to call for commitment in salvation to be an epitome, not a slight deviation from worldly norms, is vital. We need to restore Jesus to Lord, in our own lives, and in the witness message we preach, and then go tell others of Him.

Martyrs were not killed because they insisted on witnessing, they were killed because they could not stop from witnessing. When we have to enlist and we try to make witnessing sound easy enough that all should give it a try, we are out of line. If we try to force people to witness, we are out of place. We need to preach Jesus to be Lord to others, and those who step into that concept will be impossible to stop from witnessing.

Acts 1:8 tells us that this witnessing power comes to us, after the Spirit comes upon us. There is a power to be had in witnessing. It is not just the right words, the right time, it is the miracles of power that accompany the witnessing effort.

Jesus did personal evangelism. The one thief on the cross might have thought it was horrible that he was arrested and sentenced to death, but that turned out to be the highlight of his life. Jesus was there, waiting for that man to be put on the cross next to Him. The power of the Spirit had brought the right people together, in a manner in which the thief could not leave. The power of the Spirit can get those with softened hearts, to your vicinity, so you can lead them to Jesus.

The rich young ruler made the wrong decision. Yet, it was the word of knowledge of Jesus knowing what stood in the way for this young man to be able to serve Jesus as Lord. The power of the Spirit gave that knowledge to Jesus for this witnessing time.

The adulterous woman was part of a scheme of the rich men to get Jesus into a situation that to obey the law of God, He would have to break Roman law. Their tactic did not work, but their attempt brought the woman to Jesus where He could offer her forgiveness. The power of the Spirit brings souls to us, that are softened, and ready for salvation.

Zachaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus was led by the Spirit to that tree, where the Spirit led Him to look up, and invite Himself to dinner. That power of the Spirit working made that salvation possible.

The Lord was led by the Spirit to send all the disciples into town, and He sat by a well. He could have gotten water for Himself, or had one of the disciples get it for Him, but He sat till the Samaritan woman came and He was led by the Spirit to strike up a conversation. The result was the whole city was given a salvation message from her and Jesus. Being led by the Spirit to the right time, the right place is key in evangelism, if we want powerful salvations.

Jesus ministry shows us other tips to being an evangelist. Jesus came to win, not to condemn. He worked with individuals, not just crowds. He recognized the individuals own needs, and addressed them. He presented Himself as the only hope. He used Scripture to convict. He asked questions to get the conversation rolling. He sought common ground. Jesus gave a simple appeal. He refused to argue and debate religion. Those simple principles had huge crowds following Him, and they led to lives being powerfully changed.

Proverbs 11:30
...he that winneth souls is wise...

To win a soul, is our goal. The word for win is a military term at times, with the idea of taking a city. It is also a matrimonial term, as in a woman captivating a man toward marriage. Finally, it is an occupational term, as a fisherman takes fish. So, all three could apply to winning souls. It is wise to win souls. Proof of your wisdom is the anxiousness to win souls.

Jesus did command that we go into all the world and preach the gospel. That is not so much an impetus to do it, we already have that when Jesus is "Lord, it is the scope of that desire that is addressed here. We need to win the world, not just our family, not just those in our vicinity.

We need to have the whole world as our goal. The Jews to whom Jesus spoke were not used to that scope. They had wanted the Jewish God, the Jewish Messiah. But God did not just want a Jewish people in His kingdom, He wants all people of all nations to be in His kingdom.

The salvation message, of Jesus being our only way to heaven, is the worlds only real hope. Materialism is unable to help. Modernism has failed. Atheism has nothing to offer. Evolution has often been proven untrue. False religions cannot get anyone to heaven. Jesus is the only Answer.

A soul is of inestimable value. If you could view hell fire and see the souls there, it would make you want to win souls. The rich man who died and lifted his eyes in the midst of hell, immediately got missionary minded. Nothing else had made him concerned for souls, till he saw what awaits the unsaved.
The Lords return is imminent. The early church often greeted each other with the greeting maranatha which means the Lord is coming.

This should be on our minds too as we witness, to spur us to not miss chances, and not be so patient in our ministries.

Hindrances to our witnessing times include the fear of man.

Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Prayerlessness hinders evangelism. We are commanded to pray for the will of God. God tells us that He does not want any to perish. So, if the will of God is for all to be saved, we need to be praying for that will.

Ignorance of Gods message to sinners creates a problem. If we know the Word, can inform the ignorant of it, the Words will bring them to Jesus.

Hosea 4:6
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...

Paul told the 'pastor' Timothy to 'do the work of an evangelist.' In our Christian life, all of us should often expect and desire to do evangelism. Yet, there is a calling for some in which their primary calling is that of evangelism. They may do some 'pastoring', some apostling', some preaching, some prophesying work, but their main ministry is evangelizing.

more to come on the ministry gift of EVANGELISM

murjahel · Sep 8, 2014

EVANGELISTS ARE THE SEED PLANTERS

Being led of the Spirit is key to this planting process. The miraculous leading of Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch resulted in not only that soul, but the gospel was carried back to Ethiopia, where still there is a church started long ago by that eunuch. Paul and Silas were miraculously taken to the place where the Spirit could soften that hardened Roman guards heart, and bring not only he, but his whole family to Jesus. God wants to lead us to ones who are ready and willing for the seed to be planted.

There are two kinds of witness.

1. The silent witness, as Christ was before Pilate, is one kind of witness. Our life can speak out so loudly, some cannot hear what you say with your lips. Sometimes this silent witness is best, but normally, it is fruitless, unless combined with a spoken witness. Sometimes the silent witness ruins the spoken witness.

You know the silent witness is working, when those to whom you have not spoken a witness come to you, and ask you to tell them about Jesus. They must have not responded to spoken words, so it is only to your silent example they have responded.

2. The spoken witness is commanded. We are told let the redeemed of the Lord, say so..." To believe, and not to witness, is an act of cowardice. Whereas, the witness of our salvation should be normal, natural, and done without effort, it is expected therefore that it flows from all Christians.

The early church remembered well the command of Jesus to witness.

Acts 1:8
"But ye shall be witnesses, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you..."

John 15:16
"...I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit...

Paul continued on in the exhortation to witness.

I Corinthians 9:22
"to the weak, I became as weak, that I might gain the weak,; I am made all things to all men, that I might by some means save some..."

The tragedy is, that too many Christians in our times, do not take seriously that they too have a responsibility to win souls to Jesus. We are to give our testimony, i.e. our seed.

Revelation 12:11
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 need all three of the things mentioned
in that verse, in our testimony.

1. The blood of the Lamb is the presentation of the merciful salvation we offer. If we speak of sin and its penalty, and do not mention that they can be saved, forgiven, and redeemed because of the merciful Savior Who died and shed His blood for us, then we have no hope or salvation to give.

2. The testimony we give is of how that blood saves. The showing the road, the way to salvation is vital. Repentance, confession of Jesus as Lord and Master, and the resulting forgiveness and adoption into Gods family must be shown.

3. The courage referred to in that verse is the final ingredient in a witness. It takes courage, and often presents danger to the witness for their testimony.

Courage needs settled before embarking on this mission for Jesus.

Your testimony is a light in a dark room. Scriptures that verify what you know and have seen, add weight to the seed. With the heart we believe, and with our mouths we confess, and our confession plants seeds. So, the very act of salvation puts one into the role of being a witness, and doing the work of a soul winner.

Romans 10:10
With the heart we believe, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation."

Paul, after his conversion to Jesus, straightway... preached that He (Christ Jesus) is the Son of God..." (Acts 9:20) If you note, in verse 22, following that, it says but Paul increased more in strength." Paul was barely saved, and he was a witness for Jesus. It is the natural, and inevitable thing for a new convert to Jesus to do. The confession we make, naturally and automatically, is witness of our Lord and Savior.

The Samaritan woman, that Jesus spoke to at the well, went into the city, and there proclaimed the Jesus she had just met.

John 4:29
"Come see a Man Who told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ."
So, the if shall we witness is answered by, it is natural to do so. The When shall we witness is different.

There are some common times, that we have grown accustomed to witnessing.

1. For instance, at the close of a church service, is a common time to find some moved by the Holy Spirit, and in obvious conviction, we see opportunity to witness.

Anyone who has preached a sermon, knows that the faces, and body language of the ones in the pews tell you much. Discernment is wonderful, but not much is needed in those situations. You can see the convicted, by their obvious reactions to the pricking of their hearts. To go to those, and witness, one on one, is important. They are in great pain of conviction, and we have the cure.

2. Sometimes, when people are shocked by tragedy, we see chances to speak to them about Jesus.

3. When people are dying and facing eternity, we know to witness.

4. When people are about to make a major step in life, and are concerned that every decision is right, they are more open to talk about the change that Jesus could give them.

5. When terrible reverses shake up a persons life, they are open to the witness of Jesus.

6. When life is at its peak, and things seem to be perfect in most every way, people even then, are open, for despite all the seeming prosperity, there is still something missing. That something is Jesus.

Those are obvious times to witness. Yet, there are other times, that are not obvious. We have to learn to be led by the Spirit, in a powerful way, with miraculous results. A prophetic word to our hearts, from the Spirit, can alert us to witness opportunities.

Jesus sat down by a well, and began a conversation with a Samaritan woman. It ended with a call for the whole town to come hear this Jesus. Paul and Silas were in prison, a Philippian jailer, the whole dungeon of prisoners, all had the witness of Jesus, and again the witness had miraculous results.

We can witness at work, at family gatherings, in sports arenas, outside bars late at night, in letters, in emails and message boards, in hospitals waiting rooms, at dinner parties, etc.

When planting the seeds of witness, first, we must diagnose the case. How much does the person being witnessed to, already know about salvation. The less one knows, the more work must be done in the beginning of the planting of the witness. If the person is well schooled in the salvation gift, then less time will be necessary.

Next, we describe the disease of sin. It is a devastating thing to happen to the soul, and has an already paid for cure. Prescribe that remedy, and its availability. Warn of the danger of hell, if the cure is neglected. Urge immediate decision.

We are not here to convict the sinner. The Holy Spirit already has convinced their soul of its sin, and though with their lips they deny it, they truly do know they are sinners. They are convicted, i.e. convinced of sin.

Anchor the soul that accepts Jesus to the Word. Give him verses to strengthen the faith, to hold to in temptation, to stabilize in the storms of life.

Explain to the former sinner, now saint, that it is vital to share what he/she has received with others.

Speak to the ones to whom you witness, in words they can understand. Have you ever had a doctor tell you what you had, in words that only doctors understand? It is scary, even if all it turns out to really be is a hangnail. Have you ever read your prescription bottle, and seen the ingredients. The words are awesome and totally not understood by the average layman.

The words in our jargon, can be overwhelming to the sinner. Ones head could swim in confusion, instead of conviction, if we try to impress with our peculiar salvation terminology.

One student heard their teacher talking about a horizontal line, and thought the teacher said a horse on the line. It is time to take the confusion out of our witness, and get down to words the person can understand, and then educate them with some of the words, others may be heard saying.

Words like:
regeneration, sanctification, conversion, justification, righteousness, contrition, faith, redemption, and many others, can intimidate the one to whom we witness. Put it in simple terms, and since they will run into these words eventually, educate them to what they refer.

Plant your seed with boldness. There is no reason to be afraid. We offer eternal life, through the Savior from all our sins, and blessed with a forgiveness that is total, and a peace that passes understanding. No one can offer the sinner something better. We are ambassadors to the Savior of the world, One Who will someday sit on the throne of His kingdom, and there rule.

We represent Him, and offer a generous package of His love to them. Be bold.

Our seed to plant in their souls is to be Christ-centered. We speak of Jesus, and what He did for us, what He can do for them. We do not convince of sin, we do not argue doctrines, we do not put the sinner down, we lift Jesus up.

The witness we plant is truthful, sincere. It is based out of the Holy Word of God. This book from which we get the Scriptures we read to them, is proven to be infallible, and authored by God Himself.

We should plant our seed in an audible, yet brief, way. This does not need an hour long sermon, just a simple question or two, and a short explanation of how to have Jesus forgive their sins.

The Holy Spirit leads. We do the simple basics, and the Spirit does the miracle. We are allowed to wonder at His miraculous dealings. We will watch the sinners question, and want to know more and more. The Spirit will be giving answers, and reminding the witness of what they learned long ago, so as to answer those questions.

The sinners will often break and cry. They will feel a hunger for the Lord, and thirst for the water of life, as Jesus offered the woman at the well.

The greatest feeling, other than that of your own salvation, is to help the Spirit in His saving of a soul. The joy will overwhelm you, will give you eternal memories. Plant those seeds, a harvest will come.

The evangelist is one called to make this kind of ministry, their primary calling. Surely, they will teach, preach, intercede, and have many kinds of ministry, but their first calling on their heart will be souls for Jesus. Their love for all kinds of people will grow, they will look beyond the sin, and see the desperate sinner that has no hope but Jesus to save them.

next... the APOSTLE CALLING...

murjahel · Sep 10, 2014

3. GIFT OF APOSTLESHIP

A person with this gift is given a capacity to speak with great authority in matters of faith and practice. The word "apostle" means "sent one." It is one sent out to do a ministry among churches or areas. They are great church starters, revival starters. They are sent to specific situations at specific times to do a special ministry for the Lord. In the local church, one with this gift will be the one who calls at the right time, visits at the right time, to be of special help in a crisis.

The early apostles had been with the Lord. (Acts 1:21-22) They had seen the risen Christ (Acts 1:2-3, I Cor. 15:8). Paul was an apostle. The apostles had one thing in common - they had received their gospel directly from the Lord. Today, there are some who by direct revelation, and the Word of God, speak forth with great clarity and authority the Word of God. Paul was a frequent recipient of direct revelation. He received direct revelation, and spoke with authority on such things as:

resurrection (I Cor. 15:51-52)
church (Eph. 3)
gospel (I Cor. 15:3
Lord's supper (I Cor. 11)
the indwelling Christ (Col. 1:27)

Galatians 1:12
"FOR I NEITHER RECEIVED IT OF MAN, NEITHER WAS I TAUGHT IT, BUT BY THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST..."

The apostles are church planters. Barnabas was an apostle (Acts 14:14). Titus was called a "messenger" (literally, "apostle") [ II Cor. 8:23].

What is an apostle?

The word apostle comes from the Greek, apostolos, which literally means one sent forth, a missionary. In the earliest classical Greek, there was a difference between aggelos (messenger) and apostolos which means more than a messenger. It carries the idea of being a representative of the One sending the message, not a mere messenger.

Jesus used the term, speaking in Aramaic, and there it referred to one sent out with a mission to foreign areas. The word for aggelos would not have been chosen by Jesus and the early church, for it was not just a message taken, but a representative of Jesus speaking His message of the gospel.

The whole world was the desired area into which Jesus wanted apostles to go forth. He had told them go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature... The apostles were those missionaries (as we would now call them) that went first, before the prophets, before the pastors, before the teachers, to present the gospel truths of Jesus. The evangelists, pastors, prophets, and teachers did not have inferior roles, but had roles that followed them in time order, but did not follow in authority.

The Twelve Apostles

Jesus applied the word apostolos to the Twelve with that evangelical mission among the villages in Israel to which He sent them.

Matthew 10:1-4 (KJV)
1 And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Mark 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Mark 6:30 (KJV)
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Luke 6:12-13 (KJV)
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles...

Luke 9:1-6 (KJV)
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.
5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

From those verses, we can learn some things about apostles.

They did carry a message to areas where Jesus had not been known. They had a special calling following a night of prayer by the Lord. These twelve were given authority over sickness, disease, evil spirits. They were to not to stay where they were not wanted, but find areas where their gospel message was accepted. Their message would have been the gospel message, that God had came into human form, to live and die for us, dying for our sins. He then arose from the grave, conquering sin and death for us. Jesus offered to the sinners of those heathen areas a salvation through Himself. The devils powers were not to be greater than the apostles.

When we come to the book of Acts, we see Matthias chosen to replace the fallen Judas, and from then on, the word apostolos is used to refer to any who are sent forth as missionaries to new areas. In those areas, they established churches. Prophets came and began to identify the sins and the paths to building a closer relationship with God. Pastors were chosen to feed the flocks. Evangelists were to then continue the evangelical outreach. Teachers were to teach the Word, and its full message. The plan of God starts with the missionary work of apostles.

In Jesus last message before His ascension, He taught them that they were to continue the missionary work, and to teach and lead others into the same missions as they had been given.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Acts 1:7-8 (KJV)
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Paul, the apostle

Paul vindicated the idea that the word apostle could be extended to many others than the original twelve. He defended his calling with a passion. He claims authority to go forth and reach out to new areas, start churches, and do the miraculous works. Most of his epistles show forth his calling to apostleship.

1 Corinthians 9:1-2 (KJV)
1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

Paul claims to have a personal relationship with the Lord, and claims that his work in winning souls in new areas to that same Lord, is the proof of his apostleship. The ones with a mission to testify of the Jesus Who is our gospel message, in new areas not before reached with the gospel, is the work of an apostle, a term which many have now replaced with missionary.

Romans 1:1-6 (KJV)
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which He had promised afore by His prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 12:12 (KJV)
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

Other apostles

Paul presents Barnabas as an apostle.
Acts 14:14-17 (KJV)
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Paul calls Andronicus and Junias to be of note among the apostles.
Romans 16:7 (KJV)
7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Apollos is called an apostle.

1 Corinthians 4:6-9 (KJV)
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. ...
9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Titus and others were called apostles by Paul.

2 Corinthians 8:23 (KJV)
23 Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers (apostolos) of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

murjahel · Sep 11, 2014

Apostles in the Didache

In the first doctrinal book of the early church, the Didache, penned by the apostles themselves, we find that there were nameless missionaries that traveled from area to area, and occasionally rested near one of the churches. These were called apostles by the Didache. They settled in no church, but rested only there on their way to a new area to which to take the gospel. This is what we today call missionaries, they called them apostles.

The apostles were not a select group of super authoritative saints with ruling powers. They were not the only ones with miracle power. They were not the bosses and rulers of the church. They were not a higher rank than prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists. They were a special calling of ones to go to un-church-reached areas and take the gospel message to them. Like Paul, they often could stay and make disciples of the converts, let them select pastors and teachers to continue the work in the new churches.

The Status of Apostles in the Church

I Corinthians 12:28
And God hath appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.

Ephesians 4:11-12
And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors, and some teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is made up of many members, and each member is included in a certain work for the body. The eyes of the body of Christ, see spiritual vision for the body. The hands help to lift, uplift others. The nose of the body is designed to smell, to detect odor and evil. The ears are to be attuned to the voice of the Lord. The feet are to carry the body about the world, to carry the good news and Gods workings to all places and to all people there.

So, each of us are involved in the mission of the church. All of us have duties and responsibilities. It is a work of ministry. We are to do a ministry (diakonia, which means to attend others with the intent to serve them). This means it is not an office like we often have tried to make it, as though it were a political office, and we are elected to rule. We are not chosen to rule, but to serve.

I Peter 5:3
Neither as being lords over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Too many in one office or another have sought to become lords, masters, rulers of the congregation. This is errant. For no matter what office we hold, we have a work of service. There is but One head, and that is Jesus. All of us have the same High Priest and all the rest of us are priests. The office of apostle does not rule any other. Neither does the prophetic office give any the right to lord over others.

There is a big difference between ensample and lord. Pastors, apostles, prophets, etc, are not to be lords. Yet, we find some today, who want to shepherd over others, who want to be the one between God and man, telling others what God wants them to do. They prefer others come to them for the answers, rather than going to God. They try to cut God out of the fellowship relationship with others, replacing God with themselves in the lives of other saints.

The three groups in which we often find this attitude and doctrine, is in apostles, prophets, and pastors.

The verses given at the beginning of this chapter show the word apostle before the other offices. Yet, is that to mean that the apostle office superior to the prophetic or pastoral office?

In timing of church building, the apostle is the sent one that goes out and starts the church in new areas.

The prophet is second to come, to relate to carnal saints and to struggling Christians, the message to them regarding their Christian life.

The pastor then comes to feed and nurse the flock.

The apostle comes and speaks Gods message to sinners. The prophet comes and speaks to the ones converted to Jesus. The pastor maintains the long range work of feeding the flock, and helping it grow.

There is not hint that the apostles are lords over the other ministries, rather that their work comes first. The teaching of Scripture keeps reminding us that the Lord is lord, and master. We all answer to Him, not to some head person here.

The word apostello is found 133 times in the Bible.. It is used generally of persons upon whom has been given a special mission to take the gospel to an area unreached heretofore. The 70 disciples were sent out with a mission to gather crowds for the Lord Who would be passing that way shortly. The sent out ones are apostles.

Apostles are sent forth. In our day, those who are ordained of the church, with the mission to be sent forth to plant new congregations, are called missionaries. The New Testament concept of apostle is much like our concept of a missionary. The apostle and the prophet are the foundation stones used by the church Builder in His work.

The true Builders of the church are God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, not apostles, prophets, and pastors.

Ephesians 2:18-20
...are built upon the foundation of the apostles, and prophets... builded together.

This shows that the builders are not the apostles and prophets, rather those two groups are the foundation, the beginning part of the work we call the church. We must not try to assume the builder role, for the Lord is doing that work, we are but the parts that make up the church, we are not the architect or builder.

Psalms 75:6-7
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the Judge, He putteth down one, and setteth up another.

The offices of apostle, of prophet, etc. come from God. He chooses. Some may claim to be deserving of those offices due to some talent, skill, accomplishment, educational degree, appointment by a denomination, or by some suffering of trials, of fasting, etc. that supposedly earned it. Yet, those offices are appointments from God, promotions to a great work by the Lord, not of our own choosing, but of His choosing.

The Lord calls us to the office He chooses, and He anoints us with the Spirit to do the work. The Lord gives the words to the prophets, they are not words from the prophets own mind, but words of rhema, speaking Gods message. The prophet is but an instrument used to deliver that message. The apostle is the church planter, sent to begin a work, to do the work first of the evangelist, to enlist members into the body, and to set up the church with pastors, teachers, and evangelists, so that after the apostle moves on, the church can function.

One office should not despise the other offices for their differences. We must be tolerant of different ministries, we must appreciate the spectacular, and the less spectacular workings of the Spirit. We should accept those who do not please us, if they are pleasing the Lord, for they answer to Him, not to us. The awkward and weaker members should be accepted and encouraged, not shunned or shamed. Each part of the body of Christ needs to exercise their work, and be used in the church that all may be edified.

If some get feeling that their work is the greatest, and all others are to yield to them, the body is hindered. For instance if a human arm were to decide that the legs are unnecessary, and the arm took an axe to remove those hindering legs, the body would suffer. Yet, we find that same attitude within the church of today.

Often, we find ones who consider themselves to be prophets to be the ones who give the orders, speak for God, and therefore ought to be considered almost like being God. They want reverence, respect, and acclaim. They want to rule and dominate. They want to assume the role that the Lord is jealously guarding for Himself only.

Some others who are thinking they are apostles, and many of them are not truly apostles for they do not want to be sent forth to plant new works, they want to move in and rule congregations already begun.

Some of these so called apostles want to be the giver of new doctrines, the lord over the saints, the great shepherd who is to tell the others what to do and to think.

Both these groups, the prophets (so called), and the apostles (the self appointed), are errant and that idea is hated by the Lord (see Rev. 2, regarding the doctrine and work of the nicolaitans).

Galatians 1:8-9
For though we, or an angel, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

There are some wanting to coin new words, begin new dogma, start new doctrines under the false assumption that that is what an apostle is to do. The whole concept is un-Biblical, and errant. The gospel given in the Bible is the gospel to which we are to adhere. There is no new gospel coming from the mouths of some thinking they are the new lord for this age.

There are a group of angels who we can call apostle angels. We find them mentioned in Hebrews 1:14:
And they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth (apostello) to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.

Those that the Lord knows will someday accept Him, have angels sent forth, to minister and serve them. These apostle angels are servants and guardians of those who will someday come to know Jesus. Like the human apostles who go forth to the heathen, the unsaved, and minister to them, the apostle angels minister to those the Lord foreknows will accept Him, but have not done so as yet. They do not lord and boss them, they serve them, watch over them, protect them. It is a total misconception, an un-Biblical one, that apostles are to be lords and doctrine conceivers. They are sent forth ones, sent with a mission to serve God, and to serve their new converts, so that a church may someday be strong due to the service by the servants known as apostles.

The authority of the apostles was spiritual, personal. It was not one that was owned, and could be transmitted or conferred upon others at ones own will. God called apostles, He alone confirms them. He alone ordains them to that work. At best, churches and denominations can recognize what God has done, but they do not do it.

The apostles do not have authority over the church or any part of it. They speak Gods message. As believers of the churches, we are to test all ministries, and not take ones own word for their calling. There will be confirmation from the Lord, there will be fruit to ones ministry. As the Didache showed, each church could test one claiming to be an apostle, and either affirm such confirmation by their words and actions, or deny that the person truly was an apostle.

murjahel · Sep 12, 2014

4. THE GIFT OF PROPHETIC MINISTRY

The calling of Prophet
\

Jesus words are not shared with us, until He reached the age of twelve. Suddenly, we see His Words, of which every recorded word we have of His, is of great import. He says then, I must be about My Fathers business."
Imagine what Jesus must have told those doctors of the law! We can only imagine what prophecies of the Word, Jesus gave them new light, and opened their eyes to things they had not before seen. Jesus was about His Fathers business.

The Fathers business is the revelation of Jesus, the revelation of the hope of salvation. Prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy is the Fathers business. Jesus, Himself, was come as fulfillment of the many prophecies of all the prophets of the Old Testament. Jesus was going to fulfill them, and give many more prophecies to the world. He was doing the Fathers business.

There are many false and evil methods of prophecy. In Greece, prophets would use vapors to give a prophecy. In Dodona, prophets would listen to the rustling of the leaves, and the sounds of moving waters, and then give their prophecies. In spiritism, mediums put themselves into semi-waking trances, and demonic spirits speak through them. The Babylonians would cut open animals, take out the liver, and by spots on the liver make predictions. The witches of different ages use tea leaves, crystal balls, tarot cards, lines on the palms of the hands, bumps on the head, etc. to make predictions. In the New Age sects, we find astrology, seances, quija boards, crystals, etc. that are used to give prophecies.

In Christianity, some branches of it, we see some 'so called prophets' telling people who to marry, where to live, what car to buy, what hat to wear, and saying that is their prophetic calling. Those methods are all wrong. They are not sourced from God, and that is not the Fathers business. Some imitators of prophets today, give psychic type blessings and words that are little more than just soothsaying.

Some parts of the Christian church are preaching and teaching a prophetic message that is not Scriptural. They want it to have no correction, no rebuke. This fits well into the plan of the devil, for the Lord wants to clean up the church today, to get it ready for the revival and rapture.

The devil wants to lull the church to sleep, and make it think like Laodicea that they have need of nothing. So, some, following that encouragement of devils, are being seduced into reducing the message of prophets to be wimpy, and blessing only.

If such a prophet had Judas come to him, he would have told Judas something like unto:
"I see you having a financial need. Some have offered you a business opportunity. Take it, but then take that money and plant it as a seed. Your seed will bring great rewards. Your name will be remembered through the ages for your investment."

Would that be an acceptable prophecy for Judas? Hardly!!! Rather, Judas needed warned, and told the whole of truth. There is a seed of truth even in that deceptive prophecy.
If "Demas had come to one of those wimpy prophets, he could have been told:
You have been held back by your associates. You feel blocked from enjoying life as you should. You feel like you are at the starting blocks and the starting gun is about to sound. Race toward your goals. Seek that which you so greatly desire. Do not look back, Youre about to be blessed with the desires of your heart."
Is there a seed of truth in that prophecy? Of course, there is but a seed of truth, but it is not from God, and would lead Demas down the wrong road.

If Mary Magdalene had come to one of these modern day wimpy prophets, she may have heard;
God has blessed you abundantly, by turning your life from sin and degradation to a life of joy and blessing. Take what you have, do not waste it on the temporal. Invest your savings in to helping a ministry. Watch your savings grow. Do not squander it on a dead ministry. Do not waste your savings on that which will die and be gone.

Would that have hindered Mary from pouring out the precious ointment on the feet of Jesus? Would that have made her hoard and seek to get rich, instead of giving her all for the Lord? Yes, it would have. But she did not heed such a prophet, if there were that kind back then.

If one of todays wimpy prophets would have encountered John the Baptist, the prophecy would have gone as such:
"The failures and sins of some have disturbed you, but do not lose your head over others sins. Turn your eyes on the goal of building your own ministry. Those who follow you may be confronted with a choice of your ministry or anothers ministry to follow. Do not let the goals of another to interfere with the increase in your ministry. Purpose to increase, not decrease."

Would such a prophecy to John, if heeded, have hindered the kingdom? Would it have really benefited John the Baptist to have followed such a prophecy? Of course, it would have hindered John the Baptist, if he had listened to that kind of prophet.

The rich man who had barns full of goods could have been told by the prophet who is more interested in carnal mammon and wealth than spiritual goals, something like this:
"There are some who would distract you from gaining and keeping the wealth you have. Look away from those who distract you, or who encourage you to waste it on those who are not blessed as you are, for they would not appreciate it as you do. Plant a seed in various ministries, but keep most for yourself, so you can enjoy the things you deserve. Build more, so you can possess more."

The rich man died as a fool, for he lived by what that prophet would have told him. He would have said amen to the prophet, for that prosperity obsessed prophet was his kind of prophet.

The rich young ruler who came to find what he needed to do, to have eternal life, was told to sell all he had and give it away, and then follow Jesus. The prosperity prophets of today would have asked for a share of it, and told the man to go and prosper more, and send in his monthly partner amount, and he would be fine. The rich young ruler would not have gone away sorrowful after that prophecy, as he did when Jesus told him to give all of his wealth to the needy. But, he could have gained so much more heavenly wealth, if he had not listened to the prosperity seeking prophet.

If Zachaeus had come to one of those prophets, they would not have wanted to say anything negative. They would have avoided talking about reimbursing those he had cheated. They would have only sought a percentage of his gain from that time on, and sought to have him keep his eye on the goal of making enough to prosper their ministry along with his own lifestyle. Zacchaeus would have had a friend, a golfing buddy, and been awarded the gift of the month from the prosperity prophets ministry. But, he would have missed Jesus.

Prosperity prophets seek to enrich first themselves, and then promise to enrich others, by taking what little they have. They offer blessings and no judgment. They do not point out self sacrificial giving with no hope of enrichment on this earth. They offer acceptance, without demand for purity with God. They offer what you want to hear, instead of what God wants them to know and do. Prosperity prophets speak their own words, of their own minds, instead of Gods words of discernment and spiritual value.

There are many various kinds of prophets out there, with various ministries.
Some sound almost Christian, and use the Christian vocabulary. Their dictionary has different meanings for the words, but the vocabulary is the same as the true prophets. The Lord is not pleased with any prophet who does not prophesy as He instructs prophets to prophesy.

So, how is a prophet to prophesy? How do we know the true from the false prophet?

I John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

God has seen fit to pass on the works that Jesus did to us, and we are to now be about our Fathers business, and be a revealer of prophetic truths, be a part of the fulfillment of prophetic truths. It is not often accepted, just as Jesus in His doing of the Fathers business was not accepted. Most who do the work of prophecy, find that attacks come.

The prophets of the Old Testament spoke what God revealed to them.
Sometimes they were called seers, for they were see-ers of visions and dreams.

II Peter 1:21
"Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

Amos predicted a great astronomical catastrophe. Isaiah began his ministry right after such event occurred and first spoke of the fulfillment of Amos prophecies. Elijah predicted three and a half years of drought. Jeremiah predicted the overthrow of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

One prophecy, that needs careful consideration, is the one where Moses predicted a Messiah that would come as a "prophet".
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
15. "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a PROPHET from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me (Moses), unto Him shall ye hearken."
18. ".... I will raise them up a PROPHET from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put Myy words in His mouth, and He shall speak unto them all that I command Him."
19. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words, which He shall speak in My name, I will require of him."

This passage is referred to in the New Testament.
Acts 3:20-26
... "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A PROPHET shall the Lord God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you."
.... "And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear THAT PROPHET shall be destroyed from among the people."
...unto you first God, having raised up His son, Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from his iniquities..."

Prophecy, as defined by God through Jesus, will be a blessing in that it will
turn people away from sin, and it can be a curse, and cause destruction,
if one does not receive it.

Prophets, like was Jesus, are sent by God in times of crisis. They encourage repentance before comes the judgment. They admonish, reprove, console, and comfort the righteous and repentant. They are like watchmen, shouting out warnings to those in danger of the enemies. They may foretell future events, but are mainly used to bring people closer to the Lord, Who is waiting to be their help in the crisis.

Jesus was said to be like unto Moses. Moses came as Gods chosen prophet to reveal the law, and the covenant offered by God for that age. Jesus came to fulfill that covenant and reveal and teach the new covenant, the gospel of grace. Moses was a counselor, a guide to the promised land. Jesus is the counselor, and guide to the glory land.

Most prophets are given visions and dreams. With Moses, God spoke face to face. Jesus came and spoke forth a message with divine authority, by Himself speaking to God, face to face. Now, with the crucifixion having caused the veil to be rent, we can boldly enter into the holy of holies, and stand before God, and hear His Word, so we may continue the work of Jesus, and do the Fathers business.

Jesus came to Nicodemus, and doing the Fathers business, He showed Nicodemus, the plan of salvation. Nicodemus called Jesus to be a Teacher come from God.

The woman at the well met Jesus. As Jesus spoke to her, He prophesied to her of her 5 previous husbands, and that the man with whom she was currently dwelling, was not her husband. She then realized He was THAT PROPHET foretold by Moses.

Many object to prophecy, and most object to the kind of prophet that Moses spoke concerning, and that Jesus showed Himself to be. A council of modernistic, pharisaical, so called scholars convened (calling itself a Jesus seminar) to decide what of the gospels was really spoken by Jesus. They ruled out all the prophecy of Jesus (saying how could Jesus know that?) And most other of His recorded words. Most people, like they, do not understand how prophecy can flow from someone, coming from the omniscient mind of God, to a Person, in that case Jesus. In our case, the same kind of information comes from God to a finite mind, and when delivered as given by God still constitutes itself to be prophetic.

murjahel · Sep 13, 2014

Jesus words were prophetic rhema. Today, a prophet can also be about the Fathers business, and speak rhema words given by God.

The first recorded sermon of Jesus, is found in Luke 4:7-19. He took His text from Isaiah 61, and explained His prophetic ministry, the work He was going to do for the Father, in this way:

First, He said the Holy Spirit was upon Him.
Luke 4:18
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me..."

An anointing by the Spirit of God is a prime necessity in doing a prophetic work. For the ministry does not come from talent or training, but from anointing. Jesus was anointed, and yet, He was well educated in Scriptures, as shown when He talked to the doctors of the law when He was 12. He still needed an anointing of power from the Spirit, to come upon His human body and soul.

Second, He had learned the good news.
Luke 4:18
"He hath anointed Me to preach good news to the poor..."

Without the good news, the world is poor, bewildered, bored, miserable, and ignorant. To proclaim the gospel is good news. Jesus had learned what the good news was, and this is done by study and prayer. He had devoured the Scriptures, studied, and now could be anointed to preach, empowered to share what He had learned.

He did not want to proclaim bad news, and though the gospel does tell of hell and punishment, judgment, and wrath. Still there is good news to go along with that, for Jesus is the fulfillment of Gods plan of salvation from the wages of sin.

Third, Jesus came to miraculously release some from the bondage, and blindness of sin.
Luke 4:18
"To proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.

Freedom and enlightenment are promised to flow out of the prophets words, that He speaks from the Holy Spirit. Some are bound by sin and ignorance. Some are blinded to truth by misconceptions. Some are locked into bondage by grudges and hate. Some blindly grope for help, but do not know where to turn. Some come to church, sing, recite, pray, but never learn what church truly is. The prophets of God, like did Jesus, come to proclaim liberty and sight, and the words that are spoken by them can be the rhema of God, and that rhema has power.

Fourth, Jesus came to set people free from the oppression of the devils. Devils cannot possess just anyone, but they do oppress all saints, as they find opportunity. The oppression can be broken by the words of the Lord, by the words of the Holy Spirit spoken by Jesus, and now by we His beneficiaries.
Luke 4:18
"... to set at liberty, those that are oppressed.

The devils like to oppress people. The devil likes o create depression, hopelessness, heavy burdens, bitterness, and despair. Sometimes, unforgiveness, or similar sin, creates an opening for the devil to do this work. The prophet can come and identify the sin that gave the opening, and then lead the person to correcting that sin in repentance. The prophet then can speak to the demons that have oppressed, and proclaim liberty to the victim of their oppression.

Fifth, Jesus came to proclaim that the prophetic message is unfolding, and being fulfilled. Jesus came to fulfill the first part in that first coming, and He proclaimed details of the coming second part of the prophecy.
Luke 4:19
"... to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

The Lord stopped in the midst of that verse, in the midst of the prophecy given through Isaiah, for the next part of the verse is yet to be fulfilled. Jesus did not come to fulfill that later passage, not yet. He came to fulfill the first part of Isaiah 61, but the last part of Isaiahs message is to be fulfilled at the second coming time. Jesus came to do the first part, and proclaim prophetically about the second part.

Prophets today, that are carrying on the work of the Lord, come to do, and to proclaim. Prophets have a ministry of being anointed to preach the good news, set at liberty those that are bound, give enlightenment to those in darkness and blindness, and to break the oppression of the devil. Yet, there is still a further prophetic message we proclaim. We still are awaiting the coming of Jesus to do the further things He is going to do, and prophets still proclaim in prophetic words, concerning that great event.

Jesus did not come at that time for the vengeance part of His work. He will someday come back and a battle will be won, people will be judged, and Jesus will take the throne of this world by force. Prophets are here now, as was He, to proclaim though, the mercy part, the freedom part, the forgiveness, healing, blessing, rapture to safety part. Fear is not to be our motivating force, now, any more than it was then. We do pronounce coming judgment, but we offer present help to avoid such. Prophets proclaim a fear now, and show why fear is not necessary, for Jesus came to fulfill the first part, of good news, liberty, sight, victory over oppression. Fear is defeated in the love of the Lord.

For three years, Jesus proclaimed and prophesied. He told of a kingdom, He foretold His crucifixion, He told of a resurrection and a home in heaven. Yet, people would not listen. The pharisees, who were the hypocrites of that day, received many a woe from the Lord. For many reject the prophetic messages of Jesus, and of His prophets today.

Finally, during the week of the crucifixion, Jesus said:
Matthew 23:37-38
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not."

Jesus wept, and said to them, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
The Lord wanted to gather them, to proclaim to them, to do for them the things that the anointing of the Spirit enabled Him to do.

Jesus, passing the Temple, said:
Luke 24:
"Seest thou these buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

In A.D. 70, Titus battled down the walls, and though he promised not to burn the Temple, the soldiers anxious to get the gold, burnt it to the ground, melting the gold from that which it had been overlaid. The gold melted and went into the cracks of the stones, and so the soldiers moved every stone trying to get every bit of the gold that had through the cracks. A year later, the land was so devastated and destroyed, the people plowed the land.

THAT PROPHET, as foretold by Moses, had come, and been rejected, and His message was rejected, and so, instead of a blessing, many received judgment.

Today, prophets have the same effect. Those that accept the rhema from God that they speak, are blessed. Those that reject it, are judged.

The great prophecy of Jesus, that Prophet,
was the prophecy of His return.
Matthew 24:2
"For as lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be."

After the crucifixion, the devils biggest fear was the return of Jesus. The devil arranged for soldiers to guard, a huge stone to block, and still Jesus was not kept in death. Now, Jesus has ascended, and gone to heaven, awaiting the time of His return. Jesus did not just teach prophecy, He is prophecy. Jesus is the subject of prophecy. Jesus did not say this is a door of salvation. No, rather, He said I am the door." Surpassing all prophets, for their prophecies dealt with the One to come, and He came proclaiming He is the ONE.

Matthew 24:35
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

Those words of the Lord have not passed away, but prophets today are still proclaiming them. His message is still being given to this world.

Moses had warned:
Deuteronomy 18:22
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but that prophet hath spoken it presumptuously."

All of Jesus words will come to pass. Every prophecy from the Lord is truth, and today, when the Spirit speaks rhema through a prophet, it is truth. Those that do not hear THAT PROPHET, will face judgment for the rejection of the words.
Acts 3:23
"Who will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed.

Jesus wept when He thought of that fulfillment, when He saw those who were rejecting Him. He knew the awfulness of judgment, and that it is a fearful things, to fall into the hands of an angry God." Jesus finished His first part, and now in heaven awaiting the time to fulfill the second part, our Lord is being our High Priest. He is interceding that many will not reject the words that He has shared, and is still sharing through the Word, and through His prophets. Soon, however, He will return, this time as KING OF KINGS. Those who have not accepted His message will be judged.

PROPHETS ARE SENT WITH THE MISSION,
WITH THE COMMISSION OF THE LORD.

John 17:18
"As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so, have I also sent them into the world."

All of the Christians have that mission. We are to do the works of Christ Jesus. This is a vital and important mission. Not many have heeded the call to be about the Fathers business. Many do not even know they are failing a commission.

John 20:21
"As My Father hath sent Me, so send I you."

The same mission that Jesus had, i.e. to be about the Fathers business, is still our mission.

John 14:12
"The works that I do, shall ye do also."

This is why God calls PROPHETS, for someone needs to speak forth rhema words, as did Jesus.

The Bible tells us that saints were first called Christians in Antioch. The word Christian means Christ-like one. Saints need to be Christ-like in nature, in character, and in works. People saw the works, attitude and character of the Lord, and when saints came and continued in the same manner, they were called Christians. Do you need to tell people that you are a Christian? Or do they realize it due to your mission, your words, your purpose, and your anointing?

Look now at that whole passage of Isaiah 61:1-3:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me to:
proclaim good tidings to the meek,
bind up the borkenhearted,
proclaim liberty to the captives,
proclaim the opening of the prison to them that are bound,
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
proclaim the day of vengeance of our God,
comfort all that mourn,
appoint (give permanent place) to them that mourn in Zion,
give unto them beauty for ashes,
give the oil of joy for mourning,
give the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."

Notice that the ultimate goal, the purpose for all the mentioned duties of the Lord, and of His prophets, is that He might be glorified.

This proclamation, which we are to join in the declaring thereof, is to ultimately bring glory to Jesus. He is the Reason that prophets have a message, He is that message, He is to be glorified in all the proclaiming of that message.

Too many are in the silent majority, and do not proclaim, are not anointed to do any work, for they see no work that needs done. They have hidden their faith, hidden the message, neglected to receive the anointing, and hidden themselves in the shadows of the coming night.

Fans of a football team, do not hide their loyalty. Fans of a baseball team shout their encouragement to the team. Yet, the team known as prophets of God, often forget they are in a restoring, blessing, exhorting, freeing, enlightening, proclaiming business. They hide their loyalty, follow afar off, deny the Lord more than the three times, that Peter did. Too many prophets fear the critics, nags, gossips, down-graders, and devils that oppose them. Jesus came to be about the Fathers business, and so should the prophets today.

The power of Jesus was the power of the Spirits anointing.
Prophets are promised that same power.

John 20:22-23
"And when He had breathed on them, He said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

Jesus emptied Himself of His own power that He had while in heaven, and He became a man, and therefore, He needed the Spirits anointing just as do the saints of today. We have the power of the Spirit today, and since Pentecost, we can be filled with the Spirit.

Luke 24:49
"...but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

Many do not seek, want, or desire this power. To be endued means to be clothed with the power. It empowers us to do the Fathers business.

Acts 1:8
"But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me..."

murjahel · Sep 14, 2014

Acts 2:17-21
"... it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and our daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams."

Notice, that they shall prophesy. The prophecy is to be with wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. The passage also states that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Some want the signs and wonders, but do not want the mission. Some want and accept the mission but do not get the infilling of the Spirit. Christ has sent the Spirit back, to not only anoint us, but to fill us. We are to be doing this mission, the same mission that Jesus came to do, with a great power, even greater than the power with which He did His mission.

John 14:12
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father."

The works that we do, should be greater than His. Why? Well, He came before the day of Pentecost, so the anointing that Jesus had was like the anointing on the prophets of the Old Testament. The anointing on Jesus however did not leave, for He never grieved the Spirit as was done by the prophets of the Old Testament sometimes. In the New Testament period, now, we have the Spirit do more than anoint us, He comes and fills us, completely, to overflowing fullness, and out of our innermost being come rivers of living water, which is the outflow of the Spirit.

The power of the Spirits filling is greater than His anointing. Some try to do the work we are given with just an anointing from time to time, instead of tarrying until they be filled with the Spirit. The infilling will give us power greater than used by Jesus in His coming, so our works should be even greater.

Some have no miracles, signs, wonders, in their lives. Prophets today should have signs and wonders.

If we get about the Fathers business, then the signs will follow. Prophets should not seek signs, but seek to do the Fathers business and then the signs follow.

Mark 16:15-17
"Go... preach the gospel to every creature... these signs shall follow...

Acts 2:42-43
"Continued in the apostles doctrine and fellowship... many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

The lack of signs, is due to lack of infilling, and lack of doing our commission. If we do not seek to be about the Fathers business, then the signs do not come. If we seek to do it without the infilling of the Spirit, then the signs cannot be as great.

Acts 14:3
"Long time therefore, abode they, speaking boldly in the Lord, Who gave testimony unto the Word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

If there are no signs, then perhaps the message is wrong. If the message is right, there will be signs and wonders. If the infilling is received, and if it is allowed to flow as rivers of water from within the prophet, then the signs and wonders will be greater.

God never intended for the office of prophet to cease.

Ephesians 4:11
"And He gave some...prophets..."

When Jesus described John the Baptist as the greatest of all the prophets of the past, He said that all the saints were to be greater than John had been.

Matthew 11:11
"Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Moses had prayed many years before:
Numbers 11:29
"Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"

The Lord has answered that prayer of Moses, and poured out His Spirit in this church age upon all who will ask. Then the Lord has commanded that we are to greatly desire and seek the gift and office of prophet.

I Corinthians 14:39
"...covet to prophesy..."

I Corinthians 14:1
"...desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy..."

Many interpret these verses on "prophesying" to refer to short "thus saith the Lord"- type messages in a worship service. I am sure these verses do, in part, refer to that. However, that is only a small part of the larger gift and office of prophet. Often the prophets of the Old Testament stood and gave longer "thus saith the Lord" messages. The prophets were confronters of sin, and defenders of victims of sinners. They stood up to kings, to false prophets, to deceived religious people, and to blatant sinners. They spoke for God, and issued His pronouncements against sin, and gave His warnings of judgment.

This type of ministry is vital for today. In these last days before God's wrath is outpoured on the church, and then the world -- the office of prophet must be expanded. As it was just before the fall of Judah to Babylon, many prophets came on the scene with God's warnings and pronouncements. In the same way, just before God's wrath is outpoured in these last days, an expanded ministry of prophets must come.

Prophets are those who speak for God. They are to be primarily preachers of righteousness. Sometimes they are given prophetic events to foretell. Without any further revelation of future events, the prophecies already revealed in the Bible give us much foretelling prophecy to reveal to the world. Thus, it is an important office. It is vital to these last days. We, as prophets, have a tremendous job to fulfil. We need to accept the office of prophet, and seek the gift of prophecy. We must have the outpouring of the Spirit on our lives as we go out onto the harvest fields to reap the final harvest before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many of the past had the gift of prophet. We notice only a few outstanding ones usually. Yet, Samuel had gathered a company of young men. He trained this school of prophets, and they worshiped God and prophesied. The Lord had Elijah and Elisha train schools of young prophets also. Isaiah had a group of disciples. On the day of Pentecost, multitudes of men and women received the power of the Holy Spirit and prophesied (Acts 13:1, 21:9-10).

Since most prophets have written no books and are unnamed in the Bible, many have thought that the office of prophet is a rare gift. It is not rare. Many of the prophets in our day have been intimidated to possess their gift in secret. They fear to speak of the gift and office, that deep within, they know God has given them.

The multitudes of prophets of today are somewhat confused by a great misconception that they would be presumptuous to ask for this ministry. Yet, we have been commanded to seek this gift and office more than any other gift or office. God has put His call upon many for this office, and they are greatly unaware of the office, its meaning, its responsibility, and its characteristics.

The devil delights in the misconceptions and illusions that he has perpetrated upon Christianity. He has blinded many to the great calling of God. The ones who realize that they have a call and a gift of a prophet... are often untaught in the ministry they have been given.

Remember that the prophets of the Bible were chosen of the Lord. Not one wanted the job. Jonah wanted to go anywhere other than Nineveh. Moses tried to talk God out of his calling. Jeremiah was very reluctant. God overruled their objections, their sense of insufficiency, and their feelings of weakness.

Perhaps God chose them because of their distrust of self. That trait alone, found in all God's true prophets, makes a prophet more able to step out on God's Word, and act in obedience to God alone. This study will show the Bible's teaching on the office of a prophet. Without doubt, one will become more reluctant about accepting a prophetic ministry, as this study is absorbed.

Yet, it will also reveal God's great desire for us to assume the heavy responsibility of a prophetic ministry. Hopefully, in the end, people will obediently "covet" this ministry - even though they feel an even greater reluctance than before.

Of the twelve disciples, Jesus said:
John 15:16
"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you."

Later, the Holy Spirit said:
Acts 13:2
"Separate Me Barnabus and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."

The office of prophet is a calling. God knows that the prophet is going to face great trials. Therefore, in these last days, when even the "least in the kingdom of heaven" is to be a greater prophet than John the Baptist, the Lord has given the Holy Spirit to all who ask. This Spirit will immerse each saint with the dynamic power and authority that is needed for the office.

Joel 2:28-29
"...your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions..."

Joel 2 is a last day prophecy, and we should be more expectant of dreams, visions, and other revelations from God to aid in the prophetic ministry. We should become more educated in prophetic manifestations. This book will explain much that the last day prophets need to learn from Jeremiah, who was a God-given example of a last day prophetic minister.

the SPIRITUAL GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Senior Veteran

Similar threads