We are 1/4 of the way there!
Eph 4:4-6 “There is one body, and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5)
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(6) One God and Father of all,
who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
We have a
two thousand year history of the church, and when has this passage ever been
fulfilled? If you do an internet search, you find that there are as many as
thirty thousand denominations today, and the number is growing. Many of these
will not fellowship with others, will not believe that others are even saved.
There is very little unity of the Spirit, and it is not in the bond of peace. But
Paul speaks of unity in Ephesians chapter four. He says that the five-fold
ministry was given as a gift for and I quote; Eph 4:12-13 “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:” Let’s face facts; this has NEVER happened YET!
This too is
part of the choice facing the church today as it stands poised in a fork in the
road. Facing a fork in the road is a powerful metaphor. We have seen an
explosion of prophets and apostles in the last ten years. It seems that almost
everyone is a self-proclaimed, prophet, apostle, evangelist. Of course, since
the reformation there has been a plethora of self-proclaimed pastors and
teachers. I want us to challenge our business as usual doctrines. How many
modern day apostles are mostly interested in the title, their name on a card,
usurping the Bishop system, and taking an authority that is difficult to
question. How many have adopted the same old doctrine, structure and governing
that has been in place for the last two thousand years?
Don’t get
me wrong, I am not saying you are not an apostle. I am asking; how did that
call come to you? Did the Lord God burn it in your spirit so that it is a
driving factor in your life? Did you doubt it time after time only to have the
Lord reinforce it in your mind? Did people over time, who do not know you,
speak a word of reinforcement? It is really an important time to examine the
source of the call and pray over it. I have already shown that according to
Acts 14:3, the reason for powerful miracles and signs was to establish the
truthfulness of the gospel of grace. Is grace your focus? Is it your driving
factor? Is the gospel of grace the driving force in your life? Does Father
allow you to see people with his compassion? Do you have the drive for an
Isaiah 61:1-3 ministry? Do you see Jesus as the total focus of your being? All
of these are very important questions to ponder and pray over. God wants to
fulfill Ephesians 4:12-13. He wants to establish the pristine gospel of grace
that turned the world upside-down. More to come!!!!
Joe,
ReplyDeleteThis will not happen until believers are broken people. They prefer doctrine and theology over the Person and experience of Christ. The reason for denominations is the same, otherwise the One Man would be seen. Yes, in small pockets he is seen, and according to the first century history, this was there. But today, no.