“SPIRITUAL COVERING” BIBLE DOCTRINE OR ROMAN/PAGAN DOGMA? Must Read!

by Steve Hill (Steve Hill Ministries)

INTRODUCTION:

Sometimes the line between right and wrong in doctrine and practice does not run through the words or even the practice but through the hearts of those involved. People may blame leaders and leaders may blame people. However, foolishness is often driven from both sides! It was the people of Israel that demanded a king when that was not God's will for them. God wanted to be their king! Theocracy is not rule by one man. That is a dictatorship! Theocracy is rule by God. This is fulfilled in the New Covenant with the statement that “the head of every man is Christ”! That is the promise of Jesus, “I will build my church!”

Sometimes the line between truth and error is visible by the emphasis. Truth is in Jesus. It is living and dynamic. Jesus is God of God and man of very man. Logically those two things cannot be true in the same individual at the same time but our universe is not rationally determined. It is relationally structured. Truth is a person! Jesus is both Son of God and Son of Man. We must hold both at the same time to remain true to who He is. If we let go of either truth we end up in the ditch on the other side of the road. To remain in the way to God we must hold both to be equally, absolutely, totally true at the same time! Our minds must worship. They cannot understand, ie, control this! If my mind could do so, it would be God. My mind must worship the mystery of the Son of God who is the Son of Man! All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3)!

Take the example of “spiritual fatherhood” or “ministry father”. There is truth in tension here! Let us see what happens if we emphasize one side over the other. If I mention Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha as well as Paul and Timothy, what do you think of? What would you teach? Most would teach the necessity of having a spiritual father or a spiritual mentor. And that would be half of the truth. However, neither Moses nor Elijah nor Paul had a spiritual father! Paul even uses that fact as part of the authentication of his message and apostleship! True! Read Galatians 1:15- 24! That is the other side of the truth.

Why would the necessity of a spiritual father be taught from these examples and not the other side? What would be the motivation of the heart? If I have a need to be in control and to have people submit to me, I would emphasize the need for a spiritual father. If I am a rebel and want to justify my independence I will teach that we do not need to submit to anyone other than God.

However, if I do not have an agenda, I will teach both sides. 'The head of every man is Christ', Paul declared to the Corinthians in I Corinthians 11:3. And yet in the same book (I Corinthians 4:14) Paul admonishes the Corinthians as his “beloved children”. Truth is living and always in tension! The “head of every man is Christ” and “submit yourselves to one another in the fear of God” are both true at the same time!

Our aim is to be direct. Some may say we are too direct. Being “nice” was never one of my goals in life and being past fifty years old, I am not about to adopt that as a new goal. “Nice” is not a fruit of the Spirit! And in being direct I have Paul as a mentor! In Galatians he asks those promoting circumcision to “go all the way and castrate themselves” (Galatians 5:12, The Message)!

He is powerfully sarcastic when speaking to the Corinthians about their relationships with false apostles! Read II Corinthians 11 in the Message or the Amplified versions!

SCRIPTURES WHICH TEACH SPIRITUAL COVERING BY SUBMISSION TO DELGATED AUTORITY?

SCRIPTURES WHICH TEACH SPIRITUAL COVERING TO BE JESUS ALONE?

I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

The reformation was fought on that one! Do you need a “priest” between you and God to mediate God for you? Doctrinally most present day Christians would say a resounding “No!” to that question. Why then do they allow themselves to be involved in a practice of that teaching? Why do they think they need to be submitted to a leader to be spiritually protected? Where does that come from? This comes from the Roman teaching that salvation is only possible if you are a part of the Roman institution and submitted to a priest.

The acceptance of this dogma by charismatic Christians is driven from both sides. The people do not want to take full responsibility for their relationship with Jesus and trust only Him for their spiritual security so they put another man in that place. The leaders find this dogma very useful for keeping people in their place, ie, in their ministry. In psycho babble this is called a codependent relationship! If Jesus is your head what more spiritual protection do you need? Take your responsibility to be in Christ!

I John 2:24- 28, “But the anointing which you have received from him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;”

In Christ, by the anointing, we are taught the truth. John says that this is the antidote to those who try to deceive. Yes, we have teachers but we have the Holy Spirit and the promise of Jesus that He will guide us into all truth.

Again codependent relationships are driven from both sides. One side needs to be needed and the other side does not want to take responsibility to hear God for themselves. Your protection from spiritual deception is in the Christ and His anointing. Jesus declared that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:4)! That is your responsibility and your freedom!

I Peter 2:4- 10 “a holy priesthood”, “a royal priesthood”, “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”

Our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ and not through any other man! We are all “holy” and “royal” priests. There are no first or second class priests. Only one class!

Why would anyone diminish the doctrine of Christ to let anyone else on the planet take any of His function over your life?

Peter goes on through the rest of chapter two and then through to chapter five talking about how we are to relate to each other as royal priests. He talks about submission to civil authorities and to authorities in the work place, even if what they ask may be unjust. He talks about wives submitting to husbands and husbands to wives “so that their prayers would not be hindered”! His conclusion to this section is in verse 8 of chapter 3, “Finally, all of you be of one mind having compassion for one another, love as brothers..”
The rest of chapter 3 and 4 talk about submitting to circumstances where we may suffer due to the fact that we are a Christian. Chapter 5 talks of relationship to spiritual authority. The leaders are commanded to serve without being “lords over those entrusted” to them. The younger are exhorted to submit to the elders but all are commanded to “be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility.”

When someone asks, “Who are you submitted to?” it is often a loaded question! They have their “covering” and they think less of others who do not! My answer to such a person is, “I am submitted to you!” What an answer! What a reality! Thank you Robert Fitts for that insight! (From a book soon to be published, “Forty Trends...” http://www.robertfitts.com/ ).

Hierarchical submission is not New Testament. There is one Master who is Jesus and we are all brothers. Hierarchical submission is an invention of the Roman/Pagan system. It came in when a pagan priesthood was imposed upon the people of God.

Religion is special people (priests), in a special place (temple), at a special time (religious times and days), doing special things (rituals) for the people which they are not allowed to do for themselves. This creates the power of the priesthood and saves the people from responsibility. That is the “bargain” of religion. You give me your freedom (and your money) and I will remove any sense of responsibility for your life or guilt for your sin. You will enjoy a life free of moral responsibility. Just belong to the institution. You will also go to hell since you do not know Jesus! But who said it was a good bargain!

This religious spirit is the same spirit which slaughtered multitudes who simply wanted to read the bible for themselves. How much of this spiritual elitism has crept into the charismatic church?

Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 140:7 “Oh God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.”

One should know that spiritual covering dogma is wrong simply because it is based in fear. This dogma says that your life is not spiritually protected, ie, that you are open for demonic influence and attack in your life if you are not submitted to someone over you in the religious pecking order.

The kingdom of God is energized by faith working through love. If I truly love people my responsibility as a leader is to press their face into Jesus. Or as Paul said in II Corinthians 11:2, “present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”. That is our job! Apostles and prophets are to be foundational. Foundations are hidden. They hold up the rest of the building and push it into the sky. They are not the covering!

The kingdom of darkness is energized by fear working through hatred. If I have a motivation to control people, I fundamentally despise them. People were made for God. People were made for freedom. My motivation for sowing fear to control and to put myself in a place as a “covering” is really a fundamental hatred of people. I view them as something to be used to benefit my ministry, to run my programs, to serve my vision and generally, to be kept in their place for my benefit.

Psalm 105:39, Isaiah 4:5: “For over all the glory will be there for a covering.”

This was the picture as God took the children of Israel out of Egypt. The cloud by day and the fire by night were their covering. His glory, His presence was their covering. This is the picture as God creates over “every dwelling place of Mount Zion” the cloud by day and the fire by night of the covering of His glory.

Who is your covering? The glorious, eternal, almighty God Himself! His presence in cloud and fire. His glory manifested over my life. This is my Father's world! I dwell in His presence!

If you look to a man to do what God has reserved for himself to do, you will experience increasing fear. You will become more and more dependent upon that man and that ministry. You will more and more deny the doctrine of Christ! You will move more and more into a cult.

SCRIPTURES WHICH TEACH AGAINST SPIRITUAL COVERING?

Matthew 23:8- 12: “Do not call anyone on earth your father for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

In Matthew 23 Jesus is speaking “Woe” after “Woe” over the religious leaders of His day. His instruction to His disciples is very simple- do not call yourselves “Rabbi”, “teacher” or “father” like they do for you have one Father, the Heavenly Father and you have one Teacher, the Christ. And besides, “You are all brethren.”

It does not get any simpler than that. However, we are so used to religious usage of these terms and we are so used to the denial of responsibility that we accept and use these terms for our selves and our brothers. Jesus commanded us not to do this!

What about “do not call anyone on earth your father” do you not understand?

II Corinthians 1:24 “Not that we have dominion over your faith but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.”

Was Paul over the Corinthians in the Lord? Yes, he made an appeal to them as a father. But he is very clear that if he took a place of dominion, of covering, he would no longer be helping them to stand. He would be precipitating their fall.

SCRIPTURES WHICH ARE TWISTED TO TEACH SPIRITUAL COVERING?

Matthew 8:5:13, “I also am a man under authority”

The centurion recognized that Jesus was a man under authority, like himself, and therefore had authority. Correct observation. The centurion was under Caesar and Jesus was under God. However, when many preach this they make a wrong application. They preach, that if you want to have authority, you must submit to a hierarchical structure, submit to me! Well, true enough, if you want to have authority from them in their structure.

But Jesus was not in any structure. He had authority because of His submission to God and that is the proper application of the scripture. That is the application used in Acts 4:19- they refused to submit to the Jewish council and remained faithful in their submission to God. The authority of God comes from submission to God. It does not come from submission to any man.

Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Some teach that the “shadow of the Almighty” is delegated authority and make the claim that the protection promised in the Psalm has to do with submission to such delegated authority. However, Psalm 91 is one of the most powerful statements in all of the scripture of our protection because we are in God! Read it! Believe it! Enjoy it! Do not let anyone reduce the revelation of this Psalm!

WHAT ABOUT “PRAYER SHIELDS” AND “PRAYER COVERINGS”?

There are no scriptures that speak about this. None. No where. Not in the Old Testament and not in the New Testament. Not there!

What are the New Testament prayers about in the face of spiritual attack? They are prayers for boldness! See Acts 4:24- 31 and Ephesians 6:18- 20!

What are the New Testament prayers about in general? They are about revelation of who we are in Christ! That is the issue!

See Ephesians 1:15- 23! Why would you look to any man for protection and covering if you had any revelation at all of where you are in Christ above all principalities and powers? What about Ephesians 3:14- 21? We do not need a man, we need revelation of the “power that works in us” that can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”! Check out Philippians 1:3- 11! The prayer is that our “love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment”. We need to know who we are and what we have in Christ! Same story in Colossians 1:9- 11 and in I Thessalonians 3:11- 13 and in Philemon 1:4- 6.

Prayer does not get answered and prayer is not effective by a multiplier of people praying. Do you get those emails requesting you to send on the mail so that they will get one million people praying so that when they get the million praying the child will be healed from the cancer? That is not biblical faith or prayer! James tells us that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” One righteous man is all that is required. One man in right relationship with God!

I am not more protected the more people that are praying for me. Where is that in the bible? The issue is whether or not I am in Christ and boldly obedient to Him no matter what my circumstances. The battle is a battle of faith- am I in Christ or do I believe my circumstances?

BALANCE PLEASE!

Yes, yes, yes, I know that many use the term “spiritual covering” and they do not mean any Roman/Pagan Dogma. They mean right relationship with the body of Christ, with close friends that they love and are open to hear correction from. Yes and yes, again.

We need relationships which allow us to “speak the truth to one another in love” or we will not mature as Paul says in Ephesians 4:15. Submission is an attitude of the heart not a place in an hierarchical structure. In almost every place in scripture where submission to different authority structures is instructed you will also find the sweeping instruction to “submit to one another”. The brotherhood reality of the royal priesthood is never absent. We desperately need that reality!

However, the power hungry and ambitious will submit to the hierarchy simply because that is the way to power. They will submit to those over them but will not receive from anyone “beneath” them. They are experts in “proper order” but lack the heart of humility. They will do the hierarchy thing but will not do the “one another” thing! They depend heavily upon Old Testament example and terminology such as “the Man of God” complex (that is another story!) but lack insight into the New Testament reality of  “all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28).

This gets even more foolish when one of these leaders “submits” themselves to another leader who lives thousands of kilometres away from them. And then uses that “submission” as part of his presentation to his people, “I am a submitted man. I am under authority.” Implication? “You must submit to me!”
Submission to someone across the world? What does that mean? Do they see how you live? And then no submission to the brothers close at hand because they are lower in the order! That is not a heart of humility. That is a heart of pride! “Pride of life” or pride of position and place, is number one in the satanic trinity. Number two is “lust of the eyes” or materialism and wealth. Number three is the “lust of the flesh”. John Wimber called these three “the glory, the gold and the girls”!

Command and control structures are focused upon position, place, hierarchies and call that “proper order”. When loyalty to the structure, institution or a man takes a higher place than loyalty to the truth we have entered into the ethics of the mafia. Loyalty has a higher value than truth. This is the basic characteristic of a cult. All cults are ultimately concerned with power, money and sex.

Graham Cook says, “I have seen many eunuchs in the house of the Lord and very few fruitful sons” (A Divine Confrontation, page 99). Yes, amen! Men who are faithful to the meetings and to the programs! Men who are submitted. But men who have no faith to do anything for God!

Some of the most faithful people have the least faith! I have seen men who are totally loyal to a certain “spiritual house” to the point of disloyalty to the house which Jesus is building. The dogma of spiritual covering is part of the spiritual technology used to create such deception and to create eunuchs.

Jesus taught that we are all brothers. Paul, Peter, John and James talked a lot about “one another” stuff. How do we do that? Have you ever made a list of all the “one another” scriptures? That is a study!

Better yet- how do we do that?

Related: Uncovering the "Covering Doctrine"

The Next Move of God

by Nicki Pfeifer

One of the biggest dangers Christians face is thinking inside the proverbial religious box. When we talk about “a great move of God” or “revival” we often contextualize it inside a church building. We get visions of people coming to a facility, worshipping God, hearing a fiery evangelist and flooding the altar for prayer.

Even when we take it “to the streets” it still looks a lot like it does inside the church walls. We speak to people using the same language and pray for them just like we do in church, except that the setting has changed.

We preach with Bibles in our hands or set up stages and play the same music we sing on Sundays. We bring church outside the walls of the auditorium but continue ministering in the same old wineskin we’ve used for decades.

If people are not interested in experiencing it inside the church, then why do we think they want to experience it outside the church? Trying to invoke a move of God this way does not recognize ways that God is already moving in people’s lives apart from the traditional activities of the church.

The New Testament church was different. They had an advantage. The fact that they had no buildings or traditions to protect provided them with a wide-open field of thinking. They had no box. For them, envisioning a move of God or describing what revival looks like wasn't hindered by preconceived ideas. They were able to see the world in a whole new light, one that exposed the closed-mindedness of the Jewish ideas regarding the work of God among the gentile people.

Like those first century Jewish leaders, Christians today can become extremely closed-minded about God's activity outside our circles. After a span of 2,000 years, maybe we've developed the tendency to believe that God thinks like us, acts like us, votes like us, talks like us and enjoys hanging with us.

This was especially true with Paul until Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus. That one conversation with Jesus obliterated every preconceived idea and paradigm Paul ever had. Nothing was the same for him after that. Everything in the world had changed for him. He had to reconstruct his entire religious, social, cultural and political worldviews.

Mental deconstruction is usually harder than construction. This is why it was about 14 years between Paul’s conversion and the time he and Barnabas were sent out in Acts 13. He needed time to rethink everything.

After completing his first missionary journey—one that saw more gentiles coming to Christ than Jews—Paul chose Silas and went out again (see Acts 16). With some experience under his belt, Paul and his entourage traversed the length of Asia Minor until they were at Troas on the Aegean Sea. From there, they crossed over to Macedonia and started the Grecian campaign.

At Mars Hill, Paul presented a remarkable and brilliant perspective on the move of God outside the walls of the church. What he said would stun anyone who believe that God moves only in certain ways, with certain people and in certain places (you know—people like us!).

Paul said that God had been revealing Himself in various ways with various cultures from the beginning; that God loves all human beings and is active in bringing them into a relationship with Him through various means (see Acts 17:22-31).

While walking the streets of Athens, Paul saw many idols that the Greeks worshipped. Among them was a statue dedicated to "The Unknown God." The Athenians knew there was a God out there somewhere who couldn't be named in their pantheon yet deserved to be worshipped. Regarding this God and their worship of Him, Paul said, “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).

Did you get that?

Paul affirms that the Athenians had been ignorantly worshipping the God of the Jews—Yahweh. They simply had not known His name and did not have the full revelation of His ways and desires for mankind.

It didn’t mean they were in covenant with God.

It didn’t mean they were born again.

But it did testify to the fact that God was working in their hearts, having placed in them a desire to know Him. Somewhere during their history, the Greeks had come to believe that there was a God whose name they didn't know but who deserved their worship.

God may be moving outside the walls of the church more than we can imagine!

Paul was able to discern God's work in that culture and align his message with that move of God and speak to the Athenians in practical, relevant ways.

After assuring them that God is bigger than buildings and even bigger than our imaginations or abilities to worship Him (Acts 17:24-25), he says God “has determined [nations'] pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:26). That is, it is God who is responsible for the rise and fall of nations, and He establishes their boundaries.

Then Paul adds something else. He says God works among the people of the earth for one reason: “That they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).

Paul is admitting that God has been working all along the course of human history in the nations of the earth. While He was preparing Israel to be a blessing to the other people of the earth, He was also preparing the nations to receive this good news and accept His Word. While Israel was being groomed to be a blessing, God was not far from the other people groups of the earth, grooming them as well to join this community He was blessing.

Human history hasn't stopped moving. So why would we think God has stopped moving? To this day, we must affirm that God is working in our neighborhoods, cities and nations just as much as He is working in the church. If we limit our definition of a "move of God" or a "revival" only to religious services in a building somewhere, then we will miss what God is really doing on the earth.

This is why it is my belief that we cannot define the next move of God by the last move of God. It is not wise for us, as Christians, to try to recreate past revivals and moves of God. We must have an open mind and look outside our religious box to see where God is going.

It may surprise many believers to know that God is speaking to people outside the church. Some people may even believe it is impossible for God to give revelation to a “heathen.” But Paul didn’t. In Acts 17:28 he affirmed that Greek poets had spoken the truth about God! He said: “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”

Not only were the people of Athens worshipping the God of the Bible but their poets also were actually receiving revelation about Him and His desire to have a relationship with all people. This is quite an amazing observation and admission for a devout Jew who formerly believed the rabbinical saying that gentiles were created to “fuel the fires of hell.”

Jesus said in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit will come to “convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come” (emphasis added). We should not think it strange that when the Holy Spirit was poured out on “all flesh” (Acts 2:16-21) people outside the church would receive bits and pieces of revelation that could ultimately lead them to Christ.

Paul also said in Romans 1:19 that “what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (emphasis added). This verse asserts that God is working inside the hearts of people all over the world, revealing truth to them.

Besides speaking internally to them, God also speaks to them eternally through nature, as Paul acknowledges: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

I have to admit—most of the time I’m looking outside the walls of the church these days to find the move of God.

If we can discern God in the culture the way Paul did, then we will be able to see how to bring in the harvest. The harvest tells you when it’s time to reap; you reap on the harvest’s terms, not your own!

What I see God doing in the culture is exciting. More and more people are looking for what’s real. They are nauseated by what’s fake and phony. Slick productions are being replaced by reality TV. People value participation. They would rather upload their own video on You Tube than watch one on television.

People want to connect with each other. The global community is getting smaller as combinations of technology drive everything from the global economy to the uprisings of the so-called Arab Spring.

Can you see it?

Like Paul, do you see God in all this?

About the author: Nicki Pfeifer is co-founder with her husband, Mark, of Open Door Ministries in Chillicothe, Ohio (opendoorohio.com), where they serve as senior pastors. They are also the founders of Mark and Nicki Pfiefer Ministries (markandnicki.com), and Nicki is the founder of the Fire School of Prophetic Training, which has locations throughout the U.S., Asia and Africa. A recognized prophetic voice, Nicki is in demand as a speaker at conferences in the United States and other countries.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

by Rob Winters

In March of this year, approximately a week after the earthquake in Japan, I abruptly awoke at 1:23 a.m. I did not give it much thought, until I again suddenly awoke at precisely 1:23 a.m. the very next night. Knowing that the Lord was speaking through this prophetic sign, I carefully examined all the 1:23, 1:2-3, 12:3 and 123 scriptures in the Bible. I discovered in the 123 verses a clear prophetic message to America. The first thing that caught my attention was that two of the 123 scripture passages in the Gospels proclaim a sober message to prepare the way of the Lord, by making a straight path for Him.

John 1:23 says: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Mark 1:2-3: “As it is written in the prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”

There are many aspects to New Testament prophetic ministry, including signs, wonders, miracles and prophecy. However, the missing ingredient in many prophetic ministries today is repentance preaching. Unfortunately, over the past several years, many have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, proclaiming what the church wants to hear, instead of what the church needs to hear.

In contrast, John the Baptist, without one recorded sign, wonder or miracle prepared the way for Jesus’ first coming by simply preaching a message and administering a baptism of repentance. Today the Lord seeks to condition and commission a prophetic company of ministers with a message and mantle of repentance, in order to prepare the way not only for an unprecedented, worldwide revival and end-time harvest, but also for Jesus’ second coming. Therefore, judgment must first begin in the house of God, starting with the foundation—His apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (1 Pet. 4:17).

Before we can prepare the way of the Lord, we must be prepared by the Lord. In other words, before we can make straight the way of the Lord, we have to straighten up. Indeed, America’s pulpiteers must experience a purging and cleansing prior to the corporate purification and transformation of our churches into temples of glory.

Ministers must therefore lead by example—confessing and forsaking sins such as ambition, greed, pride, jealousy, prayerlessness and pornography. Without genuine repentance, anointed and convicting messages of repentance will not be heralded from America’s pulpits, and the church at large will be left to drown in a quagmire of sin.

Because of the Sins of Her Prophets
After years of intercession for and passionate prophetic pleas to his beloved Israel, the prophet Jeremiah was heart-broken over Israel’s take-over and exile to Babylon. Jeremiah’s lamentations, recorded in Scripture, reveal that the root cause of Israel’s backslidden spiritual condition and resultant captivity was “because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests” (Lam. 4:12-13).

In the Old Covenant, prophets, priests and kings were divinely delegated, authoritative offices through which the Lord achieved His purposes. Prophets proclaimed and kings executed divine will, purpose and direction. Priests, on the other hand, interceded to God in behalf of the people.

However, in the New Covenant, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers comprise the foundational authority structure of the church. Through these offices, the church—Christ’s ambassadorship of kings and priests, is edified and equipped to execute the Lord’s end-time purposes in every kingdom of this world. These earthly kingdoms include governmental, educational, marketplace, media, arts and entertainment venues of our culture (Eph. 4:11-12, 2 Cor. 5:20, Rev. 5:10).

Therefore, the degeneracy and looming judgment of America is due to the sins of not only our prophets, but also the entire authority structure of the church, which includes pastors, teachers, evangelists and apostles.

For example, some pastors, for fear of losing members, have cowered from preaching on tithing and fasting or against adultery and fornication. Apprehensive of losing popularity, financial support and airtime, some evangelists have refrained from decrying sins such as abortion, pornography and drunkenness. In order to maintain friendly associations and not “rock the boat”, some apostles have failed to raise higher standards for righteous and holy living, prayer, and accountability for their network members. Indeed, ministers’ fear of man and love of money not only have kept America spiritually lukewarm, but also have prevented revival fires from burning throughout our nation.

To continue reading this prophetic message, click here and go to "Prepare the Way of the Lord: July 2011."

About the author: Rob Winters is president and co-founder of Prepare the Way International, an itinerant prophetic ministry based in Phoenix. Prepare the Way's mission is to ignite a spiritual revolution and reformation in America through preaching repentance, prophesying restoration and promoting revival. Material in today's Prophetic Insight was adapted from Prepare the Way's prophetic bulletin, The Messenger. The newsletter is available on the ministry's website, preparethewayint.com.

The New Apostolic Reformation Is Not a Cult

Posted 5:00PM EDT 8/24/2011 C. Peter Wagner

NPR on Wednesday published an article called, "The New Apostolic Reformation: The Evangelicals Engaged in Spiritual Warfare." The article names C. Peter Wagner as the movement's architect and ties Texas Gov. Rick Perry and other politicians to NAR in a negative light. Wagner has been observing how the media is working to taint Christian political candidates with false notions about the NAR and wrote the following article to explain what the NAR is—and what the NAR is not.

Surprisingly, the New Apostolic Reformation has recently become a topic of discussion in the political media. I noticed some mention of it in connection with Sarah Palin’s run for vice president, but I considered it relatively insignificant. Then more talk of the NAR surfaced around Michelle Bachman, but it soared to a new level when Rick Perry entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in August.

The best I can discern, the NAR has become a tool in the hands of certain liberal opponents of the conservative candidates designed to discredit them on the basis of their friendship with certain Christian leaders supposedly affiliated with the NAR. To bolster this attempt, they seek to accuse the NAR of teaching false doctrine and paste on it the label of “cult." For example, Forgotten Word Ministries posts an article by Marsha West expressing concerns about Rick Perry’s prayer assembly in Houston on August 6, that uses the title: “Texas Governor’s Upcoming Leadership Event Includes Cult Members.”

Soon after the event, nothing less than Al-Jazeera News picked up on the theme and posted an article on the NAR under the title “America’s own Taliban.” My name comes up in most of the Internet postings on NAR, but in this one I am called the “intellectual godfather” of the movement. When I read that, I felt that I had a responsibility to attempt to bring some clarification as to what the NAR is, what are its goals, and how these goals are being implemented.

What Is the NAR?

The NAR is definitely not a cult. Those who affiliate with it believe the Apostles’ Creed and all the standard classic statements of Christian doctrine. It will surprise some to know that the NAR embraces the largest non-Catholic segment of world Christianity. It is also the fastest growing segment, the only segment of Christianity currently growing faster than the world population and faster than Islam. Christianity is booming now in the Global South which includes sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and large parts of Asia. Most of the new churches in the Global South, even including many which belong to denominations, would comfortably fit the NAR template.

The NAR represents the most radical change in the way of doing church since the Protestant Reformation. This is not a doctrinal change. We adhere to the major tenets of the Reformation: the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, and the priesthood of all believers. But the quality of church life, the governance of the church, the worship, the theology of prayer, the missional goals, the optimistic vision for the future, and other features, constitute quite a change from traditional Protestantism.

The NAR is not an organization. No one can join or carry a card. It has no leader. I have been called the “founder,” but this is not the case. One reason I might be seen as an “intellectual godfather” is that I might have been the first to observe the movement, give a name to it, and describe its characteristics as I saw them. When this began to come together through my research in 1993, I was professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, where I taught for 30 years.

The roots of the NAR go back to the beginning of the African Independent Church Movement in 1900, the Chinese House Church Movement beginning in 1976, the U.S. Independent Charismatic Movement beginning in the 1970s and the Latin American Grassroots Church Movement beginning around the same time. I was neither the founder nor a member of any of these movements, I was simply a professor who observed that they were the fastest growing churches in their respective regions and that they had a number of common characteristics.

If I was going to write about this phenomenal move of the Holy Spirit, I knew I had to give it a name. I tried “Postdenominational” but soon dropped it because of the objections of many of my friends who were denominational executives. Then, in 1994, I tested “New Apostolic Reformation.” “Reformation” because the movement matched the Protestant Reformation in world impact; “Apostolic” because of all the changes the most radical one was apostolic governance, which I’ll explain in due time; and “New” because several churches and denominations already carried the name “apostolic,” but they did not fit the NAR pattern. Other names of this movement which are more or less synonymous with NAR have been “Neopentecostal,” “Neocharismatic,” “Independent,” or “Nondenominational.”

I am rather fascinated at the lists of individuals whom the media glibly connects with the NAR. I’m sure that some of them wouldn’t even recognize the term. In many cases, however, they would fit the NAR template, but since the NAR has no membership list they themselves would need to say whether they consider themselves affiliated or not.

Concerns about the NAR

If the critics are using openness to NAR as a slur against conservative political candidates, they obviously need to verbalize what could be wrong with NAR in the first place. To suppose that NAR is a “cult” or that it teaches “heresy” can be attributed only to sloppy or immature journalism. All too often “heresy” has come to mean only that the person disagrees with me and my friends, but the purpose of using the word is to project guilt by association on the politician. It attempts to implant a question: Who would vote for a heretic? But there is little evidence presented that the issue in question incorporates the doctrinal unorthodoxy of a true heresy. Instead, key words are usually dropped which describe legitimate areas of disagreement among Christian theologians on the level of whether or not we baptize infants. Neither of the opposite positions on matters like this deserve to be placed in the category of heresy.

Let me review the media pieces I have collected and pick out some key words in order to clarify my position. I say “my position,” because others in NAR might not agree with me, and they are not compelled to do so. NAR has no official statements of theology or ecclesiology, although a large number of us do happen to agree upon many somewhat radical conclusions. Most of us have long track records of service within traditional Christianity, and we have needed to go through paradigm shifts to get where we are now. Keep in mind that one of the affects of every paradigm shift is that some people get pulled out of their comfort zones. One of the reasons for opposition to some of the more radical ideas of NAR is that certain people have decided not to change and they are upset with those who have chosen to change.

Apostolic governance. As I mentioned before, this is probably the most radical change. I take literally St. Paul’s words that Jesus, at His ascension into heaven, “gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Most of traditional Christianity accepts evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but not apostles and prophets. I think that all five are given to be active in churches today. In fact, St. Paul goes on to say, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” (1 Corinthians 12:28). This does not describe a hierarchy, but a divine order. Apostles are first in that order.

I strongly object to journalists using the adjective “self-appointed” or “self-declared” when referring to apostles. No true apostle is self-appointed. First of all, they are gifted by God for that ministry. Secondly, the gift and its fruit are recognized by peers and the apostle is “set in” or “commissioned” to the office of apostle by other respected and qualified leaders.

The office of prophet. Prophets are prominent in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. As we just saw above, apostles are first and prophets are second. Every apostle needs alignment with prophets and every prophet needs apostolic alignment. One of the reasons why both should be active in our churches today is that the Bible says, “Surely God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). And also: “Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe His prophets and you shall prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20). I want to prosper and I want you to prosper.

Dominionism. This refers to the desire that some of my friends and I have to follow Jesus and do what He wants. One of the things He does want He taught us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This means that we do our best to see that what we know is characteristic of heaven work its way into the warp and woof of our society here on earth. Think of heaven: no injustice, no poverty, righteousness, peace, prosperity, no disease, love, no corruption, no crime, no misery, no racism, and I could go on. Wouldn’t you like your city to display those characteristics?

But where does dominion come in? On the first page of the Bible, God told Adam and Eve to “fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, etc.” (Genesis 1:28). Adam, Eve, and the whole human race were to take dominion over the rest of creation, but Satan entered the picture, succeeded in usurping Adam’s dominion for himself and became what Jesus calls “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30). When Jesus came, He brought the kingdom of God and He expects His kingdom-minded people to take whatever action is needed to push back the long-standing kingdom of Satan and bring the peace and prosperity of His kingdom here on earth. This is what we mean by dominionism.

A theocracy. The usual meaning of theocracy is that a nation is run by authorized representatives of the church or its functional religious equivalent. Everyone I know in NAR would absolutely reject this idea, thinking back to Constantine’s failed experiment or some of the oppressive Islamic governments today. The way to achieve dominion is not to become “America’s Taliban,” but rather to have kingdom-minded people in every one of the Seven Mountains: Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment, and Business so that they can use their influence to create an environment in which the blessings and prosperity of the Kingdom of God can permeate all areas of society.

Extra-biblical revelation. Some object to the notion that God communicates directly with us, supposing that everything that God wanted to reveal He revealed in the Bible. This cannot be true, however, because there is nothing in the Bible that says it has 66 books. It actually took God a couple of hundred years to reveal to the church which writings should be included in the Bible and which should not. That is extra-biblical revelation. Even so, Catholics and Protestants still disagree on the number. Beyond that, I believe that prayer is two way, we speak to God and expect Him to speak with us. We can hear God’s voice. He also reveals new things to prophets as we have seen. The one major rule governing any new revelation from God is that it cannot contradict what has already been written in the Bible. It may supplement it, however.

Supernatural signs and wonders. I have a hard time understanding why some include this in their list of “heresies.” Whenever Jesus sent out His disciples He told them to heal the sick and cast out demons. Why we should expect that He has anything else in mind for us today is puzzling. True, this still pulls some traditionalists out of their comfort zones, but that just goes with the territory. One critic claimed that the NAR has excessive fixation on Satan and demonic spirits. This is purely a judgment call, and it may only mean that we cast out more demons than they do. So what?

Relational Structures

Some of the authors I read expressed certain frustrations because they found it difficult to get their arms around the NAR. They couldn’t find a top leader or even a leadership team. There was no newsletter. The NAR didn’t have an annual meeting. There was no printed doctrinal statement or code of ethics. This was very different from dealing with traditional denominations. The reason behind this is that, whereas denominations are legal structures, the NAR is a relational structure. Everyone is related to, or aligned, with an apostle or apostles. This alignment is voluntary. There is no legal tie that binds it. In fact, some have dual alignment or multiple alignment. Apostles are not in competition with each other, they are in cahoots. They do not seek the best for themselves, but for those who choose to align with them. If the spotlight comes on them, they will accept it, but they do not seek it.

The key to this? The mutual and overriding desire that “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

C. Peter Wagner is the president of the Global Harvest Ministries and Chancellor of the Wagner Leadership Institute. Established in 1998, the Institute equips men and women for leadership positions in churches and translocal ministries. It is designed especially, but not exclusively, to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic reformation. Missions have been a watermark of Wagner's career. From 1956 to 1971, he and his wife, Doris, served as missionaries in Bolivia under the South American Mission and Andes Evangelical Mission (now SIM International).

Rethinking the Five-Fold Ministry - Must read!

by Frank Viola

Undoubtedly, some who have read this book are wondering: “Frank, do you believe in ‘the five-fold ministry’? And do you believe God is restoring ‘the five-fold ministry’ mentioned in Ephesians Chapter 4?” In this appendix, I would like to answer that question.

First off, my answer is largely hinged on what one means by “the five-fold ministry.” In other words, what “five-fold ministry” are we talking about? Are we talking about the two-hundred-year old doctrine of the restoration of “the five-fold ministry?” Or are we talking about the ascension gifts that Paul had in mind when he penned Ephesians 4:9–16?

The Making of a Doctrine

In nineteenth-century England, Christians were ripe to embrace apocalyptic prophecies about the coming Millennial Age. The upheaval that the French Revolution produced left God’s people wishing for a reign of peace that would set all things right.

In the year 1824, Edward Irving, a Presbyterian pastor in Scotland, began teaching that “the five-fold ministry” of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers had disappeared from the church and were in need of restoration. According to Irving, the restoration of these ministries would usher in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ on the earth.

Irving and his followers began the Catholic Apostolic Church in 1832. Its chief purpose was to restore “the five-fold ministry” and usher in the Millennial Kingdom. The Church ordained twelve “apostles” who were to be the last days equivalent of the original Twelve whom Jesus appointed. Henry Drummond, a wealthy banker from England, became the leader of the Church. Drummond himself took the highest position—“apostle to Scotland.”

It was prophesied that these twelve apostles would be the last apostles to appear on earth before Christ’s return. (This is a throwback to Mani of Persia of the third century who labeled himself the “Apostle of Light”—the very last apostle of Jesus.)

Eventually the twelve apostles of the Catholic Apostolic Church died (the last one dying in 1901). Upon their death, the Church expired in England. In Germany, however, the Catholic Apostolic Church ordained twelve more apostles and took the name the “New Apostolic Church.”

In 1896, an erstwhile Congregational minister named John Alexander Dowie founded the Christian Catholic Church. In 1901, with five thousand followers, Dowie established the “City of Zion” in north-east Illinois. In 1904, Dowie revealed that he had been divinely commissioned to be the “First Apostle.” He then told his followers to anticipate the full restoration of apostolic Christianity. In 1906, the community of believers in the City of Zion began to break down. And Dowie passed away the following year.

Following the famed Azusa Street revival in 1906 in Los Angeles, California, the emphasis on the restoration of “the five-fold ministry” and “a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit just before the return of Christ” reappeared. And a new generation of apostles emerged. Luigi Francescon (“apostle to Italy”), Ivan Voronaev (“apostle to the Slavs”), and T.B. Barratt (“apostle to Europe”) were just some of them. Pentecostal denominations in Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States elected and ordained colleges of apostles to govern their denominations.

As the years rolled on, the restoration of “the five-fold ministry” doctrine somewhat faded. But it reemerged again with a revival spawned at Sharon Orphanage in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1948. The “New Order of the Latter Rain” movement, as it was called, was prophesied to restore “the five-fold ministry” to prepare for “the manifestation of the sons of God” on the earth.
But when the waters of revival receded, the restoration of “the five-fold ministry” doctrine faded again until it was resuscitated in the Charismatic Movement of the late 1960s. In the late 70s, the doctrine’s flame began to dim again until a group of men resurrected it with new fervor in the mid-1990s.

In 1996, Peter Wagner led a conference at Fuller Theological Seminary entitled National Symposium on the “Post-Denominational Church.” This conference produced a new movement called the “New Apostolic Movement,” which Wagner claims is sweeping the globe with a new way of doing church. The churches who are part of this movement are being labeled “New Apostolic Churches.” In 1999, Wagner sought to organize the movement under the name “International Coalition of Apostles” with Wagner as the “Presiding Apostle.” The movement claims to be restoring “the five-fold ministry” today.

Parenthetically, the churches in the new apostolic movement are vanilla Charismatic institutional churches replete with the office of modern pastor (now called “apostle”), Sunday sermons, pulpit, pews, church buildings, the five hundred year-old order of worship, music led by a worship team, etc.

Point: The doctrine of the restoration of “the five-fold ministry” is over 180 years old. And it’s been repackaged from movement to movement.

Running the Cart Over the Horse

So is God going to restore “the five-fold ministry”? To my mind, that’s the wrong question. It’s pushing the cart before the horse. The ascension gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 are gifted people that God gives to the body of Christ as gifts.They are the natural outgrowth and by-product of organic church life.

All in all, there are twenty gifts mentioned in the New Testament.1 If a group of believers gathers around Jesus Christ alone (rather than a doctrine, a theological system, or a ritual) - and they are void of a clergy system - then that group will eventually produce all the gifts and gifted ones that exist within the body of Christ.

It’s no mistake that Paul uses the human physical body as an apt metaphor to describe the way the body of Christ functions. When a baby girl is born, most of her physical capabilities are not present. She can’t ride a bicycle, add and subtract numbers, or eat with a fork and knife.

However, within her body, she possesses the genetic codes that will produce the physical development by which to carry out these capabilities. If she is fed and nurtured properly, in time, these abilities will naturally develop within her. She will organically grow into them. Why? Because they are organic to her species as a human being. They are the product of human life.

In the same way, when an organic church is born, it possesses within its spiritual DNA all of the giftings that are in Jesus Christ. But it takes time for them to develop and emerge. (Unfortunately, we live in a day when many ministers don’t seem to understand this spiritual principle. Hence, they try to force the exercise of gifts and ministries in the body prematurely.)

What is needed, then, is not a restoration of the so-called “five-fold ministry.” What’s needed is the restoration of organic church life. And that is what God is seeking to restore today as He has in every generation.

Therefore, if we can discover how a church is born from God’s perspective and how it is to be nurtured and maintained, then we will see a restoration of all the gifts that are in Christ in the way that they were meant to be expressed.

Since I’ve been meeting in organic churches over the last twenty years, I’ve made a startling discovery: The gifts of the Holy Spirit function very differently in an organic expression of the church than they do in the institutional church. The gift of prophecy, for example, that comes up out of the soil of authenticb life looks profoundly different from the way it’s packaged in the typical Pentecostal/Charismatic church. (The latter is largely based on imitating others.)

In the 1980s, I was part of a spontaneous expression of organic church life. Most of us who were gathering at that time came from the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition. We functioned freely in spiritual gifts as they were modeled to us by that tradition. A number of years later a group whose background was anti-Pentecostal/Charismatic joined us, and we had a first-class dilemma on our hands.

After a blood-letting church split, the Lord graciously showed us that both groups needed to lay down their beliefs and practice of spiritual gifts and leave them at the foot of the cross.Though it was difficult, we let our ideas and practice of the gifts go into death. In a year’s time, something remarkable happened.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit were resurrected in our gatherings. However, they looked very different from what any of us had ever before seen. The Pentecostal/Charismatic packaging was utterly stripped away. And what was left was a pure expression of the Holy Spirit that glorified, unveiled, and lifted up the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, the two groups came into a unified experience of the Holy Spirit’s work.
Consequently, the pressing question is: Are we going to get serious about discovering how to gather around Jesus Christ in an organic way? Or are we going to blithely ignore New Testament principle and for the next two hundred years continue to hope (and prophesy) that “the five-fold ministry” will one day be restored?

Again, God’s way of raising up the ascension gifts is by restoring organic body life. The ascension gifts don’t magically appear because someone writes a book prophesying that they’re just around the corner. Nor should we assume that they’re restored when someone claims to be the “First,” the “Last,” or the “New Apostle.”

Authentic apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherd/teachers are gifted members who grow up in organic churches - not as leaders, but as brethren--equal in status to everyone else in the church. Because they have grown up out of the soil of church life, they have been tested and proven safe to the Kingdom of God and to the Lord’s children. Their outstanding landmark is that they glorify, reveal, present, magnify, and bring into clear view the Lord Jesus Christ in unusual depths and practical experience.

This is the heritage of the Ephesians 4 ascension gifts. It was true for all apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds/teachers in the first century. And Jesus Christ has not changed (Heb. 13:8).

The Peril of a Wrong Environment

So what happens when gifted Christians are reared in a human organization built on unbiblical systems rather than growing up naturally in an organic expression of the body of Christ? To put it another way, what happens when a gifted Christian’s only experience is in the modern institutional church?

The answer? Mixture with a capital M.

Add to that a footnote: Malfunction.

What happens when you remove polar bears out of their natural habitat? If they survive (and some do not), they don’t function as God designed. They lose their ability to reproduce.

What happens when lions are caged and domesticated from birth? They lose their predatory and killer instincts. They lose something of the natural functioning with which God wired them.

Over the past decade, I’ve met scores of men who were self-proclaimed prophets and apostles. Some were genuinely gifted. Some had the gift of teaching. Others had authentic gifts of healing. Others had a genuine operation of the word of knowledge.

But most lacked any real depth in Christ and very little experience in embracing His cross.

Why is this? Because of the institution that raised them up. Or, in some cases, because they raised themselves up in isolation from other Christians. (The latter is an equally abnormal environment for a Christian to be nurtured in.)

To put it in a sentence, such men didn’t grow up in their proper habitat. Few if any of them grew up in organic body life where they were simply brothers among other brothers. Few if any spent any time in a New Testament expression of church life where their weaknesses and blindspots were exposed to others. Instead, most were part of several institutional churches and launched out into independent ministry on their own. As Watchman Nee once observed, “The tragedy in Christian work today is that so many of the workers have simply gone out, they have not been sent.”

The New Testament never envisions such a situation.

To place my concern into a question, where are the churches that the “new apostles” have planted that are gathering under the headship of Jesus Christ without a clergy, where the members know one another deeply and are experiencing a depth in Christ, where decisions are made by consensus, and where every member functions in the meetings without any man controlling, directing, facilitating, or dominating?
Still more disappointing, every titled “apostle” in the new apostolic movement that I know of fiercely defends those church practices that are rooted in pagan tradition and have been hindering the headship of Jesus Christ and the full functioning of His body for the last eighteen hundred years. (If you don’t understand that last sentence, I refer you to my book, Pagan Christianity.) For these reasons, I’m monumentally unimpressed with the “new apostolic movement.”

What Are the Ascension Gifts?

When the ascension gifts emerge organically in a church, their chief function is to nurture and encourage the believing community toward spiritual maturity, unity, and every-member functioning.
I will now try to demystify the so-called “five-fold ministry” and discuss how each of the ascension gifts probably functioned in the first century:

Apostles. Apostles were extra-local, traveling, itinerant church planters. They were highly gifted individuals who were sent by the Lord and by a particular church to plant and equip new churches. Apostles enabled the church by giving it birth, raising it from the ground up. They also helped it walk on its own two feet. Apostles grew up in an organic expression of church life as nonleaders before they were sent out to plant churches of the same kind. And they always left the churches they planted on their own without administration or ritual.

Prophets. Prophets were people who had a clear vision of Jesus Christ and who were able to articulate it lucidly. Prophets enabled the church by speaking to it the present word of the Lord. Sometimes their words would simply reveal Christ to encourage, inspire, and comfort. Other times their words would cast spiritual vision. Prophets sought to restore God’s will whenever it had been lost. They sometimes confirmed the gifts and callings of other members and prepared the church for future trials.

Evangelists. Evangelists enabled the church by modeling the preaching of the good news to the lost. They were fearless souls who possessed an extraordinary boldness to share Christ with nonbelievers. And they had a genuine passion for the unsaved. The closest equivalent to an evangelist today is a natural-born salesman (an honest one of course).

Shepherd/teachers. Shepherd/teachers are two sides of the same gift. In Ephesians 4:11, the apostles, prophets, and evangelists are mentioned separately, while shepherds and teachers are joined together. Further, the first three ministries (apostles, prophets, and evangelists) are preceded by the word “some.” But the word “some” is attached to shepherds and teachers together. This indicates that shepherds/teachers are one gift.

The chief task of the shepherds/teachers was to help the church in times of personal crisis (shepherding) and to enlighten and cultivate the church’s spiritual life by revealing Christ through the exposition of Scripture (teaching). Shepherding was the private side of their ministry, teaching was the public side. The closest equivalent to a first-century shepherd/elder is a modern-day Christian counselor who is capable of teaching.

None of the ascension gifts dominated the meetings of the church. They were simply brothers and sisters in the body carrying out certain functions. In that connection, you would never see a first-century Christian sporting titles like “Apostle Delaquarius Epps,” “Prophetess Pamela Jones,” or “Evangelist Tarianna Dunson.” As we’ve already established, the use of honorific titles and offices were unknown to the early Christians.

Answering the Call

The burden of my heart is to see God’s people far less concerned with a “five-fold ministry” that’s supposed to be recovered someday and instead, focus their attention on discovering what the church is supposed to be according to the mind of God. Upon making this discovery, the Lord’s dear people will be faced with a decision. To answer the call of meeting around Jesus Christ alone in the way that He has prescribed. Or to remain chained to the unmovable traditions of men.

If the former path is taken, it will involve considerable cost. But all the giftings in Christ will eventually come forth in the way that He designed organically. And those gifts will never usurp or dilute the ministry of the entire body.

Would to God that all men and women who feel called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds/teachers would soberly reexamine what these ministries were in the first century and in the thought of God. I believe that when this happens, many of them will be led into brand new directions. And those directions will undoubtedly lead them to break with cherished traditions and popular concepts. Yet only by these elements will the house of God begin to be restored on a broad scale.

THE POWER and the PAIN of TRUE PROPHETIC PREACHING

J. Lee Grady

No true message from God will flow through a person who is smug and self-confident. If you want to speak for Him, prepare to die! I did it again. This past Sunday I stood in a pulpit, looked out over a congregation of mostly strangers, cleared the lump in my throat and preached a message that the Lord had laid on my heart from the Bible.

Thousands of men and women speak publicly like this every week. It's what preachers do. No big deal.

But even though I speak often, I've found that preaching the gospel is one of the most difficult, frightening and painful assignments anyone could possibly attempt. It is not fun. I feel as though I die a  thousand deaths right before I do it, and I die several more times after I go home and evaluate what happened.

After one particularly discouraging experience in which an audience stared coldly at me with their arms folded, I determined that preaching surely must not be my calling. I shared my struggle with an older pastor.

"Sometimes I feel really discouraged after I speak," I told my friend. "Does that ever happen to you?" I was sure he would counsel me to stop preaching, since it obviously was not my spiritual gift.

His answer shocked me. "Son, I have felt like that every Monday morning since I've been in the ministry."

When I tell my friends that I never felt I was gifted to speak, and that I stubbornly resisted the call of God on my life because of my lack of confidence, they act surprised. Most of us assume that people who stand in pulpits want to be there.

Think again!

The power of prophetic preaching actually works in the opposite way we assume it should. If we view things carnally, we believe God chooses gifted orators who hone and shape their skills like a doctor who learns surgery or an actor who learns to perform on stage.

But true preaching is not a natural exercise—it is actually one of the most supernatural tasks anyone can ever be called to do. It requires an imperfect human vessel to yield himself (or herself) to speak the very words of God. If we do it in the flesh, the results will be miserable; but if we wholly trust the power of the Spirit, prophetic preaching will unleash God to move however He desires.

If we fail in this process, we are humiliated. Why would anyone want to preach?

No wonder most of the leaders we encounter in the Bible were reluctant to speak. Moses made excuses about stuttering, Gideon tried to disqualify himself and Jeremiah complained to the Lord about the weighty responsibility of carrying a prophetic burden. Jonah bought a one-way ticket to the other side of the Mediterranean Sea so he wouldn't have to give his unpopular sermon.

And the apostle Paul, who was a silver-tongued Pharisee before he met Christ, was stripped of his worldly eloquence before he preached throughout the Roman Empire. He told the Corinthians: "I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:3-5, NASB).

Charismatic revivalist Arthur Katz, who died three years ago, wrote about the power of true preaching in his 1999 book Apostolic Foundations: "The only one qualified to preach ... is the one who wants to run the other way, like Jonah. The man, however, who loves to talk, loves to be public, and enjoys being seen and heard, need not think that a word like this will ever be emitted from his mouth. The man who sighs and groans when called upon to speak, who does not want to be there, who feels terribly uncomfortable, who knows that he is not going to be understood, is the man out of whose mouth the word of true preaching is most likely to come."

That is certainly not the way most of us view pulpit ministry in contemporary America. We celebrate the smooth and the polished. We measure the impact of a sermon not by whether hearts were slain by Holy Ghost conviction but by how loud the preacher shouted or how high the people jumped when the preacher told them what they wanted to hear.

That kind of carnal preaching may win the accolades of men, boost TV ratings and even build mega churches. But the kingdom is not built on smug self-confidence. We need God's words. The church will live in spiritual famine until broken, reluctant, weak and trembling preachers allow His holy fire to come out of their mouths.

If this is your assignment, die to your fears, doubts and excuses and drink the cup of suffering that accompanies the genuine call of God.

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma and author of the new book 'The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale'.

False Prophets Conspiracy Of Silence

Donnie Swaggart

Biography

As Donnie Swaggart has stated, "I am called by God to bring the message of Pentecost to those bound by cold, formal, lifeless religion, and to reintroduce the Pentecostal fire and the Pentecostal way of life to those of my generation who have never gone beyond the initial baptism experience." His message of "The Refiner’s Fire" has been ordained by God to stir the hearts of those hungry for more of Christ

Donnie Swaggart functions under the title of Pastor/Evangelist, as he not only travels around the world in evangelistic ministry, but he also serves as co-pastor of Family Worship Center Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, along with his father, Reverend Jimmy Swaggart. Donnie has been involved in full-time ministry work for over 20 years. He makes his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but his ministry travels have taken him across the United States, South Africa, Australia, Scotland, England, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Mexico, and Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, France, India, Canada, Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Columbia.

BALAAM and THE PROPHETIC MOVEMENT

Terry Somerville

"Stop believing every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (I John 4:1)

I stopped reading the prophetic bulletins and websites several years ago. I found many of them did not "taste right", and I didn't know why. But, I still have one or two in the in box every week and I've watched the trends, and there are two trends that should concern all of us. We may not have noticed them because, like the "frog in the kettle" we adjust to the rising heat and don't realize we are slowly cooking to death. The scripture warns us about two dangers for prophets. One warning is about the "spirit of Antichrist" and the other is what I could call "the spirit of Balaam".

Now, I'm not saying God is not powerfully working in the prophetic movement. We are seeing a great transition from a church focus to a Kingdom focus, and the Lord is using many prophets to help
usher this in. I've been a part of it myself. But this also means we are more vulnerable as we press into new times and seasons.

The Spirit of Antichrist Slips In

"But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world." (I John 4:3)

The word "Anti-Christ" does not mean "against" Christ, as it would in English. The Greek word actually means a replacement, or "instead of" Christ. Christ means "the anointed one". The reason John warns the church about the spirit of Antichrist is NOT that a prophet comes speaking against Jesus, but that their attention is taken away from Him. Instead, it is given to a man, a doctrine or
to something else that is anointed.

When something subtly replaces Jesus Christ as the focus, it is the spirit of Antichrist at work. In todays prophetic movement, it seems the attention has moved away from Jesus. The focus on signs and manifestations is increasing, and the signs are getting stranger. The appearances of angels, (which is biblical), has given way to gold dust, falling feathers and gemstones, glowing orbs and...whatever. A large proportion of the prophetic words now focus on the signs and the glory that's coming. Does it sound like it's all going in one direction?

I'm not saying there are not signs from God in the prophetic movement, but you can read hundreds of these prophecies and there's hardly a reference to Jesus. Also, the fruit of these signs and wonders seem to point only to themselves, personalities and meetings. We aught to be concerned that the spirit of antichrist is subtly at work, changing the temperature, and replacing Christ."

Remember, John didn't say a spirit or prophecy would speak against Jesus. Jesus is simply being replaced by a different focus. A new love develops in the heart. We are in danger of the spirit of Antichrist becoming well mixed into the prophetic movement. It's time for Jesus to once again be the main focus.

The Spirit Of Balaam Takes Over

"How terrible it will be for them! For they... rushed headlong into Balaam's error to make a profit, and destroyed themselves" (Jude 1:11)

In Numbers 22, Balaam appears to be a genuine prophet who gives the word of the Lord concerning Israel. But, he was greedy for King Balaak's reward and so he caused Israel to sin and be defeated. (See Numbers 31:16)

The "spirit of Balaam" as I have called it, is at work when the love of money overtakes a prophet. As with "the spirit of Antichrist, this Balaam spirit is subtle. A prophet could easily resist outright greed, but when expenses or financial gain is a possibility, the Balaam spirit moves in. If success and recognition comes, the desire for riches can become a very real problem. Today, there are serious indications that the "spirit of Balaam" has entered the house of the prophets.

Psychic Chat Lines Move Over

I just visited one of the most popular prophetic websites and I was astonished. The sale of "prophetic product" has truly reached an all time high. In fact it's taken over and the pages are jammed. Most of the links are about books, and quotes of prophets recommending them. I had trouble finding any ministry. When I finally clicked on some teaching and prophetic words. I got a few sentences then a "click here to buy" link! I needed to pay $3.00 to download the prophetic word. God help us! Are the prophets selling out to greed? Whatever happened to Jesus command "freely you have received, freely give." It's merchandise in the temple.

"Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (I Peter 5:8)

Conclusion

"The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us." (Micah 3:11)

PROPHETS WAKE UP! The word of God has a multitude of scriptures about corrupted prophets. Satan wants to derail this generation from entering the Kingdom, and will replace our focus on Jesus with anything that works. But the Lord has given us the tools to stay on track. It's time for us to use them, especially in the prophetic movement. As the Kingdom of God draws near we need to be wise.

~Terry Somerville,
"totalchange.org"

Old Prophet Type by A W Tozer

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of [the twentieth] century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will not be one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.


SELF & the CROSS

"Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and the oxen. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our self-sins to the cross for judgement. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free. The cross is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there for ever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for the joy that that veil is taken away and we have entered, in actual spiritual experience, the Presence of the Living God". [The Pursuit of God, pages 46-47]

"The Anointing" Revisited - Must Read!

The Elijah Challenge

MERCHANDISING OF ANOINTING???


Is “the anointing” as applied to servants of God today consistent with New Testament usage?

Today in charismatic circles the terms “the anointing” and “anointed” are often used to refer to certain servants of God who can prophesy in the name of Jesus, and in his name drive out demons and perform many miracles like healing the sick. In this introductory study we would like to examine whether or not the usage of such terms is consistent with the New Testament.

The following are the instances of the words “anointing,” “anointed,” and “anoint” as found in the New International Version of the New Testament. Instances of anointed priests, prophets, and kings in the Old Testament were types or shadows which were all fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ.

Anointing:

Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

The word anointing here clearly refers to the anointing on the Messiah Jesus Christ, and not to an anointing upon believers to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

Here the word anointing on believers refers to an anointing for them to know the truth, and not to an anointing on them to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit…

Here the word anointing on believers refers to an anointing which teaches them about all things, and not to an anointing upon them to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

Anointed:

Mark 6:13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Here the disciples were physically anointing sick people with oil. The verse does not refer to them being anointed to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,

This reference is directly to the Messiah who would be anointed to preach good news to the poor. It is not a reference to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

Here the reference is directly to Christ, the Anointed One, and not to a believer who can prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles. Note that the Greek can be rendered either “Christ” or “Anointed One.” Many versions of the Bible use the word “Christ” instead of “Anointed One.” This observation will be highly significant later.

Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.

The reference here is directly to Jesus Christ whom God anointed. It does not refer to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Here the reference has the Messiah Jesus Christ anointed with the spirit and power to do good and to heal those under the power of the devil. It clearly does not refer to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

2 Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Here believers in Christ are anointed by God as a seal of His ownership on us to guarantee our heavenly inheritance. It is not a reference to an anointing upon us to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.

Anoint:

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

This reference is to the women physically anointing Jesus’ body with spices.

James 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

This refers to the physical anointing of the sick believer with oil, not to an anointing on believers to prophecy, cast out demons and perform miracles.

These instances exhaust the use of the words anointing, anointed, and anoint in the New International Version of the New Testament.

Conclusion

We see that the only use of the word “anointing” in the New Testament as applied to a believer is found in 1 John 2 where the Lord’s anointing teaches us about all things so that we all know the truth. It clearly does not refer to any anointing upon us to prophesy, heal the sick and cast out demons. Moreover, the use of the word “anointed” in the New Testament almost always refers to Christ Himself. The only meaningful instance where it does not is found in 1 Corinthians 1:21-22. There, believers in Christ are anointed by God as a seal of His ownership on us to guarantee our heavenly inheritance. Again, this use of “anointed” does not refer to believers who prophesy, cast out demons and perform miracles such as healing the sick.

Clearly, disciples of Jesus Christ have been given power (dunamis) and authority (exousia) to minister to the oppressed in His name. However, the Greek word Christos and its Hebrew equivalent Moshiach meaning "the anointed one" who saves us are applied only to the Son of God Himself.

It is clear that as the Christ, Jesus was anointed to save us. The Greek word for save is sozo. The word sozo includes not only saving from sin, but also to deliver or protect: to heal from sickness, to preserve, to save, to do well, to be or make whole. It is clear that only Jesus Christ was anointed to save us in this way. No man or disciple is anointed to save us and heal us and deliver us.

What about the Old Testament?

The Old Testament contains shadows (Colossians 2:17) and types which are fulfilled in the New Testament. Instances of "the anointing" upon men and of "anointed ones" in the Old Testament were all fulfilled in Messiah Jesus: the only one anointed to save, heal, and deliver.

Therefore, current usage of the word “anointed” and “anointing” to refer to those who can minister with power does not follow New Testament practice. Proper usage applies to one person alone in the New Testament: the only one anointed to save, the Messiah Jesus Christ. Messiah (in Hebrew Moshiach) also means "the anointed one." Only Christ, through His death on the cross, is anointed to save us from sin and subsequent consequences like disease and the second death. No disciple of His should presume to take on anything resembling or even approaching that title. We should therefore exercise discernment toward those who come in the name of Christ and who claim to have “the anointing” or to be "anointed.” Why?

Watch out that you are not deceived by the "anointed ones"

Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. (NIV)

Here Jesus commands us to watch out so that we are not deceived by the many who will come in his name and claim to be the Christ. This verse as it stands makes little sense. This is because any servant of God who comes to us in the name of Jesus claiming to be the Christ will be promptly rejected by the Church. He will in fact deceive no one. In line with this, there is no one in the Church today who actually claims to be the Christ. But Jesus warns us that there will be many. How can we understand his warning? It is vital that we understand it properly in order that we will not be among the many who will be deceived in the last days. The answer is that we may have misunderstood what Jesus actually meant.

As mentioned earlier, the Greek expression for Christ can also be translated Anointed One. If we make this substitution in Matthew 24:5, we come up with “for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the anointed one,’ and will deceive many.”

Today there are in fact many who come in the name of Jesus Christ who claim to be “anointed ones.” They claim to have the anointing or to be anointed to prophesy, to cast out demons, heal the sick, and perform miracles. The practices and the supernatural manifestations which appear in their meetings are usually attributed to the anointing upon them or their ministries. Unfortunately the use of such terms to refer to such people, as we have seen, is not consistent with the New Testament.

Matthew 24:11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

...23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ [or anointed one]!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs [or false “anointed ones”] and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

Jesus' warning here is a bit cryptic. There is no one today within mainstream Christianity who has been proclaiming that Christ has appeared "in the desert" or "in the inner rooms"---or anywhere else on earth for that matter---and that we should gather there to meet with him. How then should we interpret his warning? Today in some circles people are drawn by the thousands to meetings wherever an “anointed” servant of God is ministering miraculous healing to the sick in the name of Jesus Christ. Could the above Scriptures be warning us to beware of such ministers? Whenever and wherever these “anointed ones” are ministering, people will shout, “Come, he’s over there!” or “Come, he’s over here!” and the crowds will be irresistibly drawn like moths to a flame to experience the miracles and “the anointing.” But it will not be like that when the Messiah Jesus Christ, the true Anointed One, appears.

Matthew 24:27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

What could this “carcass” refer to? Who are these “vultures” who gather at the carcass? Now we might have some light on this enigmatic verse.

Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. …22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you… 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up…

1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

We must be careful

How can we be careful not to be deceived by false prophets who can perform miracles? The primary gauge must be Scripture itself. The miracles must be performed as they are performed in Scripture. We must be very cautious toward 1) methods and practices and 2) supernatural manifestations which are not strongly supported by Scripture.

In the Elijah Challenge, there are three general criteria for determining what supernatural practices are acceptable. We do this to stay on the safe side.

1. The practice or method must be clearly commanded by the Lord for us to perform it.


2. The practice or method must have actually been performed by a disciple of the Lord in Scripture.


3. It is best if the practice or method is not simply a one-time occurrence in Scripture, but is based solidly on Scriptural principles.

We must exercise caution and discernment toward practices or methods involving the spirit realm that do not meet these criteria.

As just one example, did Jesus ever command his disciples to drive out territorial spirits and principalities? And was this action actually performed anywhere in the Bible by a servant of God? No, Jesus never commanded it nor did anyone in the Bible ever perform such an action.

These same three criteria we also apply to the many different supernatural manifestations that we see in charismatic churches today. As just one example, do the supernatural manifestations of gold dust and diamonds appearing during meetings find strong support in Scripture? No, they do not.

Why do we need to be so careful and conservative? Because Jesus commands us to “watch out that no one deceives you.” He commands us to watch out for the many false anointed ones and false prophets who will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. It is safer to err on the side of being too cautious than on the side of being too liberal and then falling prey to deception.

If we do not heed the Lord’s repeated warnings, we may be deceived. If we are, we will not be able to blame the false prophet who deceived us. We all have access to the Scriptures. There will be consequences for those who allow themselves to be deceived.

Not "anointing" but power and authority

It is not at all clear from New Testament Scripture that New Testament disciples have been “anointed” or given “the anointing” to minister with supernatural power as is commonly claimed today.

By contrast, it is abundantly clear from New Testament Scriptures that we have been given power and authority by Jesus Christ to heal the sick and cast out demons for the proclamation of the kingdom of God to the lost.

Let us heed Jesus’ warning about being deceived and be careful to discern and to divide the Scriptures properly.

Not the "Christ" but the Son of Man

Interestingly, when Jesus teaches about his Second Coming in Matthew 24, he never refers to himself as “Christ.” He consistently refers to himself there instead as “the Son of Man.” (The same thing is true of the parallel passages in Mark 13 and in Luke 17 and 21.) Whenever Jesus uses the terms “Christ” or “Christs” as rendered by the NIV in Matthew 24, he in fact is referring to a false Christ or false anointed one. He makes a clear distinction and puts distance between "Christ" as rendered in the NIV and "the Son of Man."

This is consistent with the possibility that incidences of the term “Christ(s)” in Matthew 24 should instead be rendered “anointed one(s)”--- as in “false anointed ones and false prophets” in verse 24.

It is significant that in November 2008 J. Lee Grady, Editor of Charisma Magazine, wrote an article which was entitled Preparing for a Charismatic Meltdown.

Related article: The Vital Difference between Gift and Anointing