Wednesday – August 10, 2016
Hump day is upon us already. Greetings from The Three Minute Ministries, with Grace, and peace unto you from our Lord Jesus. I have launched into the Book of Ephesians and am eagerly wading into this book that is laden with wonderful Truth about the Church, about us as individuals and corporately. Right off the bat we find that Paul is an Apostle of Jesus Christ and he is so by the will of God. He is speaking to the saints and those who are faithful in Christ Jesus. He is writing to a specific Church but by extension he is writing to us since we are a part of the Church. This applies to us as saints (born again) and as the faithful (far more than just saved) in Christ Jesus. Another way to say this is to the saints and those who are the real deal in Christ Jesus. Am I the real deal, are you?
Ephesians 1:1-2 (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul identifies himself as an Apostle, an apostle of Jesus Christ. This indicates that his immediate and only boss is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the only One he is to please. As we discussed before, an Apostle (all in the fivefold ministry) are independent under Jesus Christ, they bring revelation and correction into the Churches and people to whom the Holy Spirit leads them to minister. They will illuminate Jesus Christ from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Signs and wonders will be a part of the Apostles ministry. However I will remind you that signs and wonders (works of Jesus and the greater things) are to be a part of every one of our daily lives. I am sure you can see a lot of overlap in the function of the Apostle with others in fivefold ministry (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers). Let’s take a moment and review the reference to the phrase “by the will of God”.
Acts 13:1-4 (GW)
1 Barnabas, Simeon (called the Black), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (a close friend of Herod since childhood), and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch.
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me. I want them to do the work for which I called them.”
3 After fasting and praying, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul, and released them {from their work in Antioch}.
4 After Barnabas and Saul were sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to the city of Seleucia and from there sailed to the island of Cyprus.
After some amount of procrastination (notice verse two and three) the prophets and teachers (frequently the same person will have both gifts) at the church in Antioch released Barnabas and Saul. Saul is the man that we know as the Apostle Paul. The elders of the Church at Antioch released Paul and Barnabas from their current obligations. Many ministry leaders will say or strongly imply that people are sent out by the Church but the Scripture tells us that is not true, the Holy Spirit sends people and designates their ministry. No mention of the pastor of this Church at Antioch playing any role in the whole process. Today the pastor and the head of the denomination or regional director don’t let a fly move without their consent. How does that line up with the Word of God?
For a moment let’s look at the phrase; “the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:” The saints of God are simply those who are saved, born again. So what is being referenced by the word ‘faithful’? The Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary defines ‘faithful’ as follows:
FAITHFUL, 1. Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion.
- Firmly adhering to duty; of true fidelity loyal; true to allegiance; as a faithful subject.
- Constant in the performance of duties or services; exact in attending to commands as a faithful servant.
- Observant of compact, treaties, contracts, vows or other engagements; true to one’s word. A government should be faithful to its treaties; individuals, to their word,
- True; exact; in conformity to the letter and spirit; as a faithful execution of a will.
- True to the marriage covenant; as a faithful wife or husband.
- Conformable to truth; as a faithful narrative or representation.
- Constant; not fickle; as a faithful lover or friend.
- True; worthy of belief. 2. Tim. ii.
By Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
