AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Friday – July 3, 2020, Tamuz 11, 5780
GIFTS – PART THIRTY-SEVEN
GIFTS TO THE CHURCH
Greeting to all who come to this Bible teachings and welcome to this Friday series titled “GIFTS”. All of you please take a moment and share this teaching as widely as possible to expand the reach of this Ministry. We couldn’t get any of these gifts on our own for any amount of “good behavior” or money. There are many, many gifts now given to us by the Hand (Holy Spirit) of the Father, by the will of the Father, and paid for by Christ Jesus. We receive these gifts by faith just as we received salvation, the foundational, and first among many necessary gifts. If these various gifts are not present in our lives can we conclude that we are not in faith? Who chooses which if any gifts we individually might receive? Who decides what level of gift one might receive? Some gifts are all or nothing like salvation. No one is a little saved, we either have eternal life or eternal death not some mixture or lesser version of salvation. For example, we all start with the same measure or amount of faith.
Romans 12:3 (KJV)
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Bold added)
It is our responsibility and our responsibility alone to develop this faith such that nothing is impossible to us or not.
Matthew 17:20 (KJV)
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Bold added)
We had faith for salvation which came from hearing the Anointed Word about the Kingdom of God and repentance. What have we heard, received, believed, and acted upon with regard to healing, what about prosperity. For what level of healing or prosperity have we developed faith? Nothing happens without faith. Faith in God and His faithfulness is the only way to please Him. There are no vacuums, if we don’t have faith in God, in the Blessing, we have faith in the curse, the devil’s domain. Each of us need to look around at our lives to determine where we are and what we must do (by faith). As the weeks unfold and the Lord leads, we will talk about many of these gifts. For the remainder of today I want to change our focus to the gifts that Jesus gave to men, the Church, when He ascended back to Heaven. These gifts are people who occupy offices in the Church at large and the local Church for the maturing of the saints for effective ministry. These people are chosen and ordained by God and not the local Church or denomination. These people may be recognized secondarily by a Church or denomination but that is not the source of the ordained of God person’s Anointing or authority.
Ephesians 4:10-12 (KJV)
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
When was the last time someone at your Church talked about the Apostle(s) associated with the Church or the Prophet(s)? I suspect it ranks right up there with never. Has an Apostle shown up or stepped forward at any of our Churches to bring correction and order? If there is a Prophet (one in the office of Prophet, a part of the Five-Fold Ministry) in your midst are they honored and their words recorded, kept before the congregation, and repeated? Please be very clear that there is a great difference between someone in the office of Prophet and someone with a gift of prophecy (one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit). Can each of us name who sits in the office of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher in our Churches? Why not?
Jesus apparently thought this was important and through the Apostle Paul links these gifts, offices, directly with the “perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry”. Might this give us some insight into the immaturity of the Church and the lack of effective ministry? The Pastor is a very important person in the local Church however the position of Pastor has been seriously perverted. The Pastor is not all of the other offices and is not superior to the other offices. If a Church is in the ditch, not bearing fruit which is to say not doing the things Jesus did and the greater things, the Pastor (under shepherd) has led them there. He and they ended up in the ditch for they would not recognize, honor, and give place to the other ministry gifts given to the Church. As I close for today meditate on the following passage and think about the Pastor.
1 Corinthians 12:27-29 (KJV)
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
Lord willing, I will pick up here next Friday.
2 Chronicles 20:20b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it, believe it, and speak over yourself and your family by faith in Jesus name! Quit asking God to bless you, you are already blessed, you have the Blessing, give Him something to do by the words of your mouth. Once you know the will of God, decree the thing (Job 22:28, Isaiah 45:11, Mark 11:23). (The Blessing is the Holy Spirit) We have left God way to long with nothing to do in our lives.
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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