Chosen by God to be Fruitful

At the very beginning of creation we read of God's first recorded words to Adam: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; ..." (Gen. 1:28, NKJV).

God's command is to be fruitful, which is part of God's purpose of man. This is quite separate from multiplying, which relates to filling the earth and refers to subduing the earth, so that it is productive and brings forth fruit. This is an important principle to see because God wanted Adam to exercise rulership as part of his fruitfulness. In other words, he would be directly involved in producing order and being in authority over the animals and plants kingdoms. He was to be in control and as long as he was in fellowship with God abundance, prosperity and fruitfulness would result. The same principle applies to redeemed man in the walk of the Spirit. We are to be fruitful. When Jesus spoke to the disciples he told them: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 13:16).

The fruit we are to bear is the type that will last and determine our reward in heaven, which is of course eternal and will last forever. In this message we shall look at the fruit that the Holy Spirit wants to bring forth in our lives and how to achieve abundant fruitfulness.

All fruit starts as a seed and when we are saved there is a seed planted within us. It comes from the Holy Spirit tree and is the very nature of Jesus, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and fruitfulness.

Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

There is no fruit apart from Jesus and the Holy Spirit will produce the nature of Jesus in us to the degree that we co-operate.

The seed and the fruit

The parable of the sower indicates what can happen to the source of the fruit, namely the seed. Without restating the parable in full, the seed is the Word of God and some fell on the path (wayside), some on rocky (stony) ground, some among thorns and some on good ground.

Jesus gave the explanation: "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who recieved seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matt. 13:18 - 23).

The seed is supposed to produce fruit in each one of us, but we determine how great that fruit shall be. This is true both of salvation and of the seed of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5 is in essence a contrast between the walk in the Spirit and the walk in the flesh. There is a choice hence the exhortation from Paul: "Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

We shall now consider the parable of the sower in relation to the seed of the fruit of the Spirit, for the principle is identical. The first seed falls by the wayside. Jesus relates it to the message of the kingdom that is neither received nor understood and the Devil therefore snatches it away. This can happen to the seed of the fruit of the Spirit for if it is neither received nor understood it will not be watered and the Devil will snatch away the idea that we should be fruitful at all. This happens when only salvation is preached and nothing more. It is assumed that any fruit will be self-germinating and automatic. Part of that message is that the gifts are not for now either! We need to be sure that the concept of fruitfulness is not snatched away by the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren.

The rocky ground is the man who initially desires to be fruitful for God but has no root to reach down to the nourishment. He doesn't read the Word because there is something good on TV. He doesn't go to the prayer meeting because it means getting up early after a late night movie or a late night birthday party. And if the prayer meeting is at night, he'll probably have to go out dinner with friends. He doesn't fast because it means missing a meal or two. This kind of shallowness will not produce fruit because of all the rocks in the ground. There is an initial enthusiasm after salvation but the spiritual life then gets too hard because some effort is required!

The thorns and thistles are more common than generally realized. We tend to assume that we are of course the good ground and can deceive ourselves that we are better than is the case.

James said: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

Unless we are actively putting into practice the principles of the Word of God we will be deceived into thinking that we are following the Lord when we are merely onlookers.

Two of the main thorns are the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These prevent the fruit of the Spirit from growing to full maturity. If we can weed out the thorns and thistles then we shall have abundant fruit. All fruit come from the same seed. You do not produce some of the fruit and not others.

The fruit of the Spirit and the character of Jesus

The fruit of the Spirit is in essence a description of the character of Jesus. We are to be like Him, and aware of those things that hinder this.

The writer of Hebrews said: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:1, 2).

In the context of a race any excess weight slows you down and you miss your potential. With the gardening picture the problem is both the soil and the weeds. God nevertheless is keeping an eye on us as His sons and daughters and will correct and discipline (chasten) us.

The writer of Hebrews said further: "If you endure chastening God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you ar illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore stengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed" (Heb. 12:7 - 13).

The fruit of the Spirit and the harvest of righteousness and peace are in essence the samething. Therefore we need to see discipline in a positive way and not despise God's ways of making us fruitful. We reap what we sow and if we sow to the Spirit we shall reap a bountiful harvest in the form of a really fruitful life for God.

The Devil is also sowing as the parable of the wheat and tares illustrates but we sow too. The seventh of the things the Lord hates is a man who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19). Control of the tongue is the suprime objective of self-control and God wants the Holy Spirit to control our tongues. One of the reasons that tongues were given to the Church at Pentecost is because God wanted His people to praise Him with a pure tongue and that had to come from the Holy Spirit. This is still true in the natural area and God wants your uncontrollable tongue - "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). It is He who will produce that fruit of self-control as we yield to the Spirit of God. The fruit of the Spirit is the corporate result of the process of turning seed into ripe fruit. You don't have some but not others, e.g. patience but not self-control! They are all part of the same fruit. It starts off as a seed but it's all there in potential. First, you see the blossom immediately after salvation, and then it falls off sometimes to the surprise of the person who expected to be that way permanently. After blossom you have a tiny little piece of fruit that forms. If you pick it and eat it you will find that it is hard, green and bitter and you would reject it, but it is still nevertheless fruit. Only in later stages does the fruit come into ripeness and is visibly identifiable as fruit because the color changes. Too often we only think of fruit as fully formed and ripe and fail to recognize the stages of growth. Growth takes time and we are being repened by God into mature fruit. It need not take so very long and will be affected by the climate we are in. If you are in a greenhouse where here is warmth and water you will grow more rapidly. Equally true is the reverse, namely that if you are stuck out in the icy cold and not fed or watered, the fruit will be less and take much longer to produce. Fruit is important because it show wha kind of tree you are from. Even if you are producing fruit God will still prune you and you will be cut back regularly to produce even more fruit. It is the result of a spirit led life and does glorify God as Jesus siad: "By this My Father is florified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8).

This is why we are told to recognize people by their fruit because it shows what kind of seed is inside them.

Two different views of the parable of the sower


In the parable of the sower Jesus said that the seed would bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some on hundredfold. There are two different views of the meaning of this:

1. Some consider that the seed has equal potential in each person and that we can all produce one hundredfold as our maximum potential because the seed of the Holy Spirit is capable of this. If you then produce sixtyfold you have achieved sixty per cent of your potential and similarly thirtyfold is thirty per cent. In other words, it all depends on the soil and how we feed and water the seed.

2. The other view is that believers have diferent potential by the svereign grace of God. Some are capable of much, others of less and God is looking for faithfulness. This view is supported by the parable of the talents where they were given different amounts. If you are a thirtyfold in potential and produce thirtyfold, then you have done equally as well as the potential hundredfolder who produces a hundredfold. Actually if you produce thirty and the other person produces ninety you have done better as far as God is concerned even if an outside observer thinks the ninetyfolder has been three times as productive as you!


Whichever view you choose the key is to achieve your maximum potential and not be concerned if others appear to be doing better. There is tremendous potential in the Holy Spirit to be really productive for the Kingdom and it is also true that we can quench the Holy Spirit and limit the fruitfulness. It is up to us to keep our soil weed free and open to the light of the Word of God and the Living Water that comes from Jesus. There is a day coming when God who is no man's debtor will reward those who have faithfully served Him and led a fruitful life. It is indeed a high calling. There is no easy way or soft option for the man of God. We have to take up our cross daily, die to self and follow Jesus.


Conclusion


Perhaps the best way to conclude is to consider what Paul wrote in Timothy and pray that God will be pleased with us on that day when we finally meet the One we seek to serve:


"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7, 8).


When we meet Jesus may He be able to say: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matt. 25:21).


Many people toward the end of their natural life regret the missed opportunities and the wasted years, when they chose to live for themselves rather than God. Solomon started off walking with the Lord but the care of this life and the deceitfulness of riches led him astray. When he looked back and wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes he wished he had been wholehearted toward God. He discovered that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and that the commandments of the Lord are the route to happiness and he wished he had followed them. May we make the most of the days God has given us and determine afresh that we will be led by the Spirit of God, living a fruitful life worthy of our high calling.


"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl. 12:13, 14).

Walking in the Spirit

Paul said to Timothy: "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6, NKJV).

Christians ought to learn to live by the laws and principles of the Kingdom of God, and to invest our faith that God who has begun a good work in each of us will bring it through to completion. The flesh, the natural man and the Spirit are opposed to one another, and we have to put off the old and put on the new in order to be able to walk in the Spirit.

Six aspects of the Spirit led life

Paul said: "... for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

Paul said to Timothy: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).

These two passages of Scripture highlight six aspects of the Spirit led life that God has called us to and we should expect them in increasing measure:

1 Hunger and thirst after righteousness

Jesus tells us to hunger and thirst after righteousness because we shall be filled. Although we have the imputed righteousness of Jesus, Paul is really here about living out our part - In other words, right living. We are to live by God's standards and be blameless, innocent and holy. This will affect all the areas of our lives. It means submitting rigidly to all the laws of the land, including speed restrictions and yellow lines, being 100% honest about our tax returns, submitting to our employer and being a good employee. We need also be willing to submit to the leadership of our Local Church. God wants us to do these things for Him, as unto the Lord because they are the environment within which He is training ue in sonship. If Jesus had to learn obedience (Hebrews 5:8) then we have to as well, and co-operate to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

2. Walking in peace

God has also called us to peace. The Kingdom of God is not in termoil and confusion. It is peaceful and orderly and God wants us to be peaceful and orderly too. Jesus left us His peace which the world cannot give (John 14:27). It is part of His Kingdom and we should constantly experience the peace of God. In order to do that, we need to have a right relationship with God, with our family and with other believers. This means constantly walking in fellowship with God as Jesus did, being in unity and harmony with our family, and being able to fellowship freely with everyone, as there are on personality clashes or friction. If any of these areas is not right we cannot enjoy the peace that God intends for us.

The Bible is very practical and tells up how to deal with each of these situations. As far as God is concerned we may need to confess our sin or get back into faith on some issues. With the family it may be getting the roles right so that the husband can lead by example, treating his wife correctly and making sure that the children are obedient. Problems with other believers may just need an apology with a willingness to forgive and forget. The key to not quenching the Holy Spirit is to make sure that you are walking in peace and if something comes up to deal with it that day and not let the sun go down on your anger. The longer you leave it, the harder it is and it goes no affecting you. If you are not in peace ascertain why and allow the Holy Spirit to show you the correct steps to get back into peace.

3. Walking in joy

The Kingdom of God is meant to be full of joy and the happiest place to be. The Holy Spirit is full of joy and we need to cultivate the joy we have inside. If anyone could ever accuse us being miserable then we are quenching the Holy Spirit who very definitely is not! This needs to be expressed in our praise and worship in Church as well as in our homes and we should be known as the happiest people around. This is not just a good testimony for others but allows the Holy Spirit to express through us how He feels no matter where we are. When Stephen was stoned and his face glowed, it was surely with the joy of the Lord as he saw Jesus, and the joy of the Lord was his strength. It enabled him to be in victory during the stoning and he just 'fell asleep' and passed into heaven (Acts 7:55 - 60).

4. Walking without the spirit of fear

God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power. Fear is able to quench the Holy Spirit because it effectively paralyses a believer and intimidates him. This can be true not only in meetings but individually and we need to experience the perfect love of Jesus that cast out fear. If you have fear then it is not from God, and you need to be freed from it.

David, the psalmist said: "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps. 34:4).

5. Walking with power

God has given us power and need to be sure that we are not limiting the power and quenching the Holy Spirit. God has given us power to be witnesses and to have authority over all the principalities and powers that seek to oppose and hinder the work of God. We are in a spiritual war whether we like it or not, and we are the targets. We need to move in the power of God and learn what power we have. We can pull down spiritual strongholds, pray obstacles out of the way, cast out demons in the Name of Jesus and move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We are positionally seated with Christ, higher than the angels, the fallen angesls, unredeemed men, the animals and the plants. We need to see it and realize what God has entrusted to us. It requires a revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Paul said: "... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him ato be head over all things in the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:17 - 23, emphasis added).

Once we see it we can then move in faith and prove it to be true in our own experience. God does not want us holding back with what He has chosen to give us. Along with the power we have love, which is the very nature of God, for power without love is dangerous. May we allow God always to motivate us with the love of the Father, and to let His perfect love remove any fear we coud otherwise have.


6. Walking with a sound mind or self-discipline


We have it now and need to allow God the order that comes from discipline. In other words, it should be clear that Holy Spirit has produced an ordered, stable and mature life out of whatever muddles there were when we were saved. This is then a credit to the work of the Holy Spirit and shows that we have come under new management. It is important not to fight it while it is happening! Part of that new self-discipline will be time to pray, time to study the Bible, time with the family and time with other believers all in a proper balance.


On fire for God


If we really want to be on fire for God we have to function as fire does. It is not an emotive issue based on standing up at a service or meeting on dedication. It is like the song about love - don't talk of love show me!


We can now consider seven marks of being on fire for God and see how well we measure up to them, because where the Holy Spirit is unquenched these marks should be in evidence.


1. Fire gives off warm


Fire give off warm. When we are on fire for God, the effect should be that we warm others around us, just like sitting round a warm fire. Sometimes we use the phrase that we are warm to someone. It is meant to be like that when the Holy Spirit controls our personalities, as he never was and will never become a cold person. In other words, there should be a warming effect by being with someone burning for God. This happened on the road to Emmaus when two disciples walked with Jesus.


"Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us" (Luke 24:32)?


Whatever personality we may naturally have the Holy Spirit can change us to be more like Jesus so that others warm to us and see that the Lord is a warm Person.


2. Fire gives off light


Fire give off light. The darker it is the more visible the light even from a great distance. God wants us to be salt and light for Him, so that others will clearly see. To do this we have to be burning our oil.


Jesus said: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor can do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:13 - 16).


God desires a witness for Himself on the earth for those not saved and the light we have is meant to point them to the Lord. This implies that it has to be something supernatural otherwise they would not praise God for it, but assume it was part of our natural character. The passage implies that in our role as ambassadors and witnesses for Jesus there will be supernatural signs following. Jesus wants us to make clearly visitbgle wha we have and not to hide it. If we areon fire for God there will be signs following our ministry, because God Himself does not want the Gopel to be hidden. Even if men prefer darkness to light (John 3:19) God wants that light for those who will look in it. John described Jesus as the light of the world (John 1:9) and that ministry has been extended to us, so that we fully represent Him.


3. Fire is used in cooing and to prepare food


Fire is used in cooking and to prepare food. The Bible describes itself as milk (1 Peter 2:2) and meat (1 Cor. 3:2) and the ministry of a teacher is to prepare and present that food so that the believers are nourished and fed. A man on fire for God will not serve up spiritual food reheated from cold, but garnish the meat in such a way that it makes the listener come back for more. It may mean turning tha meat into mince so that it can be digested more easily. He will spend hours in preparation. If you want to be on fire for God then you should ask God to teach you how to prepare spiritual food for the Body of Christ, and seek to develop the ministry of feeding the flock. Too much is left to the 'Bible teachers' when this should be a feature of Christians going on with God, that both know the Word and can teach it.


The writer of Hebrews said: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only milk is unskilled in the word of righteiousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to thse who are of full age, that is, those hwo by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:12 - 14).


4. Fire is used for purifying


Fire is used for purifying. This is a ministry needed in the Body of Christ so that it is pure and it takes a man on fire for God to do it.


The Lord said: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like a launderers' soap" (Malachi 3:2).


The principle is to heat up the substance so that the impurities come to the serface where they are then skimmed off. In terms of ministry a man on fire for God can do that because the warmth of his presence enables those with deep problems to allow themselves to be affected by the warmth which brings up the impurities which are then dealt with and removed. In other words, those on fire for God can have a counseling type of ministry from the Holy Spirit that purifies the Body of Christ and prepares the Bride of Christ for Jesus. This can also be done through the anointed word of prophecy or knowledge so that the word is received and results in the Body being purified.


5. Fire is used for melting and welding


Fire is used for melting and welding. If you are on fire for God your heat can affect believers who come near you so that some of the heat is transferred. You can melt those iced-up for some reason or other, and restore life to the frozen parts This is partly how the Body of Christ will be formed into one. god wants to weld us together as a single unit but with many parts, ad it will take the fire of the Holy Spirit and men who will be used by God to do this. Unity will not come because everone decides to gorget their differences, but will be a work of the Holy Spirit uniting us in a bond.


6. Fire us used for protection


Fire is use for protection. God is concerned to protect the weak and defenseless in the Body of Christ and it is the role of the man on fire for God to act in a protective capacity. This means being aware of those most vulnerable and making sure that they are safe and living in peace and stability. In one sense, it is a passive role and expresses a zeal and concern for the whole house of God.


7. Fire is used for destruction


Fire is used for destruction. It is the element that God has chosed for the final destruction of the Devil in the lake of fire, and God uses it in many other places in a similar way. The earth will be destroyed with fire at the end of the Millennium. As far as the man of God is concerned we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to destroy the works of the Devil and give him a foretaste of the lake of fire. If we are on fire for God, then we should be seeing th Devil's work destroyed in the Name of Jesus. Elijah did this both with the prophets of Baal and also the two groups of fifty men sent to capture him.


It is part of God's ministry for us to have dominion over demonic principalities and powers and to destroy the work they are doing, whether with literal fire or not. A man on fire for God will see God move in this way so that the authority we have in the heavens is established here on the earth.


When the disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit tongues of fire rested on each one of them. they then all spoke in tongues. There is a link here because tongues are part of the anointing that comes on you when you are filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, part of being on fire for God is a ministry of tongues as a spiritual weapon in paryer and ministry.


Conclusion


It is quite likely that not all the aspects of being on fire for God are functioning in their fullness in our lives, because there is a natural tendency in all of us to hold back and be cautious or conservative. The question then follows what should we do if we are quenching the Holy Spirit and not seeing those things that the Bible imply are normal but we consider exception?


We need to realize that God has lit a fire in each of us at salvation and however dimly it is burning it hasn't actually gone out!


Isaiah foretold about Jesus - "A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; ..." (Matt. 12:20).


When Paul wrote to Timothy he reminded him that he had a flame and it wasn't burning as it should. Paul had prayed for him early (2 Tim. 1:6) and he had received a ministry, probably through a word of prophecy, which had not yet come to pass. It was there bu latent.


Similarly it can happen to you. You may have had a Word fromthe Lord about your ministry and that initial fire of enthusiasm had died down. Now is the time to start to fan that little flame and seek to be on fire with the ministry God has given you. Ask the Lord to refresh you with a new vision of that calling and press on into it.


The psalmist said: "Who makes His angels sprits, His ministers a flame of fire" (Ps. 104:4).

Whatever is not faith is Sin

Paul said: "Do you have faith? Haveit to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin" (Romans 14:22, 23, NKJV).

The walk of the Spirit is a walk of faith because that is the dimension in which God moves. If we are not walking in faith toward God and His Word, then as far as He is concerned we are walking in unbelief, and that is sin.

The Lord declared: "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 3:4).

The writer of Hebrews said: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).

Faith is so fundamental to moving on with God that we need to understand it and learn to nurture it to the glory of God, who considers it to be more precious than gold.

Faith is not something you either have or have not based on whether God felt liking giving it to you. This would be both irrational and unfair. For that reason, Paul is careful to state that God has dealt to each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Clearly some people's measure has grown more than others but no-one actually misses out on getting their measure. It is like a seed that is planted at salvation. We all have it but it need to be fed and watered to allow it to grow.

The growth of our measure of faith

The growth of our measure comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) and being tested and proved in greater and greater areas. The more you know, understand, believe and apply the Word of God, the more your faith will grow and you will be able to reach out to God for more and more. For example, you start off moving in faith in small matters such as being in faith for our health and then as you faith grows you can pray for those who are not in good health. Even that is by degrees of faith. You start off with the coughs and colds, aches and pains, and as you see these clearing up, you move on to harder cases such as broken bones and any form of "incurable" disease. It is imprtant always to stay within your faith and let God increase it by degrees. Occasionally you may receive the gift of faith referred to earlier (in one of my messages) which enables you to move beyond your measure of faith. But the point is that God gives you extra faith and you should not move into unbelief, because that shuts off the flow and anointing from heaven. When God asked Solomon what he wanted most, he asked for wisdom. If I was asked the same question now the answer would definitely be faith, for it pleases God and allows the full manifestation of the Spirit of God. In my opinion, there is not enough faith in the Body of Christ.

Obstacle to faith

The biggest single obstacle to faith is unbelief about what the Bible says to be true. Whereas the world says - "Seeing is believing," God's way is the opposite - "Believing is seeing." In other words, you do not see because you do not believe.

One of the paradoxes in the Christian life is that even if we have unbelief we still have faith, for the Holy Spirit inside us is always in perfect faith toward God's Word, whereas it is the natural mind that is in unbelief. In other words, you can have both but unbelief blocks off the faith and because it is sin and needs to be confessed and forgiven. Once you dealt with the unbelief, the faith is there according to the measure you have. The opposite of faith is not just unbelief but sight - in other words, using the natural senses.

Living by faith

Paul said: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

This is a hard concept because most of us like to see where we are heading! If you want to walk purely in the natural realm you will never experience the walk of faith, because it is not visible to the natural eyes. If you are a natural forward planner faith will be very hard for you as you have to unlearn the natural laws and learn the laws of the Spirit. Faith is of supreme value to God, who only moves in the faith area. He is permanantly in faith about all His promises in the Bible, all the future, and everything He has prepared for His children.

The writer of Hebrews said: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).

This verse summarises what faith is. This is God's total faithfulness regarding all that He has promised us. Because He is all-knowing, all powerful, and eternal and cannot lie or changes, we have total security in His Word for our lives, whatever happens on the earth. That does not mean that everything is predestined but that God will make sure that every promise toward us will hold true. We need faith in God and His revealed Word. If you are in unbelief about the Bible being the revealed Word of God you cannot walk in faith. For example, Abraham trusted in God's Word and was commended for his faith.

The writer of Hebrews said about Abraham's faith: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:8 - 10).

Abraham never received the geographical territory promised to him, and he is still in faith in heaven that Jesus will give it to his descendants precisely as promised when He returns to the earth to reign for one thounsand years in the Millennial Kingdom. The promise was given to Abraham (Gen. 15:18) and God is committed to it. This is equally true of all the unfulfilled promises of Jesus. Any prophecy not fulfilled during Jesus' time on the earth will be literally fulfilled when He returns. We need to be in faith about this and believe it even though it may seem impossible. It certainly looks impossible that Israel will own Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and part of Egypt in the foreseeable future, yet God has promised that it shall be so and we need to be in faith that it shall come to pass when Jesus returns. Much of Isaiah contains millennial prophecies based on Israel coming into the territorial promise and the Lord reigning personally in Jerusalem.

"And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will thresh, from the channel of the River in the Brook of Egypt and you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. So it shall be in that day; the great trumpet will be blown; they will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria. And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain of Jerusalem" (Isaiah 27:12, 13).

We also need to be in faith about the Second Coming of Jesus to establish His Kingdom and of course about the Rapture.

John said: "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2, 3).

This hope inside us is supposed to affect us. These are not just dry doctrines but part of the eternal purposes of God for us and we need to allow them to stir up our faith and encourage us to keep going.

Bible characters who lived by faith

Hebrews 11 is the key passage outlining those who lived by faith and it is too extensive to quote here. When you read it note the kinds of things they did by faith.

"And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented - of whom the world were not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountain, in dens and caves of the earth. and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise" (Heb. 11:32 - 39).

They were commended because they were in faith toward God despite all the circumstances and believed that God was still able to keep His Word.


The testing of faith


Faith will definitely be tested to the limit and proved to see how real it is. Peter said: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6, 7).


In my opinion, testing is similar to attaching a rope to a branch to climb a tree. you test it by giving a really strong tug with all your weight and then know it will support you while you climb. You are testing both the rope and the branch. The branch is like the Word of God and will support any weight. The rope is like faith and you need to be sure that you have a strong enough piece to be in faith for it to support you. It is the proving of your faith rather than a test you pass or fail, and once you have given the rope a good pull and proved it strong enough you then move out in faith and start to climb. Your faith is then proved genuine. Doubts, fears and unbelief will neutralize the faith we have, bringing us into the realm of natural sight, and even if we are in faith there can be so much unbelief in others that God is unable to act, as He will not move out of the dimension of faith. Jesus who was full of faith was hampered in Nazareth where He could do nothing because of their unbelief. That is why a prophet is not without honor except at home where he is known. If you are too well-knownpeople see you in the natural, faith is suppressed and no-one believes you can do anything. Nothing therefore happens and that just confirms their suspicions! If it was true of Jesus it will be true of us. As a result the Holy Spirit is quenched and grieved.


Paradox of unbelief


It can be even be the case that there is more unbelief in Christians than those who do not know the Lord, however strange that might seem. I observed that, in a healing rally it can be easier for non-Christians to receive healing from God as a sign that He loves them and desires them to be saved, whereas believers can cut off the flow from God by being in unbelief and therefore miss the healing to which they Biblically entitled.


Unbelief comes from two main sources which we need to examine:


1. The natural senses - the natural mind


Paul said: "But the natural man does ot receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one" (1 Cor. 2:14, 15).


The natural mind rejects faith as foolishness or presumption. It is illogical, unintellectual, irrational and dangerous. Now if we were dealing with 'faith healing' that would be true, since it is faith in faith, but we are dealing with faith in God who has made His will known and actually given us faith to use. We therefore trust in His eternal promises and His Word, which has substance and purpose. God has chosen the foolish things of the world, including the poor and unintelligent, to baffle the wise because He does not want natural wisdom to be involved in the faith at all. We need to beware of the natural senses blocking faith.


2. The Devil


The Devil, who is the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren, knows how powerful faith is as he is the victim of faith in the areas of healing and deliverance and will therefore do his utmost to discredit Jesus, the Bible and Christians walking in faith. Our faith will be attacked and tested with one of the main targets being the whole question of healing. The Bible declares that Jesus died for sickness as well as sin, as sickness was part of the curse on Adam from which we have been redeemed.


Peter said: "... who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).


Isaiah said: "Surely He has borne out griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4, 5).


If Jesus bore our sicknesses and pains and by His stripes we are healed, then this is a clear statement that Jesus died for sickness as well as sin, and healing is included in the Atonement - if only we woul believe it. There is still much unbelife in this are which quenches faith. Jesus spent much of His time healing the sick, told the disciples to do the same, and said that if would be part of the signs following believers that they too would heal the sick to illustrate tha the Gospel is true. The Holy Spirit gave the gifts of healings to the Church to use actively and positively, and we should do so. There are Biblical conditions for healing, and we need to fulfill these and be aware of them, but always be aware that healing is available form God as part of the New Covenant. May it never be true of us that Jesus can do nothing because of our unbelief.


In concluding on faith we need to have a positve confession that everything the Bible says about us is true whether we see the evidence or not. Faith does not need to see the visible evidence because God says it. In Revelation the victory of the believers is described: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11).


What we confess out of our mouths is important and forms our testimony. It must be the word of faith that is able to overcome all satanic opposition. We can have faith to move mountains and need to speak it out of our mouths in every situation.


Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20).


Our high calling is the daily walk of faith!

God chooses to work through our Prayers

We all know how important prayer is, without it needing to be restated. However we do not always achieve through it all that God wants and it is one of those paradoxes about His nature that He chooses to work through our prayers and not independently, which He could of course do. We therefore need to be sure that our prayer is not limited to what we want but that He wants us to pray.

As far as our own lives are concerned Jesus has given us one of the most open-ended promises possible, namely that God will give us anything we ask for in His Name. If we therefore do not have anything it is either because we have not asked for it, or if we have asked, it has been incorrectly.

James said: "You ask and do not received, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3, NKJV).

The principle is that if we ask with the right motives in the Name of Jesus we shall receive. If we do not receive this is the place to seek the reason. The promise of Jesus opens up tremendous possibilities for the active prayer: "If you abide in Me, and My word abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:7, 8).

If we remain connected to the vine, in fellowship and obedient to Jesus' command, then He will give us whatever we asked for, which is up to us. The reason for this is so that we can reveal the blessing of God on our lives as a sign to the world, not to feed our self-indulgences. The phrase 'In Jesus' Name' has been misunderstood and used too loosely, tagged onto the end of prayers in the hope that this will ensure a positive answer! We need to understand all that God requires of us to be able to receive in the way Jesus intends.

James said: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:5 - 8).

This little passge can often be the reason for unanswered prayer, because it highlights the issue of faith. We have to be single-minded, sure of what we want, sure it is Biblically correct and good and proper for us to receive for our Christian walk and ministry. Only if all these are true can we ask in faith in the Name of Jesus and believe for it to happen.

Pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus

It is important that we learn to pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus. This may sound odd but many people pary to Jesus or the Father or even a mixture of the two in the same prayer. Jesus is quite specific about this and does not tell us to ask Him and He will then ask the Father for us. He tells us to ask direct in His Name, because He has secured this access for us. This is the way the Trinity operates. The Holy Spirit inside us prompts us to pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus. Prayer is a privilege and a wonderful gift we can use. We can actually influence God because He wants us to be involved in what is happening on the earth and prayers do influence Him. An excellent example of this is in the Old Testament concerning Hezekiah.

Hezekiah's life extended

"In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live'.' Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 'Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend the city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David'" (2 Kings 20:1 - 6).

In fact to confirm the word of the Lord, God made the shadow go back ten steps. If God was willing to do that for Hezekiah because he humbled himself, He is no less willing to do it for His children today. Where there is repentance and humility God will move in love and grace for the sick person, maybe even adding extra years that would otherwise be lost.

Situation in the New Testament

The situation in the New Testament is better than that in the Old Testament because answered prayer is no longer by grace alone but also by invitation. God acted out of grace to Hezekiah; we have grace plus the invitation to ask. This is not based on merit because we have earned enough favor and goodwill to ask with a reasonable chance of success but boldness to ask in the Name of Jesus believing the Word of God. This is an important principle because we tend to be reluctant to ask God for the big things we need because we doublt His grace and love toward us. The result is under-asking and an absence of visible provision of God. It is better to over-ask if anything, but even that is not possible because we are told to pray about everything, not just the things we feel we need. There is nothing like a crisis to get Christians praying about things that maybe could have been avoided if they had prayed sooner. We need to see that God's plans for us are for good.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thought of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I willl listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:11 - 13).

We need to know that God wants the best for us and always hears our prayers. When Jesus prayed for Lazarus He lifted up His eyes and said. "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me, and I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me" (John 11:41, 42).

We need to know that our prayers are heard and answered, either yes, no, later, wait or whatever. The assumption must not be that the answer is always yes! If we really do know and understand that God always answers this should stir up our faith to pray much more fervently about those things that really are important. There is an area of confusion about the two different types of prayer and what praying in the Name of Jesus is meant to achieve. Although all praying is in His Name, because that is the way we have access to God, it does nevertheless differ in purpose and faith. There is the normal straight asking type of prayer which is quite valid. For example, we expect God to guide us, so we commit our way to Him and pray about decisions until we have peace and witness of the Spirit. We ask for things wanting one answer but willing to accept another. The answer is not automatically 'yes' because you pray in the Name of Jesus! even Jesus prayed of release from the cup of suffering (Matt. 26:39) but of course prayed that the Father's will should be done. We too can pray for what we would prefer to happen but always in the context of the Father's will. That is precisely why we need to know and understand He will in those areas when He has specifically revealed it.

This leads on to the second type of prayer which James described where we know that we should be praying for and God wants the specific directed prayer of faith to release His provision. This type of prayer is much more purposeful and directed because we know what we want and stick at it in prayer until we see the result. This requires single-mindedness and stickability and we do need to know that we are praying for something to which we are Biblically entitled.

Let us look at the example of John's letter: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2).

This highlights two major areas we need to be in faith and praying about - prosperity and health. We need to know the mind of the Lord on both. Prosperity means the abundant provision of God in every area so that you have enough food, warmth, clothing and a home. Jesus lived in prosperity as far as the Bible is concerned and although He didn't have a home stayed regularly with Martha and Mary in Bethany. Prosperity is not riches or a high standard of living despite popular teaching that this is a sign of God's approval.

Proverbs gives the balance: "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty or riches - feed me with the food allotted for me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Prov. 30:8, 9).

In those days where materialism has spilled over into the Church we need to be praying that God will not give us riches that compete with Him for our time and affection. Solomon found this to his cost and the prosperity he had led him into sin. Ecclesiastes is the book of his regrets for missed opportunities. If only Christians would see this then a lot less time would be wasted asking God for wealth, which is what it boils down to. It is up to God to determine our standard of living and we need to learn to be content with what we have. The other area is of course health, and again we need to know how to pray correctly both when we enjoy health and when we are on degree under. Many Christians are missing out on health by believing that it is somehow God's will for them to be sick and therefore accepting it passively. Healing is included in the Atonement and we can therefore move in faith in this area until we see our physical bodies living in health.


Whwn we pray for both financial and physical blessing we need to be single-minded (James 1:6 - 8) about both and invest our faith for God's provision. In David's days there was no unemployment benefit, no social security and no National Health Service. Life was a great deal toughter than now yet David could still write - "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteious forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (Ps. 37:25).


Elijah was fed by the ravens when all other natural supply ran out. We need to pray in God's daily provision and never take it for granted, because one day there may be famine in the land as part of the birth-pangs of the Great Tribulation. Health is a difficult area because of the Fall and all creation is subject to decay and death. Nevertheless we should press on into increasing health and pray actively when we are sick expecting God to restore us to health. It is worth just mentioning that sickness can be both physical and spiritual in origin and if God shows you that the cause is spiritual then pray against the sickness or spirit of infirmity in the Name of Jesus, which is the only remedy. You can have a medical cure for a medical sickness. But you cannot have a medical cure for a spiritual sickness; you need a spiritual cure that only God can give. Either way you should look to the One risen with healing in His wings.

We need to experience more of the prayer of faith where we hear from God and move out in faith or invest our faith sigle-mindedly to achieve some goal or objective. We need to know what to pray for and stick at it until it happens. Some things seem to take a long time but there can be spiritual reasons blocking the answer. We are given a glimpse of this in Daniel. Three times a day Daniel would pray. Several occasions are recorded where Daniel had visitation from Gabriel or another angel. On one of these occasions the angel said: "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble youself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia" (Daniel 10:12, 13).

Spiritual Warfare

We are not dealing with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers and they have power over nations, cities and individuals which have to be prayed against to clear spiritual atmosphere for the work of God. This is something God reveals so that we can pray spiritual rulership over specific areas because we have been given authority to do so. Satan actually has a headquarters on the earth. In Revelation, Jesus said to the Church in Pergamos: "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, ..." (Rev. 2:13). In other words, Satan would be based in Pergamos. Some prophetic teachers think he is now based on the West Coast of the USA, possibly San Francisco, which is the world homosexual capital and full of every imaginable cult. Wherever Satan may be, the point is that there is a hierarchy of demonic principalities and powers and Christians need to be praying against it and exercising spiritual rulership. God wants us to achieve rulership through prayer and negligence in this area limits what is done for the Kingdom. The battle is in the heavens even though the manifestation of the result is seen on earth.

It is because of spiritual warfare that God gave us the ability to pray in the Spirit and in tongues. The Devil does not understand them. It is a bit like praying to God in code as He does understand them and then the power of God is released. We have tremendous spiritual power and authority in the Name of Jesus. We are not supposed to be on the defensive because we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

Isaiah said: "...When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19).

In my opinion, it is more correct to say - "When the enemy (Satan) comes in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him."

A flood is the uncontrollable overflow of water that pushes everything out of the way. This is not true of Satan. he is not like a flood and definitely containable. It is the Holy Spirit who is the flood - rivers of living water. The Devil comes in and faces this mountain of water against him that he cannot resist and is swept away. The whole meaning of the passage changes and our attitude should too. We must not expect him to come flooding in uncontrollably, but rather expect him to be flooded out by the Spirit of the Lord. If you can see this then your attitude to prayer will change from being defensive to offensive. The Devil is meant to be defending his territory from the advancing army of God not vice versa! This is true individually for each one of us, in our Churches and in the nation. It is not a factor of numbers but Power from above. Down through history men have changed the destinies of nations through prayers.

Conclusion

If we are to grow in the walk of the Spirit, God is going to call on us to be more involved with His purposes on the earth and we are going to be prompted to pray some unusual but effective prayers. We need the revelation of the great purposes of God and to know how much He looks to us to pray. He has entrusted to us the amazing power of prayer. If Church members have this revelation the prayer meetings would be packed! If we want to move on with God then we have to be men and women of prayer knowing how to pray both with our minds and in the Spirit, for ourselves and our nation; for the work and Kingdom of God to be established on the earth. There is no limit to what can be achieved if we will use what God has given us!

The Scriptures and the Power of God

During these days of renewal and restoration it is of paramount importance that the Bible is given its recognition as the final source of authority, for without a return to fundamental biblical truth there can be no effective revival. The two foundational pillars, as stated by Jesus, are the Scriptures and the Power of God. Any person or Church that denies either or both of these will inevitably flounder.

There is currently an alarming move away from the Bible being the literal revealed Word of God, including in the evangelical circles, where it now merely 'contains' the Word of God. If the Bible 'contains' the truth rather than 'is' the truth, then any individual passage need not necessarily be literally true but merely contains a truth, possibly metaphorically or allegorically. For example, the story of Jonah can be seen as allegorical and the big fish poetic licence. The story of creation itself need not be literally true but illustrative of a general principle that God was in charge of whatever time-span it took. The inevitable result of this is to question whether any passage is literally true as it need not necessarily be so. Major questions then arise, for example, whether there will literally as a heaven and hell or the thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth tat Revelation 20 refers to.

It is an awesome responsibility to challenge anything in the Bible for two reasons. First of all Jesus Himself accepted the whole of the Old Testament as being literally true, including creation in six days, Adam and Eve, Jonah and hell being a physical place, as He specifically referred to all these during His ministry. In Mark 10, when questioned on divorce, Jesus replied in verse 6 that from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. Jesus did not believe that man evolved from apes and taught both creation and a literal Genesis. There are 9 places where Jesus referred to Jonah. The most direct is:

"For as jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:40, NKJV).

A literal hell

Let us consider the question of a literal hell. We should all have the fear of hell if we reject Jesus as Savior.

Jesus said: "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him" (Luke 12:5)!

It is now becoming intellectually unacceptable to believe in a literal hell. I was told a well-known evangelist was asked by a news reporter whether he believed there is a literal hell with a literal fire and a literal worm. He repeatedly avoided saying 'yes' even when the question was pressed again. Finally he merely said that we have to be serious about hell, the the flames would not necessarily like those we have in a living room fire. Jesus, on the other hand, was quite straight about hell including its real flames!

Jesus said: "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire - where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched'" (Mark 9:45 - 48).

If there is no hell God has deceived us and is a liar, and if we cannot believe Jesus about hell then we cannot believe Him about anything else including our salvation! It is wholly out of character for God to misrepresent the truth and God is not a man that He should lie. The Bible is true, and if we disagree then we are the ones who are wrong.

Science versus the Bible

During the last fifty years science has advanced so much that it has become the great infallible god. People believe that eventually man will discover everything, including the origin of the universe, and be able recreate life itself. Many Christians, if faced with a choice, would say that science is more accurate and more reliable than the Bible. They support the theory of evolution dispite the strong evidence for life appearing suddenly on the earth, and say that the Bible was never meant to be a literal account of how life started anyway.

Let us consider the case of Noah's flood. Prior the flood the earth had a uniform climate. There had been no rain (Gen. 2:5) and because the mist acted as a kind of canopy the global temperature was uniform, which is way the stars were given to mark the seasons (Gen. 1:14). scientists are now just beginning to discover this, and that a global flood rather than an ice age could have been responsible for the identifiable geological changes, yet still the Bible is felt to be inaccurate unless it agrees with science when really it should be vice versa. Evolution has been elevated from a hypothesis to the status of a proven fact. It is in fact a philosophy, because it presupposes that there is no creator God, and that given the right set of circumstances and enough time(whatever that means), then life will appear. Science is basically fine (the word simply means knowledge) provided that we work from the evidence forwards and not from the conclusion backwards, looking for evidence to slot in conveniently, however much it has to be maneuvered. If you had live 400 years ago you would have been assured that science had proved that the earth was flat, even though Isaiah writing several thousand years before Christ stated that it was round (Isaiah 40:22). It's all a question of how much we know, and more and more scientists are now opting for the sudden life theory, although they may not be willing to call it reaction because their model excludes the possibility of a Creator God. Christians must not accept science as a higher authority than the Bible, which will ultimately be proved correct, as has happened with much of the archaeological controversy over the dating of early historical events.

God is in control

The Bible indicates that life started approximately six thousand years ago. The earth was not created in a random sort of way. God in His foreknowledge knew what man would do and planned our salvation accordingly. If man sinned in the Garden of Eden it would seem logical for the Savior to come immediately to redeem fallen man. God, however, had everything under His control.

Paul said. "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Roman 5:6).

God's timing was perfect. There is a day coming when the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth in order for Antichrist to appear and rule - "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7).

The point is that God determines the time when evil shall have free reign on the earth as part of the close of the age and it is not a random timing. The overall framework parallels creation. Just as there were six days of activity and one day of rest God wanted this established as a principle on the earth, which is why the Law of the Sabbath was given. There was not only to be one day's rest in seven, but also the land had one year's rest in seven as well (Lev. 25). Every seven sevens, i.e. in year forty-nine they had the Sabbath year followed by a year of Jubilee. The principle of a day being a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8) is part of the reason for the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. That is precisely why Satan is locked up for a thousand years (Rev. 20:2), in order that the earth might have rest. Those that believe the Second Coming to be near are in fact saying that the six thousand years are almost over, by implication, based on 2 Peter 3:8, whether they realize it or not. We have in fact overrun it by a few years and are living in a period of grace. Time is actually up and God could close the six thousand years any time. It is only grace that has added in a few extra years so that more can be saved. But this is not an open-ended extension fo unlimited time.

Scientists are frequently wrong and revise many of their theories. God on the other hand never is and His truth will stand eternal. It's a question of who you choose to believe. The god of this world has blinded many minds and the father of lies has partially succeeded in deceiving even the elect.

Once you are born again you have the witness of the Spirit that you are a child of God and the Eternal God is your Father in heaven and that you are not the result of some freak circumstances in the atmosphere (Romans 8:15, 16).

We have allowed science to be exalted above God and this has affected Christians as well as everyone else. we need to place the Bible once again in its position as the supreme authority otherwise we shall be deceived and misled.

Any challenge to Scripture questions Jesus' integrity. Furthermore, there are serious warningto those who belittle the Word of God in these days of easygoing compromise. In Matthew 5 Jesus warned that those believers who teach other than Biblical truth will be called least in the kingdom of God. It will be an eternal stigma and those that do this will have to give an account. But they won't of course lose their salvation.

Jesus said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5;17 - 19).

An equally direct warnign is in Revelation 22: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written this book" (Rev. 22:18, 19).

Although this specifically refers to the Book of Revelation it underslines how seriously God takes His Word.

The reality of demons and divine healing

There are two areas in the Scriptures that are currently under attack (apart from the usual attack on creation and heaven and hell). The first is the question of demons and their operation and the second is divine healing.

The reality of demons

Intellectualism, science and psychology have deceived many Christians into denying the reality of demons and therefore seeking help from doctors and psychiatrists rather than spiritual men with discernment. The Scriptures refer repeatedly to demonic activity, and Jesus both discerned it and dealt with it. The inability of many Churches to deal with this area reflects how urgently correct Biblical teaching is needed to redress the balance. Because this ministry has been left to so few, delieverance is seen as a fringe activity practiced by those who see a demon in everyone, and it is either avoided or rationalized away, with the result that someone genuinely oppressed is not taught how to get free and stay free, but is instead treated as being mentally ill in some way. The fact is that you cannot have a medical cure for spiritual sickness. What we need in the Body of Christ is men with an awareness of principalitites and powers prepared to minister deliverance in the Name of Jesus to those whose problem are spiritual. We should not quench the liberating work of the Spirit in this area but rather seek to have the same ministry as Jesus (Luke 4:18, 19).

Deliverance has not been replaced by psychology or drugs and the Church needs to be much more aware of its responsibility to be equipped to deal with it.

Divine healing

Divine healing (healing in the Name of Jesus) is an integral part of Jesus' ministry to fulfill the Isaiah 61 prophecy about Him that He Himself quoted in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke 4. The disciples were commissioned to heal, and it is included in Jesus' instructions of Mark 16.

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:17, 18).

The Holy Spirit is healing many people today in the name of Jesus, and we should all be seeking to be used by the Lord in healing under the anointing of the power of God, as Mark 16 does not suggest that these ministries are limited to a selected few.

There is, however, a tremendous amount of unbelief in this area that quenches the Spirit and blocks the healing flow of God. If Jesus could do nother in Nazareth because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58) the same will apply elsewhere.

Biblical basis for divine healing

Healing was provided in the Old Testament, for example through the serpent on the cross that Moses lifted up as foreshadowing of Jesus (Numbers 21:9) as well as through the prophetic ministry of Elisha in response to prayers to the Lord. It was not however generally available in the way God actually wanted because Israel repeatedly voilated the Deuteronomy 28 covernant and therefore came into the curses for disobedience, among which sickness is listed.

Sickness is a curse as the result of sin, not just specific individual sins but the whole Fall of man so it does not follow that the worst sicknesses affect the worst sinners or vice versa. All under Adamic curse are vulnerable to sickness. If sickness came into the world after the Fall of Adam then the Second Adam (Jesus) in redeeming us from the Fall also redeemed us from the consequences. In other words, healing is included in the atonement. If is was not then our salvation is incomplete.

Conclusion

We all need to be sure that we know the Scriptures and the power of God and not be deceived about our standing before the Lord, like those described in 2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. The Laodicean Church which some consider typifying the last phase of the Ghurch on the earth, said about itself: "I am rich, having become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17). But Jesus saw them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Jesus was in fact outside knocking to try to get in (Rev. 3:20)! Some of the harshest words of Jesus were for the official priest, the ministers of His days, for preventing the people from entering into the Kingdom and giving them tradition instead of truth. Tradition and religion can be real enemies of the true work of God and we need to be aware how they can usurp the Lordship of Jesus and deny the power of the Spirit. We must live by the Scriptures and experience the power of God in our homes and Churches.

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

God gave spiritual gifts to the Church because He intended them to be used when believers met together as the Body of Christ. They therefore need to be considered in the context of our corporate life together. God never intended them to be a kind of special exclusive blessing for a selected few while leaving the overwhelming majority of believers to struggle on their own. Indeed spiritual gifts have become a problem area for many Churches precisely because Christians are receiving them. The Church in general has been so used to doing without them for so long that they are almost an intrusion, considered the result of fanaticism - extreme, and definitely not for use in Churches. Instead of giving them their full and proper place in God's order they are often banished to the prayer meeting or restricted to private use only, with the hope that this will maintain unity and avoid conflict within the Church. We are now living in days when God wants all spiritual gifts restored to their proper Biblical function, and Churches are going to have to come to terms with what God is doing through the outpouring of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit never causes a division or split in a Church on this issue. It is the inflexibility of the people to recognize and absorb what God is doing, and it is a corporate proble that needs to be faced and tackled rather than seeking a cheap peace. There may be a separation as a result, because in any group there will be those keener than others to move on with God, but it is hardly God's fault if this happens. Indeed God wants us all to walk in the light and it is better to be honest and open and seek a solution rather than allow the Devil to stir up rumblings of dicontent anywhere in the Body of Christ.

Practical aspects of spiritual gifts

Very few would disagree that spiritual gifts including tongues are for personal use in building up an individual believer and for ministering in counseling. The bigger issue is to what degree they should be used corporately meetings and Church services. Much confusion arises over 1 Corinthians 12 - 14, so it is worth going over some basic ground at this point.

God does not want us ignorant about spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:1) and the more you know and understand the better. Paul is thorough in his exposition to despel ignorance not compound it! Let us look at those controvesial gifts.

Spiritual gifts - untiy in diversity

Paul said: "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:4 - 11, NKJV).

Many books are available which cover the gifts in detail but a brief summary of each is including here for clarity:

1. The word of wisdom is the gift of supernatural wisdom for a specific situation, so that you know you are receiving directly God's wisdom on the matter. It is a higher wisdom than the natural mind and comes from the Spirit of God as a gift. Usually you have to come to an end of natural wisdom first, but God gives it as a gift and in line with what James said: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and withoug reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). This is a wonderful gift covering many situations.

2. The word of knowledge is the gift of a key to unlock a situation. For example God can reveal the cause of a problem in the past or reveal a need. As God knows everything He simply gives the knowledge needed for the situation. It can expose a sin, such as Ananias and Saphira secretly withholding money and lying about it. It is often used in healing meetings to instill faith that if God can reveal the sickness He can also heal the person who has it! It is invaluable in counselling and a necessary part of the Church's resources, as it enables you to hear direct from God.

3. The gift of faith is the special supernatural gift of faith for a situation beyond your own faith. God has given to every believer the measure of faith (Romans 12:3) so you have the normal measure. You then have to develop your faith to go from faith to faith, and faith comes from hearing and applying the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God will never move outside the realm of faith because "Whatever is not from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23) and "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). Rather than have us move in unbelieve God gives the gift of faith to enable Him to move in a situation beyond our own normal level of faith.


4. The gifts of healings are self-explanatory and over both physical and emotional healing. This is healing in the name of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, and although it is a gift to the Church, i.e. primary for believers, God will often heal unbelievers as a sign to them the gospel is true. There are many ways the gift can be given and received, and it is not restricted to healing meetings or any set formula. Divine health is a gift to the Body of Christ.

5. The working of miracles is the instant manifestation of the power of God, and should not be confused with healing, which may take time. The instantaneous cure of a sickness or the recreation of a part of the body is a miracle. It covers a wide area and is in essence the manifestation of the supernatural power of God in whatever way is needed. You work your own miracles by faith and often several of the gifts will work together. It is a marvelous gift from God. There may well come a time when you will have to move into this area and seek God for a miracle working ministry repeating many of the miracles that Jesus did.

6. The gift of prophecy is simply speaking the pure word of God, not necessarily relating to the future. Often it is preceded by "Thus saith the Lord", and those prophesying are bringing a message from heaven and are told to prophesy according to their faith. It is not intended to be used for guidance but for the strengthening, encouragement and comfort of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 14:3).

7. The discerning of spirits is the ability to discern what is happening in the spirit realm. It covers knowing whether a prophecy or tongue is counterfeit and is therefore a check for the Body of Christ, and also links with the word of knowledge to discern what is happening spiritually. For example when Jesus said to Peter "Get thee behind me Satan" He was exercising this gift, as Satan had manipulated Peter to divert Jesus from the will of the Father, and Jesus discerned the Satanic source.


8. Tongues are languages supernaturally given by the Holy Spirit which have not been learnt. We know this from Acts 2 where 15 are listed as being heard on the day of Pentecost. They also include angelic language (1 Cor. 13:1). Some are known to God alone. The point is that they are not incoherent nonsense but actually communicate in the Spirit. As with learning a language you get a few words, then more and finally a flow, so it is with tongues and some are better at it than others. You can have more than one tongue or language, and can even ask God to add more! The reason God gives tongues from the Spirit is so that we move out of the natural area which we control into the Spirit area, which the Holy Spirit controls. Tongues therefore have a private function such as praying, for that is what praying 'in the Spirit' actually is, and a public function to speak out the tongue given by God so that it may be interpreted.


9. The interpretation of tongues then become obvious. You need people to interpret the tongues given publicly otherwise there is not point in having them. This too is a gift. It is an interpretation, not necessarily always a literal translation, so the length of the tongue and the length of the interpretation can differ.


The usage of spiritual gifts


The nine listed gifts of the Spirit are given to individuals for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7). When believers meet together in the Church service it is impossible that everyone will manifest all the gifts including tongues. Nevertheless Paul still desire that all should speak in tongues (1 Cor. 14:5). There clearly has to be difference between speaking in tongues personally and giving a message in tongues in a meeting. Everyone should do the first but not everyone has opportunity for the second. In fact he says that only two or three at a time should do the second (1 Cor. 14:27).


Paul said: "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39).


When Paul means is that we can give the word of the Lord, but as with tongues he expects everyone to prophesy privately and from time to time to use this gift as part of their public ministry. That is why not all prophesy in the meeting. Because a meeting needs to be decent and orderly. Paul gives specific instructions on how it should flow. For example a tongue should be followed by an interpretation and if there isn't one you should seek one (1 Cor. 14:13) otherwise it's better to keep quiet.


God is a God of order and it is to avoid discorder and confusion that Paul gives the detailed instructions to the Corinthian Church. The avoidance of the use of spiritual gifts is no real solution when difficulties arise and effectively prevents the Body of Christ functioning as God intended. There needs to be an opportunity for gifts and ministries to develop and if this cannot be in the main service or meeting then some other occasion needs to be found because this is how believers are built up and the Body of Christ grows.


This ties in with the priesthood of all believers because body ministry is impossible without it. It is because we don't usually see all believers as priests that we do not have meetings based on that principle. One man cannot lead body ministry by definition. Whatever structure you currently have and however much you try to move towards a Biblical model of leadership the crunch will come in the services or meetings. This is where it shows the degree you believe in body ministry and the ability of all believers to minister.


Paul said: "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation, let all this be done for edification" (1 Cor. 14:26).


In other word, everyone can receive something from the Lord and can give it at the meetings. Anyone can start a song, share a testimony, give teaching from the Bible, share a truth God has show him, give a message in tongues, interpret someone else's tongue or give a prophecy. There then follows detailed instruction on how to keep the meeting in order.


It is worth noting in passing that women are also priests automatically as far as God is concerned. The current debate about a woman leading a Local Church like a man is a challenge to the authority that God has clearly structured in 1 Tim. 2:12. They are not to have a teaching ministry or authority over men, whatever the current sociological vogue, because Paul's argument is not based on culture but creation. Notice that as Pastors, women need to teach and exercise authority over men. But as priests they should have equal opportunity to contribute in a meeting.


True body ministry means that the leaders will not necessarily speak anyway. We do need to give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak prophetically to the Church, and the instruction from Paul in this matter - "Do not quench the Sprit, do not despise prophecies, test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Tess. 5:19 - 21).


Many leaders and Churches fear that the meeting will somehow be out of control if they allow body ministry, because no-one is visibly in charge. This is not actually true, as elders who are filled with the Holy Spirit, are invisibly supporting and watching over the meeting in a corrective role to prevent disorder, and the sign of a good meeting is that their presence is hardly noticed. It's not a free for all but freedom to minister, knowing that there is a safety net if needed. In addition there are the Biblical checks of discernment and weighing prophecy. There is also the basic witness of the Holy Spirit so that each person can filter out what is not Spirit and life. God is actually able to speak through His minister, and the gifts of the Spirit such as tongues and prophecy are God speaking in the meeting. In an open meeting of this type you would expect choruses (songs), prayer, prophecy, tongues, interpretation, singing in the Spirit, dancing in the Spirit and possible words of knowledge and wisdom, healing or whatever the Lord directs, as He is directing the meeting. God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth and that may well involve us in moving into areas we are not naturally comfortable with.


The prophetic ministry in body ministry


The prophetic ministry is a key ingredient in body ministry. All through history God has raised up prophets to bring the Word of the Lord to His people, despite its frequent rejection, and God wants this ministry in the Church today. In 1 Cor. 12:28, God has appointed first, apostles (who, by the way, need to have those "signs following" that marked an apostle such as signs, wonders and miracles - 2 Cor. 12:12. They are not merely be sent out from their Church) and second, prophets. That is a measure of their importance, as the need to hear the Word of the Lord and encourage all those with a prophetic ministry to go deeper. We must never despise prophesying, but rather weigh the prophecies against the Bible and exercise discernment and witness of the Spirit. What is your own attitude to spiritual gifts? Do you see them and earnestly desire to prophesy? If so ask the Lord and claim the promise of Luke 11:9 that you will receive what you ask for. The giver is more important that the gifts but God does want His Church fully equipped and for you to have them.


The result of despising body ministry


There is an interesting cautionary tale found in 2 Samuel 6. When the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem, David danced before the Lord with all his might. It was quite a sight!


"... Michal, Saul's daugher, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart" (2 Sam. 6:16). The chapter ends with these words - "Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death" (2 Sam. 6:23).


If you despise body ministry and God's principles for meeting together, tongues, dancing in the Spirit and even the gifts of the Spirits, the result will be the same - barrenness in you life and Church. It is is up to us to allow the Holy Spirit His perfect way with us and to submit to the Word of God, so that we do not miss any of what God has for us in these days of renewal either as individuals or corporately as the Body of Christ. May we respond like David - "And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight" (2 Sam. 6:22).

No Human King for Israel

Have you ever wondered why Israel never had a king but only judges up to the time of Saul? There were many men who could quite easily have called themselves kings and fulfill that role - Abraham, Moses and Joshua to name but three. Instead God decided that His chosen people would have no king, because He Himself would be their king and go out at the head of His people to fight for their battles. This has always been God's intention for His people and also that there should be prophets among them to bring the word of the Lord. This priciple remains equally valid today.

At the time of samuel Israel had been ruled by a series of judges including Gideon and Samson, who were acting as God's representatives in both teaching the people and bringing deliverance from their enemies. However by the end of the Book of Judges acceptance of the rule of God's law had deteriorated to such an extent that the last sentance read: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, NKJV).

By the time of 1 Samuel the situation was still pretty bad with anarchy abounding. Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas were installed as priests but they were completely away from the Lord, treating the sacrifices with contempt. In this situation God raised up Samuel as prophet and priest, and Israel returned to order. However Samuel's sons did not follow their father's example and as Samuel began to get old the people decided that they had had enough and they wanted a king. They were not willing to have God as king because the other nations seemed to be stronger and more successful with their kings (read 1 Samuel 8:5 - 21).

The whole point was that God did not want them to be like the other nations. He had fought their battles for them when they were occupying the land, such as taking Jericho and Ai, yet still they demanded a king.

Situation today

Today we are acting the same way. Want strong visible leadership in the Church and nation and are reluctant for God to be king directly, or for things to be run His way. There is a sense of security and stability if there is a visible king.

Genesis 14 illustrates this desire for the safety of kingship. Abram rescued Lot from the four kings that have attacked Sodom, and yet Lot still returned to that corrupt regime under king Bera and missed the opportunity to break free and join Abram. He felt safer under the newly victorious king despite his 'success' being totally due to Abram's 318 rained men, and returned to Sodom's apparent security, with the result that he had to be rescued again later. Meanwhile Abram, who was walking by faith and knew he was a foreigner and stranger in the land, meets Melchizedek king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who blessed him and Abram gave him a tenth of everything. The contrast is between the apparent safety of organized leadership with a king and city walls on one hand and the walk of faith living in tents with Abraham and God as king on the other.

The situation in the Church today is similar, in that we can choose authoritaria structured leadership that runs the Church like a king, whereas God wants to be both our king and our security and has enabled us to have direct access to Him as kings and priests in our own right. One of the most significant revelations to the Church today, onl which the whole question of Church structure and organization brings, is the priesthood of all believers stated in Revelation 1:6.

Jesus has made us kings and priests to serve God the Father. The Biblical significance of this statement is that there is no longer any distinction between priest and people, clergy and laity as far a God is concerned. In the Chruch the number of priests is the same as the number of believers, but we have artificially reclassified them into two groups with different titles and functions. God never intended for one man to be 'the priest' and carry the weight of any Church, nor to have the gifts necessary to be the omni-competent multiministry man at the front. If you are an ordinary member of a Church you need to see that your minister is actually meant to be one minister among many, and not the preacher/pastor taking the service each week.

Culture and tradition have been allowed to influence us more than the Bible, with the result that Church servises often bear no relation to the Biblical model of participation and shared ministry, and are in essence let by the minister acting as a priest on behalf of the peopl.

The significance of the curtain of the temple being torn in two must not be undervalued, because it was a direct and visible sign not just that Man was reconciled to God but that direct access was being given for the first tim to the very throne of God, and God was abolishing the old preisthood. Jesus Himself was the Great High Priest and has made us a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). The Levitical priesthood was inadequate (Heb. 7:11) and merely a pointer to the One who was to come as the Great High Priest.

The writer of Hebrews said: "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another - He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. 9:24 - 26).

This wonderful truth now gives us direct access to God. It is important to see that the Levitical priesthood has been abolished, because if you still believe that it is valid and necessary if not only denies the completed work of christ, but also denies Chrsitians the revelation of the freedom they have com into, where they can confess their sins direct to God and be forgiven. All believers are now priests in their won right and represent themselves.

The Body of Christ

It is important to establish this foundationa truth in relation to Church structure because it affects the way we see both ourselves and the leadership of the Church we are in. No longer do we need any mediator or intermediary to represent us before God as we are now all part of the Body of Ghrist, that mystery not fully revealed until after the Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost. We now have to look at the Biblical model as God's ideal, see how the Church has moved away from that, and how to get back to it in these days of renewal.

First of all the Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ and all believer are autometically part of the Body of Christ. The head is in heaven with the body here on eart, and one day soon we shall be united together. As in human body the head sends messages direct to each part of the body. For example, to move my hand the message doesn't go to the neck which then tells the arm to move the hand. It goes direct, and so it is with the Lord. An example of this is specific prayer. God, who knows everything, hears the prayer of a believer saying he needs to change of car. He prays direct to the Head and doesn't have to make the need public. Christ, the Head, tells another Christian to provide either partially or in total, so that the need and the provision are linked up, and the body blessed. Possibly the word of knowledge may be used, where God tells a Christian of another's need, and the person responds having received what the need is, supernaturally from the Head. This is true body ministry, and we should expect it to be the norm and not the exception. Unfortunately those who claim to have heard from the Lord are viewed with suspicion and either considered arrogant, super-spiritual or odd in many Churches, whereas we should all hear regularly from God. His sheep hear His voice, if they listen for it. The principle of direct access to the Head means that revelation is not passed down through a heirachy of leadership, where someone has to ask God on your behalf. Churches need to be modeled with this in mind recognizing both plurality of leadership and corporate participation as part of the way God planned for the Body of Christ to function.

Plurality of leadership

Although the Body of Christ is on, God never intended it to be run like a multinational corporation with a president, vice-president and executives. The very reverse is closer to the truth, with many leaders emerging from a group of believers and being appointed as elders within autonomous self-governing Churches. the early Churches had a group of elders, never one man running a Church single-handed, with deacons acting in their role of administrators. There were of course the original apostles and many believers were sent out as Church planters. Wherever a Church was planted elders were appointed (Titus 1:5) and that Church was self-governing, even if visited by the apostles.

In the days of renewal god is wanting to bring us back to these fundamental principles, however radical and challenging they may be, and seek to re-establish plurality of leadership under God as king and corporate participation through the various gifts and ministries. The recent emergence of so many flourishing home-fellowships (home cell groups) would not have happened if the 'mainline' Churches had applied these principles and broken out of the traditional mould. Some groups are able to respond more easily than others and to move towards this goal. We must be aware what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church, and be prepared to adjust our ways to conform to His.

The starting point towards this has to be autonomy and local freedom, even if a Church or felowship is associated with other of the same denomination. Unless the local Body of Christ is directly relating to the Head, and therefore hearing direct and moving ahead in the way they believe God is leading their eldership, there is a risk of missing all that the Lord has for them and for a program to be imposed from outside based on someone else's expectation of how they should function and develop. Any form of outside control tends to restrict the freedom to move ahead purely looking unto Jesus as the Head, who is actually able to speak to the believers directly Himself. Of course this dies not invalidate input from outside, but it should be in the form of encouragement, help and support for the developing ministries within a local group, not the exercise of rulership over the believers in an authoritarian structure where they are automatically expected to submit meekly or be considered rebellious!


Home fellowship (cell) groups


Within this independent group of believers there will be many gifts and ministeries of varying stages of growth, some seeds, some plants, and they need the right climate grow and be fruitful. One of the best ways of achieving this to have Home cell groups of a dozen or so people with one or preferably two leaders as this will achieve two main goals.


1. It involves all the members of a Local Church and gets them to look at their own role and involvement in the life and growth of the group, including seeking to meet each others needs both spiritually and practically.


2. It shares the weight and responsibility placing it at the point where need can best be known and met, thus freeing the leadership to be more directly concerned with seeking God for directrionalguidance and receiving the Word of the Lord for the Local Church. In essence it ismeant to be a team ministry with everyone in the team and each finding their role and ministry.


Paul said: "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who show mercy, with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:6 - 8).


In this passage the one who prophesies, and even the one who teaches, is not necessarily the one who leads. Team ministry is meant to avoid the elevation of one-man ministries. Far too many Churches are known by their ministers, and we should not be seeking for ourselves in God's Church or even be pushing our own individual ministry. Faithfulness to what we have is the goal and it is up to the Lord how He chooses to use us and what doors He opens.


Part of the recognition of the priesthood of all believers implies that there should be no distinction as far as dress is concerned. The wearing of clerical clothes, particularly the dog collar, perpetuates the artificial distinction and creates expectations on both sides. There are occasionally times where it may be appropriate as identification, such as hospital visiting, but in general it serves to perpetuate the tratitional separation of clergy and laity which has the origins in the Middle Ages, no in the Biblical early Church.


Having seen that Vod has given all believers equal status as priest, we need to see the outworking of that in a practical realistic way. The more formal the Church the harder it will be to implement, but if you have the vision for shared ministries it should be possible to make a start. Moses' father-in-law was wise enough to suggest to Moses that he didn't have to do everything himself (Exodus 18:17 - 26)! Part of today's problem is that people still feel they have to see the minister and be visited by him. As in Moses' case, tha can creat unreasonable pressure by the expectation of others. In Number11 Moses once again faced the problem of grumbling Israelites, and complains to God. The Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of elders of Israel, who you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring tem to the tabernacle of meeting that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone" (Numbers 11:16, 17).


"Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Didad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophsied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's assistant, one of his choice men, answere and sid, 'Moses my lord, forbit them!' The Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prohets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them'" (Numbers 11:25 - 29).


Even two elders who were not there got the anointing! We can either react like Joshua and seek to limit the anointing to Moses or 'the leader,' or like Moses and desire that everyone should be filled with the Spirit and move under the anointing of God.


Every Church should hav elders functioning, watever you actually call them. They have a shepherding role in the Body of Christ to lead the sheep into the greenest pasture and rescue them before they get damaged, or attend to their wounds if they do. Despite some of the excesses in managing the flock, shepherding is a Biblical concept based on the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, and should enable the flock to feed in peace and safety. Jesus has given us of His Spirit so that we many all function to our fullest potential in the Body of Christ, sharing the ministry and building up one another in faith. May He alone be King.