Controversy Series
*(Click here or scroll to the bottom to get links to the controversial topics)*
Introduction
It was in my heart to do a series on the things that divide the Body of Christ. It is a curious thing that we Christians are so eager to be divided. My brain spins even now as I try to comprehend the reality that Christians all read the same bible, worship the same God and Lord Jesus Christ; yet denominations exist.
Let me say right now off the bat that denominationalism is demonic. Let us consider this script.
Mar 3:22-25
22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
This is a law in itself spoken by Jesus. However, the Lord even though He is the Lord, makes Himself subject to His own Word (Ps 138:2). THE BODY OF CHRIST DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND.
Division in the church troubled our apostle Paul. He spoke with great choler against it. Listen to his speech in the book of Galatians as he echoes Jesus that if the church is divided it cannot stand.
Gal 5:10-17
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded:but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:and these are contrary the one to the other:so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Here we see Paul saying the same thing Jesus said above in Mark. Firstly let me explain that this scripture has nothing to do with the fact that our human bodies are at war with the Holy Ghost that is inside us. That is a ludicrous idea to think that the flesh, an inanimate object, which is brought alive by the soul, would be able to war with the one who created it, and even sometimes win. The flesh for sons of God is created in holiness and righteousness after the image of him who created him. (Col 3:10)
(Go through the Salvation Series to get a proper perspective on the scripture above or my blog post The Gift to the World where this specific scripture is explained in depth.)
Rather this scripture speaks to division. There are some that trouble the flock. There are some that have entered the church and bite and devour by preaching heresies and pointing men to the law. In this script we see two sets of people; those who believe, preach and practice heresies (they that walk after the flesh) and those who preach and practice Christ (they that walk after the Spirit), the church cannot do what it would.
Those that walk in the flesh will always attempt to convert those that walk in the Spirit and the inverse is also true. This is the lusting that Paul speaks of here. It therefore creates division in the body and the church will not be able to do the works it could have done if the church was all unified in doctrine.
As I am writing, the Lord has instructed me to continue down these lines that the people may see His sentiments towards division. Consider this scripture.
Gal 1:6-9
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
The Lord is very serious about division. Paul had no power of himself, all the power that was ever manifested through Paul was of the Lord (2 Cor 4:7). In order for his curse to be of spiritual effect the Lord had to agree with it. Paul simply wrote the sentiments of the Lord.
Let me point out here that this curse still holds true today. IF ANY MAN PREACHES ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE TRUTH IT SHALL BE A CURSE UNTO THEM.
This is hard truth. For this cause we ought to always ensure that the doctrine we speak and preach is indeed truth.
But the question is What is truth and how does one know that what they believe is truth?
Well, I too will ask you a question. What gave Paul the authority to give this curse in the first place? How was he so sure that the doctrine he taught was the truth? Let us think about this, at Paul's time there were many ministers. They were many who testified of truth but many were branded as false apostles and prophets. This is something we ought to think about.
Here is the answer.
GOD IS A GOD OF ORDER
God revealed His word to many prophets in the Old Testament. They received this word by direct encounters or by the spoken word of God. Moses also received the law, the heart of God and instructed that the Children of Israel walk in them. Now let us examine this scripture.
Mat 17:1-5
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them:and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here:if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
It is a curious thing that even though Moses and Elijah were present it seems as if they were totally ignored by the Father. He simply said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him", speaking of Jesus and not the others. What then was the significance of Moses and Elijah?
The answer is simple.
Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets, however Jesus is these two in one. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and of the prophets, that is why God said "hear ye him". God is simply saying that if we honour the words of Jesus we have honoured all the law and all the prophets because they all were about him (Heb 10:7).
Everything Jesus taught was confirmed by the law and the prophets (Old Testament). It served as a boundary for His ministry. He could not teach anything that was not in the Old Testament. Let us continue looking at the order of God.
Mat 13:1-3 & 9-12
1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
...
Mat 13:9-12
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance:but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Jesus spoke unto the multitudes in parables, but he gave the explanation of the parables to the apostles in secret. The revelation of the mystery of Christ is given to the Apostle first and then it is passed on to the rest of the Body. Note here that Jesus never ever explained the parables to the multitudes directly. The explanation of the parables were only given after the apostles received the Holy Ghost, because it was only then that they truly understood them (Jn 12:16).
I must point out here that some of these in the multitudes were afterward saved. Some had ears to hear, meaning they were predestined of the Father to receive the Holy Ghost, because their hearts were open to God. None can come unto the Father unless He draw them, thus they that have ears to hear were/are the predestined or called of Christ.
He therefore spoke in parables, and those that had ears to hear would have known that Jesus was the Christ. They would have harboured His teachings in their hearts, however they would not have received the explanation of the mysteries until they had received the Holy Ghost, and were taught the explanation by the apostles. This is what Jesus meant when he said "whosoever hath (meaning an ear to hear), to him shall be given (given the Holy Ghost), and he shall have more abundance (to them the mysteries would be explained to by the apostles that Jesus had directly taught) :but whosoever hath not (an ear), from him shall be taken away even that he hath (the enemy would snatch the word from their heart (Matt 13:19)."
Therefore we see the order of God being even the more revealed. All that was given to the old patriarchs were given to them directly by God. They all spoke and testified of Jesus. When Jesus came, all that he taught bore witness with the law and the prophets. Jesus then taught/teaches the mysteries to the apostles and it is the job of the apostles to then teach it to the church.
Heb 1:1-2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
GOD IS NOT A GOD WITHOUT ORDER AND HE WILL NEVER OPERATE OUTSIDE OF HIS ORDER
Apostolic Order is God's method of ministry in the earth.
Eph 3:1-5
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you- ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
The revelation of Christ is given to the holy apostles and prophets. It is their job to piecemeal the revelation in the church that it may grow up by. The purpose of Apostolic Order is for the church to be unified in one doctrine, heart and mind.
1Co 1:10
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Eph 4:11-16
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Apostolic Order is also known as the 5-Fold Ministry. It entails the 5 leadership gifts given to the church. The apostle, the prophet, the pastor, the teacher and the evangelist.
The Apostle: Establishes and maintains the order and ordains
the other gifts.
The
Prophet: Confirms the word given to the church.
The
Pastor: Feeds the Word to the church
congregation.
The
Teacher: Further piece-meals the Word to the Body.
The
Evangelist: Compels men to come to
Christ
These 5 gifts are given until the Lord comes for the purpose of the following:
1. To perfect the saints - Bring the saints to a place of holiness and steadfastness in the faith.
2. To edify the body - To reveal Christ to the body that the Church may grow by it
3. To unify the church - To bring the entire Body of Christ to a place of unity. This unity is in doctrine, lifestyle, heart and perspective of the Gospel.
4. Manifest Christ on the earth - To prove to the world that Jesus is alive, by a lifestyle of holiness and signs and wonders.
5. To cause the body to discern - By the knowledge of the truth, cause the church to know the lie and spot a devilish/false doctrine
6. Ensure that every member in the body is giving their supply - Train and teach the Body to operate in their gifts/measure/calling that the supply each member Christ has compacted them to give will be given. This also stops competition in the Body, because it reveals that each member has a supply to give.
7. Establish a structure that the Church will grow itself - By the operation of the gifts, the church will mature spiritually and souls will be added.
Apostolic Order is designed to kill confusion in the Church. It how God operates in the earth. The Church today is already under some type of Apostolic order, because the new testament was mostly written by apostles. However the presence of an apostle today ought not to be ignored. An apostle today receives the same revelation as the apostles of old. They therefore will able to set the perspective of the scriptures that you may see them as God intended as opposed to how man may see them.
The order is then this:
1. The revelation is given to the apostles
2. It is then confirmed by the prophets, by the revelation God gives them (it is the same as the revelation of the apostle but in part)
3. The pastors preach and teach their knowledge in the mystery that they have been taught by their apostles. They also serve as shepherds for the flock, ensuring they are within the boundaries of the faith (which is also established by the apostles)
4. The teachers breaks down the word revealed by the apostle further ensuring that all can understand it.
5. Evangelist compels men to Christ by their knowledge of the mystery that they have received from their apostle.
Each of these are gifts and operates as such. However the gift of the apostle is integral for each to operate to its full potential in Christ. This is why it was the gift of the apostle is a foundation gift for the proper functioning of the body.
1Co 12:28
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings (evangelist), helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
This may have been new information but it is foundational that we understand this series on a whole. The Lord confirmed to me that I ought to do this series and so, here it is.
This series will be a number of different posts on controversial topics. On each post the topic will be explained in light of all scripture, and supported with scripture. Here are certain principles we must be governed by when studying scripture:
1. Scripture must be interpreted in light of all scripture - The scriptures do not contradict themselves and if they appear to, the perspective and context must be examined.
2. We ought not to have any private interpretation of scripture - We do not have the authority to apply opinion to scripture.
3. Every symbol used in the bible is either interpreted/explained in the same scripture or elsewhere in the bible.
4. An apostle's revelation is always within the boundaries set by Jesus.
With that said, let the controversy begin.
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Topics to be added soon
Baptism in Water
Setting the Perspective of Christianity
Unclean Meats
Women in Ministry
_______________________________________________________________
Topics to be added soon
Baptism in Water
Setting the Perspective of Christianity
Unclean Meats
Women in Ministry
