The Ministry of the Word

[Kratos]

During my more than a week without power due to a powerful wind storm, the Lord spoke to me many times about my calling as a Minister of His Word. He told me in no uncertain terms that the poverty that is seen in the Church today is primarily not the fault of the people. The Church is poor because there is little ministry of the Word because of the inadequacy of today's ministers. I am sure that there are many on here that would challenge whether this was indeed the Lord speaking as they have long ago lost any belief in the need for ministers. In fact, many think that the Church would be far richer if there were no ministers at all and all just heard from the Lord on their own. The only problem with this theory is that this is not the way of God. God always has a man that He speaks to in secret and sends that man to shout His Word from the housetops. He never changes a nation by speaking to the whole nation in secret or in private.

Let me start sharing what I received by defining what I mean by the Word of God. The Bible in its natural state is not the Word of God that the Lord spoke to me about. The Bible is the body of the Word, but not the Spirit of the Word. It is similar to the fact that we have a natural body that contains our God-inspired spirit man. Human spirits cannot act independently of our bodies and the Spiritual Word must never be separated from the Bible. Inspiration is the fact that God once breathed upon holy men of old so that we would have a Bible today. Inspiration is a past tense event that still has effect today. Revelation is never a past tense event, but always in the now. When God once again brings revelation on the Bible that He once long ago inspired, it again becomes the Word of God.

Let me say this again. The Bible without current revelation is not the Word of God and current revelation outside of the Bible is not the Word of God. But, when God again breathes upon what He once breathed into those who wrote down the Bible, we have the Word of God. It is God's current Voice again saying what He once said before, that has the power to give life and produce life-changing faith.

Satan fights this process in two ways. Either he tells us to question the Bible and to only trust the inner voice of the Spirit....or......he tells us to only trust the Bible and to question the inner voice of the Spirit. If either challenge takes root in the Church, we cannot have the Word of God. The Word is ministered on the principle of resurrection. Resurrection is not a dead body and resurrection is not a new life that has never lived before. Resurrection is something that was once alive that is not now alive, but is made alive again. The Bible was once alive when the apostles and prophets received it and it is dead now, but it is resurrected when God's Ministers again speak it and God makes it alive again in the hearts of the hearers.

God said that the poverty in the Church is due to the fact that so many men and women call themselves ministers of the Word when all they bring to the Church is the Bible and not the Word. Or because they call themselves ministers when they speak is "spiritual riddles", but they do not do so from the Bible. Many can tell you about the Bible and about God, but few today can bring forth God when they speak. I know this frustrates those who have become comfortable with spiritual isolation and who have lost all hope in the Church today, but God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to minister His Word to His Church.

All Christians can study the Bible and all Christians must be willing to share whatever spiritual gifts that they have received for the betterment and enrichment of the Body. But, not all are called and equipped to be Ministers of the Word. Take this or leave it, but I speak this from the Lord and to my own shame. I am one of the ones responsible for the poverty of the Church because I have been given the responsibility among others to speak so God can speak. I was called from my Mother's womb to carry the Word and the Spirit to the nations. I have the promise of God that when I speak from the Bible, He will speak and bring the Word.

I will end by saying that I do not know how to get from where I am to where I must go. Maybe, I am just being awakened in this hour because the time is approaching for another unveiling of the Sons of God. I just know that God's moves always begin with Him calling men and women to agree with Him as to what is needed. It is not enough to just write about what God has said as I am doing here. We must again speak so He can speak. Our world will never be changed as we dazzle them with our logical debates about the Bible. We must again be willing to be used to slay men under the power of His revealed light. We must again speak where men will quiver and shake and go away knowing that they have heard God of a truth.

May God be merciful on His Ministers for the sake of His Church and for the furtherence of His Kingdom.

John

[reFORMer]

There are to appear individuals responsible for planet wide ministry.  They have words specially commissioned by God to speak to all of humanity.  Yet, in the Church in their locale, the two or more in His name, they are a brother among brothers and sisters, flowing together as the Lord may lead.  This does not diminish their uniqueness.  It is like a finding for a jewel.  One does not just drop a precious gem in his pocket.  Jesus didn't appear just anywhere.  It was in ancient Israel where there was a place prepared for Him, that could show Him off and retain His blessing.

To stand privy to the councils of the Lord, to know what He is readying to do and why, to be a part of His plan, bringing His will to fruition in the Earth is a great honor and responsibility.  Do what you will, you cannot bring those around you into that place.  Often they don't even recognize such a realm, much less that you are there.  To know you're something prepared in God doesn't mean anybody else knows it other than you and your Father...until the time He's set for it to be revealed.  It's not about entering ahead of everybody else, but to bring the others in to what God has predetermined to give to them by you.

Some are set by God in the midst of the brethren to unfold God's word that it be established in those about them that the Lord would have a place of habitation.  Christ must be fully formed in a people in the Earth.  His Image and Likeness will be raised up to inherit all things.  Faithfulness to this work in the written and incarnate word is to be recognized with double honor.  The travesty today is professional preachers who exclude the body, replacing and not allowing the maturing of the body by it's ministry one to another.  We are on a path recovering lost ways, restoring the ministry to the people of God in liberty and receiving unprecedented opening of the books of Scripture and manifestation of gifts in specific members of the body.

I believe mature holy ones will come forth here and there, entering into complete victory over everything destroying man.  When the time appointed of the Father arrives, they will become the determining factor in the affairs of all mankind.

---James Rohde

[Kratos]

I posted the same thoughts on my "My Church" blog and one member commented something to the effect that we have swung the pendelum so far in fear of being lifted up in pride as Ministers that we deny the truth. God says that faith comes by HEARING the Word of God. It does not say that faith comes by reading the Bible or from hearing the still small voice of God individually on our spirit (though to some extent both are true).

To make sure that there is no confusion, God leads up to this statement this way:

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Rom 10:16  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Have we become such full grown and wise children that we have outgrown the way of God through the foolishment of preaching which is meant to confound the wise in their own hearts? Is this why we see such tormoil and confusion in the way of doctrine today that we no longer are going to HEAR the Word of God because of the abuses in Babylon? Are we just protecting our own lives to settle for typing our opinions rather than SPEAKING so God can be heard?

These are questions that I am being asked by God.

John

[arcticmonster2003]

I agree Kratos that ministers of the word are necessary, I guess the struggle I and I think many have is that most (why be subtle, what I mean is 99.9%) "modern day" ministers have set themselves as leaders over those whom they consider their followers. So it has become a "power" thing, and all of us know what type of people "power" draws, the worst of the worst.
Having ministers is excellent, the real problem is that most ministers these days don't really serve God, but themselves.
The first servants of God, such as the apostles, walking in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, in my opinion has been severely twisted by men who do not have the Holy Spirit within taking a power and authority for themselves. And any power and authority, not of Christ, shall be misused, abused and used to hurt people, as it has been in the past and present. And it is not easy to tell the difference, as even the fakest of ministers are often very gifted actors, very very gifted.

I do see God redefining what we consider, that is, our modern definition of a minister (which has been distorted to be a leader whom we must follow and listen to their "idea" of how our lives MUST be lived, or not be saved [this does explain why UR is such a threat to the servers of self]  , instead of a deliverer of the Good News, the Word, which I think a minister should be), and sending forth ministers of the Word.

Again, I do think that God is going to send out his ministers of the Good News, and it shall be healing for the nations.

 

[Kratos]

AM,

I agree with what you say, but remember that the serpent is more subtle than any beast of the field. To think that he just tempts ministers with the three G's (gold, glory, and girls) just to destroy these men is really too obvious. I think that he knows better than we seem to that God has chosen the foolishness of preaching through His chosen and equipped Ministers as the means by which He speaks and establishes His truth. So our enemy's 'end game' may be to so defame the ministry to the point that the Church turns away from the way of God and substitutes it with their own "better idea".

It has been my experience (and maybe I am alone in this) that men debate with each other and in their own minds going down hundreds of rabbit trails until God speaks and brings an end to all controversy. The Bibles says that we should not judge anything before the time, but when Christ comes He will judge the matter. If God has no voice through His chosen vessels, we will just continue to debate until all are offended and separated into their own distinctive camps.

You hit the nail on the head when you state that the problem has come when Ministers become rulers. This is exactly opposite from the Greek used for ministers (diakonos) which means 'to serve'. The Bible does speak of elders who rule well, but Babylon makes gifted Ministers as rulers instead of understanding that a gift only qualifies you to serve. Maturity makes a man an elder. Two totally different animals that we have mixed without scriptural basis.

The question we are faced with is whether we will reject God's chosen means of speaking through the foolishness of preaching through Ministers because of these abuses of authority or whether we will again become and receive true Ministers that are Sons first and Ministers second so God can again speak and put an end to all controversy and confusion.

Without allowing for God's voice which is His Word, we will never get to the truth. Mental gymnastics may bring a collection of facts about the Bible, but it will never produce the truth of the Word.

John

[Molly]

So our enemy's 'end game' may be to so defame the ministry to the point that the Church turns away from the way of God and substitutes it with their own "better idea".

yes, of course, the enemy's game is to substitute everything of God with just a slight twist from himself, leading to the eventual discrediting of anything from God.  So, he substitutes Easter for Passover, Sunday for Saturday, Christmas for the date of the real birthday, this interpretation for that interpretation, and so on until the world is worshipping him by default.  Isn't that his goal?  ..if you will bow down and worship me.

I did a study recently where I became convinced that 'the word of God' is referring to a people, not the Bible.  We use that term loosely but it is used pretty specifically in the New Testament.  These are people who speak God's words when they open their mouths.  We are used to seeing this with the prophets, for instance.  The prophets will often speak in the first person when speaking God's words. 



Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.


This verse is referring to faith coming to someone by actually hearing words being spoken by 'the word of God.'  I never understood this verse until I understood it in this context.

This is the quickening spirit of Christ being used by the sons to quicken others with the spoken word. The first apostles were 'the word of God,' and  I think there is every reason to believe the sons of God will manifest as 'the word of God,'  as well.  Paul's words, for instance, were coming from an anointed spirit.  He wasn't reading them from the Bible, like the rest of us do.  In fact, his words formed a large portion of the new testament.
 
So, we are talking about an appointed group, who are to quicken others by speaking.

Does this sound like what you are being shown about yourself, called to do?

"word"[ of God]

G4487
ῥῆμα
rhēma
hray'-mah
From G4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever: - + evil, + nothing, saying, word.

[Molly]

9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

 10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. --Jeremiah 1

[Molly]

.... and there was not a man to till the ground.

 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress[farm] it and to keep[guard] it.

--Genesis 2



.....to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. --Jeremiah 1


John 15:1
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman [farmer].


James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

[Kratos]

Molly,

Jesus is the pattern Son and He is the Word made flesh. It is His will that we are all created in his image and become the Word made flesh in our generation. When we speak, our words must become spirit and life, but this is only true when we speak by God and from our spirit. When we speak of ourselves, we seek our own glory and the truth is not in us. Our words are just our own knowledge of good and evil and they bring death to others instead of life.

Too much of our speaking is like the Bible being read without the Spirit. It is just the outer man giving his opinion or his understanding. This is not the Word of God and it changes no one. Our long debates have proven this.

Peter said that if anyone speaks, let him speak as an oracle of God. Boy, that will make you slow to speak and quick to hear. LOL

John

[arcticmonster2003]

It is interesting to see how God is molding us to be in Jesus Christ's image, I've changed in the last several months, the balance between Holiness, righteousness, rest, cleanliness, peacefulness and things such as these are really very difficult to explain without also making a person feel condemned, unworthy, and such, - - until God brings one to a place for these things to be in a person. Who has words to explain these things maturely. Faith does come by hearing, and when a minister guides one gently towards God and the Word, much great change is coming for them. Praise God.

[Molly]

Peter said that if anyone speaks, let him speak as an oracle of God. Boy, that will make you slow to speak and quick to hear. LOL

John, I thought I understood you to say you were being called by God to start a ministry again.  I was trying to encourage you in that effect.  But, your response seems to be it's better to keep your mouth shut lol.  I don't understand what you're saying, or maybe you didn't understand me.  Or, maybe you're telling me to keep my mouth shut lol.

Didn't you say you were being called back to the ministry?

[Kratos]

Molly,

Sorry for the confusion and I would never tell anyone to keep their mouth shut. LOL

I do feel led back into ministry and this is why God has been speaking to me again about what a Minister of the Word really is. The key being is that you do not speak unless He speaks first. As long as it is our ideas or opinions, Jesus said that we speak of ourself and we seek our own glory. But, when we speak as an oracle of God, we seek the glory of the one who sent us.

Joh 7:16  Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
Joh 7:17  If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Joh 7:18  He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Mostly just speaking out loud what I am hearing and not really meaning to speak to anyone else.

John

[hopeful]

Thanks for sharing what is going on in your life, John.
Bobby and I think the Lord may be sending us back to Washington and if He does, maybe we will be able to "hear" what the Lord has given you.

[AbbasChild]

I am somewhat relieved to read this thread. Strange things are going on at the moment. At the moment I am confronted with the question of the purpose of the wilderniss and what I am going to do with what Father has invested into my life. That shocked me a bit at first and I prayed a lot about it, fearing that my flesh seeks for a position or something. I still don't understand what Father is saying, but I sense something new will come up in the near future. The thing is I don't even know if I am ready. Another thing is that it started to get pretty comfortable (in its own way of course, mostly it isn't really comfortable) just bein with Father and only sharing on a very small level with others. So there's a real struggle going on at the moment in my soul and I don't know the outcome of it all. So this thread was a encouragement as well as a challenge to me.
Thank you for sharing.

[hopeful]

The thing is I don't even know if I am ready. Another thing is that it started to get pretty comfortable (in its own way of course, mostly it isn't really comfortable) just bein with Father and only sharing on a very small level with others.

Good morning, Florian   

He'll let you know if you're ready.  Sounds like He's getting you ready now!  He's so faithful!

I had been feeling so sluggish and accomplishing so little lately- in all areas of life-and the Lord led me to these verses this morning. Emphasis mine:

And we desire that each one of you show the same DILIGENCE so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be SLUGGISH but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  ~ Hebrews 6:11-12

 

[AbbasChild]

Good scripture! I am really looking forward to what Abba is doing in the near future. Thank you for the encouraging words.

[whyiloveitaly]

What I do is just ask GOD to lead me and use me as He so desires for His Kingdom. I pray this at night for the next day, and that's it! Then I know that I'm in God's will!

(Yes, a minister is someone who serves. My mother-in-law is not what most Bible-thumpers would call a Christian---but she has a spirit of service to those around her that I rarely find among "Christian" circles. I find myself asking, who is justified before God: the one who serves, or the one who talks about serving?)

Brian

[Cardinal]

  The Son IS a servant. Blessings to all....

[Kratos]

In Pentecost, God used rulers who served. In Tabernacles, God will use servants who rule.

John

[Pierac]

Hi John,

I want to share something with you. I rented a movie called "Time Changer" this week. I thought it was a Sci fi movie, but after looking at the introduction I saw is was more of a "Christian" movie. It's about a guy from the 1830's who writes a book on the morals of Christ but leaves out the name of Jesus so the masses will accept the teachings. He is transported into the future to see the effects of morality with out Christ. I decided to let my kids watch the movie even though I thought they would be bored as it was more on the adult level. But since it was more of a spiritual movie, I let them watch anyway. The movie was thick in the teachings of Jesus and the relationship of sin in our adult lives.  Believe me the message was basic, but true!
However, here's the kicker!!! My wife told me later that my 7 year old confessed to her at bed time that he liked the movie and it showed him he was a sinner.
I was thinking WHAT? I did not even think he would even enjoy the movie much less get a message from it! Then it dawned on me, salvation comes from the hearing of the word! That movie preached the word to a 7 year old child! But I never thought a child could understand such adult concepts as it was an adult movie. Shame on me!

Paul

[reFORMer]

Once in darkness as offspring of stubbornness we've undergone transference to another better realm where the permeating presence of love's fruit presides.  Here now He is imparting liberty and perfecting the image of the Ultimate.  Coming from anywhere here is the unmistakable voice of enduring love, inexpressible joy and peace beyond comprehension.  From any other voice we know that voice because of the familial resonance with our innermost being.

Yet we know a beyond from where there is an on-high calling into a deeper intimacy with the Divine to be facilitated by our transfiguration which is an entrance into a higher dimension within the Anointing's many-membered manifestation having the name Jesus.  Until the change we are not equipped to hear the call into this farther place, yet we know its words in another way, as His teaching equips with faith for translation.  We must hear what we cannot hear.  Differing according to their place in the orderly array of ranks in the sight of the Throne, the Spirit in Word bodies is sent forth through love-slave vessels.  We must say that for which we have no language.

There approaches a silence throughout the heavens and the earth for from the holiest of all will speak the great I Am.  In our appointed places, O loveliest, Lowliest of All, may we abide here with you, thoughtlessly radiating the call of your satisfaction with us as we linger in Love's embrace...

[Cardinal]

  I hear you, Paul! I taught my kids about the carnal mind, the virgin soul, ect. from a movie once. The Lord had me watch it. Normally, I would never have let them watch it, much less me watch it with them. But it was full of spiritual truth. You cannot contain the Word, or put it in a box. He's descended into the creation and He's in the process of resurrecting up out of it. Blessings to all.....

[whyiloveitaly]

Unfortunately, descerning truth in sources outside the Bible is something a lot of Christians aren't able to do. :(