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Should Pastors Schedule OTHER FIVEFOLD MINISTERS at Services?

Pastors of local fellowships should make sure the flock under their care (1 Peter 5:1-4) is regularly exposed to the other fivefold offices, which are detailed in this passage:

11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Ephesians 4:11-14

The service of the five ministry gifts — apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher — enable believers to be fully equipped for service (ministry) in God’s Kingdom, which includes building them up and helping them mature spiritually. Hence pastors should schedule such ministers from time to time.

I was part of a great fellowship in my area from 1986-1996, Carol too (my wife), and the pastor always made sure to schedule other fivefold ministers to serve the congregation and “supply what is lacking in [their] faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). Doing this makes for balanced believers rather than off-kilter ones. Why is this important? Because believers who are unbalanced and immature can do more harm than good for God’s kingdom.

Unfortunately, some pastors ignore the other offices in the body of Christ for one reason or another (apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers) and so believers in these kinds of assemblies are going to have to venture outside their local assembly to feed from these gifts for their own spiritual welfare.

For instance, when I was attending the aforementioned fellowship in my youth I supplemented my spiritual diet with books and tapes by other fivefold ministers, like Hal Lindsey, who’s a teacher in the body of Christ. (Sure, he’s not right on every jot and tittle, but who is? In his areas of expertise he’s exceptional. As they say, “eat the meat and spit out the bones” à la 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Sometimes the issue for pastors not enlisting the services of other ministers is lack of funds to pay them for teaching/preaching, but there are usually quality  fivefold ministers available who will do the work of the ministry without a price tag, keeping in mind that there is no perfect minister or ministry in this fallen world. Yet this doesn’t mean they aren’t skilled ministers who can bless God’s flock in their areas of expertise.

For important details on the fivefold ministry gifts…

Related Topics:

Can a Christian Be Perfect?

What’s the Difference Between TEACHING and PREACHING?

Who Should You Receive from—Official Ministers or Independent Ones?

OFFICIAL Prophets (Ministers) and INDEPENDENT Prophets (Ministers)

Mentor & Protégé Dynamics

Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms

Religion and Christianity — What’s the Difference?

What Are THE BASICS of Christianity?

INTIMACY WITH GOD and Its Benefits

At its heart, Christianity is about reconciliation with the Creator and therefore relationship with God. The word ‘intimacy’ is usually associated with sex, but what about intimacy with the LORD?

Intimacy just means closeness or warm familiarity and there are different kinds of closeness. For instance, when a man hires a prostitute, they obviously have physical intimacy, but not mental/spiritual intimacy. Job spoke of his friendship with God that he enjoyed in his abode (Job 29:4); he was talking about the intimate communion they had (under an inferior covenant to ours), which explains why the LORD literally boasted of Job in Heaven (Job 1:8 & 2:3). Moses likewise had a close friendship with God (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:8).

How do you get close to any person? Spend time with them and honestly communicate, right? As you make a priority of coming near to that person, that person will naturally draw near to you (assuming your intentions are noble). It’s the same thing with the LORD (James 4:8). So, prayer (communion) is key, including praying in the spirit (Ephesians 6:18), but so is soaking yourself with God’s Word and meditation, aka chewing on the Word and the corresponding reflection. The Almighty will speak to you through the Holy Scriptures as you grow in the Word.

Getting quiet with your Creator will enable you to “hear” the Spirit’s “still, small voice,” aka “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:11-12). Of course God can speak to us in other ways as well, like through a person or dreams.

The fact that we get close to the LORD through 1. cultivating a personal relationship and 2. growing in God’s Word reveals the distinction of…

I encourage developing in both areas equally, as elucidated in this video:

Interestingly, “to know someone” in the Bible is an idiom for having sexual intercourse with him/her (Genesis 4:1). Spiritually speaking, believers are the “bride” of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 21:2), which bespeaks of a loving relationship with an element of passion, even romance.

In the Old Testament, when the Hebrews foolishly turned to idols, the LORD accused them of adultery, even prostituting themselves to other “gods” (e.g. Jeremiah 2:20; Hosea 2:2). This lover’s kind of passion can also be seen in the New Testament:

4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

James 4:4-5 (NKJV)

Lastly, consider this:

Seclusion is necessary for intimacy;

intimacy is necessary for conception;

conception is necessary for increase;

increase is necessary for

pleasure.

By “conception” I’m referring to the birth of an idea or mission/purpose in any area of your life. You conceive as a result of spending time alone with your Creator (Matthew 6:6). Christ regularly practiced this when he was on Earth (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12-13; Matthew 14:23; Luke 22:39-41).

Meanwhile increase only manifests when you put your corresponding plan into motion. It means not being lazy; it means getting off your butt. This takes discipline. Remember, God is your “helper,” not your do-everything-for-you-so-you-don’t-have-to-do-anything-at-all-er (Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 121:2).

As you progress in your assignment you will experience the “increase” thereof, which naturally produces pleasure. This can be observed in the Lord’s statement:

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

John 4:34

Christ’s “food” — his sustenance that gave him energy and fed motivation — was to carry forth the assignments the LORD gave him and complete those works. Getting tight with God, discerning God’s will and then carrying out the corresponding assignments is awesome! It creates exciting momentum. This video provides scriptural details on how to do this.

Take Joshua, Moses’ aide: Joshua would often venture into the Tent of Meeting with Moses to experience the presence of the Most High. When Moses departed, Joshua would stay in God’s presence (Exodus 33:11). It’s important sometimes to just be still and know that the LORD is God (Psalm 46:10), which cultivates a “peace that transcends understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7).

What was Joshua’s “conception” and “increase” as a result of this intimacy with the LORD? None other than leading the Hebrews into the Promised Land of Israel to conquer it (Numbers 27:23; Joshua 1). While this was a challenging undertaking, it was also his “pleasure” to fulfill it. And that’s why we’re here talking about Joshua almost 3500 years later!

Related Topics:

Is Christianity a “RELATIONSHIP With God”?

Prayer—Communing with God

Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?

The Basics of Christianity

Hermeneutics—Proper Bible Interpretation

What Can We Learn From JOB’S “FRIENDS”?

In the first two chapters of the book of Job we observe Job being hailed by God as a blameless, upright man with “no one on earth like him” (Job 1:8). Satan responds by arguing that Job was devout simply because God blessed him. In other words, he was “in it” solely for the blessings. Thus the LORD allows the devil to attack Job in which the man winds up losing all his children, his great wealth, his numerous employees except for four and even his health as his entire body is afflicted with painful boils (Job 1-2).

Job’s three friends — Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar — hear about his extraordinary troubles and come to sympathize with him and comfort him. The main body of this unique book of the Bible consists of Job dialoguing back-in-forth with these three “friends” (although quite a bit of what Job says is directed at the Almighty).

No less than 9 chapters are devoted to the verbiage of these three individuals and 15 when you include the fourth friend, a young guy named Elihu. This is in comparison to 20 chapters for Job. The question is, what can we learn from these four men in these numerous chapters wherein they seemingly “minister” to the suffering Job?

Here are a few insights…

Be Careful NOT to Make Rash Judgments and Accuse Accordingly

I have no doubt that the initial intention of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar was to comfort their agonizing friend — Elihu too — but they quickly fell into myopic judgments and accusations of great sin. The problem with making erroneous judgments based on limited information and then voicing the conclusions is that it’s a form of slander, which naturally poisons the minds of listeners against a person who’s not guilty of the things said. Keep in mind that satan is the false accuser of brothers & sisters in Christ (Revelation 12:10) and, in fact, the Greek word for ‘devil’ literally means “slanderer” or “false accuser” (which you can observe here). In other words, any one who practices false accusation is acting like satan!

Do you want to be like satan? Obviously not. Then please resist making rash judgments & the corresponding fallacious accusations about things in which you have limited knowledge.

This is the main reason the LORD was angry with Job’s friends (Job 42:7). They didn’t have access to what went down in the spiritual realm before Job’s great trial, so they arrogantly assumed Job committed some heinous sin, which brought about his terrible losses and sufferings (Job 15:5, 22:5 & 22:10). The problem with this is that it wasn’t true, not even remotely! In truth, Job was the most blameless, upright man of the face of the Earth at the time and God literally boasted of him in Heaven (Job 1:8)! Even more, his righteousness is what attracted the great satanic attack.

Speaking of which, for anyone who thinks Job opened the door to his satanic attacks through fear, see this article.

Be Careful NOT to Cite General Principles as Absolutes

The bulk of what the four friends say to Job is true, as far as general principles go (similar to the sayings in the book of Proverbs), and this explains why Paul quoted Eliphaz in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 3:19). Yet general principles aren’t always true. For instance, consider Eliphaz’ statement:

7“Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?

Where were the upright ever destroyed?

8As I have observed, those who plow evil

and those who sow trouble reap it.

Job 4:7-8

To sin means to “miss the mark” by failing morally and so the practice of sin naturally brings negative results to which there are consequences (Numbers 32:23, Romans 6:23 & James 1:15). This is a general truth. A person who “plows evil” will reap trouble if s/he doesn’t repent (and, even then, there are often natural consequences to sin even though God forgives the penitent, like after committing sexual immorality or a crime). However, it’s not absolutely true that the innocent never perish prematurely and the upright are never destroyed.

Some bad things that happen are simply accidents in a fallen world (Luke 13:1-5) while other misfortunes are the result of contact with a person who chooses to sin, such as being the victim of a criminal. Also, some sufferings are actually the consequence of practicing truth and living a godly life (Matthew 13:21 & 2 Timothy 3:12). For example, righteous Stephen was stoned to death after being slandered by false witnesses (Acts 6:8-7:59) and of course the sinless Christ was unjustly executed (Hebrews 4:15 & 1 Peter 3:18).

The simplistic theology of Job’s friends boiled down to: God blesses the godly and punishes the ungodly. They had no category for what was happening to Job and erred due to their ignorance.

Be Compassionate When Someone Is Suffering

To be compassionate means to have sympathetic understanding toward those who are suffering in some way. Rather than sympathize with Job and console him, the three friends wasted no time in designating him as their opponent in a big theological debate. Focused on winning, they pounded away at Job’s perceived flaws with their pride being at stake; young Elihu wasn’t much different.

Related Topics:

TEMPTATION, TRIALS and TESTS — What’s the Diff?

SPIRITUAL WARFARE — Do You Know What You’re Fighting For?

Armor & Weaponry of God

Spiritual Development — The Four Stages

Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain

Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled

The Basics of Christianity

TEMPTATION, TRIALS and TESTS — What’s the Diff?

Let’s define each…

Temptation is due to the cravings of one’s flesh or sinful nature, which is the satanic nature (James 1:14).

Trials are separate from temptations, although you can of course undergo a temptation during a trial. For instance, Christ experienced hunger during his 40-day fast in the desert and so his flesh no doubt tempted him to break it (Matthew 4:1-4).

Tests are related to one type of trial. To explain, there are three kinds of trials:

  1. Self-Inflicted Trial (SIT)
  2. Discipline-Intended Trial (DIT)
  3. Maturity-Intended Trial (MIT).

God’s tests for any believer only apply to the third type, a Maturity-Intended Trial, aka an MIT. Here’s an explanation of each:

However, not every one of God’s tests involves a curse striking you. The LORD could simply give you a challenging instruction to see whether or not you obey it, like God’s instruction for Abraham to sacrifice his child Isaac, which was a type of Father God sacrificing the Son for the sins of the world (Genesis 22:1-18; John 3:16).

As for persecutions, these are simply the result of putting God’s Word into practice and living a godly life (Matthew 13:21; 2 Timothy 3:12). This naturally draws satanic attack because the believer automatically becomes a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Since practicing the truth and walking in godliness relates to growing spiritually, and therefore spiritual maturity, persecutions for righteousness’ sake would fall under the category of MITs.

For important details on these things, see this article:

Related Topics:

Prayer — The Basics

Armor & Weaponry of God

Spiritual Development — The Four Stages

Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain

Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled

What Are THE BASICS of Christianity?

SPIRITUAL REBIRTH: Is Being “Born Again” Biblical?

It amazes me when I come across believers, especially ministers, who play down or write-off spiritual regeneration as core to the Christian experience. Let’s start with the fact that the doctrine of baptisms is the third doctrine of Christianity, according to Hebrews 6:1-2, and the very first baptism that a believer experiences is spiritual baptism, which is the baptism into Christ.

Notice what Scripture says about this baptism:

26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:3

This baptism is not water baptism, but rather refers to being spiritually born-again through Jesus Christ.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

Titus 3:5

Water baptism isn’t as important as the baptism into Christ since water baptism is merely the symbolic testimony of what has already taken place spiritually through the baptism into Christ. What’s more important, the inward baptism or the outward baptism that represents it?

The reason the baptism into Christ is a foundational doctrine of Christianity is because it’s impossible to be a Christian apart from this new spiritual birth. If someone says they’re a believer, but aren’t spiritually regenerated then they’re a Christian in name only and aren’t genuinely saved.

Notice that this spiritual rebirth is by the Holy Spirit, which was also corroborated by the Lord:

3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”

4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

John 3:3-6

While the Holy Spirit gives spiritual rebirth, it’s through the imperishable seed of the Word of God, which is Christ (John 1:1-2):

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1:23

Although ‘seed’ in the Greek here is spora, it’s a different Greek word in this verse:

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

1 John 3:9

Those who are “born of God” cannot “go on sinning” in the sense of practicing sin as an unrepentant lifestyle. We know this is the proper interpretation because other verses plainly point out that all believers miss it from time to time, but are expected to “keep with repentance” by ‘fessing up and receiving God’s forgiveness (Matthew 3:8; 1 John 1:8-9).

Notice the reference to “God’s seed.” All genuine believers are born of the imperishable seed of Christ through spiritual rebirth. The difference between this verse and 1 Peter 1:23 (above) is that the Greek word for ‘seed’ is sperma, the Greek word for sperm. In other words, believers are born-again spiritually via the imperishable sperm of Jesus Christ!

Here are some additional verses for those who require further evidence of spiritual rebirth in the Scriptures:

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 1:18

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:8

12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:12-13

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

It is through spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit through the seed (sperm) of Christ that believers become children of God and are thus “new creations.”

Needless to say, if you come across any minister or group that says people don’t have to be spiritually reborn to be a Christian they should be rejected as false teachers. As Christ said about the false teachers of his day:

“Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 15:14

Related Topics:

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

How to Keep Yourself BLAMELESS (While Not Being SINLESS)

The Basics of Christianity

What Is the Doctrine THE LAYING ON OF HANDS?

The laying on of hands is the fourth basic doctrine of Christianity, as detailed here:

1Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2instructions about on baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 6:1-2

This doctrine refers to the transference of four things through physical contact:

  1. Blessing,
  2. Anointing and consecration for service, i.e. ministry,
  3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit,
  4. Healing or deliverance.

Healing or deliverance includes physical, mental and spiritual healing/deliverance, not just physical.

To illustrate how important this often neglected doctrine is, allow me to share a personal story…

Around 1992 I was a growing believer (since turning to the Lord in March, 1984, at the age of 20). I found myself in a spiritual malaise. No, I wasn’t in sin, but I felt a darkness enveloping me. I was able to function and go to work, etc. but there was a pall of depression over me wherein I had lost my peace and joy. Prayer and Bible reading at home wasn’t breaking the malaise so I went to a night service at my local assembly, hoping for deliverance. The Praise & Worship was great as usual as was the ministry of the Word, not to mention the fellowship.

Yet, as I walked down the hallway to depart the service the malaise was still upon me. That’s when I ran into an associate pastor and we exchanged pleasantries. Being somewhat desperate, I told him about the malaise I was experiencing and he wasted no time in taking me to a nearby room in which he said a simple prayer and then touched my abdomen with his finger. I discerned power flowing from his fingertip into my torso and then throughout the rest of my body, every limb. The dark malaise was absolutely gone and I walked out of the facility healed and blessed.

The point is that praise & worship didn’t deliver me in this situation, neither did the ministry of the Word nor fellowship. I received deliverance solely through the ministry of the laying on of hands.

For anyone who doesn’t believe such holy power is biblical, keep reading, particularly the fourth section below, Healing and Spiritual Deliverance.

 

Now let’s look at each of the four purposes of the laying on of hands:

Blessing (or General Prayer)

Christ placed his hands on children and blessed them (Mark 10:13,16 & Matthew 19:13,15). To ‘bless’ someone means “to speak positive words that have a productive impact.” The official priestly prayer supports this definition (Numbers 6:22-27) and you can find these types of prayer/blessings all over the Bible, e.g. Romans 15:13 and Colossians 1:9-12.

Blessing or prayer in this manner is so important because words “have the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). Whether people know it or not, our words bring life or death, blessing or cursing. Proverbs 12:18 reinforces this: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Needless to say, the idea that “words can never hurt me” is a lie.

Kids and youths are especially vulnerable to “reckless words” or verbal abuse, particularly from authority figures in their lives (Colossians 3:21). Adults who continually berate, belittle and call children names are speaking a prophecy of death and destruction over them (!).

Blessing, by contrast, is a prophecy of life, which is why the Lord laid his hands on children and blessed them.

Words are powerful by themselves and adding the dimension of touch magnifies their impact.

Anointing/Separation for Ministry

Hands are to be lain on those called of God to special service. Biblical examples include the Levites (Numbers 8:10-11), Joshua, (Numbers 27:18-23), Stephen & six others (Acts 6:1-6) and Saul & Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3).

Obviously the people who qualify for such a rite of passage should already be full of faith, God’s Word and the Spirit, as was the case with Joshua and Steven in the aforementioned examples. The laying on of hands simply provides a stronger anointing to fulfill their God-given assignment.

Paul instructed his young protégé, Timothy, to not be “hasty in the laying on of hands” (1 Timothy 5:22) because potential ministers must be tested for character and faithfulness and there’s no test like the test of time. Those who hastily confirm untested ministers share responsibility for the damage they eventually do to people and will have to give account to the Lord at the Judgment Seat (2 Corinthians 5:10).

The Holy Spirit Baptism

Hands are to be laid on believers to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is evidenced by speaking in tongues (Acts 19:1-7).

While this powerful gift is typically received this way—i.e. through someone who has it—a believer can also receive it simply through faith in God’s Word (Luke 11:9-13). In other words, believers don’t absolutely need a human conduit for the gift to be transferred. We’ll look at this more in the next section.

For details on the Holy Spirit baptism and glossolalia see this article.

Healing and Spiritual Deliverance

Christ said that believers “will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:17-18).

The book of Acts says “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and… he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38). We see evidence of this throughout the Gospels. A few good examples of the Holy Ghost power available to believers for ministry to those in need include:

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.

Luke 5:17

and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Luke 6:19

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Luke 8:46.

Here are some other examples plus important additional info:

Important Points on Transmitting the Anointing, aka God’s Holy Power

Here are several things to keep in mind when you lay hands on people to bless, pray, heal or deliver:

Many Christians unfortunately don’t know much about the laying on of hands. This article reveals its importance.

Related Topics:

The Six Basic Doctrines of Christianity

HEALING — How Do You Receive?

Can the Power/Anointing of God Rest on an Object?

“SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT”—Is It Biblical?

WORDS have the Power of Life and Death

Dunamis (Dynamite) POWER — Is Within YOU!

The Basics of Christianity

What Is the BETTER RESURRECTION Noted in Hebrews 11:35?

The Hall of Faith chapter of the Bible makes a statement that some have found puzzling:

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.

Hebrews 11:35

The contrast in this verse is between:

To explain, the widow only received her son back to this temporal life whereas the latter people were looking forward to the resurrection unto eternal life, which is obviously the better resurrection (John 5:29). Keep in mind that contextually Christ was specifically referring to the resurrection of Old Testament saints (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 19:28).

Which is preferable: Being brought back from death to this fallen world with an aging, perishable body or being resurrected to eternal life in the New Heavens and New Earth with a glorified, imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)? There’s no comparison. The latter is the “better resurrection” by far.

Related Topics:

What Will the Believer’s GLORIFIED BODY Be Like?

RESURRECTIONS: Firstfruits, Harvest & Gleanings

The Believer’s INTERMEDIATE STATE (Between Physical Death and Bodily Resurrection)

Q&A on SHEOL / HADES, the Intermediate State of the Unsaved

The Basics of Christianity

How Often Should You Say “IN THE NAME OF JESUS” in Prayer?

Christ taught that we are to pray to the heavenly Father in the famous prayer outline from Matthew 6:5-13. He likewise noted this principle in the gospel of John, adding that we are to pray in His name:

In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

John 16:23

The Lord also stressed this in John 15:16.

All of this reveals prayer protocol: We are to pray…

It might help to understand that, while the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 & Isaiah 45:5,6,18), there’s a tri-unity within that Oneness, which explains why Christ said “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” and “I and the Father are one” (John 14:9, John 12:45 & John 10:30).

If we are to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, why didn’t the Lord mention this when he taught the disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-13? Likely because he was talking about believers praying to the heavenly Father alone, as observed in verse 6 and verse 9.

In other words, when you are praying alone with God you don’t necessarily have to throw in “in the name of Jesus” because the LORD – who indwells you by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 & Romans 8:9) – already knows you’re praying in Jesus’ name because you are in relationship, a core truth of Christianity.

Whilst Christ was referring to an ‘official’ prayer session with your Creator in Matthew 6:5-13, you can be in constant fellowship (communion, prayer) with the LORD throughout your day, even when you’re in bed (Psalm 63:6). Paul referred to this as “praying without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV) and the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

I’ve learned to do this in my daily walk and it’s wonderful, adding warmth and a sense of communion to your solitary mundane activities throughout the day. This explains why Danny Chambers cries out “I’m never alone” in this song.

I’ll be doing something around the house or yard, or lying down, and say something like “I love you, Lord.” I bring this up to make a point. Wouldn’t it be silly for me to add “in the name of Jesus” every time I merely shared something with the LORD in the course of my day? For instance, “O God, I’m so thankful [for this or that]; I say this in the name of Jesus, so there’s no misunderstanding.” Are you following?

However, if you’re with other believers, I’d definitely include “in the name of Jesus” or “in Christ’s name” somewhere in the prayer, like “Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ…” or conclude with it. That way there’s no mistake to anyone present that it’s a Christian prayer addressing the Judeo-Christian God through Jesus Christ.

Speaking of which, an outstanding pastor I know in my area was asked to say a prayer at a public event. He spoke a good prayer over the proceedings and everything was fine until he closed with “in the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.” Backstage he was rebuked by the city officials for including that particular statement because – being a public event – there were many non-Christians present, including those who embraced Judaism.

This brings up the question: Should you omit saying “in the name of Jesus Christ” on such occasions? You’ll have to be led of the Holy Spirit and do what you have a peace about doing (Colossians 3:15). Personally, I don’t have a problem omitting the line in such a scenario since, if you refuse to omit it, the officials will simply get someone else to say a prayer for the event, which could be someone of, say, dubious theology. Keep in mind that God knows in such a situation that you’re praying in the name of Jesus and so do most other believers present. As for unbelievers, it could lead to one asking you about the LORD, which would open the door to sharing the gospel.

Related Topics:

Prayer—Communing with God

When You Should Pray “IF IT BE YOUR WILL” and When You Shouldn’t

The Basics of Christianity

Can You Fix Your SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION If It’s Faulty?

Growing believers might come to realize that some of the things they were taught or experienced at a particular ministry/sect are erroneous or unhealthy. This concerns the spiritual foundation that was built in their early years as believers. What do you do if you discern your foundation is flawed in some serious ways. Are you “damaged goods” for life or can you go back and fix your foundation? Absolutely you can fix it! The purpose of this article is to show you how.

As a prerequisite, please brush up on the Four Stages of Spiritual Growth so you’ll understand what I’m referring to by STAGE TWO, STAGE THREE and so on.

STAGE TWO refers to the stage when the believer sets a spiritual foundation as he or she learns from fivefold ministers at one ministry or another, such as pastors and teachers.  This stage of Christian development is absolutely strategic to a healthy spiritual journey. It’s the stage where believers set a foundation for their lifelong spiritual walk and develop discipline with the service & supervision of more mature believers. It’s where they learn the ropes of basic Christianity and cultivate the character necessary to progress to maturity.

Consider this example from the Bible:

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

1 Timothy 4:6

Paul is talking to young pastor Timothy and he says “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus.” Point what things out? The doctrinal truths he shared up to this point in his epistle, as well as warnings of various false teachings, like forbidding believers to marry and making them abstain from certain foods (see verses 3-5).

Look again at the phrase “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters…” The key Greek word here is hupotithémi (hoop-ot-ITH-ay-mee), which is a compound word. Hupo means “underneath” and tithémi means “to place, position or lay a foundation.” So Paul’s instructing Timothy to lay a foundation for the believers under his care based on the Word of God he just gave him. If Timothy does this he will be a “good minister of Christ Jesus.” The point is that good ministers lay a quality foundation for believers in STAGE TWO because they know the rest of their spiritual walk depends upon it.

Paul goes on to describe Timothy as “nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” This is why Timothy was such an effective minister and why Paul entrusted him with missions of great importance, including the governing of churches. What was the foundation of this success?

Timothy was “nourished on the truths of the faith and… good teaching.” This refers to the spiritual foundation that was set in Timothy’s life. Who laid this strong foundation? Certainly Timothy’s grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice when Timothy was a kid (2 Timothy 1:5), but also Paul himself as he later became Paul’s disciple and co-worker. Paul was sure to lay a solid understructure for Timothy and that’s why he was now being used so greatly in the LORD’s service.

Don’t Skip Out on STAGE TWO!

As pointed out in the prerequisite article, believers can get stuck in STAGE TWO, which isn’t good, but even worse are those who try to skip STAGE TWO and jump ahead to STAGE THREE. This includes prematurely leaving STAGE TWO. Believers who do this make a huge mistake. Why? Because they fail to set a solid foundation and without a good foundation you can’t build properly. Christ talked about this:

24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Matthew 7:24-27

Who is the Lord speaking of when he says “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock”? He’s talking about those in STAGE TWO because that’s the stage where believers are taught the Word of God and learn to put it into practice with the help of more mature believers. Those who cultivate the discipline necessary to regularly practice the word of truth—even in the face of temptation or trial—develop character. All this occurs in STAGE TWO. Believers who do this are “wise,” as Jesus said, because they “build [their] house on the rock,” meaning they lay a firm foundation for their spiritual journey, which the oncoming storms cannot destroy.

Foolish believers, by contrast, fail to develop the discipline and character necessary to put God’s Word into practice. So, as the Lord elsewhere said, “in the time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13). Please understand that trouble or persecution will automatically come to the believer after they’ve received the Word. This includes the salvation message of Christ (Matthew 13:21). Believers who fail to develop discipline with the feeding, supervision and example of ministers during STAGE TWO will not be able to stand in the time of testing. Doing so is like building a structure on sand. When the storms come the structure can’t handle it and therefore falls. This is what happens to believers who try to skip STAGE TWO or leave it prematurely.

So it’s vital to develop discipline and character in STAGE TWO in order to handle the independence, temptations and risk of STAGE THREE, as well as the hardships and increased persecution of STAGE FOUR. Those who try to skip STAGE TWO will either fall back to STAGE ONE completely or have one foot perpetually manacled to STAGE ONE, which of course will severely limit their walk with the Lord. Let me give two examples:

One young guy I knew for a number of months was a genuine believer with wide-eyed potential. I was able to spend some quality time with him on numerous occasions, discussing God and biblical topics at length, but then he left the area and I didn’t see him for over a decade. When I finally got back in touch with him I discovered that he had been struggling with drunkard-ness & pill-popping and, worse, was in trouble with the law. He explained to me that he never settled down with a church/ministry because he believed all churchgoers were “hypocrites,” which I found incredibly ironic in light of the fact that he had been engaging in substance abuse and criminal activity and yet he was a confessing believer.

The truth was that he used the “all Christians are hypocrites” lie as an excuse to avoid the time & effort requisite to STAGE TWO and instead waddle in the mud of STAGE ONE. The good news is that his serious problems were a wake-up call and, the last I talked with him, he was diligently studying the Bible and seeking the LORD. He was back to the beginning level of STAGE TWO where he’ll (hopefully) establish the necessary foundation and develop the character he’ll need to move on to STAGE THREE and FOUR.

Another example: A minister I knew was thoroughly in STAGE THREE with a finger in STAGE FOUR. Sometimes it was fascinating talking to him and hearing his spiritual insights, but other times it was like hanging out with a slab of flesh. I’m not being mean here; just honest. His constant bloviating, boasting and gossip were so nauseating I had to cut ties with him. Although he was very independent and self-motivated—signs of STAGE THREE—with leadership qualities and sometimes amazing insights from God’s Word—signs of STAGE FOUR (or, at least, higher level STAGE THREE)—it was clear that he didn’t work out some fleshly kinks on his Christian sojourn.

He told me of a ministry where his spiritual foundation was set but he obviously didn’t spend enough time in this stage. If he did he wouldn’t have been displaying the fleshly problems I witnessed. The good news is that I heard from him recently and he was hooked up with an assembly where he was fixing his foundation through some great ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-4). Moreover, the LORD had severely disciplined him and so he was humbled and dedicated to producing fruit. Praise God!

While these two examples reveal the folly of skipping STAGE TWO or prematurely leaving it, they also show that 1. just because someone unwisely tries to skip STAGE TWO it doesn’t mean s/he can’t go back and do it right; and 2. just because someone prematurely leaves STAGE TWO it doesn’t mean s/he can’t go back and finish their foundation.

What About Those With a Flawed Foundation?

What about those who go through STAGE TWO and develop a flawed spiritual foundation due to false doctrine,* legalistic leaders, bad examples or some combination of these? The good news is that you can always go back and fix your foundation. This is awesome, of course, but there are a number of things to consider.

* “False doctrine” includes teachings/beliefs that are only partially true and therefore are partially false or, at best, inadequate.

While it’s understandable and common that believers regard the church/sect they hook up with in STAGE TWO as the “one true church” in that  they feel their group is right about everything and does everything perfectly pleasing to the Lord, this is never the case no matter how excellent the ministry is. As such, it’s always necessary for believers to go back and fix their foundation after moving on to STAGE THREE and FOUR when they acquire more accurate information. In the natural we repair the foundations to structures all the time and it’s no different in the realm of the spirit. Remember, each of us is a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16) and together we also form the “house of God” (1 Peter 4:17; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5).

Some people go through STAGE TWO and the foundation that’s laid is so flawed it needs extensive repairs; or it’s severely incomplete and needs finishing. Sometimes their foundation is so amiss it nigh needs redone altogether and it’s amazing in such cases when the believer’s faith isn’t utterly destroyed by the lousy groundwork. This shows the importance of setting a quality foundation in STAGE TWO and why God holds ministers accountable to the job they do, as shown in 1 Corinthians 3:5-17. Make no mistake, ministers who harm or destroy believers with faulty “ministry” and false teaching will have to answer to the Almighty, which that passage makes abundantly clear.

One of the reasons it’s necessary to build a quality foundation in STAGE TWO is that it influences you for years to come and often the rest of your life. I know people who won’t change their view on an important doctrine even though there’s strong scriptural support disproving it because it goes against what they were (wrongly) taught in STAGE TWO. This indicates immaturity. While they may be in STAGE THREE or FOUR to some degree, such an immature mindset shows that they still have a foot in STAGE TWO.

The awesome news I want to drive home here is that a bad spiritual foundation doesn’t mean a believer is condemned to being “damaged goods” for life. This is a lie and don’t you believe it! You can always go back and repair flawed groundwork or even redo the foundation altogether, as necessary. We all have to do this to some degree no matter what church/sect from which we spring.

Laying a Good Foundation (STAGE TWO) and Inspecting It (STAGE THREE)

When I became a believer and consequently entered into STAGE TWO I visited several churches looking to establish the groundwork for the rest of my spiritual walk. I didn’t stay overly long in assemblies that had weak feeding (sermons/teachings) or were just plain sterile for one reason or another. I kept looking until I found a ministry that I knew would help lay a quality foundation and stayed there for a whole decade.

To this day I’m exceedingly grateful for this particular ministry (which is still going strong), but after ten years a solid biblical understructure was established in my life and the LORD moved me onward. Some people will stay in their foundational group/sect, depending on the Holy Spirit’s leading, but I was led to move on.

As awesome as the foundation was that I received in that ministry, it wasn’t perfect and I had to go back in the ensuing years to make some repairs. This is an important part of STAGE THREE—inspecting the legitimacy of the foundation set in STAGE TWO and making the necessary repairs or adjustments in light of what the Bible clearly and consistently teaches (keeping in mind that we’re under the New Covenant and not the Old one). This of course carries on into STAGE FOUR.

Any time you spot an error in your understructure you’ll need to go back and fix it to effectively move on. In fact, this is the very reason the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of Truth” (John 16:13), will reveal error to you, not so you stubbornly go on your way naively believing that everything taught you in STAGE TWO was exemplary and is never to be questioned. Anyone who thinks like this will be stuck in STAGE TWO the rest of their lives, at least to some degree. Speaking of which…

Living and Dying in STAGE TWO

Too many believers live and die in STAGE TWO, sometimes because their pastors encourage it. In other words, their elders groom the congregants to be dependent on the organization. Why would they possibly do this? It’s their way of “holding on” to their current fold by intentionally keeping them in the dependent phase of STAGE TWO.

Pastors who do this are usually STAGE TWO themselves, albeit at a higher level than their congregants. You might wonder how a pastor or any other fivefold minister could be STAGE TWO, but they’re all over. Since these ministers are further along in STAGE TWO than their congregants they can certainly lead them, but because they themselves are primarily in STAGE TWO they can’t lead their disciples into STAGE THREE or FOUR.

What characterizes pastors and other ministers who are mainly in STAGE TWO? They’re typically “yes” men or women with a rigid sectarian spirit, regardless of the camp/sect, including Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic and “non-denominational” ones. They may know the Bible, as far as their camp interprets it, and sometimes expertly so, but 1. because they’re not STAGE THREE they haven’t learned to think outside of the box of their sect, and 2. they don’t know the Writer of the Word they preach, at least not in an actual relational sense. This doesn’t mean they can’t have an anointing to some degree—and by anointing I mean God’s blessing and empowerment—but, if so, it’s a limited STAGE TWO anointing and marred by the inherent errors of their camp/sect.

Nor does it mean that STAGE THREE and FOUR believers can’t receive from ministers in STAGE TWO; that is, learn something from them. If you’re humble and have a teachable spirit you can learn from any number of people, which is simply part of being a wise disciple of Christ, however old you are in the Lord. I once received revelation from a 12 year-old girl in a fellowship, not to mention the LORD used a donkey to rebuke Balaam (Numbers 22:26-34).

However, just because STAGE THREE or FOUR believers can learn from a minster in STAGE TWO, it doesn’t mean they should hook up with their ministry and be subordinate to them. Such a scenario is a recipe for frustration simply because the STAGE THREE or FOUR believer is further along than the STAGE TWO minister. As such, the minister can’t lead this believer. How can a minister at a lower spiritual level lead believers at a higher level? STAGE THREE or FOUR believers should hook up with ministries that have pastors and elders in STAGE FOUR. Remember this: Ministers can only take you as far as they are; they can’t give what they don’t have. This is an axiom.

Returning to the main point, believers live and die in STAGE TWO all the time. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just the way it is. And it’s not always their pastor’s fault. Some precious souls won’t leave STAGE TWO even when pastors and elders do everything they can to inspire them to grow up spiritually. These believers simply don’t want to move on to the increasing independence of STAGE THREE and the inherent risks thereof or, even more harrowing (to them), Christ-led autonomy of STAGE FOUR.

These higher stages represent the unknown and people are naturally wary of the unknown. So they just stay within the comforts and limitations of STAGE TWO. There isn’t much you can do for them because they’re staying in STAGE TWO by their own choice. We all have the God-given power of volition and we have to respect it, even when we know the person is making a mistake and limiting his or her life. Just love ’em, pray for ’em and continue to encourage them through the Word and leading of the Spirit.

Also, always remember this wise and humbling instruction:

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Romans 14:4

Where to Begin in Examining or Fixing Your Spiritual Foundation

I encourage believers to regularly examine their spiritual foundation in light of the rightly-divided word of God and leading of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures actually encourage us to do this (2 Corinthians 13:5). I suggest starting by looking at the nine basics of biblical Christianity covered in this article and mastering them. Then proceed from there with the suggested topics listed below.

God Bless You as You Seek & Serve!

This article was edited from chapter 3 of…

 

Both links allow you to LOOK INSIDE the book.

Related Topics:

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Darkness, Childhood, Youth & Maturity

The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SPIRITUAL GROWTH Is Like Climbing a Mountain

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