Teaching

One of the greatest problems in the Body of Christ today is the lack of leaders who can define with authority that which comes from God and that which doesn't. This is a major hindrance for the Church. Whole nations fail to move to their next level due to their lack of discernment and commitment to the will of God.

Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine." Acts 2:13

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, "Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." Acts 2:14-16

As soon as the Holy Spirit began His mighty work on the earth, people's carnal minds rose up against God's sovereign move. No matter how powerful the outpouring of the Spirit is, people's carnality will still cause them to doubt, criticize and even mock that which is from Heaven. Some will be drawn to God when they come into contact with the power of the Holy Spirit, but others will always continue to oppose Him. It's the nature of the world we're living in.

Contrary to what universalists such as Carlton Pearson are trying to pass as true doctrine, not all people will end up saved. Some will go to hell because they choose to trust their own skeptical minds rather than God's Spirit and Word.

The struggle of the carnal mind against the Spirit doesn't end here. In fact, it's an ongoing struggle we all face in our own spiritual lives. The apostle Paul wrote about this struggle in Romans chapter eight:

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Rom. 8:6

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8:7

It's possible for us to love, serve and obey God, but at the same time our carnal minds oppose the things of God when action time comes. It's important to learn how to resist our carnal minds and respond to the Holy Spirit instead. Sometimes this means trusting someone else's judgment about a matter.

Take apostle Peter at Pentecost for example:

God was on the move, but the people were getting confused. Their carnal minds were reacting against the Lord's movement. But right in the middle of it all, the apostle Peter stands up and defines that which is from God. Those who trust his discernment become the winners and the Pentecostal skeptics (there are such), become the losers.

It's not easy to allow someone else to separate the precious from the worthless for us. It takes humility to allow someone else to take us by the hand and lead us to new places in God. This is what apostle Peter did for the people.

One great example in our generation is Dr. Peter Wagner (www.globalharvest.org). Through the years God has used Dr. Wagner to define what He is doing on the earth and to help the Body of Christ make the right decisions. Of course, the skeptics will always be there and I've heard them mock and jeer at the notion of a New Apostolic Reformation. But at the end of the day it's important to know that "this is that" as the apostle Peter pointed out to the writings of Joel and connected the past with the present and the future. Do you think everyone agreed with Peter at the moment? Of course not. Some did and they got saved. Others remained skeptical; I can hear them mocking: "This is that, is that right fisherman boy? And who do you think you are, anyway!"

There are many in the Body of Christ today who, due to their unteachable and independent spirits, will never come into the fullness of their destiny in Jesus. They'll always have their opinions. They'll always have to compete with someone and be the best and the smartest. Unfortunately many times their stories are some of the saddest.

The Lord impressed very strongly in my spirit Luke 11:49 for the Body of Christ.

I saw this like I've never seen it before. I've known it, but somehow it now flared up before my eyes like never before: God sending His apostles and prophets is in fact an act of His wisdom. I know most people in the Church are looking for miracles when trying to decide whether someone is a true apostle or not. This is the traditional mindset: apostles should have planted many, many churches and should have performed many miracles before even trying to qualify for an apostle. Prophets on the other hand, don't have it any easier. They must be a perfectly accurate predicting machine, ready to release a word to everyone all the time.

When will the Church move beyond it's infantile approach to such Kingdom matters as apostleship and the ministry of the prophets? I know of ministers who planted churches, had miracles, had accurate prophetic words, but had NO LASTNG IMPACT on the very people they were sent to. They made a name for themselves, but brought NO LASTING CHANGE and reformation to anyone. Is this what we want? Is this what God wants?

Yet church people and budding young ministers still daydream and fantasize of becoming the next miracle worker or the next lean mean prophecy machine.

Let's draw the line and say ENOUGH INFANTILE understanding of the Kingdom and the Church's Kingdom call!

I believe THE PRIMARY reason God sends apostles and prophets to the Church is so that they can SHIFT individuals and whole people groups from living in chaos to coming under the headship of Jesus Christ. After a decade of Pensacola, Toronto and other revivals, church people still drool at the news of yet another "revival" or "revivalist" popping up here and there.

No thanks, I want the WISDOM to be able to SHIFT somebody in this day and hour, nor just to prop up a nice little social club, commonly called "church" in our culture. God in his wisdom is sending apostles and prophets to SHIFT the church from her prideful, man-made, religious ceremonialism to vibrant, real-time, "Fear Factor" style Christianity.

Someone said that every 10 years a true movement of God must either redefine itself or it's doomed to die and become obsolete. Sure, it takes some time for it to loose steam, in some cases up to 40 years. But who wants to be part of that?

I believe the Lord is calling his apostles and prophets in this hour to re-examine their works and weigh them in against the scales of His Kingdom wisdom and values.

How much lasting fruit have we produced? What and whom have we shifted? Are we even involved in shifting the Church, or are we just busy surviving, while trying to market ourselves as something really hot?

We've been talking about apostles and prophets now for 10 years. Has the Body of Christ recognized the wisdom of God in our so called "apostolic-prophetic movement"? Or will our legacy be a series of conferences and a bunch of prophecy tapes that ended in people's attics? This may be the year for some people to make important decisions not stay stuck in the old.

The Lord wants to give wisdom to the Body of Christ like never before. His wisdom will make us effective like never before. We can see whole regions shifted. We can see destinies changed forever.

God in his wisdom is still sending apostles and prophets. Let's get it right this time around.

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." James 3:17
George P. Bakalov