Category Archives: Five-fold Ministry

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Unity is Not Conformity

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Many people, in an attempt seeking to fulfill the scripture of “unity of the body of Christ” found in Ephesians 4, come together and commit to be in agreement.  They can agree with their doctrine, dress code, commitment to lead a sinless life, almost anything.  The problem is they never find unity.  They find a poor imitation of unity; conformity.

People that commit to intimate relationship with God and each other find unity.  They live a life founded on God’s love and resulting in family.  These people are in the secret place, in unity, where God has bestowed a special blessing.

1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Psalm 133

The fundamental difference between being in “agreement” versus being in relationship is seen in our interaction with each other.  All relationships need open communication in order to be functional and fulfilling. When people are not equally transparent, accessible, and committed to ongoing dialogue, be assured things will grow stagnant quickly.  

Conformity leads quickly to not being real and open, but holding back and drowning in stagnation.  Unity is fresh and alive because it is founded on love, not agreement.  Think of a marriage.  It’s absurd to think a husband and wife will always agree.  Agreement doesn’t bind them together it’s their commitment to love each other no matter what.  Now they have a safe place that they can disagree and work through things because their relationship is not built on their performance or “agreement,” but on an eternal love that can never be broken.  There is freedom in love.  Freedom to grow, the opposite of stagnation.

Unity, built on love advances the Kingdom, while conformity advances an agenda which results in stagnation and isolation.  We are all called into a divine “relationship of grace” with God, and each other.  This requires honest, sincere, open communication on our part, not agreement.

Unity or conformity are both fruit of our actions.  Be who God made you to be, love, and share your heart.  Others will be attracted to the life in you and God will be glorified.

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Love God but Frustrated with Church?

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You need to find a bad church.  I listen to Christian teachers and read Christian books all of the time.  I love Jesus and want to know Him better.  I recently listened to a very well-respected, loved, mainstream evangelical pastor deliver a great teaching and close with, “find a good church.”  I thought that must mean there are “bad” churches.  I am not talking about cults or quacks.  The inference here is that there are Christian churches that believe in basically the exact same thing yet we view as “bad.”  This is our code language that strengthens the division in His body.  “Christianese” for other churches are repulsive:  “find a good church” or “find a healthy church.”  Which ones are sick or bad?   And why don’t we talk about it?  It’s the elephant in the room of Christendom.

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Five-fold Ministry is out of Gas

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You can be the most talented race car driver of all time.  You can have the fastest car.  During the race if you pull over and change your own tires and fill your fuel yourself then you are going to lose the race.  You can take elite driving classes.  You can tune up the car.  But that’s not the problem.  You need help to win.  This is a picture of the church today.  Our Pastors are pouring themselves out to win the race but getting further and further behind because they need help.

God has ordained help.

Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until 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.  Ephesians 4:11-13

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Gates do not Stand Alone

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I look out my window overseeing the city and watch people doing their best to build a shelter using only one post.  Our city is in need of shelters for people lost,

hurt, deceived, and bound by darkness.  Unfortunately it is not working.  The best that gets accomplished is a rag-tag tent that keeps some rain off but does little to shield the raging storms people are seeking shelter from.  The character being built by the few faithful trying to erect a shelter with only one post has been honed to a razor sharpness.  “Quitting” has long been vanquished in their vocabulary, and I say this as the highest compliment.  In the depth of their soul they know a shelter must be in place and somehow, some way, they will build one.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until 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.

– Ephesians 4:11-13

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