Open letter to Pastors

This is what I see in scripture.  Your job first of all is to admit that you should not be the singular leader of the congregation.  The leadership of a local body of believers is to be by an eldership.  Men gifted in differing ways working together to equip the saints.  Is this impossible no, but it will be hard and it does call for humility, but given the opportunity to teach the local gathering the truths of scripture, those who are truly called will be supportive of the change.  The second part may take care of itself.  We need to gather in smaller groups, that are more broken, intimate and vulnerable than the ridiculously large group that we currently meet in.  Lastly, waiting on the Lord, is key in how we move forward, it is costly, it is counter intuitive, it is the truth of the Word, and it brings death to the flesh, like nothing else can.  Grace, peace and mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unity and giftings in the kahal of God

UNITY and giftings in the kahal of God.

Years ago in YWAM I was taught “Unity is corporate humility”.  I am just beginning to be given revelation as to the meaning of this. 

Unity in marriage is so hard to attain and maintain.  That is just 2 people!  We are called to unity in local, corporate expressions of the Body of Christ.  So, it is impossible to achieve in marriage, and the sooner we come to that “death” the better, how much harder is it among a group of “individually gifted” brethren, who have to submit their giftings to the Lord and to each other?

Part of the truth of the gathering of God’s redeemed at a local level, commonly misnamed the “church”, is being in each other’s lives speaking the truth in love.  All the giftings working together, each one submitted, even to the voice of the Lord speaking through the youngest, newest spirit led member of the group.

“Pastor” is one of the giftings but somewhere along the line, OUT OF FEAR, it became THE gifting.  The other “5 fold” ministries folded and only this one remained.  Then adding insult to injury, we began to educate and train people for this position and it became an unhappy mixture of “gifting and education” and God hates mixture.  The “Pastor” is an important balance in the five-fold giftings that God gave for the gathering of His people, but all by itself it is not a balance but a hindrance to the move of the Holy Spirit!  The “Pastor” is always about protecting the sheep, guarding, keeping everything safe and sanitary.  “Teachers” stretch people, challenge their understanding of God, push people to a deeper place in God, make them uncomfortable and encourage “lively arguments” over the things of God that we are passionate about.  “Evangelists” keep pushing our hearts over the “four walls” and out into the streets, they have an anointing to make such acts normal and every day, they reveal the heart of God for the lost and keep it ever in the forefront of the local work of God.  “Prophets” reveal what God has done in the past, what He is doing in the present and what He will do in the future, they are key in preparing the Body for the future, but they are also equally key in equipping the Body to truly and fully live in the moment.  “Apostles” are (to me) the thumb, being “in God” in such a way as to demonstrate, the “apostolic meekness” that spends itself making the other giftings more effective.  Keeping the other giftings in balance and sharp.  Guiding the local body and connecting them with other bodies or gatherings to strengthen connections and to open the eyes to the greater work of God, the “salvation history” living and active among us.

Only prayer with humility can be used of God to turn this ship around.  I have no idea what that will look like, but I feel it will be “small” and broken and humble and not at all like what we are currently used to.