Is the "Main Event" Detracting from
True Apostolic Ministry?
by Jonas Clark
I feel for men and women of God who are faithful with what's
viewed in the religious world's eye as little. In society
influenced by marketed sensation, judged by large crowds and big
steeples, they don't seem too important to some.
Over and over I read or watch in Christian media the remarkable
feats of great evangelists who are “taking nations” and
“impacting the world for Christ.” Images of the masses, tightly
crowed together in stadiums waiting for God’s man of faith and
power, are transmitted.
Some evangelists are dropped off behind the platform by white
limousines with police escorts, others are delivered by
helicopter and surrounded by bodyguards. Skyscrapers of speakers
stacked atop each other, rumble the message for all who dare to
come within miles of the “main event.”
For some reason, however, I don’t feel the same today as I once
did. There was a time when the main event really excited me. It
was awesome to see so many people gathered in one place. Today I
feel confused. I keep getting a cankered message in my spirit.
There is something in me that says, “It’s terrific that so many
people are gathering to hear the Gospel message” yet something
grieves me while witnessing the presentation.
Could it be possible that the Holy Spirit is trying to show me
something? Am I the only one who feels like something is wrong
with this picture? After all, what could possibly be wrong with
great events like this where so many gather to hear the Gospel?
I will never forget the time I was ministering in a jungle in
Central America. To get to where we were going required the use
of a small plane that landed in a cattle pasture followed by an
hour long boat ride down a blackened river. Once out of the boat
it was a short walk on a jungle trail to a small wood-framed
building with no windows bleached by the scorching hot sun.
At night a single light bulb hung from the rafters, drawing
countless creatures for a peak at the visiting preacher. Looking
around at those present and the conditions of the building
offered my mind a clear definition of the word “primitive.”
There were no stained glass windows, large screen projectors,
ushers, greeters or catchers. There wasn’t even a platform, just
a dirt swept floor with hungry believers atop wooden planks with
clapping hands as the dominant musical instruments of the
evening.
The young man translating for me was an American who was
receiving monthly support from his home church back in the
States. I remember him telling me that his pastor was raising
money to purchase a new jet airplane. Airplanes! “Awesome,” I
thought, since I too am a pilot. Then it struck me that we were
at least 500 miles away from anywhere a jet could safely land. I
asked the young man if his pastor had ever been with him to this
part of the jungle. He said his pastor had never come to
anything. That floored me. “How could that be?” I asked. He said
that his pastor was just too busy back in the States with the
“main event.”
It seemed that the few people we would minister to paled in
comparison to the more significant events back home. That really
bugged me. Here I was on my fourth trip with this young man
working in the clammy hot jungle, eating things I won’t tell you
about, and I had to purchase a coach ticket with my own money
just to do that. Sometimes, after hearing these things I feel
like we should just all quit pioneering and go to the conference
centers of the world, phone in our $1,000 seed faith vow to the
guy on TV, and leave the Gospel to those special people who seem
to be more anointed than us.
Isn’t it terrible to feel like this? Maybe it’s just me, but
some things just make me feel like saying, “What’s the use?” But
wait a minute! You know what folks? I’ve discovered that
thousands of other people feel the same way. There are some
highly anointed people in this world who are giving their lives
on the warring frontiers of ministry to share the Gospel of
Jesus Christ that will never own a jet airplane or be able to
buy the city’s arena and turn it into a church. There are others
who will never have 50,000 attend their crusades. There will be
some that never get on Christian television or on Christ Power
FM whatever, but they still have value; they are still important
to Jesus, and they are still significant in the Body of Christ.
I feel for men and women of God who are faithful with what’s
viewed in the religious world’s eyes as little. In a society
influenced by marketed sensation, judged by large crowds and big
steeples, they don’t seem too important to some. We all know
that it’s not appropriate, but everyone in ministry is judged by
numbers. Countless times people have asked me how many people
attend my church and since we don’t fill even the tiniest
football stadium…well you get the point.
Could it be possible that the apostolic reformation is
challenging the one-man-only “main event” paradigm? Is there
some balance that we can find in all of this? What about the
little guy, the regular Joes from Nowhere USA, those who love
Jesus and faithfully attend church each Sunday morning?
Shouldn’t they be involved in the work of the ministry, too?
Learn more about apostolic
structure in
THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY TRANSITION KIT
I recently watched on Christian television a discussion about
healing, miracles and full-time office gift ministries.
Evidently these men were having awesome healings and miracles in
their meetings. The gist as to why such profound miracles
occurred in the ministry of these gentlemen was because of their
calling as an “office gift.”
In my opinion we need to break away from that type of thinking.
The way I read the Scripture is, “And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Perhaps we should do a word study
on the Greek word “for.” In my understanding that Scripture
makes it clear that all five “office gifts” are called to equip
believers to do the work of ministry. This is clearly different
that the one-man-does all pattern of ministry that pervades our
Christian culture.
Maybe this is why the “main event” doesn’t sit well with me
anymore. Where is the perfecting of the saints for the work of
the ministry in that pattern? If the one who is called to equip
others for the work is doing all the work, then it appears to me
that we are outside the biblical pattern. It seems that there
are too many people who think that the ministry belongs solely
to “office gifts.” With that kind of thinking, the believer’s
responsibility is reduced to Sunday morning spectator status.
That kind of sounds like what we have throughout the Church
today. After all, just find the man with the five-fold office
gift and pay him to do the ministry.
It’s amazing to me that Ephesians 4:11 never came up in the mind
of the show’s host. It just proves that no matter how many times
we read Ephesians 4 we still don’t get it – every believer is
important to God and called into ministry. I am not saying that
full-time office gift ministry doesn’t have a place, it
certainly does. And yes, God does manifest Himself mightily in
certain individuals according to His will, but I don’t think
that is His ultimate goal. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants
to use everybody. Scripture declares, “The people that do know
their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32).
Folks, I am not trying to come against anybody because these
guys did have some great things to say. Please understand that
the Holy Spirit needs all of us involved, them too, in the work
of the ministry. I do not believe that the ministry belongs to
the five-fold ascension gifts alone. One man or one “office
gift” cannot complete the great cause of Christ, reaching the
world with the Gospel and making disciples of all nations. I
believe this is why the Lord is restoring the apostolic model,
paradigm, order, government or whatever word best describes it
to you. The bottom line is that the priesthood and kingship of
every believer is being restored (1 Peter 2:9).
In the Book of Acts we see great power to give witness of the
resurrection of the Lord and great grace on all the believers
(Acts 4:33). They were invading cities with the Gospel of Christ
and doing mighty exploits for God. I am sure there were many
awesome healings and miracles taking place and there were no
television cameras to capture the event, snap the photos of the
masses, and market the newest Christian fad.
Yes, there is an apostolic order being restored in the Body of
Christ. My prayer is that we will break free from the
one-man-does-all pattern of ministry and enter the apostolic
dimension of equipping every believer for destiny and
significance. In fact, I am convinced that it is God’s intent
that we move from the one-man “main event” to the Body of Christ
being equipped in the local church and sent out to impact the
world for Him.
Friend, I know that you are called to do something mighty for
Jesus. It doesn’t matter if you stand behind a pulpit on Sunday
morning, get on television or have your photo taken in front of
a massive crowd or not. The point is that God wants to put His
anointing and grace on you and I, everyday believers, as we
invade the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom.
God bless you. Your partner,
© by Jonas Clark
For dynamic teaching materials go to the
apostolic and
prophetic resources.
p.s.
Don’t forget about
The Voice magazine, a Christian magazine written for hungry believers like you and read in all 50 States and
over 61 nations.
More articles
|
