MORE ABOUT THAT FIVE-FOLD THING

Since the post about Paul being a pioneer for the Gospel by opening up new areas, I have come to consider the implications for the Five-Fold Ministry.

One aspect of this is the chronological appearances of these ministries within a given geographic or demographic area.  Once an apostle opens up the area, prophets then appear to support the Apostles' doctrine to give direction to the new disciples' assemblies.

Once a sufficient number of disciples have been trained, elders are appointed, or recognized, to shephard, or pastor the flock.  All the elders are pastors, and not a board that rubber stamps the actions of a single leader.

Of course, other people in the given area still need to hear the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus.  So, comes the need for evangelists.  I am not a Greek scholar, but I have looked into the meaning of evangelist.  The English word is taken directly from the Greek word.  The best I   can determine is that an evangelist is a Good Newser, someone who is full of good news, and not just a travelling preacher.

The new disciples need a foundation of sound doctrines.  The elders may not be able to explain the truth of Scripture to every new disciple, possibly because of the number of new disciples.

This might have been the pattern of the early disciples of Christ.

This chronological view might also apply the list of gifts at the end of 1 Cor. 12.

ABOUT THAT TEN COMMANDMENTS THING...

I was thinking about that the other day, the move to put copies of the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, school rooms, and other public places.  I know many people got behind it because they are concerned about crime and the "moral breakdown of society."  They think that putting the Ten Commandments up in public view would remedy that.

Others opposed it because they saw it as an attempt to impose religion on people through government effort.

While I can see truth on both sides, I have often considered other aspects of this issue.

Of course, the Ten Commandments are found in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, which is the Bible of the Jews.  The Ten Commandments have been at the heart of Judaism for thousands of years.

Most of the people backing the Ten Commandments have been Christians.  But, I wonder how the Jews feel about having God's word to them posted by government institutions...

The earliest Christians were Jews, but since the Second Century, most have been, and are, Gentile.

As Paul pointed out in his letter to the Christians in the Roman province of Galatia, Gentile Christians are not under the Law of Moses.  So, why do Gentile believers want the government to post Jewish commandments in government institutions?

Moses received the Commandments while on a mountain.  Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount early in His ministry.

The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus is better than Moses, the angels, and the Law.  He brought us a better priesthood, a better covenant, and made a better sacrifice for our redemption.

In light of this, what if the Body of Christ focused on the Beatitudes instead of the Ten Commandments?

PROPHETS, PROPHECY, AND PROPHESYING.

I see a lot of confusion about these topics.  While this article is not going to go in depth, I hope it brings some clarity.

Throughout history, prophecy is the speaking or delivery of messages from the supernatural realm.  It mostly has been redarded a form of divination, a means to gain information about future events, or the outcome of planned events.  When one was curious about such things, they would seek out a prophet, a seer, a fortune teller, or a shaman, or some other kind of mystic.

Prophets in Christianity

We do see prophets in the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Are prophets in the Bible the same as they are outside the Bible?  Yes and no.  In the early OT books, people viewed all prophets the same.  But the further we look forward through the Scripture, the more we see God speaking through His prophets, men who spoke only for Him. Those who spoke their own thoughts, or thoughts of unclean spirits, were exposed as false prophets.

Now, I am speaking in generalities here, because to provide chapter and verse for every act or word of an OT prophet would require a book.  We already have that Book; we just need to read it and pay attention.

God used the OT and NT prophets primarily to provide direction to His people.  Sometimes that meant information about upcoming events, but it often came down to one word: REPENT!

In the NT, things start out the same.  John the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance.  He preached it to the people.  He preached it to priests and Pharisees.  He preached it to King Herod.  The only one he didn't preach it to was Jesus.

After Jesus rose from the dead, things changed, even for prophets.  God still uses them to give direction.  However, the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul has given clarity.  After the Gospels, the prophets spoke to the body of Body of Christ.  When prophesying to believers, the guideline is now this:

But the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation, and consolation.  1 Cor. 14:3 NASB.

So, if you hear someone prophesying, or preaching, and their messages do not edify (build you up), exhort (tell you to do the right thing), or console (remind you of God's grace when things go wrong) anybody... Well, I'm not going to say they are a false prophet, but you will be right to not believe what they say, no matter what title they may hold, or how many visions, dreams, or angelic visits they claim to have had.

PROPHETS TODAY?

The previous paragraph brings up a point of controversy: Does the Body of Christ have prophets today.  Many believe not, but I do.  I could go into the Scriptures predicting restoratation, but I will leave that for another article.

I will address one question relating to this issue: do we need prophets today?

Jesus served as a prophet.  During his life, the Old Covenant was still in effect.  Through His life, death, burial, and resurrection, He fulfilled the requirements of the Old Covenant to establish the New one, which granted access to everyone, and not just the Jews.

In the time between His resurrection and ascension, He served as a prophet of the New Covenant.  So, He was the last OT prophet, and the first NT prophet.  Since Christ has the preeminence in all things (Col. 1:18), some say He is the last prophet they need.

But, the real question is: Is He the last prophet His Body needs?

Remember (or go back and read for yourself in John 13:26 - 17:26), what Jesus said about sending the Holy Spirit:

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now...  John 16:12 - 15 NASB

We do see prophets in the Acts of the Apostles.  So the ministry of prophets was a real thing back then.  The early saints must have needed them.

But do we need them today?  Look at the news and social media.  Preachers accused of, and even arrested for, sexual or financial offences. False doctrines proclaimed from pulpits and over the airwaves, allowing for occultic practices to come into worship services and the personal lives of believers.  Shrinking attendance and donations lead to staff layoffs.  Even popular Christian singers have become embroiled in scandal.  Scandal has even touched a church related university.

Quite a number on ministers today claim to be prophets.  I doubt the validity of most of them.  WHERE ARE THE TRUE PROPHETS?

WHY TALK ABOUT CULTS?

The answer is quite simple.  Cults usually don't draw in a large number of people, as in a large portion of the population, so they might not seem to be a big threat.  But, these groups might promote false doctrines that could be adopted by other groups.  Those other groups might or might not become a cults, but the ones that don't become cults could still develop cultish traits.

Today, church scandals make the news almost every day.  Scandals are nothing new in Christendom, but they have become more common.  When you look at the history of cults, you can see how they can be a breeding ground for scandalous behavior.

Some time ago, a video popped up on my YouTube feed that caught my attention.  It was about William Branham.  I had heard that Branham had operated in miracles, but had taught false doctrine towards the end of his ministry.  The truth about this man turned out to be much worse.  In short, he started a cult that still exists.

That video was a podcast, part of a series on William Branham.  The host had grown up in the cult, but left as an adult.  He had questions, and began to research.  The result of his research was not just the podcast, but some short documentaries, a website, and a few books.  If you want to know more -

William Branham Historical Research