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December 2008 Newsletter

STEPS TO GLORY

by Paul Galligan

Submission is the Key

Submitting to one another in the fear of God  Eph.5:21. All of God s people are to be in submission to one another. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility,

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble  1Pet.5:5.

Submission is the bottom line, being an attitude of the heart as well as a decision of the will. Submission is linked to lowliness of mind. Jesus said, I am gentle and lowly in heart  and He will teach us how to be like Him (Matt.11:29). Paul said, Walk with all lowliness and gentleness  Eph.4:2. Lowliness and gentleness are necessary prerequisites to keeping the unity of the Spirit . James said that the wisdom from above is gentle and willing to yield  James 3:17. Submission to God is the key to victory over the devil (Jam.4:7).

It seems that God will place all of us in situations that may seem contrary to His good acceptable and perfect will  so that we can learn submission. Even in our church placement or work position God can be at work in us by placing other people in our lives so that we learn submission. Submission is not only to those to whom it is easy to submit  submission is an attitude of the heart and can be learnt.

Submission is first to God and surely He is to be submitted to. Submission is secondly to those who have the rule over us  (Heb.13:17). We live in an un-submitted and lawless generation and even in the church many resist leadership. Thirdly submission is to one another in the body of Christ.

 

Humility the key to grace

Submission is the key to humility. A submissive person is a humble person and humility is the key to receiving grace. James 4:6 says, But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.   This confirms 1Peter 5:5b. Peter goes on to say, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time  1Pet.5:6. The exaltation of us by God is a work of grace and grace is accessed through faith. Faith is the gift of God that is discovered in our lives when we become desperate enough to turn to God; in other words, we exercise faith toward Him which comes out of humility  we cannot do it ourselves.

Humility is the opposite to pride. The proud man will be resisted by God and will fall. The humble man will be helped by God and will find favour [grace] in every situation, in every relationship. There is no law to govern humility but pride leads to an unfortunate end.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up  Jam.4:10.

A man s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour  Prov.29:23. God dwells with him who has a contrite and humble spirit , and He will revive the spirit of the humble  (Isa.57:15).

 

Grace the key to ministry

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, speak as the oracles [utterances] of God. If any one ministers, as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ  1Pet.4:10-11. Ministry in word and service is only possible by grace. It is the grace of God with me  that labours more abundantly  through Paul that accomplishes the work of God (1Cor.15:10). Effective ministry is a work of grace.

Paul said that he received a dispensation of grace  to make known the revelation of the mystery (Eph.3:2-4). Paul said that he became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God  (Eph.3:7), and that he was able to preach among the Gentiles  according to this grace that was given to him as a minister. Again in Colossians Paul refers to the dispensation of grace given to him to fulfil the word of God  (1:25).

Many of us have come through years of the Charismatic movement where the emphasis was on power and gifting and even though both power and gifting are of grace, we did not walk in that grace. Now that the spirit of sonship is being shed abroad in our hearts, we are beginning to walk in this great grace that God has freely bestowed upon us in the beloved (Eph.1:5-6).

 

Ministry the key to the mystery

It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven  Matt.13:11, but we need a teacher to unfold the mysteries. In fact, we need an apostle or a prophet who have been given the revelation of the mystery by the Spirit (Eph.3:5). It is God s will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles  Col.1:27. The knowledge of the mystery is to be revealed to the saints  (v.26). It is through ministry of the word that the knowledge of the mystery is made known. This is the teaching of the deeper wisdom (1Cor.2:6-7).

Most read the Bible at a very simple level and most preach and teach the word at a very simple level. Because of the dearth of true apostles and prophets who are able to make known the revelation of the mystery, the church in general has been left in immaturity. In our day God is raising true apostles and prophets who are able to make known the mystery, and once again the church is becoming apostolic by adhering to the apostles  doctrine (Acts2:42 &Jude 3). Once the church is taught the doctrine then the doctrine is passed on by the ministers at every level (2Tim.2:2).

 

The mystery the key to the glory

It is through the ministry of the word to those who are no longer babes in Christ (Heb.5:12) but to those who are mature (1Cor.2:6) that the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory  (v.7) is made known. Paul says that it is this wisdom that reveals the glory of God in us. To the Colossians he said that it is through fulfilling the ministry of the word that the mystery is made known to the saints, and this is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory  Col.1:25-27.

What is the glory? Can we recognise it? Can we apprehend it? Grow in glory? Jesus is the manifestation or revelation of the glory of God: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth  Jn.1:14. Glory is grace and truth  in a man or a woman. The glory of God is revealed in and through Jesus Christ  He reflects and manifest s God s glory! (2Cor.4:6). His glory is to be seen in us, in earthen vessels  (v7).

 

Glory the key to Oneness

Jesus asked the Father to restore the glory which I had with You before the world was  (Jn17:5). Jesus then said that He was glorified in them  (v10), His disciples, and as a result of the glory being manifested in the disciples, they would be ONE (v11).

Then Jesus prayed for those who believe in Me through their [apostles] word; that they all may be one  (v20-21). Jesus was giving His glory to His disciples so that through them believers would receive glory. The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are ONE  v.22.  God s goal is for His glory to be revealed through His disciples so that the earth shall be filled with the glory of YAHWEH  Num.14:21.

 

Oneness the key to becoming perfect

The result of the glory being bestowed upon the disciples and through them upon all believers was that all believers would be one in the revelation of the Godhead. Remember that the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ  (Col.2:9), and Christ in you is the hope of glory  (Col.1:27), and You are complete [perfect] in Him  (Col.2:10). When Jesus is in us and the Father is in Jesus [which He always is], then they [disciples and believers] may be made perfect in one  (Jn.17:23). When the glory of Jesus Christ the Eternal One is revealed [or beheld] by the believers then the awesome eternal love of God will be revealed in the earth through the believers and the world will know that the Father sent Jesus  (v.23).

 

Submission is the Key to humility

   Humility the key to grace

      Grace the key to ministry

         Ministry the key to the mystery

            The mystery the key to the glory

               Glory the key to Oneness

                  Oneness the key to becoming perfect

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Apostle Don Atkin has released a small book called The Apostles Role among the Priesthood of all Believers  the Global Communion of the Saints 

The following is an excerpt, pages 15-17, from the book:

 

5 Equippers

Three learning systems included in comprehensive discipleship:

Teaching increases knowledge           Teaching focuses on content

Training increases skill                       Training focuses on the job

Equipping increases capacity              Equipping focuses on the person

 

Jesus  Great Commission to disciple the nations requires that people be taught, trained and equipped. There is much teaching, little training, and practically no equipping going on in today s church world. Is it any wonder that so few people have a capacity for the things of the kingdom?

 

We can follow Jesus through the gospel record and observe how He gradually increased the capacity of His disciples. They grew to become vessels able to bear the anointing and carry on kingdom business.

Kingdom business is still the task of discipling others to disciple others.

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses,

commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also  2Tim.2:2.

 

Note that Paul envisions kingdom expansion among faithful men  not necessarily educated talented, gifted or rich men, but faithful men. You can teach men and women that they are to be faithful. You can train them how to be faithful, but we all need to have our capacity increased in the process of being (1) faithful in little things so that we may steward large things; (2) faithful in material things so that we may steward spiritual things; (3) faithful in others  things so that we may steward our own things [Lu.16:10-12]. This comes not by teaching or training.

 

DISCIPLING INCREASES KINGDOM CAPACITY

This increasing capacity comes through the very personal one-on-one discipling focus of the equipper. Jesus  disciples lived life with Him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Their faith grew as they participated in such activities as feeding five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish. Their faith grew as He demonstrated to them how to calm the seas with a timely word fitly spoken. Their faith grew as they found that even the demons were subject to them in Jesus  name.

 

Faith grows, and thereby capacity increases, for the just shall live by faith. He who was with them is in us, the hope of glory. Therefore, His capacity becomes our capacity. People need demonstrative equippers, examples, who focus upon them personally to prepare them for their work. That is how equipping works  no short cuts. Group dynamics will not get it done. Behaviour modification does not equate to increased capacity.

Teaching, training and equipping constitute comprehensive discipleship as carried out, and then commanded, by Jesus. To offer oversight without this kind of undergirding will continue to thwart the purpose of God.

 

This word of brother Don s on equipping has been a wonderful insight that has released us here at SHILOH in exercising apostolic oversight and providing spiritual mentoring to leaders in training and to all our relationships with the disciples. We have been very strong on teaching from the beginning of our ministry in 1998 and since 1999 have been conducting training schools and sending disciples out into the work. However now we have entered decidedly into a season of equipping which is focused on the person, to enlarge each person s capacity to function in the gift mix, that Christ has given each one, in the body of Christ.

 

 

CALENDAR

 

            December:

             Community Sundays: 21st December 9.30 and including fellowship lunch

                                                        28^th December: 9.30  11am only                   

 

JANUARY TRAINING SCHOOL

Three weeks training in apostolic doctrine and practice; understanding and experiencing the spirit of sonship; becoming part of the emerging body of Christ  the global communion of saints.                       From Monday 5^th January to Saturday 24^th January

                                          10.30am to 4pm Daily

International leaders will be coming to this school, all committed believers welcome

 

Children s training school

               From Monday 12^th to Friday 16th  9am to 3pm: ages 4  14.

 

           Overseas trips:

              January: Team depts. 17^th Jan for Philippines for two weeks

              February  Dpt for India 1^st Feb. and to Myanmar on 19^th.

              May  trip to West Africa & East and Central Africa

 

            Bruce and Jean Manning and Margaret Hooper have returned safely from Thailand last night. While the closure of the airports in Bangkok caused a change of travel plans for them, meaningful ministry opportunities opened up for them in Bangkok. Thank you for your prayers.

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