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Laying the Right Foundation
The group of twelve disciples that gathered around Jesus Christ was the first church ever planted. He invested a considerable amount of time in the disciples and their lives. Many people do not realize that the twelve disciples formed the first congregation because they are searching for a physical building that served as their church.
The church does not gather in physical buildings.
The people themselves constitute the building that God inhabits.
Even Today, Jesus wants us to do what He did with the twelve when we plant churches.
Just as He left the disciples to continue on their own, because they have the Holy Spirit in them who leads them, He wants us to do the same with the churches that we plant.
Eventually, we must allow them to thrive independently.
The vibrant living God within them should enable them to function as a self-sustaining organism.
He is their source. He is the “Engine” that keeps this living organism, called the church, running smoothly. Biblically based churches do not need the fivefold ministry to be or stay part of their daily church activities or weekly gatherings permanently. One reason for this is that the itinerant fivefold ministry is constantly visiting the house churches, and they are not on their own for long periods of time. Also, there are almost always one or up to three elders in a congregation who help to oversee them.
But I am getting ahead of myself here. Let us start at the beginning. I will use an illustration to convey my message to you.
It is not how it happened. It is just an illustration to help us understand the principles that govern house churches and house church planting.
God probably looked down at the earth and saw all the chaos, wrongdoing, and suffering. He probably realized that, despite having given humanity the law, His will, and His word, they had failed to do the right thing.
They kept serving idols and false gods, and they kept doing what they wanted. They needed something more than just the law and the word and will of God.
It was time for God to carry out the divinely conceived secret plan that existed in his heart even before creation.
That plan was to create new creatures (new birth) who did not exist at the time when God decided that it was time to fulfill his real purpose for mankind.
The nation of Israel served as servants and was not born of God. The new birth was not a reality at that time, but as He promised, a new thing would come to pass. Those who follow Christ will be a new creation. They will be born of the Spirit of God.
This means that they will be part of the family of God. They would be able to contain the living God inside of them permanently, and so God decided that together as a corporate body, they would be his dwelling place. They will be his house. His temple. They will be his Church, the place that God will inhabit permanently.
Implementing that plan would mean that the Old Testament method, in which God empowered people with divine abilities through the external presence of the Holy Spirit, would become obsolete.
They would have God’s spirit, character, and nature in them forever.
As I said, along with his son, Jesus Christ, they would be the temple of God, the church. Jesus Christ would serve as the Head of the church, thereby making him an integral part of it.
He would be a member of Christ’s body since he would be its Head. So Jesus Christ became the first Brother, among many brothers.
Jesus Christ, who paid for the world’s sins on the cross, would be the first new creation.
His blood has made it all possible.
Jesus did come, and He did restore everything, and He has made everything a lot better than it was. He changed everything.
Have you ever stood next to a Ferrari idling or experiencing the driver revving it up, let alone driving it yourself? What an amazing sound! What an amazing experience! To hear that powerful engine causing that beautiful car to slightly vibrate because of the sheer power of that engine. Well, the church is like that. The congregation, or two or three getting together, or the global church, is exactly like that. God in us makes us powerful and able to do anything. Nothing is impossible for us because nothing is impossible to God in us.
He had all sorts of imaginations, aspirations, and plans for this vibrant, living creature called the church.
He was thinking about how He would interact with this new creation. How would He influence her, and how would He allow this new creation to live and function? God was probably very excited.
The church is a living creature. In the Iron Man movie, Tony Stark was nothing without that iron body. He had no power or abilities. The robot possessed the power and abilities. When Tony Stark got himself in that machine, he became powerful, and he could do many things that he normally could not do.
In contrast, the situation with the church is entirely different. It is God in us that provides us with power and abilities that we normally do not have.
So God looked at this new creature, and He knew that within the natural realm, or the physical world, He would be able to do a lot in and through this wonderful creature called the church. He could move and lead this church to interact with the rest of the visible creation like He never could since Adam and Eve. So God started to put his plans and structures in place.
So how can I move in and through this wonderful creature? God asked himself. There never was and never will be another creature quite like this one. She is one body, one person, together with Christ, the church, the bride, and the wife of the Son, yet she consists of many individuals, the children of God. He knew that this creature would have to be limited in some way. She was not God, but she belonged to the same class as God; therefore, she would possess a great deal of power. When God marries a woman (the church), although she is not God, she is still of the same class. Although we are not God, we were still created in the image of God.
God realized that if she were not controlled, she could do much harm because of the sheer power that she possesses. There had to be a structure in place to be utilized and managed by both God and the members of this body or living creature to keep order and harmony on earth.
When God saw the tower that mere men, who were not even born of God, had built, He stopped them. He intervened.
This is what God said about them in Genesis 11:6
And the LORD said, Behold, the people are one, and they all have one language, and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
One way that God limits the new creation birthed through the Holy Spirit is by making His power and abilities work through faith and obedience.
So the church is expected to use that power correctly and refrain from misusing its power and abilities. God does block us in many circumstances from using His power for bad things or in a bad way.
God can control and guide the church by leading her and by requesting her to willfully submit herself to Him. So God made Jesus Christ the head of this wonderful creature. He was to lead this creature and Him alone, as manifested through the Holy Spirit. Nobody should ever be between Him and this creature, and that included the members of this wonderful body. By doing that, He made sure that they could never be separated again. He made them one body, the body of Christ. So God has decided that the church will be led by Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
He can live in and through this creature as a corporate body, and the individual members just the same.
Although she was an awesome spiritual entity, she also had serious physical limitations because of each member residing in a physical body. God knew that He could not ignore the physical limitations that this new creature would experience on earth. She exists in the physical world with its limitations.
This wonderful creature is not omnipresent or omnipotent like He is. Her ability to hear, see, and experience life with all its dynamics was and still is extremely limited. People can only pay attention to others in a very limited way, typically one person at a time.
For this reason, they will have to meet in small groups in the Name of Christ to honor God. Small gatherings are the only places where they can actively share what He has planted in their hearts and lives.
They can gather in groups of two, more, or up to twenty at the most.
He wants to work in them and through them, and this is how He does it:
1 Corinthians 14:26
How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, and has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
Please take note of two very important things that this Scripture reveals: The one is “every one of you,” suggesting that each person is supposed to be active and supposed to take part when they gather in the Name of God. This type of interaction is only possible in small groups.
Most of the actions in this Scripture suggest that the assembly is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit at work here.
It appears that even the “doctrine” (of 1 Cor 14:26) might manifest through the Holy Spirit and that it is not an intellectually prepared sermon. Teachings are not easy to deal with, yet it had and still has to be done. The Holy Spirit is active at the gathering, likely acting in accordance with Jesus Christ’s desires, which align with the Father’s will.
Jesus Christ only says what He heard the Father say, and He only does what He saw the Father do. The Godhead is one in spirit and always united.
They only do what they have seen the Father do. They have always had and will have a consensus in any situation.
They have always had and will have a consensus in any situation.
The three of them will always agree.
They know the will of the Father, and they do the will of the Father. This is what God expects from this new creature as well. To know and do the Father’s will, this creature must be taught by Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Many people do not like ministers to use the term “manifestation” when they speak about the Holy Spirit. Demons manifest in people when those individuals act in ways that reveal their presence.
They do it by speaking or acting a certain way.
When demons manifest, we recognize their presence and understand that they are possessing a specific individual.
The Holy Spirit is a spirit, and this manifestation in people can occur when the Holy Spirit acts or speaks.
However, the Holy Spirit does it in a very gentle way. Both the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ manifest in people, allowing others to recognize Christ Jesus in them by observing their actions.
Let us look at a few Scriptures that prove this aspect:
1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
2 Corinthians 4:11
For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Ephesians 3:20
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
1 Corinthians 12:4
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
As you can see, God chose to reveal Himself and make Himself known to man through the manifestation of Christ and the Holy Spirit in us. When they move or manifest in us, people become aware of that fact, just as it happens with demons, but of course differently and divinely.
When the driver accelerated the Ferrari, we all recognized that it was equipped with a formidable engine.
When we gather, we know God is with us when the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ manifests in us.
As I said, God felt that He did not want to act in people as demons do. Demons act against the will of individuals.
They like to control people. God already decided to control the church through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but He would not force them to be controlled by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. God made the decision to grant people free will.
People must have a say in all this. He cannot control them as demons do.
God limited himself to acting only through faith and obedience when they are willing.
Therefore, individuals must desire for God to act, possess faith, and demonstrate obedience to him, his word, and his will before he takes action.
There are a few Scriptures that confirm this:
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
1 John 3:22
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
People described by these Scriptures are willing, and they have faith, and they are obedient. So God can only act and function in them and through them if people are willing and actively pursuing this.
This means that God does not possess people as the devil does. He is a “gentleman,” and He is easily grieved when He is offended. God will not act when He is offended. That is why Jesus did not heal the sick people in his hometown.
Everything will have to be in faith. Even when people see a person do things and hear them say things, they can only discern whether it is from God through the methods that God has established in the church, such as the discerning of spirits, a word of knowledge, an unction through the Holy Spirit, or by comparing the word of God to the actions of those who act in His Name.
God does not operate like demons. He even went one step further; he has decided that he will not initiate any action. He will not move first to encourage people to do so. They must step out in faith and act, and only then does He work with them. This process does not work in reverse.
God will not move until we move in faith. A split second after we move in faith, then He moves, and He makes everything possible.
We press the pedal, and the engine revs and power is released.
This technique is one of the reasons why people do not speak in tongues.
They want God to speak through them, so their lips and tongues remain still. They wait and wait, and nothing happens. With God, everything is done in faith. You need to take a step in faith, and then God works with you.
So in his Spirit, God saw this group of people inside the living room of the house that they had decided to use for their gathering. He sees them sitting in a circle, gathering around Jesus Christ, waiting for him to reveal Himself. Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father are always there.
We know that the Holy Spirit is there because 1 Corinthians 14:26 suggests that the way it describes the church’s function is impossible without him there.
All the gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit are manifestations of the Spirit of God. This is the way God instructed us to gather, and we need the Holy Spirit for that purpose, so He is definitely there.
We know that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. The Head cannot be separated from the body, so He is definitely there. The head is where the body is. Together with Christ, we are the temple of God the Father, so the Father is definitely there. We are all there, every time.
Jesus Christ is the “conductor” because He is the Head of the church. We are the “musicians,” and so we play the instruments. We cannot play the instruments without the help and power of the Holy Spirit, so He starts to move among us. The Holy Spirit gently starts to guide each of us to “play” the “notes” as Jesus wants them to be done. He is the Helper. He knows what Jesus wants, and He does what Jesus wants. So the Holy Spirit moves among the members of the congregation.
This glorious gathering is like musicians playing the most beautiful piece of music. And subsequently, because of the “obedience” and “attitude” and “faith” and “will” of the musicians, the music gets better and more beautiful, in sync, and it slowly builds up to a crescendo. Usually, the music begins softly and imperfectly due to the musicians’ exhaustion, engrossment in the week’s challenges, or their inner turmoil and worry.
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit slowly but surely get through to the musicians. They succeed in their efforts, which are limited because of the imperfections of the musicians. Suddenly, everything becomes a lot better. It sounds like a heavenly song. It is beautiful, and it is all done to glorify God the Father, who stands there and listens to this wonderful piece of music. This music glorifies God the Father, gradually constructing a throne for him, and at the right moment, when the throne is completed, he ascends it and takes his seat in the presence of his family.
All the “musicians” in that meeting became aware of the increasing and wonderful presence of God.
They feel God, and they see God with their spiritual eyes, and they are in awe. Every problem in life disappears because it is infused and overwhelmed by the most precious feelings of peace, love, and joy.
They are experiencing the presence of a wonderful, powerful God, and they know that everything is alright and will remain alright forever because this God is so powerful that nothing can stop Him or take Him away from them.
The living God became such a reality among them, and his presence became so tangible that nobody can deny that the living God is in their midst. How did this happen? It happened because God made it all happen. He was the driving force behind everything. He decided everything, and the congregation did what He wanted. As Head of the church, the body, and the temple of God, Jesus glorified his Father.
He made specific decisions, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and the people followed his guidance, which is why this remarkable meeting turned into a wonderful experience.
There was this holy communion taking place. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the bride of Christ experienced the most amazing fellowship possible.
People connected to God awesomely and divinely, resulting in wonderful interactions and life-changing experiences.
God does not visit us. The congregation’s willingness to let the Spirit of God lead them to do what Jesus wanted is why they experienced the Holy and almighty God in their midst.
As you know, the music in this illustration was a metaphor, although music and worship are part of this experience. It is actually the gifts and works of the Spirit that I am referring to, as well as the love and adoration of the body of Christ that really is the “music” in God’s ears.
Each prophecy, tongue, interpretation of tongues, psalm, revelation, and doctrine that was birthed in the hearts of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and then allowed to flow through the children of God gathered around them contributed to building this wonderful atmosphere and experience with God.
The “psalm” is the praise and worship, although I have seen that a single psalm does this as well. It builds the throne of God, and it reveals Christ Jesus there amid the congregation.
Everybody takes part in this. It is like each member putting pieces of a puzzle in place, one by one and in random order, as Christ and the Spirit of God lead them. Some fit more pieces of the puzzle, but that is not relevant.
It is all according to the will and move of the Spirit of God and Jesus Christ. The puzzle is Jesus Christ, and the puzzle is the throne of God. The puzzle is everything that Jesus Christ wants to do to glorify the Father. Christ initiates or provides birth, and the Holy Spirit moves among the members of the congregation to make the will and desires of Christ a reality.
Christ Jesus is the source of everything that happens in that meeting.
The crescendo involves experiencing Jesus Christ in our midst in all his glory, as well as witnessing God the Father slowly ascending his throne among us.
Nothing can compare to this. This is the most wonderful experience that any congregation can be part of.
I have once experienced such a glorious meeting. It started slowly, but at some point, everybody knew that something amazing was happening. Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit moved among us, and the people were obedient, and we allowed him to flow through us. Eventually, it moved into praise and worship. It was wonderful.
Everybody was in awe. We sang one song over and over again for almost an hour. We sang it as loud as we could, and it felt like we were going to lift that roof. We were walking in a circle (symbol for unity) and dancing in the Spirit. People began to cry, and others began to laugh. I am not talking about “Holy laughter”. I am talking about natural, normal laughing. We became so glad and joyful that we could not stop.
Nobody wanted it to end, but unfortunately, it did. We were so full of faith and hope and joy and peace after that meeting.
Many Christians want to experience the presence of God when they gather on Sundays. They want to be awestruck by him. Yet only a few understand that the “gifts of the Spirit” in action actually allow us to feel the presence of God. When the Holy Spirit manifests in us, when He functions and moves and operates in us, this is when we experience his presence. The gifts of the Spirit = the presence of God.
The control exerted by organized church leaders over churches is highly damaging.
Many Church leaders really want to approve each and every prophecy, and they want to judge and control each and every move of the Spirit of God. Are they not supposed to allow prophecies and the congregation to judge the prophecy? This is what the Bible says should be done. The congregation should judge prophecies.
What a sad day in the life of the church, the day when the fivefold ministry decided to silence God and the church and to seize control of the congregation.
Every little “Let’s try this…” or “Let us make a new rule…” or “From now on…” destroyed the church as God intended it to be.
How are we supposed to gather? We usually greet everybody and ask about each other’s well-being. We fellowship a bit, and then someone makes a few announcements. Then we hand the meeting over to Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When we do this, we relinquish control over the meeting.
That means no rules and regulations. There should not be a single method or way of doing things.
People do want a leader. But everybody should know that the leader is Jesus Christ. Not another human being. This is what God had in mind for the church. This is how He wants her to function.
Although the church is a divine and awesome living organism, God knew that his children would have to grow physically and spiritually and that it would be a challenging task. So He had to appoint people called the five-fold ministry to equip the church. He decided that they should be the servants. They should serve the body of Christ. So in a sense, although we are all equal, they should see themselves as lower than the members of the congregations. Their whole purpose was and still is to train church members to do ministry work.
They are not supposed to lord over them, as 1 Peter 5:3 explicitly declares.
They will serve as his instruments to ensure that his church lives according to the right principles and that its members fulfill their expected duties.
He knew that there would be problematic individuals in the congregations, as well as people with bad motives.
He knew that He would have to put people in place who could monitor them, teach them, and show them the way.
He knew that He would need people who could look for deviations and who could point the congregations and individuals in the right direction. He knew that He would have to appoint people who could point out when teachings and doctrines are false and when certain actions are wrong.
God knew that the congregation needed input from the fivefold ministry to grow and be healthy, but He also knew that the fivefold ministry had limitations and that His body needed protection from them.
He knew some would be disobedient and influence the church members negatively.
They can act and do things just as wrong as the congregations can. They could cause problems in the congregations and among each other. They could and definitely would act in such a way that would cause the church to be harmed and go astray. So God decided to protect the one from the other. He decided to grant the fivefold ministry no authority over the congregation.
He decided to allow the congregations to function without the need for a permanent human overseer. Such an arrangement would mean that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit stay in control of the meetings. This means that everyone present at a meeting is on the same level.
Nobody is over anybody. They are all just brothers and sisters in Christ, and nobody has any say over anybody else. Even when a five-fold minister is present (when he is visiting the congregation to monitor what they are doing), in the congregation, he participates as a normal member.
It is outside the meetings that the fivefold ministries’ work is done. He can arrange for a special training meeting, or he can speak to the members of the congregation while they are busy with outreach or after a prayer session or fellowship gathering.
He can do it one-on-one or in a group, but not during the Sunday gatherings in Christ’s name.
After the fivefold minister leaves, the congregation will judge what he said, taught, or asked them to do.
So the congregations can refuse to do what the fivefold ministers want them to do if they believe it is not from God or the wrong thing to do.
God understood that the mature Christians who make up the fivefold ministry would be trustworthy.
He also knew that the congregations would hold them in high esteem. Therefore, it will not require much effort for corrupt or false leaders to take control of the congregation and impose their will on its members. Wolves will always try to deceive the sheep.
They were given to serve the congregation, not control it.
Well, such events did happen in New Testament times.
We read about this in 3 John 1:9-12
9 I wrote unto the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, receives us not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds, which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words, and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and he forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of the church.
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
12 Demetrius has a good report from all men and of the truth itself; yea, and we also bear record, and you know that our record is true.
Diotrephes was a five-fold minister who did not plant churches and did not treat the congregations the way he was supposed to. He appointed himself by giving the congregation and its members instructions. He wanted preeminence. He wanted to be in charge. He refused certain things and forbade the congregation from doing certain things. This was not the structure that God implemented in the church. Diotrephes misused his ministry, and he appointed himself to a position of control. What was supposed to be a mere function became a position. Paul called these evil deeds.
In 2 Corinthians 11:4,19 and 20, we read that Paul was unhappy with another congregation that also allowed similar things to happen in their meetings:
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
20 For ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
The congregations should not allow the five-fold ministry to put them in bondage. The congregations have the power to make decisions through the consensus process, allowing them to either deny visits from five-fold ministry members or to decide which aspects to accept and which to disregard.
These are the defense mechanisms that God has established in the church.
2 Corinthians 1:24
Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
Paul’s letters were always addressed to the congregations. Paul addressed all nine of those letters to the congregations.
He dealt with the congregations. Paul always started his letters with the following phrases: “To all that be in…”, “Unto the church of God which is at…”, “Unto the church of God which is at…with all the saints which are in all…”, “To the congregations of…”, “unto the churches of…”, “To the saints which are at…”, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at…”.
And so did Peter and James and all the other apostles. No letters were addressed to church leaders, and Paul and the other apostles did not address any leaders in their letters.
Even when churches were in deep trouble because of their backsliding and getting involved in serious sins, like the congregation of Corinth, Paul never talked to “leaders”. These events occurred because there were no leaders present in the congregations.
There were elders in the congregations, but no fivefold ministers. The fivefold ministers were all, without any exception, itinerant workers.
Only once did Paul ask them to greet the leaders for him, meaning that when they see the leaders that Paul knew were often visiting those congregations, they must tell them that Paul sends his greetings.
On the other hand, the fivefold ministry did make arrangements among themselves to assist the congregations. They were constantly receiving news from the congregations. When they heard of problems or congregations struggling, they sent each other to go and assist them.
The five-fold ministry consisted entirely of itinerant workers.
They constantly visited the congregations unless they were planting new congregations.
The following Scriptures will give you an indication of how the five-fold ministry liaised with each other to strengthen the congregations and how they helped each other to make their ministries more bearable or a bit more convenient:
Titus 1:5
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
This is Paul requesting Timothy to complete several tasks in various congregations across multiple cities.
1 Corinthians 4:17
For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
1 Corinthians 16:10
Now if Timotheus comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he works the work of the Lord, as I also do.
These Scriptures confirm that Paul has sent Timothy to go and strengthen specific congregations and probably another one in the city of Corinth. To ensure that the congregations do accept Timothy, he assured them that Timothy has what it takes to be a blessing to the congregations.
And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go, as it were, to the sea, but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
Acts 18:5
And when Silas and Timotheus had come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
Acts 19:22
So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
Acts 20:4
And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
Philippians 2:10
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state.
1 Thessalonians 3:2
And sent Timotheus, our brother and minister of God and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith.
2 Timothy 4:9-16
9. Do your diligence to come shortly unto me:
10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works.
15 Of whom be thou ware also, for he hath greatly withstood our words.
16 At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray to God that it may not be laid to their charge.
These Scriptures suggest that the itinerant fivefold ministry was constantly active and moving.
They have sent each other all over the place. Each of them visited quite a few cities and congregations all over Asia and Asia Minor.
It is also clear that even the members of the fivefold ministry had no authority over one another.
Everybody was led by Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Let us look at a few Scriptures in this regard:
1 Corinthians 16:12
As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren, but his will was not at all to come at this time, but he will come when he shall have convenient time.
In this Scripture, Paul strongly urged Apollos to visit the congregations in Corinth due to the troubling issues occurring there, but Apollos declined. He felt that he would go at a later time.
2 Corinthians 8:16-17
16 But thanks be to God, who put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.
17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation, but being more forward, of his own accord, he went unto you.
Paul did the same with Titus, and fortunately for him, Titus also felt that he had to go, and so he willingly went to visit the congregations in Corinth.
Acts 19:30
And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
In this Scripture, we see that the disciples prevented Paul from visiting specific people. He wanted to, but they refused. Paul was also very upset with Peter, who acted differently toward the Gentiles when there were Jews present:
Galatians 2:11-14
11 But when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Paul took on the great Peter in the presence of the whole congregation. That must have been a bit awkward and humiliating for Peter. So, as you can see, it is clear that there was not a hierarchical system of authority among the five-fold ministers. The bottom line is, there is no hierarchical system of authority in the church or in the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Head, and the rest are all brothers. The church has one leader only. Even the Holy Spirit follows the instructions of Christ. This is how God the Father has decided it to be.
This first session of the series was to show that God has done something new in the church.
Jesus Christ planted a living organism on this earth that functions entirely differently than He purposed.
Man has fundamentally changed this holy structure that God created. The church is a living creature. The church is a spiritual being. It is a spirit, but it has a physical body, which is our flesh. The only visible part of the church is the people. People are the church.
When people gather together in the name of Christ, regardless of where they are, even under a tree, we see the church under that tree.
When we see Christians, we see the church. They have God in them, and God is their source. They have something amazing and powerful in them. That wonderful God is not only in them but all around them and everywhere because that divine being is omnipresent and omniscient.
He wants to lead them all, and no one can come between them and their God.
This is holy ground. We as human beings cannot interfere when it comes to the way that God has decided we should live and serve him together as the ekklesia of God.
This is why we requested you all to wait. Do not plant house churches yet until you know exactly how God wants you to plant churches. It is holy ground, and you must plant churches the way that Jesus Christ did and the way that He has taught the early church to do it.
Assignment: House Church Training 1
