Obedient Steps of Faith – BT26:  Gospel ministry work by the Spirit’s power not our wisdom or skill

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The whole point of Body-Ministry in the Church is to build up our trusting-relying-faith:  “Christ gave grace-gifts to men . . . He gave [in the Greek: these 4 groups of grace-gifts]:  the apostles, moreover the prophets, moreover the evangelists, moreover the shepherds and/coupled teachers, pros ‘towards and interacting with’ the katartismos equipping: coaching-facilitating of the saints for [singular] work of [singular] ministry, for [singular] building up of the Body-of-Christ UNTIL we ALL attain to the unity of The-Trusting-Relying-Faith (The Christian Faith) and/coupled of the genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of the Son of God eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of mature manhood, that is to the metron ‘standardized-size measuring-cup as used in a marketplace to insure trade was equitable’ of the pleroma abundant-fullness of Christ in order that we many no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and/coupled carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (a). <Notes> a) Ephesians 4:8-14.

This isn’t a “5-fold ministry” as many speak of!   These 4 groups are only coaches and facilitators for Body-ministry because the equippers & saints ALL do the building-up of the Church so that the people wouldn’t be susceptible to deception, most often by one-man-show teaching per Romans 12:3, and it’s not through accumulating bible gnosis-informational knowledge but-instead direct, genuine, full, experiential, relationship epignosis knowledge of Christ!  Nowhere in the NT do you see Christians meeting for bible-study or encouraged to do so!  See Note ‘C’ of Tongues & Interpretation – BT4.

In fact, most doctrinal-error comes from bible-teachers that aren’t ‘checked’ by their congregations when the Holy Spirit says “red alert” inside them and they don’t say, “Wait a minute, what about xyz?”  That “diakrisis weighing in on, or critiquing back-and-forth, what was said by the others” is what the early Church considered part of “orderly worship” (a) – today, many churches would escort you out because you were being “disorderly.”  That is what authoritarians do, the very thing Romans 12:3 denounces!  They are “haughty . . . wise in their own sight” (b).  Likewise, the apostle John’s own disciples were kicked out the church by an authoritarian bishop Diotrephes “who likes to put himself first” (c).  This is part of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church. <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:29, 40, b) Romans 12:16, c) 3 John 1:9-10.

So the “work of ministry” by the Body-of-Christ in Ephesians 4:12, or for example the “work of an evangelist” in 2 Timothy 4:5, is not supposed to be a “word-only” preaching-ministry as so many have done today, but a “full-gospel” ministry.  Paul says to the Corinthians:  “For Christ . . . sent me to preach the gospel, absolutely-in-fact-NOT by-the-means-of wisdom of/belonging-to logos messages, lest the cross of Christ should be kenoo ‘emptied of its value . . . I came absolutely-in-fact-NOT kata ‘down-from/according to’ huperoche ‘excellent, elevated, authoritative-sounding’ logos-messages of wisdom, [but] routinely/habitually proclaiming/preaching to you the testimony/witness of God . . . my logos message and/coupled my proclaiming/preaching [were] absolutely-in-fact-NOT by-the-means-of peithos  ‘skillful, plausible, persuasive, enticing’ logos message of wisdom but-instead by-the-means-of the demonstration/proof-manifestation of the Spirit and/coupled of dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power (a) so that your trusting-relying-faith might in-possibility-NOT rest in the wisdom of men (b) but in the dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power of God.”  <Notes> a) The “coupling/linking” means that “enabling-power is the demonstration/proof-manifestation of the Spirit,” b) the preacher/teacher Paul as a Pharisee used to be operating with eloquent and lofty speech.

Paul continues:  “However, we [do] speak [the Spirit’s] wisdom among those who are mature, yet absolutely in-fact-NOT the wisdom of this age, NOR of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing . . . we speak absolutely-in-fact-NOT in human-taught logos messages of wisdom but-instead by-the-means-of [those] [singular] Spirit-taught . . . for the kingdom of God does absolutely-in-fact-NOT consist by-the-means-of logos message but-instead by-the-means-of enabling-power” (a).  Paul said in Romans 15:19 that these “proofs” were “what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience – by logos message and/coupled ergon work/doing by-the-means-of the enabling-power of signs and wonders by-the-means-of the enabling-power of the Spirit of God.” <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 1:17, 2:1, 4-6, 13; 4:20.

It’s really hard to argue against the “signs and wonders” of God that should “accompany those who have trusting-relying-faith:  In My name/authority they shall actually cast out demons; they shall actually speak in completely-different-in-kind-NEW tongues . . . laying hands on the sick to recover . . . and they [all] having-gone-out, preached everywhere, while the Lord (Jesus) routinely/habitually sunergeo ‘working together in symphony with’ [them] and/coupled routinely/habitually begaioo ‘confirming, guaranteeing, or ratifying as solid/sure’ the logos message by-the-means-of routinely/habitually accompanying signs” (a). <Notes> a) The Great Commission in Mark 16:17-20.

I suspect the problems and ineffectiveness of most pulpit and street/campus preaching is that they don’t believe or obey this, leaving them only with a “logos message that may be plausible/persuasive” to play on the same field, using the same “fleshly” “might and power” external resources and internal abilities of every other religion.  Futile!  Furthermore, Peter didn’t want just anybody speaking in churches about anything on their minds, like they do today.  He says in 1 Peter 4:10-11 “As EACH has received a grace-gift [from the Spirit: they assumed every Christian would have one], [I strongly urge you to] USE it to serve one another . . . whoever speaks – do as one who speaks logion ‘prophetic, divine oracles or utterances’ of God . . . by the strength that God supplies.”

Signs and wonders like miracles sure won’t happen without someone having trusting-relying-faith!  We saw above that Paul wondered why Christians would look to rule-keeping instead of the Spirit for holiness/sanctification, but then asks this follow-up question:  “The [one] supplying to you the Spirit and/coupled miracles among you – [is it] ek out-from ergon ‘doings/works’ of/belonging-to [singular] Law ? OR ek out-from [singular] akouo hearing/listening-to-understand/know of/belonging-to [singular] trusting-relying-faith?” (a). <Notes> a) Galatians 3:5.

Mark 16:17-18 lists 5 supernatural things as “signs that will accompany those who are have definitively/wholly have trusting-relying faith.”  Jesus said that if you “do not-in-possibility have doubt in your heart but-instead definitively/wholly have trusting-relying-faith that what you say will come to pass, it shall indeed be done for you” (b).  To His disciples Jesus promises:  “Truly, truly, I say to you that the [one] routinely/habitually having trusting-relying-faith in Me will also do the [miraculous] works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father. [So] whatever you aiteo ‘ask for, seek or earnestly-desire, even demand’ in My name/authority, this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (c), and “Truly, I say to you that if you have trusting-relying-faith like a grain of mustard seed . . . absolutely-in-fact-NO thing will be impossible for you” (d). Hebrews 2:4 also says, “God also bore witness/testified by signs and/coupled wonders and/coupled various miracles and/coupled by grace-gifts [ALL these] of/belonging-to the Holy Spirit distributed kata down-from/according-to His will.” <Notes> a) Galatians 3:5, b) Mark 11:23, cf. Matthew 21:21, c) John 14:12-13, d) Matthew 17:20.

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Spiritual Education, Gospel ministry work by the Spirit’s power not our wisdom or skill, Spirit works thru entire Body of Christ to minister, Often leaders hog the ball instead of facilitating & coaching Body-Ministry, Preaching is supposed to be only the gospel, Most preachers are really teachers, Preaching is supposed to be Full Gospel with power of the Spirit by miracles, Wisdom & Understanding teaching isn’t enough, Signs & Wonder miracles needed so faith isn’t in the sermon preacher, ALL of us are to be using our gifts in church NOT just the equippers, ALL of us are actually the ministers, Signs & Wonders are supposed to accompany the gospel to confirm it’s real