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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23) |
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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23) |
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Recent Newsletters
December 2006 Newsletter A CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP In the New Testament, leadership and church governance is in the hands of apostles overall. In the local towns and cities leadership and church governance was in the hands of elders appointed by apostles (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5) “God has appointed in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers …” 1Cor.12:28. This Scripture can be applied in two ways: the overall eldership of the church translocally is made up of apostles, prophets and teachers, or, the ‘teachers’ refer to the elders in the local churches. The local church of the Scripture is the church of the town or city made up of many fellowships [meeting in houses] with a common eldership and that eldership had been appointed by an apostle. Therefore the church of the city was functioning in oneness because the elders were appointed by an apostle and continued in a relationship with the apostles as illustrated in Paul’s letters to the churches. Paul wrote his letters to the saints so there was nothing hidden from the saints. The word of God applied to both elders and saints in Paul’s letters. When Jesus wrote to the churches in Revelation, He wrote to the ‘angels’ of the churches but angel equals ‘messenger’. In this case the angels would be the apostolic leaders of the churches as nowhere in Scripture is a single elder normally the leader of the church of a city, responsible for bringing the word of God in a primary way such as Jesus wrote to the angels in His letters. Even though these letters were addressed to the ‘angel of the church’, they also were for the whole church. What this is showing us is that there was no division between the leaders and the believers in the local churches: they were the people of God! There were all members in particular of the one body. There was no clergy/laity division – this division is in fact the doctrine of the Nicolaitans! For a long time, the church has not been functioning in scriptural order. From the second century AD, individual bishops arose and took the authority individually over cities, finally leading to the Roman bishop gaining ascendancy over other metropolitan bishops. Then after the Protestant Reformation with many more denominations arising the office of the bishop continued to be practiced in an unscriptural way. In the twentieth century with the Pentecostal revival and the founding of many new churches, again the practice has been for individual bishops [often called by different names in Western churches] to be the sole leader of the churches or even of whole denominations. However at the end of the age [the times of the Gentiles is coming to a close], God is once again raising and setting in place apostles according to the biblical pattern. God is effecting a change of leadership
and this change is prophetically spoken of in Isaiah 22:15-25. In these verses God
is removing the old leadership, “the steward Shebna” and calling forth
“His servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah”.
Shebna represents the bishop who has been over God’s house but it
is the apostles whom God is raising to be the leaders in the body.
“Now
God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers” 2Cor.12:28a. Where do bishops fit into this
order? They fit in the third ranking of leadership, that is, as
teachers functioning as elders in the local churches. The one thing
that Isaiah says that is peculiarly different about Eliakim is that
“he shall be a father” in the house of God. Eliakim actually means God of raising; Eliakim represents the
apostle called and raised by God. He is the son of Hilkiah which
means portion of Yah. The ministry that Jesus
specifically raised in the earth to found and lead His church was
the ministry of apostle. Bishops rule as administrators but apostles will shepherd
the house of God as fathers. There is a big difference. This is
not to say that some bishops are not true fathers, because they
can be fathers. The other thing that needs to be said very clearly
is that some bishops have actually exercised an apostolic ministry
but not being confirmed in it, have submitted to the religious system
that they found in place and were ordained to an office of bishop.
This office of bishop as it has operated has exceeded the Scriptural
office of bishop but in general has not properly represented the
nature of apostolic ministry. But God is effecting a change in our
day. Praise the name of the Lord! There are four things that God says about the new leader:
“I will clothe
him with your robe and strengthen
him with your belt; I will commit
your responsibility into his hand. He shall be
a father to the inhabitants of The new leader is going
to be clothed with the
robe. This is the mantle that covers and identifies the
chosen leader. Jacob identified his son, Joseph, as one specially
chosen by placing upon him “a tunic of colours” (Gen.37:3).
When the ‘lost son’ returned to his father’s house, the father received
him as his son and said “bring out the
best robe and put it on him” (Lu.15:22). The robe identifies the son as belonging
to, and being one with, the father. It is interesting that bishops,
in the development of ‘church’, have generally gone the way of dressing
or robing themselves in man-made religious garments that draw attention
to their office externally, but they have not known the anointing
of Christ which covers. There is a new covering
coming over the church; no longer the covering of the steward/the
bishop, no longer the denominational or institutional covering,
but the covering is the covering of Christ Himself. This comes through
the One that God raised! Jesus is the one whom God raised. Christ
is the Head of the church and no other. All of the saints are members
of the body and when the church is in apostolic order [led by apostles]
then the covering of Christ’s anointing is real and effectual. Eliakim is a type of Christ,
but he is also a type of the apostolic leadership that God is raising
up in these last days. God is putting this mantle on a new leadership,
which will prepare the church for the covering of glory that
God has promised for “every dwelling place of Mt Zion and
above her assemblies” Isa.4:5.
God has promised that the last days church will be fully
covered with His glory “a cloud and smoke by day and the shining
of a flaming fire by night”
Isa.4:6. It is the last days church, set and
functioning in apostolic order, that will be robed by God in Christ. Even
as Jesus trained twelve whom He chose to be apostles, and later
the Holy Spirit raised a new generation of apostles in the New Testament
church beginning with Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13, so today
God is raising a new generation of apostles to lead the last days
church. This is the new leadership! God will strengthen
this new leader with a belt. This is the belt of truth (Eph.6:14).
John 17:17 says
“your word is truth”. Peter tells us to “gird
up the loins of your mind” (1Pet.1:13).
Loins are girded with a belt. It is our minds that need to be strengthened
with the belt of truth. We do this by having the word of God in
us and believing what the word of God says. Apostles come with the
covering of the Lord Jesus Christ and authority and freedom to speak
the word of truth, not under the control and restrictions put in
place by man. Apostles proclaim the “whole counsel of God” (Acts
20:27). Peter said after the appointment of
the first deacons in Acts 6:4, that the apostles should “give
themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
The result of functioning apostolic leadership, as recorded in Acts
6, was “Then the word of God spread,
and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Responsibility is to be committed
into the hand of the new leader. The hand represents authority
and also it is by the hand that the work is done, speaking of giftings.
God is saying that He is going to take the responsibility out of
the hand of the existing leadership and give it into the hand of
the ones He raises. In Exodus 28:41 [NASBible]
there are two Hebrew words [SC# 4390 to fill and 3027 the hand] translated ‘ordain’ meaning ‘to fill
the hand’. God will give His authority into the hand of those whom
He knows will obey Him. The authority that the steward had [that
is, the old leadership] is being given by God to the apostle [the
new leadership]. It is God who raises up leadership, commissions
them and ordains them by imparting to them His authority and His
ability through giftings to do the work. A
Father to the Inhabitants of The one that God raises
will be a ‘father’,
no longer a steward but a father. There is a change happening here:
church leaders are no longer going to be administrators or overseers
[bishops]; they are going to be fathers, apostles, ones chosen by
God not the ones chosen by men. Apostle means ‘sent one’. Eliakim
means ‘God of raising’. Apostles are ones that Jesus calls, raises
and sends. The apostle Paul told the
Corinthians that though they “might have ten thousand instructors
in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten
you through the gospel”
1Cor.4:15. Most
in the churches today do not have a father. World-wide, the church
has been fatherless but, since God has been raising apostles again,
He has restored fathers and the church is truly becoming relational
as befits a body relating to our head, Jesus Christ. The church will remain
broken and divided while it is administrated by stewards rather
than led by God-raised apostolic fathers. The church that is in
the world today, despite all the good things that have happened
by the grace of the Lord and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, does
not adequately represent Jesus Christ and is yet to come into His
glory, even as a remnant. The church will bear the glory
of Christ God is raising up a new
leadership so that the church can come to the place of maturity,
bearing His glory. Jesus bears the glory of the Father and the church
is destined to bear the glory of Jesus which is the glory of the
Father. Jesus demonstrated in His own ministry that even as He walked
in the power of the Spirit and came to a place where the glory of
God could manifest in Him [transfiguration], even so He is preparing
a glorious bride church in the earth who will manifest His glory
in the earth. When apostles are
in place the church will be restored Jesus will be enthroned
in the midst of His church the church will bear His glory! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SHILOH is a hive of activity as I am back from over five
weeks of travelling out four times, including to America, and our
team from Myanmar was home when I got back. They have had an enormously
successful trip. Ros and Roger Fraser who are the pastors of
Restoration Revival Ministries, which is based in a small country
town, Killarney, one and a half hours away, went to Myanmar
for the first time with our team leader pastor/apostle Jean Manning
and Margaret Hooper from SHILOH. Many received the word of God gladly
and numbers of leaders understood and received the spirit of sonship
[adoption]. Pastor Peter De Bressac and Paul Esselink are returning
from My
other three trips have been within We
are now busily catching up with the teams who are returning from
overseas, replying to many emails, printing books, making plans
for 2007 and happily doing the work of the ministry. Our next major
involvement is the January SHILOH School of Ministry commencing
on 8th. Overseas
brethren please note that it is too late to apply for this
school. APOSTOLIC TRAINING
2007 Two weeks school
Monday 8th
Jan. to Saturday 20th January for Pastors, Leaders and
those called to minister in the body of Christ to be held at: Program: Daily sessions 9 – 9.30 Praise
& Worship
9.30 – 10.30, 11.30 – 12.30, 2pm – 3pm: teaching sessions.
11 - 11.30am Prayer
1.30
– 2 testimony and sharing Mon to Wed: 3.30 – 4.30pm Bible Research classes [please
bring Strong’s Concordance] Mon to Wed: 7pm – 8.30 Healing workshops Saturday 20th – Commissioning
day, prophetic presbytery. Teaching content: some teaching from
Paul’s book ‘Apostles Today’
teaching on ‘what is the church’ & ‘planting the church’
teaching on ‘sonship’
teaching on ‘what is the gospel of the kingdom?’
teaching on ‘prophetic ministry’ Children two and a half to five
years from 9am to 12.30pm Children five to twelve from
9am to 3.30pm Please book
your children in as soon as possible. APOSTOLIC/PROPHETIC CONFERENCE Friday 12th & Saturday 13th
January At Sessions Friday: 9am, 11am, 2pm & 7pm
Saturday: 9am, 11am & 2pm Various speakers all with experience in apostolic or prophetic ministry.
There are no fees for the School or the
Conference. Please let us know if you are coming and especially
if you will need a billet. Lunches will be available at +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OVERSEAS TRIPS PLANNED FOR 2007
February, Paul & team will be in Africa: Late March to early May, Paul and team will be in
East and
STOP PRESS! Paul’s
new book “Apostles Today” is now available.
We will forward a copy on request. Donations towards postage and
a donation towards overseas postage to enable the book to go to
Africa and
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