
Discipleship 8
THE
MATTER OF MINISTRY
Matters Regarding Media Ministries
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AUTHOR'S VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE
How Much Do We Have to Learn Before We Become Spiritual?
Mentors and Ministries
Part of the spiritual life is
to make a connection with those who can supply valuable spiritual
understanding and companionship. These are the joints that
support and nurture us. They are our brethren and connections in the
body of Christ. Fellowship supplies input to areas of knowledge
which will encourage and edify. When we are born into the kingdom,
we must move forward or we will retrograde back to the old life in
the world. Here according to most voices of ministry is where one
would be encouraged to get connected to a "good Bible believing
church.” This should be simple but in fact it is not.
There are few church
bodies of believers who hold more than a traditional evangelical
viewpoint. Most are adhering to their own forms and traditions, or
doctrines. Often these do not advance the Spiritual life to a
significant level of maturity. Once in a church you are expected to
"play by their rules." My best advice is to search for the church
and set your sights on particular features which will allow you to
be discipled and grow not in tradition but with the witness of
spirituality. If one does nurture spiritual "life" move on until you
sense that it is where God would have you. In the mean time if it at
all possible, find a fellowship of believers who share a passion for
God. It is in home fellowship you can grow with others in an
informal setting.
God does not discriminate
against home meetings. They are apostolic! It is how the "Church"
began. It is obvious that formalized Christian ministry is to be
found everywhere in one form or another. As I have already described
most of these churches or ministries are a manifestation of
institutional and traditional religion. The forms and expectation
are in conformity to the norms of a Saturday or a Sunday ritual.
People support the familiar comfortable routines or rituals. These
can add a little to their spiritual knowledge and understanding. The
Kingdom of God may not advance as it was originally intended.
Churches, struggle to
maintain membership so are eager to enhance interest, or
involvement. A church may be jealous of their members going astray
or getting involved with meetings or activities which are not
sponsored by their own fellowship. There was a time when such
unfaithfulness could be met by excommunication, but today the usual
rebukes from the pulpit are just admonitions or doctrines which
imply an obligation to support the local body. Members regard as a
nearly cardinal sin to “church hop” or actively involved with
outreaches from other congregations. Church doctrine should be
the focus of finding a proper fellowship but less biblically
literate Christians have not grown far enough in that direction to
make a judgment on that matter.
The Electronic Church
There are many other kinds of ministries we can tune into on
radio or TV. They are not always local to us. These are the myriad
media ministries across the globe. In most cases they have been
launched by men or women who have some special gift of teaching or
evangelism or certain personal charismas have been able to
share their spiritual understandings and insights with any who will
watch or listen. Many who listen appreciate the content of a given
message or the style of presentation so we may request their lesson
or tape series. Perhaps we think that they have enough clout with
God to pray for our special needs and provide spiritual direction.
These ministries, sometimes called the "electronic churches"
are not highly regarded by pulpit ministries. This is because local
ministries serve individuals in various ways through visitations,
weddings, funerals etc. Individuals also are expected to share the
cost of upkeep on local church house needs.
We hear all
kinds of castigation directed toward the popular ministries. Those
who fill the airwaves of radio and television and short wave
broadcast channels. In view of practical matters of church survival
and management, local preachers and church leaders need to maintain
membership and viability. 'Grandma Smith' might write a check to a
radio or television evangelist and forgo giving her five dollar
donation to the church collection plate. A pastor might make the
following remark to parishioners, "Grandma Smith, if you want to
support Reverend So and So on TV maybe you should call them when you
need a trip to the doctor; or need someone to pray for you if you
are sick; or have them officiate your funeral."
What has the
Electric Church ministry to offer? Might they be better than some
tradition-bound churches which allow so many to languish in their
pews around the world? Televangelists usually have some unique
strengths and certainly the ability to preach and persuade. There
are important matters to consider in choosing any ministry to
support whether remote or local.
What may media churches
provide for community or edification?
Let's look at some attributes
of ministry:
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First and most
importantly is the message; Do we hear the correct gospel being
taught?
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How much of the appeal of
this ministry is performance and dazzling rhetoric which
attracts us and how much is a sense of devotion to the truth of
the Gospel?
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Does the minister seem to
model Jesus Christ? The best mode of discerning a minister or a
ministry is to imagine Jesus behaving and saying the things as
the evangelist or teacher.
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Is devotion and reverence
modeled and portrayed?
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Does the person try to
draw attention to themselves through colorful mannerisms?
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Does he seem preoccupied
with authority and followings?
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Does the leader indicate
as we listen to his messages that he wants influence, control,
or worship?
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Does there seem to be
more of emphasis on one aspect of the Gospel than another?
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Is it a Gospel of power
and wholeness or just continually underscoring sin?
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Is it a Gospel in which
we can become partakers of God's life or are we blessed because
of our supporting the "Super Ministry of Brother X?" There are
some media evangelists who I listen to and support because they
have helped to mentor me in understanding the Word of God. I
support them because they teach the full Gospel message, (more
or less) and believe in the potentialities of becoming children
of God, partaking in His Divinity. They teach what we should be
taught in the local fellowship or church but are not.
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We need to practice
discernment and note any inconsistencies in doctrine which place
the teaching outside of norms of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The
Apostles Creed is recited by many denominations in the
context of a worship service, but in spite of this, the content
of the Apostle's Creed may hardly be addressed in teaching and
preaching in sermons. Based upon denominations which I have
belonged to or visited before and after I became a believer,
unbelief and spiritual deadness till characterize most of the
churches today even those who recite the Credo!
Mega-Churches
Mega church leaders are gifted in special ways. They are
eloquent and dynamic. When a brilliant preacher or evangelist proves
his (her) ability to move and edify people they begin to develop a
following. People follow spiritual anointings. They follow men or
women who have demonstrated their abilities to impact the lives of
others. The largest churches today grow around the giftings of a
single person. I think the majority of people would welcome a
greater revelation of God. When they see God using an individual
they naturally are attracted to that person. Nearly every Christian
I know has a natural desire to be in the presence of "anointed"
preaching. Mega-churches are built around mega-talented men. I
believe there are in America today well over a hundred such
mega-churches. I have attended a few and have seen others via
telecasts and cable networks.
Positives
Associated with Mega-Ministries There are both
negatives and positives in following this kind of ministry. A few
positives: God shows favor to his servant by anointing him (her)
just as God anointed Jesus and the Apostles for ministry. God's
favor seems to indicate his approval to bring forth a particular
gift or understanding to the body. God's approval indicates that he
foreknows that many will be touched and blessed by this individual.
God allows a such a man or woman with special abilities to reach
more people with a Gospel message they would ordinarily hear or be
exposed to. Many are born again through the media evangelists. If
one should choose to go to a church attended by multiple thousands
you might enjoy the anonymity of blending into the masses.
Negatives Associated with
Mega-Ministries The gifted minister may be persuasive or
charismatic in purely human terms, without necessarily walking in a
divine anointing. The media evangelist may be preaching a partial or
flawed gospel, a non Christian gospel or simply traditionalism.
There is no way for the novice seeker to know whether this person
teaches true doctrine or not except by natural reasoning or mental
judgment. There is a temptation for the minister to become puffed up
in mind and think himself higher than he/she ought. There is a
tendency to succumb to wealth, focusing on money and influence.
Though there may be concepts, doctrines and information imparted
there is a serious limitation for immediate fellowship. To deal with
this home fellowships or satellite congregations are set up to allow
blessings of human interaction and loving community. Recipients of a
ministry need intimacy of closeness and a human touch. It is not
good for man to be alone. Ultimately the spiritual life is more
than the acquisition of information about God but the desire for
community. If a mega church has 25 thousand or more in attendance
parking itself is a negative. They answer the need by having various
special interest groups.
Those who attend services in
a mega church are committed to be audience or onlookers. This is a
terrible loss and limitation. But the most serious limitation is
that individual believers are never really trusted or free to lead
when they have achieved revelation or status in God's eyes.
Typically, they are told that they must be submitted to a greater
ministerial authority who must oversee.
An Impression of Mega-churches I have attended
worship services in several 'average size' mega-churches with bodies
in attendance numbering 2 or 3 thousand. Some great churches have
numbers approaching 10 thousand and those with 10 thousand aspire to
50 thousand. While there was brilliant teaching and preaching and
outstanding musical worship, performance; one could not help but
feel that those in attendance came mainly to view the show or to
hear the inspired address of the mega-minister. What I saw was an
enterprise in which each person was committed to make the
mega-church even more of a mega-church. Something was missing. There
was little or no intimacy between the "pastor" and the individual
members. Individuals may have known and recognized a handful of
people in the auditorium but they did not seek each other out for
closeness, sharing, breaking of bread or lingering in the afterglow
of God's presence. It seemed that the super Christians who were
attending the super church quickly rushed home to resume life in
whatever form life that awaited outside of church.
What is the Glorious
Church?
The Roman Catholic empire
numbers in over a billion. Is this the glorious church?
The issue of a glorious church may well be addressed in the context
of the mega-church or mega denomination. There is evidence that many
ministries of mega-churches teach an emphasis of the gospel that
introduces the concept of a "glorious church" where the church is a
dynamic economic and political force in the earth as well as a power
to renovate society as well.
See
the doctrine of Kingdom Theology. In secular societies,
Christians have now been named the bane of society because of their
conservative and fundamental viewpoints but quite the opposite is
true. The true Spirit of Christianity is compassion, forgiveness,
and understanding. Moral precepts include personal honor and
righteousness, integrity and responsibility; kindness, mutual
support and family stability. Though the world does not like to
recognize sin and unrighteous behavior as anything other than a
"choice," Christians see that we humans all share alike,
having a need for a redeemer along with the essential need of being
hopelessly lost until God extends mercy upon our lives. In recent
decades, Christians were too long absent and silenced from the
counsel of social values and political ideas. In the present hour it
is surely appropriate for those who have so much cause to rejoice
and give voice to the life-changing testimony in the arena of public
opinion. Men and women of integrity need to stand up publicly and
politically. There has not been a more critical time to sound their
voice on behalf of issues of righteousness.
Yet, I believe
that ultimately the glorious church does not extend is not to build
an empire or political power in this present world. The
Reformers and Kingdom and Dominion theology are convinced that this
the role of a church. Jesus declared when interviewed by Pontius
Pilate, “Now my kingdom is not of this world.” The day is coming
according to prophetic futurist interpretations of the Bible, that
Jesus will make a final triumphant return to earth. Then he will
deal with all Satan’s kingdom and they who have rejected the
Messiah.
Regarding this future
kingdom, the Bible has scores of prophetic proofs. Jesus and Old
Testament prophets speak of the falling away, the rebellion, the day
of the Lord, the time of Jacob’s trouble and the second coming. It
is the final advent which is the time of Christ’s supernatural
judgment. The spiritual life contrasts to what the world values. It
is essentially a non secular and a non materialistic life.
Social or political activism
may be a Godly calling for some. Those who follow becoming Christian
apologists to address
social and political issues it should be presumed have their own
foundations in correct doctrine and not equate activism as the
gospel. The emphasis of the Christian life can not be focused too
strongly upon the things which are social, political, or economic at
the expense of Spiritual relationships. Jesus spoke these words, "My
kingdom is not of this world," and "You are not of the world."
(John 18:36; John 15:19) The nature and operation of the world
is contrary to God's ways. I do not look for this situation to
change until Jesus returns to establish his eternal righteous
Kingdom. Just how far into the future this event will occur is open
to debate, there have been hundreds of book titles addressing it.
The Bible itself is subject to debate many of the questions and
insights into the "second coming" of Jesus Christ. We question all
matters and do not despise prophecy. This is an indispensible area
of scholarship.
What is the glorious
church then?
Does this "glory" refer
to the size, influence and authority of mega-church or
mega-denomination to rule upon the earth; or does glory refer
walking in the knowledge of truth that has provided a heavenly view
of life and the hereafter? Church that becomes an empire is not a
new idea. It was in fact the goal of the early church since
Constantine's day, both in Rome and in Constantinople. Christendom
came to denote the power, influence, authority that married the
political and the religious in the world. For a time church
membership and theological belief was forced upon the whole world. A
person was then a Christian because of political decree and not by
the grace of God and such ordinances do nothing to enhance the life
and promises of the Gospel. In such an empire men were exalted who
held the power of life and death over others; who acted as spiritual
judges over others; who were mediators between God and man and who
rewarded themselves with worldly luxuries while being exalted to the
point of worship in their offices.
Meanwhile the world never
lacks individuals who lust for power in every arena. As Lucifer was
motivated by pride desiring to rule over others the way of this
world finds individuals clamoring for recognition and striving to
achieve self exaltation. They lift and promote their own names as
someone great, "as the great power of God." Acts 8:10) No, I do not
think this is the Glorious church. The true glory remains cloaked
with humility. This veil of heavenly glory can only be penetrated
with meekness, self-effacement and kindly service. The apostolic
foundations, power clothed with meekness, is the true gospel which
we need to follow.
Updated 2024
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Discipleship 09
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