The Importance of Ministry Look-Alike in God's Kingdom
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When people were asking about John the baptizer's ministry, note what they said:
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." [John 1.21]
John's ministry looked very much like the ministries of the prophets of old, particularly Elijah's. In another instance, Jesus told his audience that if they were willing to believe it, John was the "Elijah to come," [Matthew 11.14]. There is no exemption---if you claim to be doing God's work, your ministry should have the Kingdom DNA of the ministries the prophets and the patriarchs did in the Old and New Testaments.
Here are radical Kingdom principles presented in an e-book. Click here for a summary.
Here are radical Kingdom principles presented in an e-book. Click here for a summary.
Look at Jesus' ministry. How did people of his time see it?
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” [Matthew 16]
See the DNA lineage? Christ's ministry looked like John's ministry which looked like Elijah's ministry and the ministries of the prophets. They all bore the Kingdom imprint. If you're curios what the Kingdom imprint or DNA is, consider these points:
1. They were unique, even weird, ministries that were run with radical Kingdom principles.
2. They were unacceptable to the religious and worldly.
3. They were hated and persecuted.
4. They were not happy with the status quo as long as it didn't agree with God's Word and His present move.
5. They exposed anything not of God.
6. They were lowly and avoided the limelight, although God himself would put them there.
7. Nothing was by human effort.
8. They often went against men's traditions.
9. They never ran the rat race. They did only what God told them and waited patiently.
10. They were meek ministries.
11. They were strangers in this world. It was evident that they belonged to another kingdom.
12. They never cared about greatness in this world.
13. Everything they did was for God and his Kingdom alone. They never worked for religious organizations set up by men.
14. They recognized each other's ministries, acknowledging that they were all part of the one Kingdom of God.
15. They gave up everything. They lost their lives for God.
These ministries that God ordained in the bible all had the same character though they also had their special individual characteristics. For instance, Moses did a lot of signs and wonders while Isaiah mostly just prophesied and delivered God's judgments and warnings. Joseph and Daniel operated in dreams and interpretations while Nehemiah and Ezra did practical works. But they all possessed the 14 qualities above.
Sadly, a lot of church ministries today look more like business franchises or cause-oriented organizations run like corporations. They don't look one bit like the Acts church. They don't have apostles, for instance, and they'd laugh at you like you're an idiot if you say churches today should have apostles and prophets. But they have directors and chairmen and presidents and vice presidents, and consultants, and board of trustees. And they have denominations that act separately from each other and even sometimes harshly compete with each other.
And they love being called by their high-sounding titles.
I just wonder---if the apostle Paul suddenly appeared in our midst, would he recognize today's churches or would he see them as part of the Roman Empire?
For more radically life-changing insights, get our e-books!
GOD's Flesh: "And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" [Job 19.26-17]. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
1. They were unique, even weird, ministries that were run with radical Kingdom principles.
2. They were unacceptable to the religious and worldly.
3. They were hated and persecuted.
4. They were not happy with the status quo as long as it didn't agree with God's Word and His present move.
5. They exposed anything not of God.
6. They were lowly and avoided the limelight, although God himself would put them there.
7. Nothing was by human effort.
8. They often went against men's traditions.
9. They never ran the rat race. They did only what God told them and waited patiently.
10. They were meek ministries.
11. They were strangers in this world. It was evident that they belonged to another kingdom.
12. They never cared about greatness in this world.
13. Everything they did was for God and his Kingdom alone. They never worked for religious organizations set up by men.
14. They recognized each other's ministries, acknowledging that they were all part of the one Kingdom of God.
15. They gave up everything. They lost their lives for God.
These ministries that God ordained in the bible all had the same character though they also had their special individual characteristics. For instance, Moses did a lot of signs and wonders while Isaiah mostly just prophesied and delivered God's judgments and warnings. Joseph and Daniel operated in dreams and interpretations while Nehemiah and Ezra did practical works. But they all possessed the 14 qualities above.
Sadly, a lot of church ministries today look more like business franchises or cause-oriented organizations run like corporations. They don't look one bit like the Acts church. They don't have apostles, for instance, and they'd laugh at you like you're an idiot if you say churches today should have apostles and prophets. But they have directors and chairmen and presidents and vice presidents, and consultants, and board of trustees. And they have denominations that act separately from each other and even sometimes harshly compete with each other.
And they love being called by their high-sounding titles.
I just wonder---if the apostle Paul suddenly appeared in our midst, would he recognize today's churches or would he see them as part of the Roman Empire?
For more radically life-changing insights, get our e-books!
GOD's Flesh: "And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" [Job 19.26-17]. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!