FUNCTIONS OF THE EKKLESIA
THE PRIMARY FUNCTION OF THE EKKLESIA IS TO WORSHIP GOD
- Save sinners by dismantling the works of the Devil (1John 3:8; Matt. 12:28,29; 16:18).
- By preaching where Christ is not named with mighty signs and miracles (Luke 15:7,10; Rom. 15:19,20).
- By saving lost souls and offering them as living sacrifice (Matt. 16:26; Luke 19:10; Jam 5:20).
- By equipping the saints for ministry (Eph. 4:12; 2Tim.2:2).
- By bringing forth abundant fruit that reproduces (John 15:8,15).
- By obeying the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19,20).
- By assembling to provoke love to good works, exhort and edify each other (Heb. 10:24,25).
- By breaking bread and sharing the whole gospel from house to house (Acts 20:20,27).
GREGORY MAKES A MESS OF WORSHIP
YESHUA ORDERS ACTION-PACKED WORSHIP
Yeshua never ordered any kind of sanitized worship. Rather He practiced a dynamic form of worship, going out daily, bashing up the bastions of the wicked, bouncing the villain, dismantling maniacs, remodeling them, and then dunking them, a much more interesting form of worship. Pulverizing religious leaders at their own game in the Temple and the Synagogues was His favorite sport. This is how He worshipped the Father every day, explaining, “My Father is glorified when you make many new buddies” (Matt. 16:18,19; 12:29; 28:19; John 15:8).
FISHING IN THE TEMPLE
The Lord Yeshua never went to the temple to worship, instead whenever He went there, there was confrontation with the temple authorities. Finally, He took a whip and cleaned up the place. Later, His disciples went to the temple to catch fish, bringing many of them to their homes where they detoxed them on their dining tables (Acts 2:46-47). The disciples went to the temple “at the time of prayer” (Acts 3:1), because two-legged fish flocked there at least twice a day. Being expert fishermen, they knew exactly when and where to catch fish. “At the time of prayer,” the temple was the best place for fishing (Acts 3:1). In a short time, they caught many “fish,” saturating the city with their teaching. This resulted in a violent reaction from the temple authorities who arrested and thrashed them (Acts 5:17, 18, 28, 40).
SHEEP STEALING IS BIBLICAL
Pentecostals are often accused of stealing sheep, but this is not new. Yeshua took Andrew, Peter and John, disciples of John the Baptist, and made them His own disciples (John 1:35-42). Paul stole sheep from the synagogues of every city, starting new Ekklesias with them. Poaching a few sheep from traditional churches and starting new Ekklesias with them proves a great way to saturate a city with the gospel. However, sheep should not be pilfered to be put into bondage of another sheep pen. They are to be lured strictly to start new Ekklesias. Sadly, many money bags, flush with cash, steal both the sheep and shepherd.
FELLOWSHIP IS MORE THAN A HANDSHAKE
The Greek word koinonia means more than just a Sunday morning handshake in a parking lot. It means companionship, partnership, sharing, contributing financially, sympathizing with suffering fellow Christians. In the business world it means to get together to make a deal to expand business. We get together in Ekklesias to lay plans and strategies for the expansionist agenda of the Ekklesia. If Ekklesias are to function as disciple-making hubs to save their city, then koinonia among the city Ekklesias proves key to achieve that goal.
Koinonia is a key word in the NT Ekklesia leading to “one heart and one soul,” resulting in caring and sharing of both their spiritual and material blessings with each other (Acts 4:32, 34). Gentiles used to be amazed at the loving relationships among the believers, even in the face of severe persecution (Acts 2:42-43; 5:33, 41-42). This fulfills the new covenant that Yeshua had commanded His disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you so that the world will believe in Me because you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Biblical koinonia remains key to making the world believe in Yeshua.
ORGANIC WORSHIP
Our forefather Abraham pitched his tent, erected an altar, offered a sacrifice, and worshipped wherever he happened to be. In the NT Ekklesia, there was spontaneous worship having no written “order of service”, which kills the Spirit in an orderly fashion (John 4:2324; Psalm 96:7-8). They knew that God is glorified by bearing much fruit (John 15:8) and not by making noise like sounding brass or clanging cymbals. There is no justification in coming to the church empty-handed, without winning any souls, shouting, “Hallelujah!” You can worship spontaneously anytime, anywhere, by offering Gentiles as the fruit of your labor. There is no rejoicing in heaven with our so-called worship, but God’s holy angels go ecstatic, rocking and rolling when a lost soul is saved (Exo. 23:15; Matt. 7:21-23; Phil 1:21; Luke 15:7, 10).
PROFESSIONAL MUSIC IS MERE ENTERTAINMENT
David danced happily before the Lord, so why cannot we? Yes, but when David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem, about seven miles, he offered a bull and a calf every six paces and then danced (2 Sam. 6:12-15). You can also offer a few lost souls, and then dance. David’s 4,000 professional musicians produced deafening sound outside the tabernacle with harps, clanging cymbals, lyres, and trumpets (1 Chron. 23:5; 25:6), but in the NT, there is deafening silence about the use of musical instruments. All singing is spontaneous, “speaking, preaching, teaching, admonishing each other with psalms and hymns and gracefully making melody in your hearts” (Heb. 2:12; Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19).
Sadly, David’s modern-day followers are obsessed with unscriptural professional music. All high-octane singing was done without musical instruments, as when Paul and Silas were jailed in Philippi (Acts 16:25). Yeshua triumphantly and defiantly sang with His disciples the customary Jewish Psalm 118 following their Passover feast, on His way to the cross: “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in Him” (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26, Psa. 118:24).
MAKE MELODY IN YOUR HEART
In many countries, the populace remains defiantly anti-West, which translates into anti-Christian. Indian Christian music and songs confirm that Christianity is a Western religion. In the NT, it is not just singing songs of praise to God but also speaking to each other in psalms and hymns, building up each other. We are called to make melody in our hearts and to sing to the Gentiles, so that they, too, can rejoice and praise God (Rom. 15:9-11).
Professional singing in modern churches seldom rises above cheap entertainment. The Babylonian captives hung their harps on Willow tree branches, refusing to sing the Lord’s songs to entertain. Making melody in your heart is worship (Psa. 96:1,2; 137:1-4). Anyway, Christian songs are very self-centered. It is all about “I love my Jesus and He loves me.” Even in corporate worship, we sing “bless me” songs, whereas the Scripture is all about “be a blessing to the lost” (Gen. 12:3). At the Ruler’s house where Yeshua had gone to raise the dead girl, He admonished the singers and the musicians to stop making a noise (Matt. 9:23,24).
TONGUE TWISTING BANNED IN PUBLIC
The trouble with the church is that she talks too much and is hard of hearing. God spoke to Moses 47 times and Moses replied only 11 times. He listened carefully and did whatever he was commanded to do. We must allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us when we do not know what to pray and how to pray (Rom. 8:26-27). Speaking in tongues was used extensively for private prayers, but not in public, especially if Gentiles were present, unless there was an interpreter (1Cor. 14:22-23). This was important in the NT Ekklesia because many newcomers would be present at home gatherings, who came to be prayed for or to listen to a new doctrine, or just for curiosity, and would be confused by people speaking in tongues. Another great disadvantage of collectively praying in tongues in the church is that when everyone prays his or her own prayer, they are not praying in “one accord.”
PRAY IN ONE ACCORD EXPECTING SUPERNATURAL RESULTS
In the early days of the Ekklesia, disciples would pray with “one accord” (Acts 1:14; 2:1; 2:42; 4:24). The apostles had already decided that the ministry of the word and the ministry of prayer were to be their core ministries (Acts 6:3-4). Thus, whenever there was a crisis, they would spend hours praying until their prayer was answered in a supernatural way, as when Peter was released from jail (Acts 12:5). To pray most effectively, we must “pray with the spirit and with understanding” so that “the whole body is joined and knit together” (1 Cor. 14:12-18; Col 2:2).
CITY-SHAKING PRAYER
The Holy Spirit descended in full force on the Day of Pentecost and shook the whole city of Jerusalem, even while the believers were just sitting together in a house, simply because, by the end of ten days of praying together, they were of one accord (Acts 2:1-2). When Peter prayed for boldness, there a house quake occurred, and when Paul prayed while under arrest, the jail quaked (Acts 4:30-31; 16:25). Unity is not to be confined to a single congregation but can come when an entire citywide network of churches prays together. A divided city church cannot stand, and without unity among the churches, the city cannot be saved (Matt. 12:25).
It is important that the church not get bogged down with praying only for self-serving matters, but focus on city, national and global issues (Rev. 8:3-5; Jer. 29:7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4). One of the main purposes of the plural leadership of fivefold ministry gifts is to bring unity in the Body of Messiah, a sign of maturity of the citywide church (Eph. 4:13-16).
SIGH AND CRY FOR THE CITY BY NAME
God commanded Israel to pray specifically for Babylon when they were in captivity there (Jer. 29:7). Cities and nations including Babylon, Assyria, Moab, Cush, Philistia and of course, Sodom and Gomorrah have been blessed, cursed, or punished by name (Prov. 11:10,11; Ps 106:38). Yeshua denounced cities by name: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida,” where many mighty works had taken place, and they did not repent (Matt. 11:20-21). Cities commit corporate sins and pollute the land; therefore, corporate demons must be dislodged by the citywide network of churches, adopting streets and localities. Do not ignore or permit them to build strongholds.
Yeshua prayed by name: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”. We are commanded to pray for the welfare of our cities (Luke 13:34-35; Jer. 29:7). Our authoritative prayer must shake up the spiritual, social, economic, ecological, political domains and belief systems. Ekklesia elders of the city must together clean up all her generational sins, making her ready to welcome Yeshua, the King (1 Tim. 2:1-4; Tit. 1:5).
During His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Yeshua was overwhelmed, knowing the forthcoming disaster. He wept over His city, praying and prophesying for her by name (Luke 19:41-44; 13:34-35). Soon after Pentecost, almost the entire city of Jerusalem was converted. However, later He prophesied that it will be trodden over until the times of the Gentiles is over, which what is happening right now as the Palestinians are treading all over the Temple mount. (Luke 21:24; Rom. 11:25)
Centuries earlier, God specifically commanded the Jews to pray for the Gentile city of Babylon, whither He had taken them into bondage because of disobedience to Him and kept them in servitude seventy years. Jews were faithfully praying, morning and evening, facing towards Jerusalem, but God replied, “No!” because He had brought them all that way to pray for the redemption of Babylon (now Iraq), the sinful capital city of the Gentiles. Although the Jews had never even thought about praying for that city, God said, “Seek the peace of the city where I have carried you away captive, and pray to me for it, for in its peace. Then you, too, will have peace” (Jer. 29:7).
A matter of great concern to all those of us who are in deep relationship with the Sanctuary, slaughter will begin at the Sanctuary, sparing none but only those who sigh and cry and do something to eliminate all the abominations in the city. (Eze. 9:1-6) In the NT, all gatherings were named after their cities or regions. Each city Ekklesia was a network of house assemblies. As they naturally prayed for their cities, entire cities were transformed. Even today, many cities are being transformed through fasting, prayer sieges, prayer summits and prayer assaults that release Persons of Peace from bondage, resulting in disciple-multiplying movements.
THE PROPHETIC EKKLESIA
God likes to talk to His children directly, not through any intermediary and certainly not through any hierarchy. Therefore, He is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh, so that He can talk with everybody. Prophecy simply means listening to the Father and conveying His message to others. The early Ekklesia was a prophetic Ekklesia because everyone prophesied edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3, 31).
They knew that God would not do anything in their region without first revealing it to His prophets (Amos 3:7). Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel are parts of a long list of other Major and Minor Prophets to whom God spoke in different ways. In the NT, He spoke in many ways to the apostles, and He is now fulfilling His promise for the last days, pouring out His Spirit on ordinary people (Acts 2:17). Today, He is speaking to Muslims and others in dreams and visions (Heb. 1:1-2).
In the Bible we see God speaking in supernatural ways (Heb. 1:1):
- God spoke to Israel corporately after they had offered a sacrifice at the altar: “There I will speak to you” (Exodus 29:42).
- Joseph and Daniel dreamed their way into the CEO’s office (Gen. 41:38-40; Dan. 2:46-48).
- OT prophets saw visions (Hab. 1:5; 2:1-3; Dan. 9:23; Exo. 33:11).
- Through reading the Word (Daniel 9:2).
- By talking face to face with Moses (Exo. 33:11).
- Isaiah, John and Paul were lifted up to heaven (Isa. 6:1-8; Rev. 4:1-2; 2 Cor 12:2-4).
- God spoke to Peter in a vision of a sheet holding unclean animals, signifying the commencement of Gentile ministry (Acts 10:11-13).
- An Angel spoke to Gentile Cornelius to invite Peter (Acts 10:22).
- Lord spoke to Paul on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6).
- An angel spoke to the disciples (Acts 5:19-20).
- God spoke to Gentile Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar in dreams (Gen. Chap 41; Dan. Chap.2).
THE NON-CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS
Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists are training an alarming number of Defenders of their faiths. They are well versed both in their own scriptures and in parts of the Bible. In open debates they make mincemeat out of genuine but naive Christians, who are ignorant about other faiths and their world views. Yeshua swiftly pulverized Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and the Samaritans, who acted smart and tried to trap Him (Matt. 22:34- 46; John 4:21-24). Paul debated in the synagogue every Sabbath with the Jews and dialogued with the Gentiles every day in the marketplace (Acts 17:17). He liberally quoted from Epicurean and Stoic sacred texts. Modern Christians, even our scholars and expounders of faith, prove clueless when confronted with ordinary followers of other faiths. The NT elders, however, were equipped to convict those who contradicted (Tit. 1:9). The new believers from other faiths, have built-in ability to convict, convince and convert any nonbeliever accidentally straying into their domain (1 Cor. 14:24-25).
THE CHURCH SUFFERS FROM A LACK OF APOLOGISTS
The fact is that God has given to us all kinds of gifted workers to colonize the world. They are all part of the mosaic that constitutes the church. However, engaging people of other faiths, Catholics, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, Jehovah Witnesses, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and others remains a challenge. There are many scholars who can reveal the deep mysteries of the Scriptures, but very few who can coach apologetics, that is, how to engage nonbelievers and defend the gospel.
- “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that you have. But do so with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).
- “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2).
- “Holding fast the doctrine of faith, so that he may encourage by sound doctrine and to convict those who oppose” (Tit. 1:9).
- “We preach, warning and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ” (Col. 1:28-29).
- “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your words be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Col. 4:5-6).
- “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col. 2:8).
Whether you know it or not, the Ekklesia is at war against the deceptive philosophies of relativism, religious pluralism, nihilism, naturalism, evolutionism, scientism, global materialism, Mammonism, Marxism, etc. These have major impact on individuals and on our society. They can only be dealt with if believers are equipped “to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor.10:5). By not using her firepower, the Ekklesia makes the Word of God of “none effect” (Mark 7:13). Through the awesome spiritual weapons at our disposal, we can rip to shreds the arguments of the enemy.
OUR WEAPONS INCLUDE
- The Name of Yeshua (Mark 16:17; Acts 4:12).
- The Word of God (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17).
- The Blood of Yeshua (Rev. 12:11).
- The Holy Spirit (Matt.12:28,29)
- Our testimony (Rev. 12:11).
A WAFER AND A SIP OF WINE IS NOT LORD’S IDEA OF A SUPPER
God invited the seventy elders on Mount Sinai to dinner. There was a lot of thunder and wonder. We cannot imagine what God had on the menu, but it certainly was not bread-crumbs and a sip of wine (Exo. 24:9-11). Over one thousand four hundred years later, Yeshua came and told His seventy disciples to “go and eat whatever is set before you in houses of peace” (Luke 10:5-9).
All the activities of the early Ekklesia were centered around sharing a simple meal. The Lord Himself always made full use of mealtimes to make an important point. At Martha’s home, it was about choosing the best part; in the house of a Pharisee, where a sinful woman poured fragrant ointment from an alabaster jar over Yeshua’ feet, it was about His death and burial; with Zacchaeus, it was about repentance and restoration; at the Passover meal, He showed humility by washing feet.
You may go to church to worship on the first day of the week (Sunday), but when Paul came to Troas to break bread with them, they ate at least three times during their “meating” – supper at the beginning, midnight snack and breakfast before leaving (Acts 20:7-12, 20). Eating out privately once a week is unfruitful. Eating together in our class, color and caste ridden society, sends a powerful message. It is a great relief to women who do not have to rush back home after worship to prepare meals. If you go out to eat lunch after service, do not forget to invite a seeker and his family. Spend the extra time in making disciples of new believers. Eating together builds relationships which leads to growth and multiplication of the Ekklesia (Acts 2:46-47).
YESHUA SERVED ROAST LAMB FOR SUPPER
Incidentally, Yeshua always served a very tasty meal, whether when feeding 5,000 with fish and chips, the Passover meal with roast lamb, or a breakfast of hot bread and fish baked over a coal fire on a beach (John 21:9-12). He is knocking on your door, expecting to enjoy a meal with your family. Even leftover broiled fish and honey will do, but not just a wafer and a sip of wine or juice (Luke 24:41-43). He is preparing a big feast for His faithful. He has asked us to go to the highways and hedges, inviting everyone, especially the socially despised, to His Royal banquet. Sadly, the rich and the affluent who despised his invitation, will not be there. (Luke 14:23; 22:30; Rev. 3:20; 19:9; Deut. 16:11).
FROM MILK FEEDERS TO BUTCHERS
Some religious Christians do not travel on Sunday, equating it with the Jewish Sabbath. The first day of the week started on Saturday night for the Jews. After breaking bread all night, Paul did not go to Ekklesia on Sunday morning, instead he traveled to Jerusalem to report to the Apostles and to attend the Pentecost Feast. A messenger can travel any day of the week if it is for advancing the Kingdom.
The young Gentile Ekklesia of Antioch was quite mature. They sent mature members like Paul and Barnabas as tent-making missionaries, whereas our immature churches send financially dependent rookies who keep feeding milk to perpetual babies. You can see them in weekly church services, looking up to the pulpit with their mouths open, lapping it up. Next week, they are back again for some more of that homogenized bottled stuff. Of course, there is a small fee for the service. The church refuses to let them grow up, eat meat and become carnivores (Heb. 5:12). Thanks to Corona, the days of full-time salaried missionary is over. Only tentmakers like the medicos, nurses, engineers, teachers and other skilled workers will be in demand and must be trained to finish the job of discipling the nations.
Our cemeteries are full of milk-drinking baby Christians who never learnt to eat goat meat. They are buried there thinking that on Resurrection they will sail through to heaven. However, many have missed both the boat and the goat. Instead of padded seats, they need a kick in the butt to go out and turn from consuming milk to eating Lamb chops. This will only happen when our pastors find out that God said, “My house shall be called ‘Beth Zebach’, a house of slaughter”, turning from suckling into butcher (2 Chron 7:12).
IT IS A LAW OF NATURE TO MULTIPLY
A bird builds a nest, and its young ones hatch out. A day comes when the young ones fly away to build their own nests. In this way, new nests are built in different places and multiplication takes place. Likewise, in house Ekklesias there is rapid maturity leading to multiplication. One day the children are ready to fly away and build their own nests. Multiplication, replication, duplication, and cloning are genetically ordained for the Bride of our Lord, never barrenness.
ROYAL PRIESTS MUST FULFILL THE ROYAL LAW
God raised up men including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel and the other prophets, who changed the history of nations. Sadly, 2,000 years ago, Paul prophesied, the birth of cults and denominationalism, “grievous wolves will arise from among you who will lead the Bride into a dark alley to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:29-30). No wonder the church is divided into 40,000 denominations.
Changing the world is simple: love God and love your neighbor (those in need – physical, relational, emotional and spiritual), the rest is details (Gal. 5:14). If Christians opened their homes to their neighbors, they could rewrite the history now (Matt. 24:14). Yeshua proved this through a woman of ill repute, when he changed Samaria within hours: “You say it is four months until the harvest, but I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are ready for harvest” (John 4:35).
THE CHURCH NEEDS SPIRITUAL OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
Sadly, most Christians believe that the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, communists and atheists and others are not ready. Many churches suffer from such severe myopia that they cannot see beyond their noses, whilst others sport such opaque lenses that they cannot distinguish between kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Both need spiritual lens implant. New birth assures new vision and a new strategy to go with it. “Therefore, let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it” (Acts 28:28). Most churches do not get it and so remain in religious ghettos. Yeshua commands, “Rise up and fulfill the purpose, which has been revealed to you. I will protect you from hostile people. You will open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and rescue them from worshipping the Devil so that they may receive forgiveness and become the people of God” (Acts 26:16-18).
GEMS:
- Seismic changes are taking place on global scale in governments, administration, judiciary, media, business, economics, education, healthcare, environment, morality and almost in all spheres of life. Not surprisingly spirituality is also changing. Once again God is shifting base from religious buildings back to the homes of the believers and non-believers. He is orchestrating the gospel to sound forth from Households to ends of the earth, with just a press of a button.
- Ekklesias primary mission is to broker peace between the Creator and His creation. (Rom. 8:19-23)
- In Psalms and hymns - not only praising God but admonishing and building up each other; not loud music but gracefully making melody in your hearts.
- The world is sitting on a volcano, while the church is fiddling. A true Ekklesia should be executing a full-scale rescue operation to save them from the coming apocalypse.
- Hired musicians and worship leaders trivialize worship. They are unscriptural, because they usurp other believers’ right to speak, teach, admonish, and build up each other, in Psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in their hearts (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19; Col 3:16).
- The church needs to do a performance audit of all her human resources, for non-performing Christians serve no purpose other than occupying padded seats in the church.
- Most young Christians in the contemporary church have been through the Sunday school, but do not have the courage to share their faith even with their best friends, because they have never been coached how to engage and disciple anyone into the Kingdom (2 Tim. 4:2).
Comments
Post a Comment