Churchwork
12-30-2006, 04:56 PM
The Miniature New City
"And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. But we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you. For this reason I left you in a region of churches, that you should set in order the things which remain, and appoint elders for every city as I had directed you" (Acts 14.23, 2 Cor. 10.13, Titus 1.5).
The calling is to perform a work that is so simple and so easy, yet finding people to get on side is not so easy. This shows me how far removed people are from what really and substantially needs to be done and how inadequate I am for the task even though I know what needs to be done between apostles and elders Biblically. But causing it to come about is not within my power at present. So instead of going to the denom, we can go where 2 or 3 or more are gathered comfortably without the need of a denom or the need of a non-denom (like saying, "I of Christ" which divides falsely) that would seek after exalting its congregation above the locality as a unit taken of by the elder of the locality. I have to find that quote in 1 Clement I read the other day. He said the church body is not appreciating the elders of a locality. This made me think immediately, already in the first century there is this falling away from Biblical locality. This weekly fellowship of 2 or 3 or more constitutes a meeting place out of which arises an elder of that meeting place who would be in time appointed by the elder of the locality the meeting place is in; and in turn, that elder of the locality shall be approved by an apostle for the region of churches the locality is in, since the apostle is directly commissioned by God. I believe this is proper cause and effect. This is Biblical locality. I believe it. I know it. But I don't know how to make it happen. That's the challenge that seems even greater than moving a mountain, because you have to get a number of apostles in alignment regarding a certain number of questions. This would seem vital so there are no independent moves. Just like Paul returned to Jerusalem to find agreement with James and Peter. Today the same function is performed by informal apostles who do the same work. However, I can assure you, all these people who call themselves apostles DON'T AGREE ON EVEN BASIC THINGS IN THE WORD. I for one can not therefore accept anyone who says they are an apostle unless they agree with the questions I have posed in good conscience that the Holy Spirit approves and proves in the Word.
Seems impossible doesn't it to make this come about? Yet I know 100% of this will happen one day somewhere and will blossom throughout the globe. It is so amazing to me, because such amazingly gifted and talented people have no conscience for Biblical locality as the Holy Spirit has given to me. He has given me this awareness though He has not given the ability to do anything about it in a substantial way. And if He intended me to do something substantial the only reason for not having achieved that impetus would be due to my lack of consecration so as not to find the way through the forest to initiate it by God's revelation.
Notice the apostles never work beyond their own regions, so there are no men in charge of a whole continent for example like you have with the Eastern Church; and no Pope. These positions exceed the boundary of the work of the regional apostle. The reason God does not allow the apostle to work beyond a regional scope is because God knows man's flesh all too well. There would then become just another denomination in a hiearchy system of 8, 10, 12 levels of operators. I don't see this called for in the church so it nullifies all great denominations. Similarly, on a local level, the unit of the church has an elder to take care of all its meeting places, but the elder of a locality never has jurisdiction over more than one locality. If the locality remains a unit and does not merge with other locales, this keeps whatever differences arise within that locality. So lets say that locality gets infected by false doctrine. Well, since it is not part of a denomination, it will NOT spread to its neighboring church locales. This is God's method for the growth of the church, because He does not want it to grow by man's method. Similarly prophets, evangelists and teachers (shepherds) work locally; and they do not work like you see so popularly today spreading themselves all over the place. It is only apostles that are commissioned to work regionally. Is this not the case in the Bible? Didn't Philip as an elder finally settle on a locality as an elder, and did not Peter remain in his region of churches of Judea as an apostle? Each region of churches does have a center where the apostles will return to and agree upon things regionally with the other regional apostles of the same region. You almost get the feeling that for this to happen it has to happen by God's doing alone. Man can't make it happen. I can't make it happen. When He is ready to do it, it shall be done. If man could have made it happen, he would have done so, but as soon as a movement starts, always it creates 8, 10, 12 levels in a hierarchical denom structure. I am aware this will not be permitted in the work that God apportions me, because I am protected by the truth of Biblical locality.
I think the only thing that will get this moving is Christians going on fasts of lengthy periods and reading the Bible all day long. Only then will God open hearts to show them the way to make it happen. I truly believe a consecration of this magnitude is what would be needed to convince people of this, because even if people agree, they don't do anything about it anyway. There is a disconnect even in knowing the truth, but not doing anything about it. For example, a popular Christian guru will never go this way. He is too busy selling books and performing television appearances. Hopefully somebody somewhere is listening to find agreement in these set of questions here (37 in total: 19 at registration and 18 in your profile): http://biblocality.com/forums/register.php. That is what I am ultimately after, and yes the apostles can adjust the questions as they find agreement to do so regionally. But...if different regions of apostles have a slightly different opinion on one or more of the questions, or add a question here or take one away, well that problem is at least contained, because the region of churches is kept unto itself and will not spread globally as would be the case with a global denom or when an evangelist works beyond his own locale, across many regions.
I see no signs the church is ready for this, but at the same time I don't see Christ returning in hundreds of years from now either (but much sooner than that), since Israel is already back after 2500 years. Therefore, logically Biblical locality has to happen sometime in the coming decades, so I am waiting and consecrating myself to be open to find out how to make it happen when God gives the revelation how to make it happen according His timing.
Consequences for the Future
The reason why Biblical locality is the #1 issue today, and the final one before parousia begins, is because it is vitally needed for the millennium. The millennium begins when Christ returns in Person (Zech. 14.4, Acts. 1.11, Rev. 1.7) by stepping down on the mount of olives for all eyes to see through all kinds of visual communications. The Son of Man will bring with Him His overcomer believers to reign with an iron rod over the nations, the regions and these Biblical localities. This is the reward of the believer who fulfills the condition of Rev. 20.4 and keeps the conduct of Matt. 5-7 to "overcometh" (Rev. 2.7,11,17,26; 3.5,12,21). For a thousand years these Biblical localities form a miniature of the new city on the new earth so that in due time the new city will be 1379 x 1379 miles in size (Rev. 21). The new city will change from the size of a Biblical locality to a region of churches. Can you see this revelation of the Holy Spirit?
My prayer is for a miracle someone understands these truths and agrees with them, because that is where movement begins in agreement! I am completely aware it will take a very rare conscience to appreciate this!
"And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. But we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you. For this reason I left you in a region of churches, that you should set in order the things which remain, and appoint elders for every city as I had directed you" (Acts 14.23, 2 Cor. 10.13, Titus 1.5).
The calling is to perform a work that is so simple and so easy, yet finding people to get on side is not so easy. This shows me how far removed people are from what really and substantially needs to be done and how inadequate I am for the task even though I know what needs to be done between apostles and elders Biblically. But causing it to come about is not within my power at present. So instead of going to the denom, we can go where 2 or 3 or more are gathered comfortably without the need of a denom or the need of a non-denom (like saying, "I of Christ" which divides falsely) that would seek after exalting its congregation above the locality as a unit taken of by the elder of the locality. I have to find that quote in 1 Clement I read the other day. He said the church body is not appreciating the elders of a locality. This made me think immediately, already in the first century there is this falling away from Biblical locality. This weekly fellowship of 2 or 3 or more constitutes a meeting place out of which arises an elder of that meeting place who would be in time appointed by the elder of the locality the meeting place is in; and in turn, that elder of the locality shall be approved by an apostle for the region of churches the locality is in, since the apostle is directly commissioned by God. I believe this is proper cause and effect. This is Biblical locality. I believe it. I know it. But I don't know how to make it happen. That's the challenge that seems even greater than moving a mountain, because you have to get a number of apostles in alignment regarding a certain number of questions. This would seem vital so there are no independent moves. Just like Paul returned to Jerusalem to find agreement with James and Peter. Today the same function is performed by informal apostles who do the same work. However, I can assure you, all these people who call themselves apostles DON'T AGREE ON EVEN BASIC THINGS IN THE WORD. I for one can not therefore accept anyone who says they are an apostle unless they agree with the questions I have posed in good conscience that the Holy Spirit approves and proves in the Word.
Seems impossible doesn't it to make this come about? Yet I know 100% of this will happen one day somewhere and will blossom throughout the globe. It is so amazing to me, because such amazingly gifted and talented people have no conscience for Biblical locality as the Holy Spirit has given to me. He has given me this awareness though He has not given the ability to do anything about it in a substantial way. And if He intended me to do something substantial the only reason for not having achieved that impetus would be due to my lack of consecration so as not to find the way through the forest to initiate it by God's revelation.
Notice the apostles never work beyond their own regions, so there are no men in charge of a whole continent for example like you have with the Eastern Church; and no Pope. These positions exceed the boundary of the work of the regional apostle. The reason God does not allow the apostle to work beyond a regional scope is because God knows man's flesh all too well. There would then become just another denomination in a hiearchy system of 8, 10, 12 levels of operators. I don't see this called for in the church so it nullifies all great denominations. Similarly, on a local level, the unit of the church has an elder to take care of all its meeting places, but the elder of a locality never has jurisdiction over more than one locality. If the locality remains a unit and does not merge with other locales, this keeps whatever differences arise within that locality. So lets say that locality gets infected by false doctrine. Well, since it is not part of a denomination, it will NOT spread to its neighboring church locales. This is God's method for the growth of the church, because He does not want it to grow by man's method. Similarly prophets, evangelists and teachers (shepherds) work locally; and they do not work like you see so popularly today spreading themselves all over the place. It is only apostles that are commissioned to work regionally. Is this not the case in the Bible? Didn't Philip as an elder finally settle on a locality as an elder, and did not Peter remain in his region of churches of Judea as an apostle? Each region of churches does have a center where the apostles will return to and agree upon things regionally with the other regional apostles of the same region. You almost get the feeling that for this to happen it has to happen by God's doing alone. Man can't make it happen. I can't make it happen. When He is ready to do it, it shall be done. If man could have made it happen, he would have done so, but as soon as a movement starts, always it creates 8, 10, 12 levels in a hierarchical denom structure. I am aware this will not be permitted in the work that God apportions me, because I am protected by the truth of Biblical locality.
I think the only thing that will get this moving is Christians going on fasts of lengthy periods and reading the Bible all day long. Only then will God open hearts to show them the way to make it happen. I truly believe a consecration of this magnitude is what would be needed to convince people of this, because even if people agree, they don't do anything about it anyway. There is a disconnect even in knowing the truth, but not doing anything about it. For example, a popular Christian guru will never go this way. He is too busy selling books and performing television appearances. Hopefully somebody somewhere is listening to find agreement in these set of questions here (37 in total: 19 at registration and 18 in your profile): http://biblocality.com/forums/register.php. That is what I am ultimately after, and yes the apostles can adjust the questions as they find agreement to do so regionally. But...if different regions of apostles have a slightly different opinion on one or more of the questions, or add a question here or take one away, well that problem is at least contained, because the region of churches is kept unto itself and will not spread globally as would be the case with a global denom or when an evangelist works beyond his own locale, across many regions.
I see no signs the church is ready for this, but at the same time I don't see Christ returning in hundreds of years from now either (but much sooner than that), since Israel is already back after 2500 years. Therefore, logically Biblical locality has to happen sometime in the coming decades, so I am waiting and consecrating myself to be open to find out how to make it happen when God gives the revelation how to make it happen according His timing.
Consequences for the Future
The reason why Biblical locality is the #1 issue today, and the final one before parousia begins, is because it is vitally needed for the millennium. The millennium begins when Christ returns in Person (Zech. 14.4, Acts. 1.11, Rev. 1.7) by stepping down on the mount of olives for all eyes to see through all kinds of visual communications. The Son of Man will bring with Him His overcomer believers to reign with an iron rod over the nations, the regions and these Biblical localities. This is the reward of the believer who fulfills the condition of Rev. 20.4 and keeps the conduct of Matt. 5-7 to "overcometh" (Rev. 2.7,11,17,26; 3.5,12,21). For a thousand years these Biblical localities form a miniature of the new city on the new earth so that in due time the new city will be 1379 x 1379 miles in size (Rev. 21). The new city will change from the size of a Biblical locality to a region of churches. Can you see this revelation of the Holy Spirit?
My prayer is for a miracle someone understands these truths and agrees with them, because that is where movement begins in agreement! I am completely aware it will take a very rare conscience to appreciate this!