The Four Gospels Series, Bible Study 07/13/16

Posted on July 21, 2016 by growintheword

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The Gospel of Matthew

Synopsis of Bible Study 07/13/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

  1. Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew

First, there is a term we use called synoptic. The first part of this word is “syn” which means together. The second part of the word is “optic” which means to see. When you put this two parts together they mean, “see together”, so synoptic means to see together.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all part of the synoptic gospels. The book of John on the other hand is not.

The gospel of Matthew

  1. This is the first book of the New Testament that draws from the Old Testament Prophesies.
  2. Mathew starts by giving us a genealogy of Christ through 42 generations. When reading the book of Matthew, many people may have skipped this thinking that this was not important. It is important, however, to understand that there is revelation, context, and information in the genealogy of Christ. Christ’s genealogy ties in Jesus when he was on the way and how he got here. Looking at this genealogy is like looking through your family tree through your father’s and grandfather’s side of the family.
  3. Remember in the beginning of days, man sinned and as a result, Adam and Eve got thrown out of the Garden. Earth failed and was destroyed by the flood and only Noah and his family was spared. Later, God established a new covenant with mankind starting with Abraham when he said that he would make his name great. This would make Abraham the first new patriarch.
  4. The genealogy found in the book of Mathew speaks of Jesus Christ the son of David and the son of Abraham found in Matthew 1:1.
    • Know that the word “begot” written in the genealogy means “had a child named…”
    • If you will remember, Jacob wanted Racheal, but was tricked into marrying However, the blessing came through Leah. Leah was the one that conceived Judah. Leah had been naming her children with names that had certain meanings, trying to gain Jacob’s love. Judah meant praise and Leah name her child this after she had decided to give God praise rather than continue to try to gain Jacobs true love. If you will note, Judah is mentioned in the genealogy, because it proved to be a name of importance as you will see later on. Matthew 1:2 NKJV) says 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
    • Judah is mentioned again in the blood line of Jesus. Matthew 1:3 (NKJV) 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
    • Rahab was a prostitute, but she was mentioned in the She was known for hiding the spies of God when the children of Israel were trying to overtake the Promised Land. Salman and Rehab had a child named Boaz who is also mentioned in the begots. Boaz was a wealthy man with valuable land. Matthew 1:5 (NKJV) 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
      • Boaz ends up marrying Ruth and they had a child named Obed also mentioned in the begots. Even though Boaz was prosperous, his mother was a This shows that God can still do great things with you no matter where you came from.
      • Obed was the father of Jesse who had a son name David who became the king of Israel. Crossed eyed Leah that was rejected gave birth to David whose bloodline eventually begot Jesus, the stone that was that was rejected. Matthew 1:1 (NKJV) 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

 

  1. Understanding the Book of Matthew
  2. Discourse One: The Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7)
  • In Chapter 3, Matthew discloses that Jesus was baptized.
  • In Chapter 4, Jesus was tempted in wilderness after being baptized, then He started his ministry. This is revelation for us to know that we will be tempted, but if we survive, we will be used on many levels.
  • Matthew 5:1-2 says (NKJV) 5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: – Jesus ascended into the mountains and began to teach the disciples. These teachings came to be called the beatitudes.
  • Jesus went into synagogues preaching and teaching. Jesus recruits 12 men who became disciples. He takes 12 disciples with him when he began teaching the gospel which was a new way of thinking.
  • Jesus began healing people. Things began to happen in the temple that had never happened before. Multitudes follow Him because He’s healing people and teaching things that have never been taught before.

 

The Beatitudes – Here Jesus is setting a new mindset and a new culture.

The beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12 (NKJV) says

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

After the beatitudes, Matthew in chapters 6-12 contains road maps for people to follow.

It speaks on thinks like:

  1. The Salt of the earth
  2. The Light of the world
  3. Loving your enemy
  4. The Model prayer – It’s a model, meaning your prayer should contain the elements found in this prayer.
  5. Ask, seek, and knock– Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) says Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. – Here Jesus is setting the disciples up to understand what they may need later on.

After chapter 7, the sermon on the mount is over. Wonder how the disciples felt hearing Jesus speak on things that were never spoken of before? Matthew 7:28-29 (NKJV) says 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.- The disciples were blown away, because they realized Jesus has something that people before him never had.

There is an undercurrent happening in book of Matthew. Here comes a new guy (Jesus) that people are running after. Now he is preaching the Kingdom of God.

  1. Discourse Two: Preaching of the Kingdom (Chapter 10)
  • Jesus is not telling the disciples stuff for them to just sit. All of his teaching was so he could send them out knowing that they would be rejected.
  • In chapter 10, Mathew opens up about Jesus sending the disciples out. Matthew 10:5-14 (NKJV) 5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,[a] cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. 11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. –
  1. Discourse Three: Mysteries of the Kingdom (Chapter 13)
  2. Jesus makes a shift here. He talks and teaches in parables.
  3. Jesus gives parables to reveal mysteries. Parables are earthly stories with spiritual meanings.

Here are the parables Jesus taught.

  • The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13: 1-9)
  • The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30) – Here Jesus says let the bad stuff and the good stuff grow up together. If we try to separate the bad from the good now, we might harm it. He says let the harvester separate them at the time of harvest.
  • The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)
  • The Parable of the Leaven (Matthew 13:33)
  • The Parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:36-43)
  • The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
  • The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45)
  • The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-52) – In
  1. Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, and confronted his haters.
  2. Jesus spoke of his death for the first time. Matthew 16:21 (NKJV) says 21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.- Jesus tells them that he will be killed and raised on the 3rd Imagine as a disciple of Christ, hearing this for the first time. Remember they were fisherman by trade.
    1. Matthew 16:22 (NKJV) says 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”- Peter began to rebuke Jesus. He could not imagine this happing to this person that they had been following all this time. Peter was not thinking spiritually.
  • Matthew 16:23 (NKJV) says 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” – Why would Jesus say this to Peter? There are people that mean well, but the devil causes them to say the wrong thing.
  1. Jesus goes to the mountain in Chapter 17 and transfigures himself and He, Moses, and Elijah appeared together talking. Peter says, “Maybe we should build an altar for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses”. There again, Peter speaks out of turn. Peter represents the person that has his mouth into drive in and his brain into park.
  2. Discourse Four: Application of Kingdom Principles to the Church (Chapter 18)
  3. Greatness in the Kingdom and Humility (Matthew 18:1-4) – You may be big in the church, but you are small in the kingdom. Who Is the Greatest? Matthew 18:1-4 (NKJV) says 18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
  4. The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14) – Never get so big that you aren’t concerned about that one that got away. Matthew 18:10-14 (NKJV) The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.[a] 12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
  5. Dealing with a Sinning Brother (Matthew 18:15-19) – In the Old Testament, you would do back whatever had been done to you. – This is called conflict resolution. Dealing with a Sinning Brother Matthew 18:15-19 (NKJV) says 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’[a] 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say[b] to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. –
    1. If you have an issue with your brother, you are supposed to go to them alone and try to resolve it. This does not mean air it out on Facebook or Twitter.
    2. If this does not work, then the scripture says we are supposed to bring the leadership of the church in. Get a Deacon or a Pastor as a third-party listener to try to resolve the conflict.
    3. If this doesn’t work, then you let it be! May the Lord watch between me while we are absent one from another, Amen.
  6. All of Chapter 18 tells of how Jesus teaches what ministry is about. It is about the least and last. It’s about pouring out to the lost. Just because the disciples were following Jesus, it didn’t mean that they weren’t human. They had to be taught what was right and what was wrong.
    1. Imagine fishing and this man comes up and says to you, “I will make you fishers of men”. Imagine in addition he says, “Follow me”. When they follow him, they start to see stuff happening when He preaches and now people start following him.
    2. After this, our human tendencies start to show up. We start to think, we were the first to be chosen (making us special). The natural tendency then is to get off mission. Politics and personality come in and you forget what the whole thing is about. We have to remember that it was never about us, it was always about the will of the Father.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees (Chapter 23):

  • Verse 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  • Verse 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Matthew 23:13-29 (NKJV) says 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.[a] 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies[b] the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells[c] in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.[d] 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, – One day Jesus decided to express his disgust publicly to the Scribes and Pharisees inside the temple.  Jesus scolds the Scribes and Pharisees for trying to be one who tells people who will get into heaven and those that will not. He asks them who are they to tell who can get in and who can’t. He even brings out that they tell people that they are one thing, when they are not. In fact, Jesus calls them hypocrites. Jesus points out that they are so focused on stuff in temple, that they can’t give glory to the One that made the temple. In addition, Jesus rebuked them for paying tithes, because they were doing it wrong. He points out that they try to look good on outside while all the while being dirty on the inside.

  1. Discourse Five: Implications of the Kingdom for the Last Days and Final Judgement (Chapters 24-25)
  2. Matthew 24- One thing about Jesus is he was human as well as divine. Jesus had a pe He experienced everything we endure now, except he endured it without sinning.
  3. In Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus talks about the end of time. Jesus Laments over Jerusalem. Matthew 23:37-39 (NKJV) says 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”[a Imagine hearing of the messiah coming. He comes in unconventional way and now that you got him, he talks about dying and that the world is going to end, but he’s coming back.
  4. No one knows when Jesus is coming back. Matthew 24:36 (NKJV) says 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,[a] but My Father only.

 

III. The Crucifixion and the Birth of Christianity (Chapters 26-28)

  1. Without birth and resurrection, there is no Christianity. We must know that the crucifixion has nothing to do with Christianity Crucifixion was just part of roman cultural. What makes Christianity different from any normal crucifixion is Jesus rose. In fact crosses with Jesus on them might not be considered theologically correct, because it is the empty cross that is symbolic that Jesus is not on the cross any longer. He has risen.
  2. It is worthy to note that text in red found in the bible, means Jesus said it. What Jesus spoke in the text listed next came to be known as the Great Commission. Matthew 28:16-20 (NKJV) 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b] – There were 11 disciples at this time, because Judas killed himself. Jesus told them that all authority had been given to him in heaven and in the earth.
  3. Remember when Adam and Eve sinned, the devil had authority on the earth after that, because Adam and Eve lost it. This meant from now on, mankind would suffer death. Jesus dies and when he is resurrected, he takes authority back over death and the grave. As a result, when people are in Christ and pass away, they don’t die, they sleep. Jesus has authority over two dimensions, heaven and the earth.
  4. Jesus told the disciples to go and make disciples. In other words, they were to make more of their own kind. He told them to baptize them in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
  5. In verses 19-20 Jesus also lets the disciples know that after they baptize people, teach them all that He had commanded them. Teach them that it won’t be easy and that they will be rejected in his name. He wanted them to know that though they would encounter difficulty, low he would be with them, even to the end of time.

 

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Purpose

Posted on June 29, 2016 by growintheword

Who are we? Most fruit is not known for its outside. It is known for the contents that lie within. We don’t eat banana peels and we don’t eat the outside of a watermelon. It is not until you pull back the banana peel, cut away the outer layer of a watermelon, or peel the peelings off of the orange that we enjoy the essence of what the fruit really is. This is how most of us are. We hide behind our protective covering and never reveal what is inside us. This means the world never gets to see what we were created to do.

 

On the other hand, you have grapes, apples, and strawberries that offer their whole essence at face value. You don’t have to peel anything back or cut anything away to benefit from what they were created to do. This type of fruit represents the person that walks in his or her purpose. Like the grape, the apple, and the strawberry, we have to put our all into our purpose and not hold back. Whatever is inside you must be freely given so that the world can benefit from what you were put here to do.

 

Step out from your protective covering and walk into your God given purpose!

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Walking in a 5 Fold Ministry, Bible Study 06/17/16

Posted on June 17, 2016 by growintheword

 

 

5FoldMinistry

Part II

Synopsis of Bible Study 06/15/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJV) says 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you[a] all. – Gifts and talents are given in the body of Christ for the developing, maturing, and the equipping of the saints. God thinks of the body of Christ when he gives out offices and functions in the church.

Evangelist

  1. This is a person described as a bringer of good tidings. An Evangelist is a preacher of the gospel.
  2. Phillip was an Evangelist. Acts 21:8 (NKJV) says 8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions[a] departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the Evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. – The bible refers to Phillip as an Evangelist.
  3. Timothy 4:5 (NKJV) says 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – Here Paul tells Timothy to do the work of Evangelist.
  4. In both scriptures, mentioned above, we see both the office and the function of an Evangelist. As an Evangelist, you are supposed to go around telling people what God has done in your life.
  5. As Evangelist, God places us in certain places so that we can tell people about God.
  6. As an Evangelist, you are supposed to spread the word, but you have to be careful not to be too salty. This will make you ineffective. Ex – If you are at a ballgame or at the mall, you can’t be running around quoting scriptures to people that are trying to watch the game. Sometimes you are more effective by just telling your testimony as the opportunity arises or simply being that light that shines in a dark place.

The Office of Evangelist

  1. There are some people called Evangelist that on a full-time basis, go from city to city, church to church, conference to conference, and tent to tent evangelizing. They do this both locally and
  2. Pastors can be Evangelist, but not all Evangelists can’t be Pastors. For example, Bishop Walker is an Evangelist and a Pastor. He is an Evangelist in that he travels around the world spreading the word, however, he realizes that he is a Pastor first. We tell Pastor’s all the time that you can’t run around the country all the time and leave your church back home to die. Even though Bishop travels around the world spreading the word, he is back at his church on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s to work in his first priority which is his church.

Pastor

  1. Jeremiah 3:15 (NKJV) says 15 And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.- God factors in what you need when he assigns you a Pastor.
  2. A Pastor is assigned to your destiny. He is a Shepard. Like the sheep, we depend on the shepherd to guide us to where we need to go.
  3. Acts 20:28-30 (NKJV) says 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God[a] which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. – God wants you to understand your Pastor. Your Pastor protects you from wavering wolves by empowering you and teaching the word of God. He also protects you from other members that might try to pull you away.
  4. When you find a church you supposed to be in, you will recognize the Pastor’s voice as being one that should be significant in your life.
  5. What caused you to join your church? (Write it down in one word or perhaps a sentence). In examining your answer, did it have something in that sentence that had something to do with the word of God? What should be critical in your list concerning finding and joining a church should be something along the lines of getting fed or understanding the word of God. It’s nice that the music is good or the singing is good, but what is critical is receiving the word of God.
  6. Taking the previous sentence into consideration: People say they joined a church because of the word of God, yet they will leave because someone in the church upset them. Makes you wonder how important the word really was to them.
    1. Ex- If you eat at the Waffle House, you put up with a lot. You may even wipe off our own table, because we like the waffles so much. This same principle applies to the church. When you want this word, you’re not going to let anyone else run you away from it!
    2. 1 Peter 5:2-4 (NKJV) says 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,[a] not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. – God tells the Pastors not to lead by an iron fist. A Pastor should leac in love.

 

  1. Pastors lead by:
  2. Nourishing – They provide a balanced diet spiritually. That means you get the messages you don’t like as well as those you do like. It’s good to hear a prosperity message, but it is healthy to hear one that scolds you for not doing what you are supposed to do.
  3. Protects – They protect a flock from false doctrine and erroneous teaching
  4. Seeking – Wandering sheep must be sought and found. A Pastor will check on you when you are a no show for a period of time.
  5. Sacrificing – A Pastor will sacrifice themselves for their sheep.
  6. Knowing – A Pastor knows his sheep.
  7. Praying – A Pastor covers his sheep in prayer. God puts what you are going through on your Pastor. This then inspires sermons from the pulpit that are relevant to your situation.
  8. Managing – Managerial skills are necessary. A Pastor must be able to manage the church. It takes good management to bring all the ministries together in order for the church to function.
  9. Healing- Life’s wounds are inflicted in many ways. A Pastor knows when his members are hurting.
  10. Loving – A Pastor needs to try and maintain good relationships. You can’t be a Pastor and not love your people.
  11. Leads – A Pastor sets the pace. You don’t want a Pastor that don’t have a backbone. If you are Pastoring and no one is following you, then you might to reevaluate what you are doing.
  12. Uniting – A Pastor has the ability to bring people together.

The Role of a Bishop

Some people ask why you call your Pastor, Bishop? Well, why then one could also say, why do you call your Pastor reverend which was never in the bible as a title? We said this to say, there has been controversy over the title Bishop. Hopefully we can clear this controversy up within the next points.

  1. Bishop comes from the Greek word Episkopos ( ἐπίσκοπος ) meaning overseer. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NKJV) 3 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. – Things that we bring out of this is you have to have a good reputation, be sober, hospitable, able to teach and etc… You can’t be a rookie in ministry and then the next day call yourself a Bishop. It also says a Bishop rules his house. That means his house is in order and his kids are in order. How can you run a church, if you can’t run your house?
  2. A Bishop is really a Pastor’s, Pastor. He is the person your Pastor would sit under and go to as a shepherd.
  3. You must be consecrated by a group of people. In other words, you can’t just say that you are a Bishop. There should be a group of people that believe the same about you that will consecrate you.
  4. A Pastor ought to:
    1. Give you exposure – A Pastor ought to expose you to the word and to greatness that you’ve never seen before. This includes showing you vision.
    2. Empowers you – A Pastor ought to empower you, but not enable you. He empowers you to empower yourself. You take what you are taught at church and then you apply it to your situation. If your Pastor is unable to pray over your house, you are empowered to know that you can pray over your house yourself.
    3. Encourages you – Sunday is when we got our game face on, but the Monday through Saturday is the part of the week that kills us. You need a word to help you make sense of hopeless situations.
    4. Teaches – Teachers play a powerful role in your spiritual growth. They help us maintain sound doctrine.
                                                               i.      Titus 2:7-8 (NKJV) says 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,[a] 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.[b]  – When you are a good teacher, people might not like you, but they can’t deny that you are bringing forth the word. – Every Pastor has to be teacher, but every teacher doesn’t have to be a Pastor. e.
  1. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) says 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.- Rightly divide the word of truth is the key phrase here. Your Pastor wants you to know something that you didn’t know when you came to the service. After you hear the word, you must study it, because a test is coming! We all need to develop greater study habits.

In closing:

Ezekiel 37:6 (NKJV) says 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”- All of us have a role to play in a 5 fold ministry. Please know that if a part of the body does not operate at full capacity, then the body will become diseased. You should operate in such a way that it causes the church to grow, flourish, and perform at God’s desired level of excellence. .

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Walking in a 5 Fold Ministry, Bible Study 06/15/16

Posted on June 15, 2016 by growintheword

5FoldMinistry

Bible Study 06/08/16

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NKJV) says 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, – There are various roles of ministry found in the body of Christ.

We must first know that Church must not be viewed as an organization; it must instead be viewed as an organism. Each part of the organism works together to make the organism work.

All the roles and gifts in the church are to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to edify the body of Christ.  

Paul writes to the church that is having problems with unity. He was trying to teach them to work together. Ephesians 4:4 (NKJV) says 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; – Regardless of your denominational upbringing, it is important to know that God doesn’t care about your denomination. He is one God in all. To achieve unity in the body, you got to work together. In order to reach your full potential, we have to know how spiritual gifts work and know how offices in the church work.

Apostles

The word apostle comes from the Hebrew word, apostolos (ἀπόστολος) meaning: one sent forth, a messenger, ambassador, a missionary, or sent by God on a special mission. Hebrews 3:1 (NKJV) says Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, – Christ demonstrated his apostleship by fulfilling his mission.

When Jesus chose the twelve to follow him, they became disciples. He would train them, expose them, and then commission them upon his preparing to depart from the earth. They would then be responsible for establishing the churches in the New Testament. They were disciples when following him, but then released to be Apostles.

There were twelve disciples:

  1. Simon Peter- Brother of Andrew. He was active in bringing people to Jesus.
  2. James the son of Zebedee – He was the older brother of John also called James the Greater.
  3. John – Was the son of Zebedee and brother of James
  4. Andrew – The brother of Simon Peter. He was active in bringing people to Jesus.
  5. Phillip of Bethsaida
  6. Thomas (Didymus) – He was the doubter.
  7. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) – He was the disciple that Jesus appeared to at the sea of Tiberius.
  8. Matthew (Levi of Capernaum.
  9. Another James (son of Alphaeus) also called James the lesser.
  10. Simon the Zealot the Canaanites.
  11. Thaddaeus (Labbaeus) – the brother of James the Lesser.
  12. Judas – The one that betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:22 (NKJV) says 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”- The replacement of Judas was Matthias. Whoever replaced Judas had to be someone who actually saw Christ in person (discussed later in this study).

The operation of the apostolic ministry

  1. The apostle has the burden of caring for the warfare of the whole church.
  2. An apostle does not have a covetous spirit and is not in it for financial gain.
  3. An apostle does not seek the glory of men
  4. An apostle possesses a supernatural ministry. In John 14, Jesus said, “Greater works than me, will you do”. As an example of this, signs and wonders were done by the Apostles. Remember Peter and John, when the encountered the lame man and healed him?
  5. An apostle Is a messenger sent on a mission.
  6. An Apostle teaches sound doctrine.

A question that comes us often is , “Are there modern day apostles?”

Main requirements of being an Apostle

  1. Had to be an eyewitness of risen Jesus. Acts 1:1-3 (NKJV) says 1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God..+
    1. Being an eyewitness of Christ was a requirement of being an Apostle that would replace Judas.
      1. Acts 1:21-22 (NKJV) 21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
      2. Acts 4:33 (NKJV) 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. – They gave witness to the resurrection. They actually saw it.
    2. Paul was not a witness or one original chosen to be an Apostle, so many have the question, “How then can he be an apostle?
      1. Acts 9:1-6 (NKJV) says 9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.[a] It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
      2. 1 Corinthians 9:1 (NKJV) says 9 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ,
  • 1 Corinthians 15:7-9 (NKJV) says 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. – Paul describes that he saw Christ and Christ turned him around and gave him a mission. Don’t confuse the ministry of an apostolic anointing with the office of an Apostle. Apostolic anointing is one that establishes churches, but they have not seen Christ.
  1. Had to be commissioned directly from Jesus. Galatians 1:1 (NKJV) says 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),- No man can make you an apostle. Only Jesus can.

 

Prophet

  1. First given to us as Samuel the prophet. Samuel was the first prophet.
  2. He prophesied at an early age. 1 Samuel 3:1 (NKJV) says 3 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. – When you got a prophecy back then, it was rare.
  3. Isaiah gave us prophecy as a form of foretelling. Messianic prophesy is what it has become known as. He was the one who said, “unto us is given a child…” He spoke what God said and what he was going to do and it came to past.
  4. The truest test of prophecy is it has to come to past at a reasonable amount of time.
    1. 1 Corinthians 14:37 (NKJV) says 37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. – One who is operating under gift of prophecy will be subject to the church and following of the commands of God.
    2. 1 Corinthians 14:32 (NKJV) says 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. – When your Pastor speaks, he forth tells not foretells. For example, Ezekiel spoke to the dry bones. Know that a prophet would never tell you something inconsistent with the word you are sitting under. In other words, if a prophet was to come and tell you something that contradicts what your Pastor is teaching you, then something isn’t right.
    3. 2 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV) says 13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”[a] – The word of God must be established by two of 3 witnesses. Know that the spirit is subject to the prophet.
    4. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (NKJV) 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. – Be careful what you put on social media. When you put your emotion-ability out there, you are releasing it into the atmosphere for spirits to exploit. For example, a false prophet might use information that you put out there to falsely validate a prophesy towards you.
      1. Also remember, Prophesy shouldn’t cost you anything. There is no need to pay for holy water and prayer clothes.
    5. In Acts 16 and Paul and Silas ran across a girl who was being exploited by master for her gift to predict the future. She had been using her gift for evil, instead of good. All gifts can be turned evil if you let them.

 

When you see people walk up to you and say the Lord told them to tell you something, remember there is a thin line between voice of God and schizophrenia!

 

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