Faith and Obedience - A Christian's Travel Mates

Psalms 119:2 talks about those who seek God with all their heart...but when I look around me, all I see is people who want to 'find themselves'. Our society is obsessed with the search for 'self'. If you don't agree with me, I would suggest you make a trip to the local bookstore and check out the 'self-help' category! You will find best-selling literature guaranteeing success with everything from raking in the money to firming your flabby body. We worship fame, success and celebrities. But these counterfeit values leave us self-absorbed, hollow and spiritually dry.

However, there is one all-time bestseller that can reverse your empty life and renew it with springs of fresh living water...God's Word. The Bible talks about God's love for humanity and how He showed that love by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. This is what He did for us. What have we done in return? How do you show your love for Him?

Charles Colson, an acclaimed Christian writer, conducted a survey among experienced Christians on how they loved God. Some of the answers were, "Well...by simply loving him!", "...by going to church regularly", "...by tithing dutifully", "...by having a daily bible reading and prayer schedule", etc. This shows that, as professing Christians, we haven't grasped the idea of loving God.

The greatest commandment of all, Jesus said, is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind". But, how do we love God? Jesus answered this question when he was addressing His disciples. "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). We can obey his commandments only when we know and understand the Scriptures. This is the key to loving God.

Faith and Obedience in the Christian Walk

The real test of our Christianity isn't seen in our work or activity, or even in our theological purity. It's found in this: when we have an opportunity to wander away, to disobey, to leave His presence, do we choose instead to stay close to him, to abide in Christ, to obey? Do we make an outward show of piety and devotion, while choosing not to come out of our own comfort zones? Obeying God means a radical change in our lives...some of our most comfortable notions and values will be thoroughly uprooted and we have to be willing to let go and let God!

Boris Kornfeld was a doctor and a so-called 'enlightened Jew' who found Christ in a prison in Russia. After abandoning his socialistic ideals, he decided to surrender his life to Christ and serve Him at any given opportunity. One night he was violently beaten to death for telling on a fellow prisoner who stole food meant for the sick and dying inmates of the prison hospital. But, a few hours before he was killed, Kornfeld was attending to a seemingly terminal patient and he shared his faith with the patient, bringing him to Christ. The patient survived the prison camp and went on to share the gospel with world. The patient's name was Alexander Solzhenitsyn, one of the world's most influential writers. In the eyes of the world, Boris Kornfeld was a failure - he gave up his life for a loaf of bread. Yet, God used his single-minded obedience to lead to Christ another person who became a prophetic voice to the rest of the world. This is what God wants from His people: obedience, no matter what the circumstance or how unknown the outcome may be.

The benefits of obeying God's Word are manifold. Psalm 119 mentions many benefits, some of which are listed below:

• Avoiding sin and pursuing godliness (Ps. 119:3, 11, 36, 102, 133).
• A motivation and basis for praising God (Ps. 119:7, 171).
• A pure lifestyle (Ps. 119:9).
• Readjustments in our priorities (Ps. 119:14, 92) and values (Ps. 119:16, 20, 37, 48, 72, 103, 111, 127).

So obedience is the key to real, maturing faith - a faith that deepens and grows as we live our Christian life. A powerful illustration of this kind of faith is Job's life. Even though he lost everything, he clung to God, believing that God is who He is. He confirmed his obedience with those memorable words of faith: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). Therefore, love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with your entire mind...

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Eyewitnesses to the Christian Faith

In this passage from 2 Peter 1:16-19, Peter addresses the problem of false teachers who are denying Christ's Second Coming and are accusing the apostles of making stories up. This heresy would remove an important incentive for Christians to live moral and ethical lives. If Christ isn't coming again-if there is nothing beyond this life-people will be less motivated to live the kind of life that Christ would have them live. Peter calls these Christians to look forward to the return of Christ. In 2 Peter 3:10-11, Peter says that Christ's return will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with extreme heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Peter calls on them to prepare for that day by living lives that are holy and godly.

The doctrines the disciples held about Jesus were not defended by weak reasoning, but were based on solid eyewitness testimony. Peter, James and John were eyewitnesses to the Transfiguration. When the coming of the Saviour was referred to by the disciples in their preaching, it was always accompanied by a declaration that it would be accompanied by a show of great power and glory.

Peter wrote these verses to counter accusations that he made up stories about Jesus to obtain followers, wealth, power and prestige. Peter provided evidence that the truth of God is inspired. Peter did not boast in the knowledge Jesus provided. He shared it. Peter didn't gloat-he gave. Peter revealed the secrets of eternity.

Peter did not promote a list of religious rules. He did not push any ideology. He didn't try to gain power. He talked about a person who was unique in all human history. He was talking about someone he saw with his own eyes-Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That's the story of the Christian faith. It's a relationship with Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is first and foremost about receiving God's life for us as a gift by grace. Just think about how that good news can change our lives!

Today, the Christian faith is still subject to plenty of false rumours. The worst false rumour is that Christianity is a system of rules, regulations and negativity formed by humans to restrain people's lives, drain the joy out of people's lives and turn out haters. The rumour makes the Christian life about politics, prejudice, power and profit.

The Christian faith is not the result of cunningly devised fables, as the false teachers claimed. Peter knew that Jesus was God's Son, because as an eyewitness to His transfiguration, Peter had seen and heard God the Father bestow glory on Him.

The transfiguration was a brief glimpse of the future glory we will see when Christ returns and sets up His kingdom here on earth. The prophecies about Jesus shed some light on a topic that would otherwise be dark. These prophecies shed a light that is so valuable that we should avail ourselves of it by any means possible that are moral, ethical and legal.

We need God to reveal the truth to us through the prophets in the same way in which He revealed truth to them originally when He inspired and motivated them to write the words of prophecy. We can rely on the Word of God because the prophecies of Scripture have come from God. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth to us from God's Word in the same way the Holy Spirit revealed the prophecy of Scripture to the prophets. Prophecy is the light that cuts through the darkness with the hope of Christ's return.
When we are tempted to worry about the decline of the church, we would be wise to remember the light of prophecy in Scripture that still shines today. The same word that captured the attention of first century people is still relevant today.

If anyone denies the teachings and historical record of the New Testament, they must attack the credibility of the apostles as witnesses. That can't be done successfully. The apostles saw and heard God bless Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

The morning star is Jesus. Until He returns, Christians have the Bible as a witness to His divinity and as their guide in this dark world. Those of us who doubt our faith or are losing confidence have hope. Peter is our ally. He spoke up to explain that the myth is false. He went on record to separate truth from fiction, no matter the cost.

Jesus sacrificed everything for us. His gift of life and salvation changed everything for everyone. He sacrificed everything for us, including His life. He loves us. He formed new lives for us when He died for us and rose from the dead. In return, we will do well to heed Scripture, especially Scripture passages that speak of Christ's return. These promises are like a lamp shining in a dark place. They make it possible to walk with Jesus without stumbling.

The expectation of Christ's return makes a difference in our everyday lives, especially if we are expecting His return. That difference is in how we run our lives. Our lives should be characterized by faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. The expectation of judgment should provoke us to live lives that are characterized by godliness and holiness.

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God's Promise According to the Book of Isaiah

The Prophecies in the Old Testament are coming true, as experienced by events of recent times. The bible is a contaminated document but parts of it contain the prophecies and in them lie important messages pertinent to now. None more so, perhaps, than the one where we are told God will go before us and make the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2). That is an interesting scenario as the entire world is caked in corruption.

My reincarnation provided knowledge that all have returned as promised because we are in the last days. The proof of this is the massive population explosion of recent times. The other pointer is the arrival of the Internet, it is promised to appear in the last days as the highest mountain from which God can speak to the world (Micah 4:1)

What Isaiah talks about is the children of Israel. They are the spiritual ones who are also called God's vineyard or garden (Isaiah 5:4,6). These are the people who were seeded with Spirit at the start of the day of the lord. They, like everyone else, have reincarnated six times.
"Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" Isaiah 48:10

Through every lifetime and suffering we have been refined. Built up and cast down again and each time it was a test. Through the afflictions we have grown in spiritual power and remained close to God. Those who strayed off the path are lost.

When compelled to accept religions and to pray to false gods we were lost and imprisoned behind the wall of deceit. The threats of hell and blasphemy, and so on, made us stronger inside to know the truth. Many have searched and wanted to find the link that was stolen from them and that is why God promised these words:

"I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight: I will break in sunder the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron" (ibid 45:2).

Many are unaware of how strong those gates or bars are but they are nothing more than the imagination. There is no heaven or hell, devil, angels, or saints. These things are lies designed to keep the 'faithful' from straying. It is a trap to capture the children of God and to stop the knowledge of things like reincarnation and communication with the Spirit from being known.
This is the treasure that was taken from them. There is no such thing as sin or judgment. The spiritual can do no wrong because they have the link that leads and guides their every move. It is the voice within and the power behind us.

"And I will give thee the treasure of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou may know that I am God, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel" (ibid 45:3)
The day has been one of correction and proof. Now we are at the end of it and there is one more promise.

"... Israel shall be saved in God with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end" (ibid 45:17)
This is the inheritance that only those of Israel, who are the spiritual people of God, will receive. Everyone else will be gone forever. This is the purpose of the day and of life itself. While we have all lived many times it's now that the separation of good from evil is taking place.

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Church Growth In Africa Compared To South Korea

The spreading of the gospel in Africa came at the same time with colonialism and slave trade, hence African people received the gospel with mixed feeling. Many African people believed that the bible is the work of a white man and Christianity a religion of the white people. In the African context religion was based on ancestral worship, familiar spirits, spiritism and occultism, and these became greatest hindrances to gospel penetration in Africa. To isolate themselves from what they thought was a white man's religion they went about and tried to establish their own African rooted traditional churches which promoted Africanism rather than godliness, of course some of these religions and ancestral worships were there way long before the Christian proclamation in Africa.

In this article, am going to present to you distinguishing factors, characteristics, theologies and practices which I believe led to the Revival and Growth of South- Korean churches. We know that South -Korea has the largest church population in our times and that probably the largest church being in Seoul. Korea is now divided into two separate countries namely North and South Korea. North Korea is a communist state and does not strongly believe in Christianity although we have Christian in that place it still needs to be evangelised effectively. Communism is a great enemy of Christian proclamation just like Islam, through communism and Islam many Christians are persecuted and missionaries martyred especially in Japan, North Korea. Philippines, Nigeria, etc. On the other hand South Korea is a faith based country with a large church population and now one of the leading missionary sending countries in the world. One would like to know how two sister nation differ in terms of approach towards spiritual issues of faith. Comparing two nation's economies you will be shocked that it's possible that South Korea is more resourced than North Korea why? Its because when Revival broke forth in South Korea in 1902 it brought about a revolution in the economy of the country. How did this happen? They are causes which we may look closely at which I believe led to the Revival and growth of South Korean churches. Every Korean wishes that 1902 would happen again because its what brought about the challenges and positive things which are now the fruit of that Revival. I tried by all means to research and talk to Korean pastors to hear from their mouth what actually caused the Revival and growth of Korean Churches. Since the Revival in 1902 God has used South Korean missionaries across many parts of the world who are sent into the mission field. Allow me to put down the features and characteristics which I believe led to the Revival of Korean churches comparing to African ministries.

THE MISSION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF KOREAN CHURCHES
PRAYER MOUNTAINS

South -Korea is well known for a great number of Prayer Mountains. In this country lays the secret of a praying nation which has become their main characteristic and strong weapon for transforming the nation. South Korea has a lot of Prayer Mountains where people go to pray and seek the face of God. At these prayer mountains the sacrifice of prayer is offered at any time of the day. From a distance you can hear loud voices and cries from these mountains as people pray to God According to many Korean missionaries I have spoken to about Korea especially Pastor Samuel Hong Lee a Korean missionary in south Africa, the Korean stability in politics and economical preservations are a result of the prayers offered country wide. Specific prayers are offered for the president, business men and also Korean missionaries in the field world wide. What has made the Korean church differ from the African churches is the mission of the church.

WHAT MAKES KOREAN CHURCH GROW
COMPARED TO AFRICAN CHURCHES

When asked, many ministers will ascribe prayer and committed giving as the cause for the revival. For years, Korean ministers have simply given the Korean church the word of God and the Holy Spirit has done the job". This is true because many Korean Christians are more biblical in their faith, theology, prayers and practice. I don't deny the fact that they have their own weakness but church growth is not one of their weakness or problems but African ministries this is a great concern.
All they do is They teach, they pray and God works its that simple.

In order for any mission minded church to succeed in missions, we need to establish a clear mission theology, further I would like to mentions that evangelism and social responsibility must be harmonized, a separation of the two must be regarded as a compromise to the apostolic theology and mission strategy. if we neglect such stewardship, we cannot produce any historical work and fruit of the Holy Spirit from every labours in the mission field. Below I introduce to you features and characters which describes the Korean church and the characteristics of the African churches. we must also that the Korean church has its own weakness and problems but church growth is not one of their problems. below are few weakness which I have identified in the Korean church and Korean missionaries.

Some have noted out that the growth of Korean churches is as a result of conformity rather than repentance and personal faith in God. This is because Christian faith which does not help us change our character and behaviour is not legitimate Christianity.
Some Korean missionaries have failed in the mission field due to their reluctance to learn local languages especially African languages and adapting to local or indigenous cultures. The exploitative attitudes of some Korean missionaries
Dishonest practices

Personal entitlement to property rather than missionary service

EXAMINATION OF THE KOREAN CHURCH AND THE
AFRICAN CHURCH
SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

1. South Korean churches received the bible as the word of God and sought to believe and understand it by faith rather than logically. This led to the birthing of bible studies groups and prayer meeting in homes and early morning prayers.

AFRICAN CHURCH

2. African people received the bible with mixed feeling they believed it to be a Whiteman's book which was used to oppress a Blackman and led to slavery and colonialism, So African traditional churches would rather believe in ancestral worship and spirits rather than the biblical teachings. In African culture traditional churches there is less proclamation using the bible and that has led to a gross ignorance to Gods word, hence people perish for lack of knowing God. Their is more population in traditional and
religious churches than in true bible believing churches.

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

3. South -Korean churches became consistent in Revival meeting were mass proclamations were done emphasising what the scripture says. Church doors in Korean churches are kept open every day for prayers early in the morning and any other time of the day for prayers and supplications with groaning. These are petitions and cries to God. This remind me a great evangelist and teachers of the word who once said.

AFRICAN CHURCH

4. African churches attend prayer meetings and revivals periodically particularly on Sunday only. weekly prayer meetings and bible study groups are poorly attended by the Christians. Church doors are closed during the week and are open only on Sundays, hence a sense of disciple and mentoring is lacking. Discipleship is the key to developing effective and constructive church members and leaders.

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

5. South Korean Christians have faith that anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ

AFRICAN CHURCH

6. African churches are rather concerned about their burial after they die than their eternity and they fear death and respect their traditions or cultures than fear God.

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

7. South Korean Christians are dedicated to attending early morning prayers leading them to personal revival and blessing. If you asked them why they attended early morning prayers their answer will be "Jesus prayed early in the morning so I also pray in the morning.

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

8. South Korean Christians are dedicated givers in term of tithe, offerings, special offerings and sacrificial giving and this has led to the resourced Korean church ministry which has helped the local churches to send and support their missionaries and local ministers.


AFRICAN CHURCH

9. African churches for decades have not learnt the principle of giving whole heartedly making the church to be poor and financially disadvantaged hence the foresight for missions and targeted evangelism has been narrowed. The African church is poor because they are not open to the spirit of giving and tithing

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

10. South Korean Christians have active faith that gets involved practically in the work of God. The spirit of volunteerism grips their hearts to serve God with all their hearts.

AFRICAN CHURCH

11. African Christians all their efforts and hard work is done in favour of the pastor
not as an obligation of service to God. Lack of volunteerism has hindered the progress of the African ministries and churches. if only people can get involved in the work of God without wrong motives as ministry helper missionary workers not as ministers. Today we are faced with a challenged that people come to church for position and as long as you have some kind of public speaking skills you can easily become a pastor in the African churches. Come to church putting on a nice suit you qualify to be minister. A lack of better procedure of entrance into ministry through credible means of legitimate ordination has led to the confusion of the African ministry style. This is a catastrophe to ministry, revival and church growth.

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH

12. South Korean Christians were/are willing to risk their lives for the sake of the gospel with a devotion to the spirit of martyrdom. Their faith is rooted in a deeper relationship with God. A relationship with God is valued than human relationships.

AFRICAN CHURCH

13. African churches are not yet open to biblical truth especially those in mainline religious traditional churches. They are more churches in Africa which are labelled as Christian churches but only a few are biblically sound hence a large number of so called Christians are not exposed to the truth. Bible centred preaching and messages are required to appeal to the masses, even when some other African churches claim to be Christian their practices and doctrinal beliefs have totally revealed that they are cults or occultic (dead religions). Our ministry strategy must be designed to meet the needs of the people and to minister to the whole man and provide life coaching. an open approach to address social, economical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional aspects of life is a vital key to effective ministry African churches need this. A correct application of talent, knowledge and wisdom will bring a substantial impact and contribution to the church in Africa. The church in Africa has taken a long time to arise from the slumber and have allowed ignorance and laziness in the name of spirituality. Many Pentecostal and other Christian people in Africa think that fate is a sign o godliness and that riches, education, progress, business is the devil and that we need to isolate ourselves. this mean they thought or think if you rich you are a sinner. So they are not involved socially, economically and politically in the affairs of this world.

SOUTH KOREAN AND AFRICAN CHRISTIANS

14. South Korean Christians and African Christians both need openness to the manifestations and activities of the Holy Ghost and openness to the truth of God's word against false teachings and false doctrines. Embracing the gifts of the Spirit and allowing ourselves to function in the gifts which God has given the church. A full acceptance biblical teaching and the doctrine of the Holy Ghost is the missing element in bringing revival in the church.

SOUTH KOREAN AND AFRICAN CHURCHES

15. South Korean churches and African Christians both needs consistency in prayer and fasting focused on evangelism, ministry and missions. Christians need to plant a seed for Revival. Consistent prayer saturates and sanctifies polluted places.

AFRICAN CHURCH

16. African Christian churches need massive Revival meetings and proclamation
meetings focused on prayer, relationship building and worship as our daily duty to God. Our lives must be God influenced and centred on true worship and Praise. As African churches we need to improve our worship styles and shortening our long sermons. Revival will only come if we become worship centred.
AFRICAN CHURCH

17. African Christian churches needs a strong leadership of the pastor and members submission to the clergy and offer full support to their ministers. Respect for the clergy (Men of God) pastoral leadership is needed. Lack of submission to God ordained leadership has costed African ministries set backs in church growth. It has led to splits and break aways leaving congregations wounded, frustrated and destroyed. This has left the presiding pastors operate in the spirit of bitterness, unforgiveness and anger. Lack of submission destroys the morale of the pastor leading him to ineffectiveness in the ministry. Splits and breakaways will always weaken African ministries and ministers. Its one of the reasons why many African ministries were started out of conflict, misunderstanding and lack of submission to Godly authority that is a wrong foundation. This is a cancer which is killing the church in Africa. Many ministries if you could check the motives of their starting ministry you will agree with me that many have a wrong foundation hence they cannot be established have a good ending.
THINGS WHICH MAKE AFRICAN PENTECOSTAL AND
CHARISMATIC MINISTRIES WEAK
There are things which I would like to discus in relating to what make African churches weak more especially independent Pentecostal and charismatic Christians. I don't doubt the potential African ministries have in terms of evangelism but only eight things which I will note down will make you realize what makes us weak.
DOCTRINE
Issues of doctrine are matters of concern; many independent ministries do not have a sense of central doctrinal teaching or liturgy which they can instil in the lives of their churches members. The misunderstanding of the Pentecostal and charismatic doctrines has led to the development of an inconsistent teaching methodology and wrong interpretation of doctrine and other biblical passages which does not lead to true discipleship, Hence member grow up with a mixed up interpretation of a sound Christian doctrines. The different opinions of interpretations on certain biblical teachings has led to different understandings and school of thoughts which end up confuse and divide us hence people break away to start their own movements and that makes independent churches and ministries even more weak. If correctly understood these doctrines will make Pentecostal and charismatic independent churches strong. We have reduced ministry to the pulpit only and our teachings and messages are not consistent on the pulpit, each service has its own direction in the name of as the spirit leads and that is why we have a lot of heresy, dissentions and dissentions and that is why our churches cannot grow because they are doctrinary weak.
1 Timothy1 vs7 Desiring to be teachers of the law understanding neither what they say or affirm KJV
Discipleship programs aimed at producing mature Christian is not provided because the same people who want to be teachers of the word must first be taught the elementary doctrine of the Christian faith.

3. BREAK AWAYS. Breakaways are the major problems of independent African ministries and most of these break always are caused by lack of submission and lack of spiritual parenting skills from the senior pastors who mistreat their associates and abuse and use them to fulfil their own secret agendas by suppressing others and usurping authority and dominion over others. A correct teaching in regards to the ministry of helps and other New Testament ministry functions will help us resolve the conflicts in our churches. An organized biblical leadership structure comprised of the Elders, deacons, deaconess and presbytery must be restored in order to control the influx of every one becoming a minister or a pastor of a church. It is true that the population in our Pentecostal
independent ministries is small but from the same small population which we have some pull out and establish another independent ministry which makes the old church and new churches rivals instead of allies or co-workers and this makes us both weak. Strength and resources, vision and purpose is lost a long the way because of this and it will always take time for the church which has been through a breakaway or a split to heal. Restoration of church order is essential to the strengthening and the growth of African independent churches especially black churches. If any one think or hears a call of God I advise you to follow the biblical order of doing things, God is not the author of confusion.

CONFLICTS.

Seditions and dissentions Conflict in the independent church weakens the church, These conflict are caused by lack of submission to ordained Godly leadership and authority. The Apostolic Anointing is lacking in many independent ministries and churches. Many African ministries are so independent that they can not be accountable to anyone hence there is a problem to make church members submit to their leadership because the foundation is wrong. Biblical order is required for us to fix the problems which our ministries are facing. Don't expect anyone to submit to your leadership if you do not submit or have never submitted before.

CHURCH ORDER

Church order is not available in many independent charismatic and Pentecostals, biblical order and liturgy is not observed at all. we need to teach our generation proper order of worship and respect for the clergy. Every one does what he
think and claims the lord told him to do their no any check and balance in what we do.

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Teaching Christian Religious Education - A Review

In ten chapters or one hundred and eleven pages, the author presents a compendia of methodology of teaching Christian religious education. The purpose of the study, countless misconceptions of students, the etymology of the word 'methodology', definition and reason for religious education, kinds of research methods and hints of note taking are discussed in the first chapter. These give students the opportunity of revising when writer rather than presenting new information to them. The importance of the second chapter is that it gives a systematic approach to finding research/project problems, approach to find a research topic, formulating the research topic, sources of information, reviewing relevant literature, sources of information, reviewing relevant literature, hypothesis and format for research writing. Like the first chapter, the dimensions are not new but serve as a useful guide. The Nigerian approach to moral and religious instruction as stated in the 1981 Revised National Policy on education moved from rote memory of biblical passages to affect the psychomotor and affective domains. Approaches to the study of Christian religious education discussed in Chapter 3 include the Bible-centered or salvation history approach, the phenomenological approach, teacher-centered approach, and the Bible to life, life experiences and life-centered approaches. New life was therefore injected in teaching religious education as students discovered the religious implication of their actions.
Working on the premise that there are several teaching methods in each discipline, the writer identifies some methods and factors that determine their suitability and the right time to use them in the fourth chapter. He rightly observes that the Christian religious studies teacher should not be dogmatic but should apply a method as the situation demands. These methods are divided into teacher centered (lecture, questioning), learner centered (project, assignment) and joint (drama, field trips, story telling, role play) methods.

In Chapter 5, the writer successfully defines technical terms like teaching and teaching practice. Parameters used to identify the competency of the teacher are discussed. The section of preparing to teach is in consonance with Hendrick's law of readiness. The discussion on the management, organization and administration of teaching practice and micro-teaching and its advantages are geared towards enabling the teacher to teach effectively especially if the assessment instruments at the end of the chapter are implemented.

The sixth chapter clearly traces the history of the religious studies curriculum which protects the child from receiving any instruction that is contrary to the wishes of his parents. The origin and objective of the word 'curriculum' and the vital role of parents, learners, teachers, local community, religious bodies, ministries of education and other national bodies are discussed. The seventh chapter expands on the discussion in earlier chapters. The sample of a syllabus is a useful reference material to every Christian religious education teacher.

The eighth chapter on lesson plan logically follows the seventh since the classroom experience tests what has been planned. The writer realistically observes that the success of the teacher is dependent on the mastery of the subject and his/her job is incomplete until evaluation is done. The importance of educational objectives, the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains cannot be overemphasized.
Commenting on the application of teaching materials, the writer observes that a good material among others should relate to the objective and age of the learners, match their ability and elicit interest in them. The penultimate chapter presents a vivid description of the use of instructional materials in teaching. The impact of visual and audiovisual materials is amazing. Although they create an opportunity for students to come face to face with reality, they should be seen as a means to an end.
The last chapter clearly presents justification for moral education in the school in an era of moral decadence. The aim of religious education therefore is to facilitate desirable changes in an individual since it encompasses theoretical, practical, moral, spiritual, human and divine aspects. The entire society - the home, school, church, voluntary organizations, mass media- has a role to play.

Although the book presents a rather interesting evaluation of Christian religious education methods, the author himself admits that he is not trying to offer new dimensions in the first two chapters. Even though he presents a format for research writing, the technical terms are not defined leaving the reader in a difficult position to see the relationship among them. Several typographical errors undermine the richness of the presentation. The above notwithstanding, this illustrative text of the Nigerian educational experience has graphic illustrations and review questions which stimulate critical thinking. A commendable insight is the lucid distinction made between the curriculum and syllabus which are treated as synonymous terms. The clear presentation of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives is also imperative. Perhaps another insight is how the wrong use of textbooks could hinder self-initiative and transforms learning merely into a routine.

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The Local Church - Structure Or Function - Which Comes First?

It is the usual pattern of life that structure is the servant of function, not the other way around. If I go to an engineer and ask him to design a motor vehicle, he will first need to know what the vehicle is intended to do. "Do you want to carry people or cargo? Travel at high speed? Is it for large families or small families?" These are questions of function or purpose. If I want to win a Formula One race, the design will be very different from what it would be if I want the vehicle to carry a family of six. When the function or purpose is known, the structure can be designed to suit.

And we can confidently assume that God has created a structure for the local church that is in perfect harmony with the function he wishes it to perform. The function, or goals, he has set out for, us, for example, in Ephesians 4:11-16.

In that passage we see a group of people, connected to each other like parts of a body, ministering to each other until they all reach maturity, doctrinal strength and unity. They are watched over and assisted by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

In any endeavor of life, to doggedly persist with a structure that does not achieve the desired function or goal would be regarded as a waste of time. So if, after all the expenditure of time and effort on infrastructure and meetings, we do not see the God's goals -mutual ministry, knowledge and doctrinal strength described in Ephesians 4-emerge, why is it that as local churches doggedly cling to ineffectual structures and formats?

I think it is so difficult because the structure, or format, has become the goal.

The goal we have settled for is the running of a Sunday morning meeting - one capable of gathering and maintaining the numbers and boosting the offering, irrespective of whether or not it is effective in bringing about dynamic growth and discipleship. The "effectiveness" of our meetings is usually measured by the number of people attending, the quality of the music and the ability of the preacher to hold our attention. Or perhaps whether or not we had a good time. In other words, the "effectiveness" is seen in the performance of the component parts of the meeting, not in the actual results they have in peoples' lives.

In Ephesians 4, God told us that he wants us to come to full knowledge and maturity, to the point where every part of the body is working properly. However, even if our traditional Sunday meeting contributes very little to that process, with its words and songs all but forgotten by Monday morning, in most churches that traditional structure simply cannot be changed. What has happened is that the structure has usurped the function and has almost become an idol. As a consequence, in terms of radical, world-changing outcomes, we settle for less than mediocrity.

If you doubt the appropriateness of the word "idol", make this simple test. Imagine for a moment that the majority of people in your church were discovering that they were truly growing in Christ and enabled to use their spiritual gifts far more through small home-groups than in the large Sunday morning meeting. Imagine they were realizing that to spend Sunday morning in small groups would bring far more growth and maturity because they all had opportunity to confess their weaknesses to each other, teach and encourage each other, and really pray for each other by name. In the small group, they could ask the teachers questions and have opportunity to reflect.

Now try to imagine suggesting closing down the large, traditional Sunday morning church service in favor of those more effective small groups! In other words, try to imagine allowing the God-given goals of maturity and mutual ministry to be more important than the prevailing Sunday structure. What emotions would be displayed by the church's leadership and its denominational head office? Which would have to come first: God's goals for the people or the prevailing structure?
As we are shown in Ephesians 4, the gifts of Christ to the church-the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers-are to bring the saints to dynamic, secure, ministering maturity, not to keep the services running or maintain the correctness of the Sunday morning protocol.

The goal of the teachers is not to be heard, but to bring about maturity. It is not self-perpetuation in positions of leadership or honor. It is not the gathering of a larger audience as a testimony to their ability or the carving out of a reputation for themselves. It is to see each and every individual believer come to maturity, able and free to use his or her gift(s) for the health of the body.

And structure contributes to, or detracts from, the effectiveness of the teacher to achieve those goals. The larger the audience a teacher gathers, the less and less he or she is able to know whether the members are approaching maturity. The group's size reaches a point where it becomes utterly impossible for maturity to be gauged. His audience is anonymous to him, and he to them. It is just a meeting.

It is at this point that we usually move the goal posts, and describe the purpose of our meetings as "worship". That word enables us to get bigger and bigger and more and more anonymous, while still feeling that we are doing what God asked us to do. And all along the God-given tasks and goals slide further and further from the centre.

God's word shows us that the fruit of a leader's work will be evidenced in "each part working properly"-ordinary maturing believers ministering to other ordinary believers. And those "ordinary" believers, should be able to arrive at that point within the life and context of the local church. No Bible or theological colleges, no programmes, no multi-media; just local churches doing what they were meant to do.

The success of a church will not be seen in having a concrete edifice constructed "to the glory of God". Nor in having a huge Sunday morning concert or rally attended by thousands of spectators. We may be thrilled to see thousands of people at a Sunday morning music and oratory meeting, but that sort of meeting has no connection to any known or imagined biblical description of the local church. And for all the energy it might appear to demonstrate, it does not produce what a local church is intended to produce.

So where do we go to find out how God suggests we implement his plans? Scripture. The Bible is a great deal of instruction about who we are as a local church, what we are to achieve, how we are to meet, how we are to be lead and much, much more.

And as we study, what God says may well challenge some of our long-held preferences and traditions. What he says about leaders clearly contradicts almost every common denominational practice. What he says about meeting together turns on its head our perception of auditoriums, sermons, bands and silent memorial ceremonies with bread and wine.
Where we find that what we are doing is in conflict with what he has said, we need to come back to the urgent question of Jesus:

'Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I tell you?' (Luke 6: 46).
The world is longing to see a demonstration of the loving community that emerged in the first century. And many believers are also longing to experience that reality. Sadly, too many, soul-sick and weary, are just walking out the door and fading away.

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The Church Structure

There's a revelation I would like to share here, and it concerns the structure - the form, the container - the Body. We all know the Church is the Body of Christ. The body is an extremely important part, so the spirit and the soul; the power and the anointing; the glory and the character; the gifts and the fruit; the calling and the destiny, can function properly.

Have you noticed, that before the Lord places His Spirit, first He always makes the form that will contain Him. First is the form and then the content in it. We can see that everywhere throughout the Bible. I will give you just seven quick examples:

1. When the Lord began creating the Heavens and the Earth, the Bible says the Earth was without form and void (Genesis 1:2). It was a shapeless mass. Some Bible scholars say this was not the initial creation process, but rather a recreation one, after the Earth had become formless because of a certain disaster. Whatever the case might be, we can see that the Holy Spirit could not do anything, except move upon the waters and wait for God the Father to start speaking the word and bringing ORDER (form, structure) in this place. Then and only then the Spirit could fill every part of this new creation with Himself. Without the proper order and structure, He would still be moving upon the waters. There are waters of devastation in our life too, that have come because of a certain calamity, and the Spirit of God is waiting for God's word to come forth in our life, bringing Divine order, form and structure.
2. When the Lord created man, first He formed the body out of the dust of the Earth, and then, when the form was ready, He placed His Spirit in man, breathing the breath of life into his nostrils (Genesis 2:7). First was the form, and then the life in that form.

3. When the Lord established the institution of the family, the man said: "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:... and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:23-24). So many married couples are trying desperately to become one spirit and one soul, and it would help so much if they all understand that if the Lord is going to place His Spirit and His heart and mind in their marriage, they must first become one flesh - one form - one structure - one body! This is spiritual language. Spiritually to become one flesh and one body. Amazing, isn't it? Think about it! Once the conducive structure is in place, the Lord is ready to fill it with His Spirit.

4. When the Lord commanded Moses to build a Tabernacle for the Lord, the Bible says that the people were building it according to a precise design given to Moses. It was a very detailed and complicated work, and they had to finish it completely, every detail being in place, nothing missing, nothing broken, nothing out of place, and then, the Glory of the Lord (His Presence, His power, His essence, His character, His gifts, His fruit, His plans, purposes, intentions, and destiny) filled the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:33-35). This is an amazing portion of Scripture. It signifies that when Moses finished the work, setting everything in its proper place and order, the Glory of the Lord came and made this place alive.

5. When the Lord took Ezekiel to the valley filled with dry bones, it was a picture of death and destruction. So what was Ezekiel supposed to prophesy first, in order that life could come back in those dry bones? You guessed it - he had to prophesy the structure first - the forming of the bones into a body, the gathering of all these bones, the coming of the flesh, skin and everything else, and then, finally, he had to prophesy about the Spirit to come and make the bones alive. Can we see already that the Spirit comes when we present to Him a place - a form, a structure, a body? That's so important! (Ezekiel 37).

6. When the Lord established the institution of the Church, first He worked towards the establishment of the structure of His future body of believers while He was on Earth, and then, at Pentecost, He poured His Spirit upon His Church. He called His Church - His Body - The Body of Christ. Christ means Anointed One. That includes His anointing, His power, His gifts and fruit - His everything. We are the Body, that contains His Spirit. Isn't this the greatest privilege one can ever have? As a Body of Christ, we become "bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh". That's why we are also called the Bride of Christ. As Adam's bride, we become one with Him by becoming a part of His Body, and then, His Spirit comes to dwell within us. Then, we become one Spirit and one mind with Him also. Whew! That in itself is such a vast subject, so it definitely can not be explained at length here, but it sure is enough to make us think.

7. The Bible says that even evil spirits seek a body to be able to express themselves in the Earth, as well as carry out their wicked plans, strategies, and schemes. They consider the bodies of people their houses (Matthew 12:43-45). They can not operate without a body. That's why they pleaded with Jesus to at least send them into pigs' bodies, in stead of sending them in the abyss, where they could find no rest. So, the body is important to evil spirits as well. That's why the Bible expressly says that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit and that we should be extremely careful about what we are doing with our bodies. Our bodies are for the Lord and for His purposes, and we must present them as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him and Him only (Romans 12:1).

So, we can see from all these, and many more examples, that the body, the structure, the form, is extremely important. In a global aspect, this is really something the Church should pay attention to. Because if the Body is not properly structured, it will not be able to fulfil its destiny completely. You see, we can have all the revelation truths being restored and all the power and anointing and glory at our disposal, and yet, not move in our Divine destiny, because the structure of our life, our family, our church or our nation can be crippled and thus, not being able to hold all the precious things coming from the Spirit of the Lord.

Through the years of Church history, the structure of the Church has been changing with every new revelation truth being restored and with every new minsitry office and function being revealed. At the time just prior to the Protestant reformation started by Martin Luther, there was a total chaos in the Church structure, and that's why, this period is called: The dark ages of the Church. It reminds us of the condition of the Earth in Genesis 1:2 - no form, no structure, no shape, no body. Hereby - no Spirit and no life, but at the same time - a great potential. So, since the time of Martin Luther, the Lord began to reshape again the structure of His Church, parallel with the restoration of revelation truths and offices. We can see the progression from a shapeless mass, to a Church that little by little began to assimilate God's truths of being born again, being baptized in water and in the Spirit, living holy life, living by faith, living separated for God's plans and purposes, using our God given gifts, talents, and abilities, expressing the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives, praising and worshiping the Lord more and more openly and from the heart, praying with more intensity and power, getting deeper in God's word and so much more.

Then, we see another progression. The Lord started restoring the office of the evangelist. The structure of the Church changed immediately. Large tent meetings and open meetings mark this period of time. The structure was a mass gathering for the purpose of winning the lost. Then, when a considerable number of lost people got saved, a change of structure was needed again, to accommodate all these people, so they didn't fall away. The pastor's office came to help, providing Jesus' love and care for the thousands of newly born people. Then the office of the teacher provided another structure, more conducive for the education of God's people in all present truth. Many Bible Schools came into existence, many Theologic schools, many spiritual seminaries, many books have been written, many Christian Universities have been established, providing education on campus, through correspondent courses or even through online study. Then, with the coming of the office of the prophet and the apostle, the Lord had to change the structure of the Church again to a more flexible structure that would allow special training gatherings to be formed, where people could be individually trained expressly for the work of the ministry, moving in the gifts, the fruit and the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Now, when the five fold office has been restored completely and is gaining momentum as a combined ministry force (apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists working together for the equipping of the saints), more and more the Church is coming into the original structure the Lord had in mind for it - the Structure of the Body!

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The life of a Prophet

A life of a prophet, or else a prophet that is called to be in the office of prophet can be filled with rejection, miss-understanding, loneliness, depression and anger with the world and even the church body. The revelations given to the prophet sometimes are too hard to endure and to handle and a prophet has a hard time expressing what he is seeing in the Word of God and in the world to others. The revelation being so hard to endure, and having few people int he body of Christ that can endure it, makes the prophet every lonely from friends that he can have a deep heart to heart conversation with.
A prophet can seem to hold the whole world on his shoulders and often when not love and given positive edification can grow quite despondent d depressed and even angry with the lukewarm church that he finds all over the place. Prophet's need prophets for friends, however pride often stops the emerging novice prophets in training from forming bonds that are effective.

God has a way of crushing the pride out of a prophet and God will put the novice prophet in one very hot and holy fire until the prophet is humble and ready to cool down and not be so hot headed and judgmental of the Bride of Christ. It is only when the prophet is humble and healed and whole, that he can really do effective ministry in the body and be ready to perform every good work that the Lord has for him.

In my life, I have to say I have been very prideful and I have been crushed in a hot fire of the Lord. The last intense burning took 3 years and taught me to praise God even in the midst of intense suffering. It is important for the prophet even if he has no one that loves him or understands him that the LORD God approves of Him and the Lord Jesus loves Him. The prophets lot in life is not a great one, and it get be very intense and hurtful, and I would not ask to be a prophet if I were not one.
If you can see scripture deep, if you have been rejected for much of your life and you are sad with how the world it could be that you are called to be a prophet.
I hope that this has taught you something and you can see what a prophet really is and does.

Your Spiritual Gifts - The Role of a Prophet

Ephesians 4:11

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, PROPHETS; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.

There are five principle roles that God has anointed today's believers to fulfill in today's Church. As a young believer who is strong in the faith I have been called into the role of a Prophet. I was called to the role of a Prophet in a vision, and my role was later confirmed by three ordained Ministers. I have been asked by a number of my readers and others I know to explain the role of a Prophet; I hope this inspired article supported with scripture will help you understand the role of a Prophet.
The Role of a Prophet

In Acts 21:10-11, we see a demonstration of one of the roles of a Prophet, as the Prophet Agabus predicts Paul's future imprisonment. A Prophet often gets revelations of the future and we see in Acts 21:10-11, how the Prophet Agabus gets a revelation from God about the future of Paul. The revelation given to Agabus was to prepare the church for a coming event; God in His mercy gave Agabus this revelation to inform the church of a significant coming event of Paul's imprisonment. The word Prophet means "one who speaks forth", in the case of Agabus we see him speaking forth the future as he gets a direct revelation from God and Paul's future.

God's Prophets are there to assist the church and give them direct messages from God; the role of a Prophet involves being a direct mouthpiece for God in certain circumstances. We also must make the distinction between a Christian who prophesies and the role of a Prophet, because they are two completely different roles. A Christian who prophesies does so for: edification, exhortation and consolation (1 Corinthians 14:3), however someone who in the role of Prophet may exercise the above, but they will also speak Gods revelation, rebuke, direction and predict the future. A person in the role of a Prophet will exercise the basic gift of prophecy as seen in 1 Corinthians 14:3, but their ministry will be extended well beyond the basic gift of prophecy as described in 1 Corinthians 14:3, their ministry can turn whole churches and nations in a completely different direction. The Role of a Prophet is much more powerful and diverse than simply being a Christian who prophecies; the role of a Prophet is an ordained ministry that God has directly called that person into.

The role of a Prophet can have varying tasks; we saw Jonah's primary objective in the role of Prophet was to bring the nation of Nineveh into repentance under the threat of impending doom. Nehemiah's task as a Prophet was to rebuild Jerusalem and turn the whole nation around and stop all the corruption and excess usury, John the Baptist had one task as a Prophet and that was to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, Joseph's role as Prophet was to interpret the Pharaoh's dream and predict a future famine in Egypt. We see how these roles had powerful effects on not only the church, but they had powerful effects on nations. A Prophet will not only have an effect on the four walls within a church and its congregation, but a Prophet will have an effect on a whole community and beyond. A Christian who prophecies does so to: edify, exhort the church, and sometimes to evangelize, but someone in the role of Prophet will be there to affect not only the church, but the broader community, other churches, other organizations and nation(s).

A Prophet may also have a vision or dream and be ordained a Prophet by God Himself, "Then He said, "Hear now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream."(Numbers 12:6) When you are called into the role of a Prophet, you will usually be called by God and then have ministers of the faith and others confirmed the calling. After about 12 months of being a Christian, I had a vision of God the Father and Jesus, and in that vision they called me to be a Prophet, within 12 months of that event; I had three ordained ministers in different denominations tell me that they believed I was a Prophet.

The Prophet - God's spokesman: from "pro" = on behalf of / "phet" = to speak. Simply defined, the Prophet is God's spokesman. The Prophet is a Fivefold Minister who has been set apart, appointed, and anointed with the ministry gifting of a Prophet, and has been permanently set into that office. Though every believer has a vital function he has been anointed and appointed by the Lord to perform, it must be understood that no amount of zeal, enthusiasm, fervor, prayer, or even Bible study, can vaunt a person into any ministry office, including that of Prophet. It is only the appointing and anointing of the Lord that makes a prophet a prophet. Fivefold ministry starts with a calling, not a desire, and that calling must be from God. Your mother, your father, or your wife cannot call you to the ministry; you can't even call yourself; only God can call a person to the ministry.

True prophets are not novices, neither are they mere aspiring ministers. It is wise to refer to those in training in a prophetic calling as "prophets in training," if they indeed are, or a "prophetic person in training," if they are "one who prophesies," rather than a "prophet," per se. A true prophet is not someone trying to become or in the process of becoming a prophet, rather he IS a prophet, and has always been a prophet before he was formed in his mother's womb. While "schools of prophets" can be helpful in developing those that have been anointed by God with the anointing of a prophet, one cannot simply take a course to "learn" to be a prophet. No one can really "teach" someone to be a prophet. Prophets are not "taught," but are usually "caught" and then "made" by the Lord. No one can intrude into any ministry office successfully, especially the office of the prophet. We describe the ministry offices merely for the sake of understanding them better, but merely calling yourself something, whether it be: "a prophet," or "a teacher," or "a '37 Oldsmobile," for that matter, does not make you one. Any minister is what he is because of what he does and is, not because of what he calls himself. The best approach for any minister is to simply do all that God has equipped him and allows him to do, and let his ministry functionings define who he is. Ministry offices are not titles or positions to which anyone can be appointed by any human, including themselves, or any human agency, but rather they are functions for which Christ as the Head of the Church anoints and to which He appoints certain believers of His choosing.

THE FUNCTION OF PROPHETS

Jer. 1:10 In this verse God gives the general functions of the prophet. The different facets of the prophet's ministry can be summed up in this six-fold description (I have given a brief description of what I believe to be the general application of each of these facets):

1) to pluck (root) up - "weeds," both in the lives of individual believers, as well as "weeds" growing in the Church, which is false teaching and brethren.

2) to break down - resistances and rebellion to God's Word, Will, and Way by believers.

3) to destroy - vain philosophies and imaginations raised up against the knowledge of God; and, Satan's works.

4) to overthrow - the kingdoms of men; and strongholds of the devil.

5) to build - the Church spiritually upon the foundation of the Life of Christ.

6) to plant - Christ as the Seed of God in the Church and in the individual lives of believers; and, along with Apostles - plant Churches.

Who is a Prophet?

Most of us would not acknowledge an apostle unless he came across
like a Paul or a Peter. Likewise, we will not accept a prophet unless he
measures up to Elijah. In the same way, when we think of, let's say, an
evangelist, we think of Billy Graham and nothing less will do. Truth is,
many of the apostles in the New Testament were such ordinary people
(Barnabas, Andronicus, Junia), that very little was written about them.

If we were to stop looking for the spectacular, we would find there are
many people in our ranks who are called to be apostles, sent ones who
go about establishing churches and training and equipping as they are
needed. These "apostling" types may actually come from anywhere
within our ranks - from the one we refer to as "Pastor" to the least-likely
among us; one who is simply willing and whose life in Christ is
unbridled. Most Christian groups can't see themselves functioning
without human leadership and, therefore, in our inability to rely solely
upon the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit Himself, the Church
at large fails to occupy new territory. Rather, she hunkers down within
the four walls and expects the lost to come to THEM. The "sent ones"
in your midst may not be in the same league as Paul or Elijah, but they
could exercise some extremely valid ministries and more rapidly
advance God's Kingdom.

The purpose of Pentecost was to pour the Holy Spirit out onto ALL
believers. This means that EVERY believer can have a ministry. We
need a Church structure that allows every member to develop into a
minister. Rather than a few celebrity Christians in pulpits, , God seems
to prefer many - even millions - of small ministries anointed with
His Spirit.

FEMALE APOSTLES?

Years ago, a lady called me and asked what the difference was
between an apostle and an epistle. "Is an epistle a female apostle?" she
asked, totally serious.

Like it or not, women have always played an important role in the
advancement of God's Kingdom, even serving in foundational roles. In
Exodus 15:20, Miriam, the sister of Aaron was a prophetess and one
of the triad of leaders of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt. In Judges
4 & 5, Deborah, a prophet-judge, headed the army of ancient Israel.
New Testament examples can be found in Acts 21:8: Philip the
evangelist had four unmarried daughters who were prophets. In Romans
16:3, Paul refers to Priscilla as another of his "fellow workers in Christ
Jesus." Other translations refer to her as a "co-worker." Still others
attempt to downgrade her status by calling her a mere "helper." The
original Greek word is "synergoi," which literally means "fellow
worker" or "colleague."

In Romans 16:7, Paul refers to a male apostle, Andronicus, and a
female apostle, Junia, as "outstanding among the apostles." The
Amplified Bible translates this passage as "They are men held in high
esteem among the apostles." The Revised Standard Version shows the
verse as "they are men of note among the apostles." The reference to
them both being men does NOT appear in the original Greek text; the
word "men" was apparently inserted by the translators simply because
their minds recoiled from the concept of a female apostle, just as they
often do today. Many translations, including the Amplified Bible,
Rheims New Testament, New American Standard Bible, and the New
International Version simply picked the letter "s" out of thin air, and
converted the original "Junia" (a woman) into "Junias" (a man).
The evidence is quite compelling that, in God's Kingdom, "...there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)"
and that, despite our modern prejudices and downright hard-
headedness about women in ministry, God's opinion seems to differ
completely.

I heard a story about an East Indian Christian woman who was sent by
the Holy Spirit to establish churches in a certain region of her country.
She began by walking the area and praying. When people asked her
what she was doing, she answered that she was looking for people for
whom she might pray. Time and again she was invited into people's
homes to do just that and the people saw miracles take place. When the
dust had settled, she had established 50 churches that met in people's
home a la the Book of Acts. Was she a "sent one" - an apostle? If any
of those people ever needed instruction or additional training, do you
think she'd get called upon? Of course!

She was apostling and was, therefore, an apostle in the TRUEST sense.
The authority of an apostle comes out of relationship. Paul
demonstrated this type of authority in his letters. He was able to give
direction to the Church because he had a relationship with them. He
was the apostle who had established them.

APOSTLES IN OUR MIDST

For those who believe that the "office" of "Apostle" died away with
the last apostle mentioned in the Bible, those individuals must ask
themselves "How can a job description' die?" If a baseball team's
coach dies, there will remain other coaches to come for years on end.
ONLY when we perceive the job description as an office that
problems arise. Actually, apostles are to be with The Church until we
become like Jesus according to Ephesians 4:1-16 and Romans 16:17.
There were, of course, the foundational twelve disciples who followed
Christ. When He sent them out in Luke 10, Judas was still with the team.
Was he an apostle when he betrayed Christ? Matthias came along in
Acts 1:11-26. Later, Barnabas & Paul came on the scene, as was
mentioned in Acts 14:14. In Romans 16:7, there were Andronicus and
Junia. Then came James, the Lords brother, Galatians 1:19, and
Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:19,25; 4:18. Apollos is mentioned in Acts
18:18-27, throughout 1 Corinthians, and in Titus 3:13. Silvanus and
Timothy are referred to in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:6.

Add them up - minus Judas - and where the Early Church was
concerned, according to the New Testament accounts, there were at
least 21 apostles for the perfecting of the Saints. I'm certain there were,
most likely, many more.

From the looks of things, it appears that many more apostles are
needed today. It also appears that apostles are a necessary, basic
foundational building block for The Church. Further, it was a master
stroke of the enemy to see to it that so many Christians do not believe,
or haven't been taught, that the office still exists and have no faith for
its function. Just look at the denominational divisions and confusion
such lack of faith and teaching has generated. Where is John 17 in all
of this?

To build House Churches for our Lord and hope to get the foundations
deep and level and in the balance of His great love, holiness and
power, many people will and ARE being sent.
If one's apostling duties are a true calling from God, all he/she must
do is obey and make themselves available.

If this is truly a ministry of The Church that is needed for today, the
parts have been ordered and are on the way!

Throughout Church history, it has always been this way only with
a different group of disciples each time.

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