Times and Seasons | Clip 2
The current era is characterized as a time for the restoration or rebuilding of the house of the Lord, which is the church of the living God. To successfully achieve this rebuilding, the sources highlight the absolute necessity of three distinct ministries operating in unison: government, the priestly ministry, and the prophetic ministry.
These three ministries—exemplified in the Old Testament by Zerubbabel (government), Joshua (priest), and Haggai/Zechariah (prophet)—are indispensable for the successful process of building.
I. The Triumvirate of Ministry: Government, Priesthood, and Prophecy
The successful building process, wherever God builds, must include these three elements. In a practical sense, God has placed all three of these ministries within the father in every home, identifying him as the governor, the priest, and the prophet of his home.
A. Government
This ministry, represented by Zerubbabel, provides the necessary structure and direction for the rebuilding process.
B. Priestly Ministry (Intercession)
The priestly ministry, represented by Joshua, is primarily associated with intercession. This involves drawing near to God and standing in the gap for the people.
C. Prophetic Ministry (The Now Word)
The prophetic ministry, represented by Haggai or Zechariah, is vital because it channels the fresh oil into the candlestick. The essence of the prophetic ministry, in a practical way, is to show you what to do at the given time and in the given situation.
Recognizing the True Prophetic Word
The prophetic ministry is crucial for prospering. King Jehoshaphat affirmed this necessity, stating, “Believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his prophet so shall ye prosper”.
A genuine prophetic utterance, when given by the Holy Spirit, will always:
- Produce an impact and life.
- Flow in the direction of the will of God.
- Bring light.
- Cause people to flow in the line of God’s purposes.
- Nearly always bring forth worship.
An example of this impact is seen in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, where the people of Judah faced an invading army. A prophetic word came through Jehaziel, providing the precise timing (“tomorrow”) and strategy (“ye shall not need to fight in this battle set yourselves stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord”). The immediate response of the people—Jehoshaphat bowing his head, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem falling before the Lord—demonstrated the power and impact of the Spirit-given word.
II. God’s Goal: Creating “One New Man”
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians—a book emphasized by the sources as a “main area of truth which the Holy Spirit is emphasizing at this time”—clarifies that God’s ultimate purpose is not individual salvation alone, but the creation of one unified body.
A. The Purpose of Christ’s Death
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross had a corporate purpose: “to make in himself of twain [two]… one new man”. Paul was primarily referring to the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile. The word “one” occurs four times in these key verses (Ephesians 2:14–16), underscoring the singular nature of this goal.
The crucial thought to grasp is that God is not aiming at producing a lot of new people; He is aiming at producing one new man, which is the collective body of Christ.
B. The Error of Individualism
The sources identify the biggest single problem of the Protestant section of the church as excessive individualism. This rampant individualism has distorted the presentation of the Gospel, which, in turn, has led to constant division within the Protestant church.
Groups that consider themselves “most orthodox and most spiritual” often divide the most frequently (e.g., various iterations of the “Church of God”). This division stems from a “seed of aggressive self-seeking individualism” planted during the Reformation, which is not the seed of God.
C. The Purpose of Apostolic Ministries
To build this one new man, the risen, exalted Christ gifted the church with specific men: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. God uses men, and His methods will not work without the right men.
These ministry gifts were given for three specific, corporate purposes:
- The perfecting of the saints.
- The work of the ministry.
- The edifying or building up of the body of Christ.
The objective is that the entire body should come “into the unity of the of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.
God is not focused on individuals becoming “perfect men,” but on building one new, mature, complete man.
This singular, corporate man must be both mature (fully grown) and complete (no organs missing). When this one man emerges on the scene of human history, properly equipped with all ministries and gifts, Christ will be once again revealed in flesh. This corporate man will perform everything Jesus ever did, except for the atonement, and the world is waiting to see this demonstration.