Course:
The Foundation of the Church
The
Cross
Lesson
6
Lesson
Title:
Life, authority and power.
Text: John 20:21-22
'Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father
has sent me, even so send I you. And when
he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive
the Holy Ghost:'
Introduction: The Resurrection brought the disciples into New Testament leadership.
New
Testament ministry has three key elements.
The
cross put an end to Old Testament leadership
Old Testament leadership was…
John the Baptist ended the Old Testament
form of leadership. Matthew
12:13.
Jesus ushered in new leadership – the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the body of Christ.
The leadership of the body – every part of the body functioning together according to the will of the Holy Spirit..
The
cross put an end to leadership ambitions
In the gospels the disciples were often arguing over who was the greatest.
Even at the Last Supper where the Lord demonstrated leadership as serving in humility and love, the disciples argued over who was the greatest.
They regarded leadership as a pyramid where the greatest is on the top.
Jesus turned the pyramid around and said if you want to be great then become the least.
But after the resurrection the disciples were different, who was the greatest was of no concern to them.
Leadership became a serving ministry and not a position of greatness.
Introductory
Story: Churches usually have an Old
Testament understanding of ministry.
Many divisions are caused in churches by an Old Testament understanding of ministry. Leadership ambitions destroy fellowship and ministry.
Leadership of the church is the leadership of a captain of a ship. It is not the leadership of a King.
New Testament leadership is given to enable ministries to function.
Lesson
Outline
Zoe – exousia - dunamis
Main
Points
a) New Testament ministry is born out of unity. It is the unity of the life of Christ in us. Through His life we become one with God and one with the body of Christ.
The believer is:
1.
Crucified with Christ. Galatians
2. Risen
with Christ. 2
Corinthians
3. Ascended with Christ – seated with Christ in His authority - Joint heirs with Christ.
b)
New Testament ministry began when Jesus breathed His resurrected
life into His disciples. John 20:21-22
'Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father
has sent me, even so send I you. And when
he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive the Holy
Ghost:'
On the day of the resurrection Jesus said ‘as my Father has sent me,
even so send I you.’ He then
breathed on His disciples and
said ‘receive the Holy Ghost.’
This was
not something to be repeated, and it was not an
illustration of a future blessing.
It was
something Jesus did because of His death and resurrection.
It was
the dawn of a new era.
It was an impartation of life.
Jesus breathed His resurrected life into His
disciples in the same way that God breathed life into Adam. Genesis 2:7 'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.'
The body of Christ is a new creation, born
again of the Spirit of God and now His life is dwelling in His body.
New Testament Christianity is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’.
The life of Christ in us. ‘When Christ who is our life shall appear.’ Colossians 3:1-4
His disciples became one with Christ.
They became one with each other.
United with Christ, united with one another.
c) New Testament Ministry is the life of
Christ ministering through His body.
Ministry has nothing to do with talents and abilities.
It is the ministry of life; the life of Christ ministering through His body.
Church meetings should be exciting because it is the gathering together of the body of Christ.
There are more ways of presenting a teaching than a sermon.
People enjoy learning using different means (visual, audio and kinaesthetic).
Teaching should apply to all people and not just those who enjoy a spoken message.
But nothing should be done purely for entertainment.
Everything should be for building up the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 14:26 the scripture says when you come together every one has
1) A Psalm - singing
2) A doctrine - teaching
3) A tongue – manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit
4) A Revelation – manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit
5) Interpretation – manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit
Two or three prophets speaking – a prophet speaking under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Let the other (prophets) judge (1
Corinthians
Prophecy for the purpose of teaching and comforting. (1 Corinthians 14:31)
Paul gives an example of prophecy in the local church.
An unbeliever comes into the meeting and one by one people prophecy.
The hidden things on his heart are revealed
and he knows the presence of God is in this place. 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.
a)
Leadership in the Church must come from a position of authority
Authority does not come simply through using the name of Jesus.
Authority comes from holding a position of authority.
Authority comes from being seated with Christ in heavenly places.
Paul writes we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)
This is a position of authority that is ‘Far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to come:’ Ephesians
Illustration: People with authority must be in a position of authority.
My wife and I were visiting a refuge for
street children in
Sons
of Sceva (Acts
They were not acting from a position of authority.
The sons of Sceva used the name of Jesus but the man possessed by an evil spirit asked ‘who are you?’
If the name of Jesus was all that was necessary to cast out devils then the sons of Sceva would have been OK. But it wasn’t.
The demon possessed man attacked them.
The sons of Sceva had no authority because they did not have the life of Christ in them, they did not have the authority of being seated in heavenly places with Christ and they did not have the power of the Holy Spirit upon them.
b)
The giving of ministry gifts is associated with the ascension of
Christ.
Ephesians
4:8, ‘Wherefore he says, When
he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.’
Ephesians
4:11-13, ‘And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness
of Christ:’
Why is the Ascension so important?
The Son of God has always been Lord.
The Son of God became Man.
The Man Jesus Christ is Lord.
He did not have to become Lord for Himself.
He became Lord for us.
The sending of ministry gifts is associated with the ascension of Christ.
Ministry gifts – cross, resurrection, and the ascension of Christ.
1) Life of Christ in us
2) Seated with Christ in heavenly places
3) In the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus ‘where I am there you may be also’ John 14:3
Jesus was not just speaking about a geographical location.
He was speaking about a position of authority – seated in heavenly places with Christ.
This is evident because Jesus told His disciples that the works that He did they would do and greater works. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.’ John 14:12.
c)
Ministry gifts are reproductive
Ephesians
4:11-13
Ministry gifts develop within the body of Christ through the operation of ministry gifts and experience.
This is Apostolic Succession. Ministry gifts producing ministries.
The teaching that Apostolic Succession is through a continual line of ordination from the time of the Apostles is nonsense and defies common sense as well as scripture.
a)
Jesus came to make us like Himself ‘as He is in the world so are we’ (1 John
In character - the same life
In our relationship with the Father - the same authority
In ministry to others - the same power
Ministry
Jesus taught His disciples to be like Him in ministry
Jesus only ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The ministry of the disciples in the
gospels
The disciples were not able to do all the things that Jesus did at that time (Matt. 17:16).
They were not anointed themselves until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), but they used the authority of the name of Jesus.
The seventy who were sent out also had a delegated authority (Matt. 10:1; Luke 10:1).
The
ministry of the disciples in the book of Acts
Love among
the disciples Acts
4:32
Authority – Boldness. Acts 4:13 – saw the boldness of Peter and John they knew they had been with Jesus.
Power Acts
b)
The power of the Holy Spirit is given because Jesus is glorified. John 7:39
Jesus
spoke of rivers of living water flowing out of believers (see BTP course on the Holy Spirit)
The Holy Spirit flowing out of believers like a river.
New Testament ministry is an overflowing of the Holy Spirit.
Old Testament ministry could be empowered by the Spirit but never rivers flowing out of your innermost being.
Rivers
bringing life
Rivers flowing – fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace…)
Manifestations of the Spirit are a small part of revival. The fruit of the Spirit manifested through the body of Christ is the main activity of revival.
A revival is the river of the Holy Spirit flowing out of believers
It is a river of life bringing an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit.
The
presence of the Lord
The presence of the Lord will be found
where the fruit of the Spirit is growing. Song of Solomon 6:1-3
The gifts of the Spirit do not produce fruit.
The fruit comes first and must always uphold the gifts.
Summary:
New Testament leadership
1. The life of Christ ministering through the body of Christ.
2. The body of Christ sent out by Jesus to minister His life to the world.
3. Jesus ministering in the same power and the same anointing through us.
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