In this time of changing paradigms the structure of how or even why we do things as the church are changing. They are changing partly because our governmental structures are changing. The people of God are starting to understand true Bibical government in ways it has not known it before and this is changing the way we relate with one another and especially the way and why we relate with church leaders.
In the past the church opperated structurally in many differnet ways depending on the way it viewed church government or in other words the way the people related to and responded to those who were in charge of leading.
Some churches were and are pastor led while others are elder led and others are congeregationally led. Some groups are interestingly not led at all and I will refer to those groups as anarchist groups. By that I mean they do not like any leaders leading for they feel that heirarchy is bad and not from the Lord.
an·ar·chist
1. a person who advocates or believes in anarchy or anarchism.
2. a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order in the place of that destroyed.
3. a person who promotes disorder or excites revolt against any established rule, law, or custom.
Personally I believe that less government can be good but no government is a slippery slope that can cause the body of Christ to lose much ground.
We need leaders for certain but if the government is suppose to be on the shoulders of Christ and the Bible says that of His government there shall be no end then how does His government actually express itself within the Earth.
I believe much of the answer is found in the book of Ephesians when we are told that Christ ascended and gave gifts to men. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Patstors, Teachers
These leaders were given to us but they don't all carry out the same function for the body of Christ. They are all different and in a way are different branches of the government of God. Each leader has a governing responsibility to equip and train the saints but each role is different.
The evangelist has a role even as the pastor does but so do prophets apostles and teachers.
Personally I feell that when we as the saints learn how to align with these leaders in the right way and for the right reasons that out of that governmental reality a new structure will begin to form. The new will look something like the old but much better.
So why do we align with these governmental entities and what role do they truly play in the body of Christ? Many of these things and more are just now in our generation coming into focus. The better we see them the more change will come.
So why do you think we align with each five fold gift? I would like to hear some diologue about why you feel we need to align or not align with each of the five gifts mentioned.
Why do we align with pastors?
Why do we align with teachers?
Why do we align with evangelists?
Why do we align with prophets?
Why do we align with apostles?
When the body at large can answer these questions the bride of Christ will be springing forth as she never has.
These questions are being answered by many leaders and in many ways. The answers seem to be almost as controversial as the questions. I am praying that the leaders of this generation will press into the answers and take some risks emplementing them even if they face opposition in the doing. Reformers are not always popular in their generation.
Martin Luther the father of protestantism challenged the spiritual government of his day and said it needed to be reformed. that one governmental shift changed the face of Christianity forever. Every governmental shift brings structural shift. Whole lot of shifting going on these days it seems.
Heb 12:26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN."
Heb 12:27 And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
Heb 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.
Personally I don't want to shake so I am willing to shift and try to lign up with the government of the Kingdom of God.
Eph 4:8 Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."
Eph 4:9 (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
Eph 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Eph 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Verse 13 says it all. We will never get there until we understand the role of government because the reason God gives us government is so we can get there.