There’s a lot of talk about a latter house. Much is being said concerning what a mighty move of God we will have, in these final days.

It’s my responsibility to admit, I am one of those believers. Why? I can’t help it. Walking across a parking lot today, it came to me: that this which is in us cannot help but respond.

Some twenty years ago, church as we knew it didn’t look so bad. It has been said that we heard this end-time news preached, taught and prophesied. It simply stated, that Jesus Christ was not coming back for anything less than what He had set in motion in His ministry.

There is one thing we must be truthful about. Many of us, or even most of us, could not be speaking in such a manner as we do here, under the same men’s rules. Too much of what we were all under, silenced certain voices of truth.

Thank God a few were allowed to do so, just long enough for us to catch a few live coals. These small coals never went out. They may have seemed faint, many times. It seems too many of us have forgotten just what God can do. And if He places something within a man or woman and He wants it to stay there, it stays there. No force, can undo what He sets in place.

We’ve drifted away from a very important truth; one which occurred before the Holy Ghost blew into that upper room. In the few short years that Jesus Christ walked those dusty roads, He had a band of men who went everywhere with Him. He taught them the things that He wanted them to teach and demonstrate after He left here.

Seventy of His followers got some good experience going about healing people; hear that! And also casting out devils. Those who were His closest students, became apostles in His church. This church’s foundation, was built upon them, as well as the prophets.

If the church was built first with these two offices, why would anyone want to take them out?

What is even more direly troubling is that it might appear that some have even attempted to remove the very Cornerstone. Even the head of the Church, the true authority, which is Jesus Christ himself.

Oh, the apostles knew this was coming. It was of deepest concern that those who are false, or those who are out for their own operation, would somehow infiltrate and set about to contaminate the real thing. They went around to all of the first churches or wrote to them, warning all to watch out for such things.

Before anyone turns off on this message, let us consider what it is going to take to help iron out all of these wrinkles. Jesus spoke of a spotless garment. There is no need in any of us trying to shirk off the real truth, that many of our people have spots; if we admit it.

It cannot be studied enough, about what God set in the Church. We are going to have to humble ourselves, and ask a vital question. Are the things He set in the church, still there? And if they are, are they operating totally in the full manner that they did at the onset?

It does not matter who and how many no longer want to discuss the five ministries stated in Ephesians 4. What were these things for?

We will answer first; for the perfecting of the saints. Too many never even bothered, to study that. It means, to complete; to bring to it’s fullness; to bring it to maturity. Can we not see, that even the work of the ministry, cannot be accomplished without the order that God set here?

Let’s forget the term “five-fold,” at the moment. Another definition is, for the “equipping” of the saints. Yes, preparing them.

Obviously, we haven’t needed much true power of the deeper sort. But it is the job of the ministry to instruct God’s people, that we will. The truth is, we need it even now; desperately.

If we the people, including the ministry, have not matured as we were intended, we are no doubt still on milk. We cannot teach others; we have no meat to give them.

Yes, there is much destruction at hand; and it is increasing every day. It’s sad, but most are not equipped for that either. Going by someone else’s rules, someone else’s vision or settling for less, will not stand, if we want the move of God that so many of us yearn for.

Do we want all of the truth, or just part of it.

 

~ Robert Blackburn

---

Robert Blackburn

 

 

Back to Top