Volume Eight, Issue Four
10/02

Dear All,

Greetings from Hawaii!

FEATURE ARTICLE

The feature article for this DITC e-Newsletter is called "Why Were The Grace Gifts Of Servant Leadership Given?" by Sandy Simpson.  This is a study of Ephesians 4:11-16. The passage explains the grace gifts of servant leadership, why they were given, and how they are to be applied. I'm afraid that more and more Christians "leaders" today have forgotten what the grace gifts are all about.  It is my prayer that this little article will help remind us that Eph. 4:11-16 is key to a correct "worldview" as a Christian leader today. It is unfortunate that there seems to be a move afoot in many churches where testing and discernment is no longer deemed important or that it is a "divisive" issue to be avoided at all costs. But Eph. 4 tells us clearly that we, as Christian leaders, are there to bring the body of Christ to maturity so they will not be divided and driven about by every wind of doctrine.

NEW BOOK!

I want to announce the arrival of my new book called "Discernment Toolkit".

Want to be able to see your way through to clear biblical discernment? Want a set of tools that will allow you to disciple your loved ones so they will stand firm in the Faith? Want to sort out many of the false arguments and teachings that have invaded the churches? Then DISCERNMENT TOOLKIT is for you! Clear concise biblical teaching on how to discern, test and judge with righteous judgment are laid out, chapter by chapter, in this 400 page book by Sandy Simpson. Read the first chapter here. Get time-tested advice on subjects like: Judge Rightly, Demolish Arguments, Know What You Believe, Know What They Believe, Define The Terms, Protect Your Church, Avoid False Unity, Get The Leaven Out, Be A Humble Servant, Worship God As Sovereign, Preach The Real Gospel, Pray In The Spirit, Be Wary Of The Doctrines Of Men, Don’t Follow Their Example, Test Everything, Don’t Shipwreck Your Faith, Look For The Fruit, Obey The Lord ... This limited edition book is available now for $15.00 plus $4.00 s/h.  Non US Postal addresses are $15.00 plus $9.00 s/h. Order by PayPal or mail today!

U.S.

OUTSIDE U.S.

If you can't see some of the above pictures or buttons, go to:

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/toolkitbook.html

I hope this book will be a blessing to many people and will help Christians stand up for the Faith!

In Christ,
Sandy Simpson, missionary

Let's make a quick study of Ephesians 4:11-16.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (NIV)

WHAT ARE THE GRACE GIFTS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP TODAY?

The grace gifts of leadership, or more accurately servant leadership, are listed as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers or pastor-teachers, depending on your interpretation.  The gift of foundational Apostleship is no longer our concern as no one today fits the criteria to be a foundational apostle.  The teachings of the foundational Apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20) are what the Church is built upon, Christ being the chief Cornerstone and Foundation (1 Cor. 3:10-11).  The Apostles were those who saw the Lord while He was on earth before he ascended into heaven (1 Cor. 9:1) and the Lord did true signs, wonders and miracles through them to authenticate their ministries (2 Cor. 12:12). They wrote Scriptures (Matthew, John, Peter, Paul, etc.). They were persecuted and all but one (John) were martyred for the Faith (1 Cor. 4:9 and the Pre Nicene Fathers writings). Finally, Paul said that he was the last, in sequence, of the original foundational Apostles (1 Cor. 15:7-8).  We are to use the Word of God, through Jesus Christ, taught to us by the Apostles and prophets, as the basis for our Christian life (2 Peter 3:2, Jude 17).

There is no one today who can meet the biblical criteria to be a foundational Apostle.  But there are "apostles" in the Church today, "sent out" ones, messengers, mainly church planting missionaries, but they are not foundational to the Church.

The gift of prophecy is also somewhat different today. There are no longer any "foundational" prophets (Eph. 2:20)--those who wrote Scripture (Samuel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc.)--who were often martyred for the Faith (Luke 11:47-48, Rev. 18:24) though some may yet be killed in our day--and upon whom the Church has its foundation (2 Pet. 3:2), in Christ the Foundation and Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6). There are prophets today. But they are also to be held up to the same standards as any biblical prophet. What they prophesy must be biblical and what they predict must come true (Deut. 13:1-3, 18:20). Otherwise they are to be considered false prophets and the Church should not listen to them (Jer. 23;16, Matt. 7:15, 2 Pet. 2:1 1 John 4:1). This criteria also applies to any of the grace gifts. If evangelists are preaching a false gospel (Gal. 1:9), if pastors and teachers are not teaching sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3, Titus 1:9, 2:1), they are all to be regarded as heretics and rejected after a few admonitions if they do not repent (Titus 3:10).

Today the main role of a prophet is to exegete the written Word through which Jesus Christ speaks (Heb. 1:1-2) to instruct and edify the Church (1 Cor. 14:31) He does not rely on his own interpretations (2 Pet. 1:20). The Holy Spirit speaks through the living written Word (Heb. 4:12), which we are not to go beyond (1 Cor. 4:6), and out of that comes the guidance of the Lord for the Church. As a prophet elaborates upon the Word, prophecy for the church today often comes forth. The Lord can and still does speak through dreams and visions (Acts 2:17) but dreams and visions must be tested (1 Thes. 5:21) by the Scripture (2 Tim. 3:15-16) which is our highest authority, as the Holy Spirit breathed the words through men--the very Word of God. I would also add that you can be sure that those who give themselves the title of apostle or prophet today, tooting their own horn loudly in the public arena, are false apostles (2 Cor. 11:13) and false prophets (Mark 13:22).

The roles of evangelist, pastor and teacher continue today as they did in the first century.

WHY WERE THE GRACE GIFTS GIVEN?

Now that we have established who modern day apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are, let's move on to the main reason why these grace gifts of servant leadership were given.  Let's step through the passage above.

... to prepare God’s people for works of service ...

First, the purpose of the grace gifts of servant leadership is to prepare God's people for works of service. If a person is not a servant himself, he will not know how to train others to be servants. Servants serve, they are not there to get others to serve them. We serve God first, then we serve others. False Third Wave teachers are haughty, self-absorbed, self-proclaimed leaders who claim gifts from God yet use them to get themselves a title and lord it over men. They have no idea how to be servants themselves, therefore they cannot prepare anyone for works of service in the body of Christ, or to preach the Gospel to the world. True apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers use their grace gift to serve in humility.

... so that the body of Christ may be built up ...

This is not talking about numbers, church size, "salvation" statistics. It is talking about the spiritual body of Christ being built into a house.

Eph. 2:19  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

This passage is talking about the same building, the Church. It is a spiritual building, not a physical temple. The Holy Spirit now dwells in the temple of the individual spirit of the true believer, and in the body of Christ as a whole. As leaders, we are not to be concerned as much with quantity as with quality. We care what people believe, that they are believing the right thing, and that they walk in that belief.  The reason for the grace gifts is not to build mega-churches but to build upon the foundation of Christ taught by the Apostles and prophets. This means that those who have the grace gifts of servant leadership will be teaching sound doctrine as a basis for true unity.

Titus 1:9  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Titus 2:1  You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

... until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God ...

So then, "unity" is not referring to ecumenical unity. It is not talking about interfaith dialog. It is not even referencing the unity we already share in the Holy Spirit by virtue of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We already have that as the body of Christ. So what kind of unity is this referencing? It is talking about unity in doctrine, unity in the knowledge of Jesus Christ! The whole purpose of the gifts it to bring about unity in the core doctrines of the Faith, in the knowledge of God. That unity can be broken by heretics, the divisive ones. This is why we are to reject divisive heretics because they cause disunity in the body of Christ.

Titus 3:10  Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

The word for "divisive" in Greek is "hairetikos" from which we get the word "heretic". A heretic is a person who teaches against the core doctrines of the Faith.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them— bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Romans 16:17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Heresy causes divisions over the core doctrines, and puts obstacles in the way of people becoming mature in the Faith.

... and become mature ...

How can someone with the grace gifts teach someone else to be mature if they themselves are not? What does becoming mature mean? It means growing from an infant to an adult spiritually. It means going from milk to solid food. It means growing in wisdom and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:1  Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity ...
Colossians 1:10  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Heb. 5:13-14  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Notice that those who are mature eat solid food, and that solid food trains them to distinguish good from evil. Infants cannot tell the difference. That's why many infant Christians can be so easily led astray by heretics. It is of vital importance for those in servant leadership to prepare the body of Christ to eat solid food so that they can stand against false teaching, false prophecy and false "anointings".

... attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ ...

Can any Christian be exactly like Christ? Certainly that is our goal. But while we are here on earth we still have our old sin nature in the flesh and mind, and the temptations of the enemy to contend with. Jesus Christ was in the same situation as we are, but never sinned. We will never be able to make that claim. Fortunately, as we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God the Father then no longer sees our unrighteousness, but sees the righteousness of His Son through the blood He shed for us. However, that doesn't mean we don't strive for maturity in Christ, to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. To do that we must be crucified with Christ daily.

Galatians 5:24  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Galatians 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Luke 9:23  Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

We no longer live for the desires of the flesh, but we "live by faith in the Son of God". The perfect measure of the fullness of Christ will have its ultimate fulfillment when we are resurrected to eternal life--but there is also a fullness, an abundant life to be experienced now as we are crucified with Christ and follow Him.

John 10:10b  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Eph. 3:20-21  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

We are saved by grace, and it is also the power of the Holy Spirit working in us Who can bring us to the fullness of Christ. We cannot do that on our own. What we must do is to submit to the Spirit, study and obey the Word, stay in sound doctrine.

... Then we will no longer be infants ...

Infants cannot swim in a rough sea. They will drown. Mature adults know how to swim and the techniques of survival. They have read the materials and know how to use them. Infants have little understanding and so they can be engulfed by the seas of doctrinal confusion. Those with the grace gifts are to bring infants to maturity by teaching them sound doctrine and giving them the tools to survive on the oceans of life. This is the MAIN REASON FOR THE GRACE GIFTS!

... tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching ...

The winds of false teaching today are greater than ever before in the history of the Church. Many "Christians" have abandoned the truth for teachers that tell lots of stories with little or no redeeming spiritual value.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

They are false leaders, and though a few of them may even have been given true spiritual grace gifts in the past, they are now using them for greedy gain and to become famous. Their followers no longer have a love of the truth, and are immature believers, if they are believers at all. Those who are true leaders in the body of Christ will prevent Christians from being tossed about by every wind of doctrine, by being watchmen. A shepherd not only feeds the flock, but also guards it from wolves.

Ezekiel 33:6  But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Acts 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

... and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming ...

Here we find that those who teach false doctrine are also those who scheme. Their cunning and crafty ways show that they have another spirit, because Satan is the father of lies, not the Holy Spirit. Therefore they are often after people's money, a following, fame, and power over people. They teach the things that people most want to hear because they know they will reap the rewards of fame and fortune. They claim to be sheep, but they are wolves who eat sheep for breakfast. It is these very schemers that those with grace gifts must steer people away from. The Apostles and even the prophets of the Old Testament did that by naming names. We can do no less.

... Instead, speaking the truth in love ...

Now we move on to how to accomplish bringing Christians to maturity and unity in the Faith once for all delivered to the Saints. We must speak the truth. We must love people. We must speak the truth in love.

The most loving thing you can do for a non-Christian is to ultimately preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

The most loving thing you can do for a Christian is to teach him the truth so he can grow.

The most loving thing you can do for a deceived Christian is to show him the truth and warn him away from false teachers.

The most loving thing you can do for a deceiver is to rebuke him sharply, once or twice, then if he refuses to repent (which he almost always does) reject him--turn him over to Satan for the destruction of his body so that his spirit may have the opportunity to be saved (1 Cor. 5:5, 1 Tim. 1:20). If he repents, then accept him back in the body. If he does not, warn others away from him, don't let him near the flock and continue to pray for his salvation. But do everything out of love.

I love how Jude described our duty:

Jude 20-25  But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear— hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

... we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ ...

We are to grow up, mature. We are to grow up to be like Jesus Christ. He is our Head. We are not the Head, He is the Head. We are the body and must continue to grow spiritually. It is the responsibility of those with servant leadership grace gifts to be sure Christians are growing into the likeness of Christ, and that can only be done through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and the correct application of the grace gifts.

... From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament ...

We are one body in the Faith. A body cannot live without the Head, but it also cannot function properly without a thumb, an eyeball, a leg, etc. We are joined together not my some kind of ecumenical or interfaith unity, but by the Holy Spirit. That unity is then strengthened and brought to maturity by the unity we have because of our common belief in and obedience to the commands of God in His Word.

... grows and builds itself up in love ...

As we grow in the unity of the essentials of the Faith, we will grow in love. As we become mature, stay away from false teachers, reach out in love to those who are falling -- we build ourselves up in love. Love is more than saying you love someone or something. It is action. Love is not afraid of being persecuted or hurt for the sake of the truth. Love is not the sycophantic romantic notion of love we see and hear so much about these days, even in the churches. Love is born of sacrifice, even to the point of death. Are Christian leaders willing to suffer persecution for their stand for the truth? If not, then the body of Christ cannot be built up in love.

... as each part does its work.

The main problem today in "Christendom" is that each part is no longer doing its work. Many "Christians" have been convinced that their main goal in life is--to do spiritual warfare in the heavenlies--to bind territorial spirits--to spend time on the carpets of churches laughing and acting like animals--to be "drunk in the spirit"--to make a big Pharisiacal show of their monetary giving--to travel to where the newest Christian show is being put on to get another "anointing" that doesn't exist--to pretend to worship God when they are singing with arms uplifted in churches while they live like the devil during the week at home--to forge ecumenical ties with everyone who says they "believe in Jesus", no matter how bizarre their theology or how weird they act--to build mega churches that spend all their time thinking up programs and none of their time preaching the gospel--to be afraid to support discernment ministries while supporting all kinds of other unbiblical mission ventures ... These are the signs of leadership in churches that have forgotten their role to bring Christians to maturity and get them away from false teaching. They have lost THE MAIN REASON FOR THE GRACE GIFTS!

It is my prayer that more Christian leaders will rediscover the reason they have been given grace gifts and use them in accordance with the will of God laid out in the written Word of God. Those who love the Lord obey His commands!