EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES

Standing with you on the frontlines

JANUARY 2000......THE WALLS ARE COMING DOWN - FAST!!

�For He Himself......has broken down the middle wall of division......having abolished.....ordinances......that He might reconcile them both to God� (Eph 2:14-16)

JESUS CHRIST BROUGHT DOWN WALLS YESTERDAY, IS STILL DOING IT TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO

As we enter the new millennium, it is worth remembering that God has been in the business of bringing walls down for a long time. 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son to break down walls of separation between man and God and then sent His Spirit to tear down barriers between Jew and Gentile, Israel and the church, Greek-speaking believers and Jewish-speaking believers.

About 30 years ago, God raised the Charismatic and House Church Movement to powerfully expose and demolish walls that existed within �so-called� mainline churches until many of them became �sideline� churches because they kept trying to preserve ruins of walls divinely demolished.

WALLS ARE HELD TOGETHER BY AUTHORITY, NOT LOVE

What are walls? Walls are things that we introduce in the church because of its Biblical basis but implement in a manner which preserves human agenda. When the central glue that keeps a structure together is authority and not love, you can be sure that walls have come up.

In the 1970s, a movement emerged in the United States called the Shepherding Movement. It encouraged every person to have a shepherd as a means of being nurtured (�covered�) spiritually. This certainly has biblical imperative. But not when we employ, in the name of �spiritual covering�, all sorts of spiritual subtleties to manipulate people into giving us their loyalty or instil fear in them that they would be out of the will of God or easy prey to the enemy�s attacks. Especially, when the one asking for loyalty is not providing the required spiritual care or input for the true well-being of their flock, except to get their energy, gifting, talents and finances to achieve personal vision.

WHEN THE BRANCH AIMS TO BE BIGGER THAN VINE, IT GETS CHOPPED OFF!!

Sometime ago, I was told about a church which made members sign a �covenant� (which in itself has a Biblical basis and blessing) so that they will pledge their total allegiance to the church. The church, as the bride of Christ, should do everything within its power to get people focused on the Bridegroom and not on itself. When the branch wants to be bigger than the vine, it has to be chopped off.

ARE WE INTO SOMETHING BECAUSE GOD IS IN IT- OR OUR CHURCH IS IN IT?

Support given for joint-effort public meetings promoted by a certain group is not likely to be reciprocated for those organised by others if the group no longer plays the dominant role. It seems our participation in something is no longer determined by whether God is in it but whether my church is in it.

So, over the last few years, many walls have been put up creating a �territorial mentality� in God�s leaders and people, clouding and distorting our vision of things, particularly of God himself. After all, some people tell me, this is good church growth strategy - �building walls to close the backdoor so that no one leaves the church�. But it also closes our minds to a true and bigger picture of God. Let us establish this: People stay in the pews because we are opening them up more to God, not because we are fencing them in. I pray that the so-called apostolic movement and churches which is budding today in various denominations, will show us the way out rather than keep us stuffed up in a box.

ARE YOU PUTTING ALL YOUR EFFORTS INTO PROPPING UP THE WALL OR REMOVING HINDRANCES FOR PEOPLE TO TRULY GROW IN THE LORD?

Many saints are becoming stifled in such an environment, their energy being absorbed into propping up walls rather than removing all barriers to help people chase after God. In the West and slowly now in the East, a growing number are becoming restless in the pews.

Someone once said: �Remove the Holy Spirit from the church and 95 percent of a church�s activities will still be business as usual�. If that is true today, then God is going to bring down the walls of (not in) His church- literally and very soon!!