Pure Apostolic Calling

PURE APOSTOLIC CALLING
By Lahry Sibley

God never changes, and the way in which He interacts and relates with us never changes. Instead, the influence the world has on the church lends us to perceive that various trends in mainstream Christianity are somehow acceptable or supposedly reflect the heart and intent of God.

But if we have not understood God as God, as Who He in fact is, then we will never apprehend the ultimate purposes and callings for the church. We will be left with something that pleases our religious desires and that appeases our Christian guilt that requires us to "do" something that we may be acceptable to Him.

Just recently I read a comment from a very well-known personality in Charismatic/third wave streams. He calls for us to accept that there will be "a new way of doing Church" in the 21st century. And another well-known figure in Charismatic circles has told us that God says the old ways are no longer acceptable and that He is going to do a new thing.

What is it about this fluff and nonsense that tempts us to depart from the centrality of the Cross and to focus on 'doing'? "How shall we structure our services? How many altar calls do we need? Should we allow more prophecies? Will what worked yesterday work for tomorrow's youth? What style of music should we have? Should we go to the church down the road to receive the blessing they seem to be enjoying? Maybe a conference is needed to discuss those issues?"

What do you say when someone asks "Did you enjoy the service?" or "Wasn't the music good today?" It is this very spirit that exposes our very heart. We are still self-centered. What can I get from a service? What style of music do I enjoy? Was that preacher a bit dry for me?

What sin......!!!!!!!! That is the first indication that you are not going to a service to find God and minister to Him, but are going with selfish motives to take away whatever you can get from it.

The heart of church is God and His purposes, and if we have not progressed beyond finding a church that tickles our religious lusts or fine-tuning a church that already caters to most of our desires, then we may NEVER be called by God to perform His ultimate tasks. When are we going to wake up and ask, "How can we BE the church?"

Church is meant to be the expression of God in a world that crucified Him when He stepped from Heaven. Church is community and hard as it may be in our western societies to initiate a communal mindset, there are blessings, callings, and duties that will never be ours if we do not perceive that God hates our methods and forms of religion.....He desires our hearts and our total submission that He may form the character of Christ within us. When that submission is real and originating in true repentance, we may then desire to be released into the work God has for us.

But as long as well-known personalities are urging us to 'do' things in certain ways and submit to certain figureheads, you can be sure that God's glory will not be seen in services. There will be a demonic thing, there will be an imagined thing coming from an emotional state that the choruses have whipped us into, but there will not be the pure manifestation of God's glory for He will not allow His work to be tainted or marked by self-promoted agendas.

You can be certain that we are not 'being' the church in all its apostolic calling because there are few who die to join themselves to it. There are few who have walked onto holy ground and been slain for their Godless motives.

God is yet waiting for a people who are willing to face the Cross head on and be brought to a death to self so absolute that we find we cannot tell where they stop and God starts. God is calling you and me to the Cross. He prepared in advance the works which He has for us to do, but yet He is waiting for us to come to the end of our agendas and programs and conferences and councils, to the end of our selves and our methods and forms.

There is a pure apostolic ministry coming when the plural leadership will work in pure harmony and the saints will flourish in ministry. But be certain that those who come through it will have come through suffering and rejection and persecution and will have hung on the Cross by faith with Christ. Understand that you are still being called to measure the Cross.