Sree,
I too have respect for my own Pastor and for David Wilkerson even if I disagree with the position they are or were in.
But ......believers see the Church as a place to go on a Sunday and dont involve themselves because they are the layity class.They fulfill the responsibilities of Service to the Body that is required of a layity class which is leave it to the professional Clergy class for the most part and chip in when the Clergy class complains the workload is too much!What I am pointing out is the Layity class dont even know they are the Layity class and when they find out the unbiblical position they are in they wont be satisfied with just filling the pews on a Sunday but may get involved with the Body.
God is a God of Order and Structure as well as Freedom,first Apostles,Prophets,Evangelists etc and once their is a Clergy/Layity divide the gifts cannot work correctly or in order and cannot equip the Saints ..
So even though an Apostle may be given the title by God he is being usurped by the role of Pastor in the modern Church.They may be effective to some degree as may an evangelist or a Prophet but the gifts will not be in order and fall way short of the equipping nessacary.
On your final point I believe that our greater or lesser service to God will not determine our Salvation in heaven but will determine our reward.Our greater love for God will determine our greater service.
Also as a footnote We can have and God wants us to have all three aspects discussed Love for him,His Presence as you mentioned and proper Biblical Church Structure that equips the saints and has them live with the correct identity not one of being a lay minister but of being a Royal Priest,ur staff

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Sreeram

Hi Sree,
I am not ignoring the power of God at all on the contrary I am trying to create an environment where God can operate through his Church in the most powerful and effective way so that their will be no need of more splits and schism.
The scriptures contain the word of God which has power and does not return void.Paul regularly pointed out things to people about scripture that they did not know already.
He had to point out as I am doing the order of the gifts in the Church so that they would function correctly and equip the saints.What you are saying is that it doesnt matter about the proper order of the gifts and Paul needed not have bothered explaining about them as they would have worked anyway.
In Peter and Johns day they had proper order of the gifts and proper Church Structure and went ahead with their work with the blessing of the Church and the power of God.Just because greats like John Bunyan achieved things as did Billy Graham it doesnt mean that wrong structure hasnt got in the way of Church equipment.Many people have not been rose to their potential in a timely fashion because of our wrong structures and authority.
An Apostle will quickly have to move out of his Church and form another Church because of wrong authority causing another unwanted but nessacary split in the Church.He will be lost to the members of his former Church also.
The role of Pastor has clearly usurped its position in the gifts in the modern Church and has to be reigned in for it to function properly.
What you are saying is that proper Church structure and proper Church authority doesnt matter ,its going to be all right on the night and Pauls exhortations that wolves would come in after he had gone doesnt really matter.The Church deosnt need protection or guidance,the Church will operate just as well with or without proper order and Authority.
The only thing Peter had on his mind the line before the outpouring of the "POWER"of God on Pentecost was we have to get the structure back in line before Pentecost.

The fact is we have a layity class and the majority dont even know that they are part of it.They do not understand their identity in Christ as being a Royal Priest.If all we need is revelation then lets throw the bible away altogether and God will reveal without it.Lets forget about teaching they dont need it ,they will know without being taught!Layity identity does have a negative effect on Church Growth and equipment no doubt about it and God uses people to point out things to other Christians ,staff

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Sreeram

Hi Sree,
The problem I have with your arguement is that you are ignoring scripture on Structure and Order and saying its irrelevant.What Paul said about the gifts irrelevant,what Peter said before pentecost irrelevant.

This isnt about rejection or training through rejection which alot if not all of Gods Prophets go through.When Paul listed out the gifts it was for a reason.You are saying it doesnt matter.
We can have any old Church structure and it will work because the gifts will come through in the end!Paul needed not have bothered talking about Structure or anything really as in the end it doenst matter as it will be all right on the night.
When the Churches in Revelation were given their report cards some did some things right and some things wrong,he pointed out things that they may not want to hear.He still pointed it out.All the Churches functioned at one level or other.
My post is clear the position of Pastor in the Church is incorrect in the modern Church and it is being tolerated.
If the position of Pastor is in the correct position and it has no consequences, why has your own Church a different structure?Why has or is your Church more biblical than the other Churches if structure doesnt matter.Why follow the perfect biblical pattern ,if it doesnt matter.
The majority of Church goers dont even know they are part of a layity(an unbiblical division)
Jesus threw over the tables of the money changers in the temple and pointed out how wrong the system was.I am only pointing out how wrong the system we have now compares to what Gods best is and you are taking issue with it,
staff

Hi Sree,
One other thing I missed is that all people in the Church are gifted to Minister not just a few,All are gifted,staff

The Pastor is the new Apostle.

This has been true ever since some really good and godly men decided "the gifts are not for today" and the "Apostles and prophets all died out in the first century, they were only there to bring us the bible".

With this kind of eschatology and the removal of apostles and prophets from the scene of Church life the Pastor became the reigning Apostle among pastors...and we too have said at one time or another "Pastor So-and-so has spawned so many Churches he really is an apostle in his own right".

This very thinking perpetuates the continued absence of apostleship in the body of Christ...and if there are any, they are crowded into one Church. The N.A.R. New apostolic reformation seems to say 'there are apostles today' but the remainder of mainstream denominations...even non-denominations don't see the importance or necessity of apostolic gifting.

Part of this is because Staff is right in saying poor teaching and poor Church government patterned after the CEO board room model (Moses model) crushes it from the start.
Either the board of elders would refuse the pulpit to anyone calling themselves or hinting at apostolic gifting.
The Pastor in Charge is not going to just 'hand over' the pulpit to some upstart no matter how gifted namely because if this guy is a bomb he's left to pick up the pieces.

Secondly a real prophet or apostle may not be as seeker friendly, Church-hospital-minded, your-best-life-now, we-follow-our-old-tradition, minister. In fact, truth be told, if a real one did show up chances are he would never see the same pulpit twice.

Yes, we are afraid of the consequences of a real apostle or prophet because they will tell us...pack up your stuff and move to Myanmar with Francis. Probably not near to the extent we think they might...but who wants to take chances?

We have machinery in place, we have a mindset in place, we have a culture readily willing to permit a church with 3 hymns a sermon and out by noon to the buffet. No evangelism necessary, no radical sacrifice wanted, no extremism required and especially no 'first century stuff' where books are burned, folks are persecuted, fortunes lost, slave or free Christ is your King and you are a bond-slave.

Along with the Apostle and prophet their graves are also filled with the first century ideas of Christianity. It's a clean and convenient way to build a more suitable Church befitting the modern mind...God have mercy.

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Marvin

Hi Glory and Grace,
Thats a whole different discussion that has been replayed over and over whether the gifts of Apostle and Prophet has died out than what Im talking about.My comment on that is if the gifts of Apostle and Prophet died out then the saints of the first century were equiped and we are considerably less equiped.Also the word of God says "God does nothing without first telling his Prophets" so then we are left with God doing nothing for 2 thousand years! or the word of God not being correct.I do believe we have and I have seen myself Prophets in the modern church.As for Apostles I think we have types of Apostles in the sense of a Church planter but not with the Authority of the first Century Church as regards to doctrine or disipline.
To me the Pastor is not the new Apostle even if their was no Apostle or Prophet the role of Pastor still usurps proper Authority as Evangelist is a higher role in the order.Its funny the Evangelist didnt die out ??all things being equal it should have,

How and ever we do have a division that should not be in the Church between Clergy and Layity ,whatever the history of how we got here and whether certain gifts exist today or not.This is the place we find ourselves in today 2020 .
Christ died so that their would be no ungodly division in the Church and that it would function correctly.
I am not putting forward a solution to the problem.Only a souvereign move of God by his Holy Spirit can change the situation.I am only asking people to recognize and acknowledge the position we are in and not to kick against the goads when God decides to move,
staff

The biblical distinction between office holder 'Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher' and non-office holders is important to recognize as God gifted and placed into his body these 'gifts' for not all are apostles or prophets...in fact very few are.
This distinction cannot be construed as "Clergy vs Laity" in the sense you are using it.

The biblical distinction between Elder and Deacon cannot be construed as "Clergy vs Laity"

The biblical distinction between those who 'rule' as have been given a measure of rule 2 cor 10:13 and those who do not have that measure cannot be construed as "Clergy vs Laity"

The biblical distinction between those who are gifted " 1Cor 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" and those who do not or have not these gifts cannot be construed as "Clergy vs Laity"

Without becoming tedious I think it's important to recognize and submit to one another according to our giftings.

It seems (without going into Church history) that your concern deals mostly with the non-submission to one another giftings. In this it seems the dirty-deeds are being done.

Namely the despising of prophecy, the in-admission of the office of Evangelist, Prophet or Apostle. The relegation of congregational members to an "unlearned and ignorant" status therefore if a leader wants their opinion he will give them one to repeat back.
The rule of an eschatological position among leaders that requires conformity equal to or exceeding the essentials of the Christian faith.

So if I am reading all of this correctly, at the end of the day the real culprit is human desire for power over others. Afterwards the uses of Theological means to accomplish this end.

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Marvin

Hi GloryandGrace,
Just for clarity I will repeat why I am saying their is Clergy/Layity divide in the modern Church
1.
We use terminology(which is structure in itself) that is unbiblical and causes division
Such as "full time minister" and "In the ministry"
By using and accepting these identifications we are saying their are two types of Christians in the Church but Corinthians says "to each one".Everyone is gifted,all are ministers,all are full time.

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good"

2.
Paul said "I Paul an Apostle".We are calling people by their giftings we are saying "I the Apostle Paul" except the normal on a Sunday morning is not an Apostle its "I the Pastor Paul" or "Pastor Joe"
The crazy end of the spectrum is saying "I the Prophet Graham".By calling the leader Pastor instead of his name we are creating a layity class.We still respect his leadership and his gifting though.
3.
We have elevated the gift of Pastor above the order and importance laid out by Paul.By doing this the gifts no longer work correctly.The "hand" is no longer acting the way a hand should but is acting like the "foot" etc
Because of this the saints are not being equiped properly
Ephesians says that the gifts working in unity and order are for the following:

"for the equipping of the [d]saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [e]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [f]which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

The Consequences if the gifts are not working together in unity will be the OPPOSITE of the scripture below
Ephsians
"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 [h]in deceitful scheming; 15 but [i]speaking the truth in love, [j]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [k]by what every joint supplies, according to the [l]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."

The Opposite of above:
A:We will remain children
B:We will be tossed about by waves and carried by every wind of doctrine,by trickery of men etc
C:We will not grow up in all aspects of him the head Christ
D:We will not be held together properly and their will be disunity
E:The body will not be built up in Love

Consequences of wrong identity in the Church:

The Pastors will identify as "being in the ministry" and the Congregation will become "an audience" rather than part of the body.The audience will not see themselves "as being in the ministry" which is unbiblical.

This may look on the surface of it a small thing but in fact I believe its the greatest challenge of the modern Church,
The Church needs to start working in order and unity for the equipping of the saints,otherwise the equipping of the saints will be haphazard at best,
staff
P.s One little but important fact is that unity is never mentioned as far as I can see except in relation to the working of the gifts.