In God’s timing I look forward to meeting, encouraging, and being encouraged by the developing body in Australia! Good times, good times!

Blessings!
Tom

Thank you for “taking it a little further”!! I wasn’t expecting a response from the author but was delighted to read your thoughts, experiences and hope and beliefs for the future. It would be great to meet! I was with Brett last weekend but hadn’t read your response at that stage. So shall take your friendship and background up with him. Have browsed your site.

Bless you brother, look forward to marching into the new season alongside you!

Under Construction: God at Work, the making of a godly woman:

I was very involved with the “church” system for a number of years, even involved with “ministry”, until, the Lord began to open my eyes in 2001. He told me that He was going to take me into the wilderness. At that time I really did not understand that concept, but have over the last year and a half, as I have began to understand as I have witnessed Him working and stripping me of my flesh and all attatchments and attractions to this world, it’s way and system. This has been in process over the past four years. He has removed all the barriers and false securities that the world tends to lean on, and that I in times past leaned on as well.

The wilderness experience will either kill you or wake you up to the true realities that exist, and can only be seen through the eyes of God and by the child who trusts Him. Only in these times did I realize that I could relate to the children of Israel in thier wilderness experience and take note and learn from thier experience and do my best not to make the same mistakes in not trusting God, regardless of what others may say or do. And, believe me, I have heard numerous opinions of men, even my own “household” and relatives, who have no clue what God is saying to His people today, which testifies that they do not trust in His ways. So, I stand a fool, and labeled a lunatic in their eyes to this day, because it is beyond their understanding…….

O’ the wisdom of men is foolishness to God, and His ways are high above our ways, who can understand them. In saying this, I have learned not to question God, but to trust and obey, and the outcome has always been for the best and for His glory!! All glory to God!

“To obey, is better than sacrafice”

Alot is going on in my life that does not make sense to the natural mind, but I know that God is working, and that I must trust and obey, regardless the opposition that I face daily. The amazing thing is, His strength in me to take all that comes my way with meekness, love & forgiveness of heart, and the more zeal to carry this cross even further.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20

All For Jesus, Gale

I think you are right on! The sooner we settle that we all only see a part, and even the part we see is seen through that darkened glass, the better.

Such incredible failures in the prophetic should be troubling to us. If it doesn’t trouble us, and if we don’t speak up when we see it and hear it, then our passivity becomes tacit acceptance. Case in point: The whole so called “apostolic” movement in the traditional Church setting. While Jesus will be glorified in some measure through this, as He always is, I’m as certain as I ever have been that this is more about the flesh of man the glory of God.

I’d like to take it a little further. I believe the only reason any of us would resist having our words tested by those who are spiritual in the body, is because we nurture a “lone ranger” attitude connected with a desire to protect the “my ministry demon,” that seeks entrance into each of us. The “I can’t let you evaluate the Word I bring because if you find a spiritual/scriptural flaw in it it makes me less significant, and if I’m less significant than you then you will get invited to extend your ministry and I will be sat down again.” How sick and sad, but such “one upmanship,” has too long characterized much of the leadership of the body.

Ok, so, let’s take your exhortation to the next level. What I’m about to share will perhaps stretch the intention for this thread, but I’m ok with being asked to keep it shorter, if Brett prefers that, but I’m going to share here some things I “believe” God has been speaking to my heart about, and in the context of this spiritual body of brethren I invite spiritual evaluation of what I think He’s been speaking to me.

Consider the following:

Up until John the apostle died, around 100 AD, while the Church had her troubles, the apostles did a pretty good job keeping things on track with God’s heart. But, within 50 short years after John’s death, his student Polycarp allowed the Church to begin its detour from God’s plan, as it appears to me he allowed his skill in communication and leadership to go to his head, and because men tend to exalt men over Christ, in Polycarp’s lifetime men put him on pedestal and encouraged him to see himself as one called to administrate the broader Church towards regional oversight.

Ignatius was Polycarp’s disciple as Polycarp was John’s disciple, and true to form, the disciple exceeded his master, and Ignatius took the Church into full blown regional bishopric, and the Church has never been the same since. Fifty years saints, just fifty short years, to completely derail the Church from the style of leadership Jesus ordained for His Church for all time, with the result that Jesus’ Headship was denied and His authority usurped.

Church ceased to be “all about Jesus,” and rapidly became about the will of man for Jesus’ Church. Little by little Jesus took a back seat to the ideas, and developing traditions of man. These moves set the Church up for Constantine’s major changes, and with his sweeping reforms the Church was plunged into a quagmire of the rule of man, with all his religious laws, ideas, and traditions. We’ve been trying to dig out of it all ever since.

In my short lifetime I’ve watched the Lord carefully and yet “obviously” begin the process of seriously realigning the Church with His purposes. Why now? Why so dramatically in so short a time? I don’t know the answer to this prophetic question, but I can see it happening, and I know it is God.

We are witnessing the Church move from a concept of “a building equals the Church,” to “people, gathering wherever, equals the Church.” We’re seeing leadership move from hierarchical one man shows, to non hierarchical and Jesus becoming the Head of His Church again. These are not small changes. These are unbelievably huge and important changes. Who would have thought such a thing would take place in so short a time?

Throughout the world His Church is quietly getting up, out of their pews, saying goodbye, and moving into homes, offices, parks, beaches, coffee shops, etc.. I won’t detail all the changes here, because chances are you are already well aware of what has taken place and what is taking place.

So, where is this heading to?

First, some of the prophetic dangers I believe the Lord has spoken to me about:

1. All such sweeping changes have “always” turned into man’s personal movements. This must not happen, though I believe I see it happening. I’m convinced Jesus is always opposed to movements, because movements take His Church away from Him again, and become about the agendas of man. What needs to be done can be done by Jesus, working simply through His people, and needs nothing of man’s agenda. What is happening from Him is not a movement. It is a realignment with Christ.

2. It must not become a business. Church ministry as a business is diametrically opposed to Jesus’ rule, because businesses always demand business administrators, and these kinds of leaders always steal Jesus’ leadership and take the Church away from Him and down human agenda pathways.

3. It must not become the “new denomination,” or justification for splintering the body yet further. If it is to honor Him it must become that which embraces all, not limits the participants. It is not about destroying Church buildings and denominations, as it builds its own new philosophical structure. It is about allowing Christ to create an environment where all His people can worship Him without the interference and controls of man.

4. It must not develop into specialized ministry cliques, comprised of “apostolic troupes, Church planting strategies, missional over definings and organizations.” Man just can’t stand the thought of not “organizing to death” everything God does. He continually thinks of his significance as attached to a “thanks Lord, we’ll take it from here,” sort of posture. Jesus doesn’t need us to take it from here. Leave it with Him.

5. It must not become about anything else other than singular focus on Jesus - loving Him, knowing Him, worshiping Him, and honoring His headship.

Second, a need for redefinings:

1. What God is doing isn’t Christianity, it isn’t Christendom, it isn’t Church as we have understood it previously. What is it? Relationship with Christ, and with Christ in one another. It isn’t a worldwide religion, laid alongside of other world religions. It never was to be that, and it isn’t that. It isn’t a thing, it is a Person. So, let’s drop the terms Christian, Religion, and Church, for the most part, or use them very carefully. We are believers in Jesus Christ. We are followers of His person, not a set of rules, standards, and practices. We are His people, not a religious organization known as a Church. The term Church is too laden with religious baggage to be of any further use to what He is doing. The sooner we download that term the better.

2. We don’t have Pastors, Church administrators, or leadership, at least not in the sense we’ve come to know them before. Each of these terms have become so synonymous with control concepts, that they no longer serve safe and helpful purposes. We have those called to serve and teach His body. Put away all these unnecessary terms, and learn to become transparent, in terms of clear delineations and known only by love, grace, wisdom, example, care, and the power of the Spirit.

Where is the Church heading:

1. The entire House Church movement will become something the Church, that has come out of the traditional Church, will have to come out of again. God is not building a House Church movement. It is not about the place or a designation, it is all about the Person of Christ. The movement will die, the names that are growing big in the midst of the movement will face another serious season of the cross, and be called to take their hands off of what God is doing, and be satisfied with being nameless and faceless again. What will emerge is a nameless, faceless, organizationless, people of God. He will take the current “big names,” among the House Church movement, back into the wilderness for another season of refining. Many of them were taken out of the traditional Church, and into the wilderness, but before the wilderness could complete its work within them they found a path out of it and into the limelight again, further deepening their commitment to their security and significance. This next phase of the desert for them will be the most excruciating of all, but it will produce the deepest and best work of all.

2. The writing of books, developing of ministry networks, and conferences must all pass through another refining work. Men are struggling with security and significance to too great of a degree. It isn’t that book writing and relating to other brothers, or bringing the brethren together, is bad. It is just that it is becoming too much about becoming big shots, with big reputations and big ministries, while Jesus becomes less and less the focus. We’d rather go hear some big name House Church leader, than bow before Jesus and quietly worship and listen to Him. This tendency will be dealt with over and over again, until a people wake up to its invasiveness and refuse its development.

3. The true Church of Jesus Christ will pass through a season, very soon, where she is less interested in reading many books on “House Church,” less into networking with coordinating Church leaders/apostles, and attending conferences. They will lose their interest in these things in favor of a very simple development of meaningful relationships with a few key believers whom Jesus has connected them to. It is the “human/flesh element,” that takes everything God does and tries to carve out a specialized identity with it, instead of just letting it drive them deeper into Him. It’s as though we start out right - broken, humbled, revelatory - and then turn into something about us again. Jesus will always confront this. This time it will happen faster than with past movements.

4. Ministers will travel, not so as to give them something meaningful to do, nor to hone their speaking abilities, nor to network the body, nor to derive income, nor to develop control systems, but quietly as simple servants, not coming with any agenda or any desire to be invited back so as to increase their sense of significance. They will not allow bodies of believers to become dependant upon them, need them, or worship them. They will quietly move among the body without much advertising and self promotion.

5. The emphasis of “about Jesus only,” will grow among those who have seen the truth. The body is about its Head, not all the other “stuff” it has tended to be about. Simple love and devotion to Him will be all that is tolerated or desired. Those who bring something else will be spotted for their immaturity and ulterior motives. They will not be tolerated any longer. They will be loved, chastened, and sat down, while they learn that no matter how well they speak, write, or network, it isn’t about them, it is about Jesus. This will be hard on them, but it will set them free into something they’ve never seen before. We are simply called to know Him, love Him, and walk before Him, letting Him lead us into simple and pure acts of love towards one another and the world.

6. As the body learns to walk in these new ways, Jesus will allow His power and authority to be manifested in new and more powerful ways. In the past, He has allowed His power to be manifested in a few “power ministries.” Why only a few? Because He has had three goals in this limitation.

a) To touch many people with His power.
b) To allow men to become corrupted by the power He gave them, so as to expose their lack of character, their lack of Jesus only focus, their man centeredness, their needs for security and significance. The body has watched these gifted men and women become corrupted, one after another.
c) To bring forth a body that has gone through the wilderness and learned to let it be all about Jesus, not “their ministry,” nor “their power,” nor “their reputation,” and certainly not about money. The only way for true power to flow in Jesus’ body is for His body to be so Jesus focused and full of His love and compassion, that His power can flow through them without it becoming “about them.” This has been a very difficult thing to bring about, because men are so set on worshiping themselves.

7. Purity must return at every level. Leadership purity, moral purity, and motive purity. The only reason it hasn’t, more than it has, is because it has been too much about man. If the body of Christ is to be what it has been called to be it must become so by putting off the old man and putting on Christ. It’s been too much about us, our ministries, our agendas, and our ways. Purity stands no chance when this is the case. Only a deep commitment to the love of Christ, knowing Him, and bowing before Him, will create the purity necessary to allow Him to bring forth the next major phase of His purposes for His people. To the degree that purity becomes about relationship and love, rather than laws, rules, and religion, it will become a force within us to release His presence throughout the earth. Those who resist His purifying work, and who persist in impurity, just because Jesus continues to use them, will find they have been corrupted by their impurity, and driven into the wilderness for long seasons of purification. As many trips around Mt Sinai as are necessary, to teach us that it is all about Jesus, will be ordained for each of us.

I’m sure there will be other things the body of Christ will be led into, but this is as far as I can see it for now.

We have a long way to go, but it is clear Jesus has put into motion a new season for the people of God, and as such we will learn what it means to become His called ones. It will slay us, heal us, build us up in Him, and cause us to become His light to a dark world.

Jesus, it is truly about You Lord!

Firstly Tom has been very honest about his past track record, ie he has not always got it right. This can take the form of a prophet getting the wrong timing, the wrong interpretation or just getting it totally wrong. The current prophetic movement is very young and this is to be expected and many us although very tempted can’t throw the baby out with the bath water. So to protect us all yet still embrace the prophetic voice I believe there is an urgent need for confirmation of prophetic revelation in any given instance. The more significant the revelation the more urgent and essential the confirmation.
I meet so many prophets who think their prophetic word is the final word on a situation or person or event. I personally think this is arrogance and not what God has intended for the NT Church. For me prophetic words start to form or add to revelation I have been getting from God, it is only part of the ongoing leading. Prophets can get all wound up as they for some reason think they have the whole revelation..end of story.

We as a Church and community desperately need prophetic input and guidance, we need leadership who submit to and are comfortable with the prophetic. We also need an environment that receives prophetic words and holds them in tension until there is confirmation from two or three other sources. Some of the issues on God’s agenda at the moment are so significant, serious and paradigm changing we don’t want to get it wrong. God is obviously more than able to give the same message to more than one person.
Church leadership needs courage and bravery to, once it has received two or three confirming words from multiple sources to then move ahead. Who would blame a Church pastor who has been burned as a result of a prophet getting it wrong..as they all do occasionally. A poor pastor has to live with years of consequence, he or she potentially loses both his reputation and years of work, the prophet loses his reputation.
In my experience most prophetic people are loners and this has to change. Unfortunately most pastors are loners as well (although they they don’t think they are). So we don’t have a good environment to create either shared revelation or shared confirmation but this is where we must head.
I believe one of the most pressing needs of this explosive revelatory era is an environment of shared, mutual leadership that together weighs and decides on the input being received from God. We need to acknowledge no one is perfect or sees the whole picture either prophet or pastor and hence we need structures and organisms that accept this but provide vehicles and mechanisms to move within it. God in His mercy is speaking loudly today there is an urgency to learn how to listen.
My belief is that one of the roles of the apostolic is to bring pastor and prophet together in a context that will bring forth considered revelation and resultant action fully releasing God’s directions and plans. The great need for this age is church leadership relationships of trust and mutual decision making. Historically we have had very little of this, no wonder we are having problems.