Rick Joyner:”The Gift of Helps is a Powerful Ministry that will Bring Unity in the Church”
One reason there has been so much division in the Church is because we have tried to unify around too much. The nation of Israel was only required to be in unity on two basic matters—worship and warfare. They were to worship Jehovah together in the manner and place He had prescribed, and they were to always be ready to mobilize and defend any of the other tribes that were attacked.
If the Church would live by this same wisdom, her power, authority, size, wealth, and impact would multiply quickly. When we discuss being in unity about worship, we need to steer clear of the nuances that the Lord has given us liberty in, such as the style of music. However, we do need to be in unity about Who we worship and how complying with the Biblical standards and teachings on morality, integrity, and other basics that should be common to all Christians.
The Moravians stated the following: “In the basics there must be unity. In the other matters there must be liberty, and in all things there must be charity.”
Ministry Gift of Helps
As far as warfare is concerned, as Christians we should always be ready to mobilize with other Believers to defend any of our brothers or sisters, or other churches, who are attacked. Presently, this is quite rare, but the times that I have seen it happen have resulted in a bonding together of Believers in a special, powerful, and lasting way.
I was shown years ago that the ministry gift of “helps” would be one of the most powerful ministries to bring about the unity of the Church. I had always thought of this as being the service of those who cut the grass or washed the dishes at the church, but the Lord showed me that this ministry was much more than that; it was a foundation that all of the other ministries were built on.
The Holy Spirit is called “the Helper,” and the true ministry of helps is very basic to the nature of the Holy Spirit. When one is drowning and calls out for help, the one who responds to save him has the ministry of helps. The ones who respond to help defend others who are under attack are those with the true ministry of helps.
His Heart for Restoration
Years ago, I had a dream in which one of my children was in a sewage ditch, covered in filth, and not only would no one help him, but he seemed to be despised by the whole world because of his condition. Then in my dream, a man came along, helped my child out of the ditch, cleaned him up, and restored him so that my child was free and able to walk again.
There is no way that I can describe the appreciation I felt for this person who helped my child. I felt like giving him everything I had, and I would have done anything in the world I could for him. Then I heard the voice of the Lord in this dream say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?”
At the time, Jim Bakker was possibly one of the most despised people on the planet, even by Christians. If you read some of the mail he was receiving from Christians while in prison, you would think that Christians especially despised him. God loved him, and God was hurting because of the way one of His kids was hurting. I did not know Jim, had never watched the PTL program, except for a few minutes occasionally, and had only casually followed his trial and imprisonment.
However, I immediately resolved to help Jim in any way that I could. I don’t think I did much to help him, and I must honestly say that I sincerely think I have benefited much more from our relationship than he has. Even more than that, God’s favor came upon me in a way that I had never experienced before.
It was for this same reason that when the situation with Todd Bentley happened and I was asked to help restore him, I did not hesitate. I was warned by some that helping Jim Bakker would cost me and my ministry very dearly, and it may have with some, but the favor of God is worth much more than the favor of all men. I know Todd has asked what I expect to get out of helping him, wondering why I would want to when it seems the whole Church is mad at him, but the dream the Lord gave me over twenty years ago is still as real to me right now as when I first woke up after having it.
I’m not here to build a ministry—I’m here to do God’s will, but I also know the Church will never be trusted by God or men until we have His heart for restoration. When the world sinned, turned away from Him, and fell into terrible debauchery, the Lord did not condemn it—He came and gave His own life to save it. Those who have His heart will do the same for those in trouble.
True Christians are in basic unity about worship, and when we start to respond to help defend our brothers and sisters who are attacked, our unity will grow very fast. We also need to respond and mobilize to help those who fall into transgression because that is basic Christianity—doing what our Savior did for us.
2 comments February 2, 2009
Rick Joyner:”2009 will be a Year of Extraordinary Unity”
The year 2009 will bring extraordinary growth in faith and peace for those who serve the Lord. One major reason for this is because it will also be a year of extraordinary unity. There will be a coming together in the Body of Christ this year in ways that we have probably not seen in our lifetime. The result is going to be a release of even more power and light, which will result in ever-increasing faith and peace with His people.
The Church: Unity and Harmony
We have been covering ways that the Church is beginning to rise up to fulfill its last-day purpose of preparing the way for the Lord. Two primary ways that this is accomplished is by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the world and building a highway for the Kingdom as we see in Isaiah 40.
In a basic way, the Church is called to be this highway. It is called to be a representative of the coming King and a reflection of His Kingdom upon which people enter and travel toward their ultimate destiny. One of the aspects of the Kingdom that we see in Biblical prophecy is that after the Kingdom comes, the earth will again come into harmony to the degree that even the lions will lie down with lambs, children will be able to play with cobras, and no one will hurt anyone else. Therefore, one of the basic ways that we can expect the Church to begin reflecting the Kingdom will be by her unity and harmony.
As we also see in Biblical prophecy, the world will fall into increasing confusion and conflict at the end of this age, so the Church will be moving in the exact opposite direction of the world in many basic ways. As fear increases in the world, the Church will be growing in faith and peace. One reason for this will be the increase of unity. Faith gets multiplied with unity. That is why the Lord said in Matthew 18:19, “…if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven.”
The word that is translated “agree” here means much more than just intellectually assenting to something; rather, it implies a deep heart unity. We can derive from His teachings several reasons why He requires faith to be unified with another in order to move in extraordinary ways. One is that the unity of His people is one of the primary issues on the Lord’s heart, which we see in His prayer in John 17. Another is that God gives His grace to the humble, and it takes all of the qualities of humility to come into unity with someone else.
Some teach that Matthew 18:19 is really saying that if we come into unity with the Lord and ask anything, then it will be done for us. Of course, that would be true, but this verse does say to “agree on earth,” which makes it quite clear that He is saying this agreement must be with another person.
In Genesis 11:6, the Lord describes the power of unity when speaking of what is happening with those who are seeking to build the tower of Babel: “And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.’”
Unity does have that kind of power. As we discussed earlier, even a small degree of unity with a small group of people can have extraordinary impact. Karl Marx taught that just a tiny fraction of passionate people would control the rest who were indifferent. Lenin then proved this by taking over Russia, a nation of millions, with just 20,000 Bolsheviks. Likewise, if just a few thousand Christians came into unity and began to live with the resolve and willingness to sacrifice for their cause like the Bolsheviks did for theirs, the impact for light and truth would be so great that many nations would be transformed.
Remember what the officials of one of the most powerful empires of the world said when Paul and Silas limped into their city: “Those who have turned the world upside down have now come to us!” (see Acts 17) That was just two people!
This year we are going to begin to see extraordinary results from Christians who begin to grow in unity. Resolve that you will be a part of it. Over the next few weeks we are going to address some of the practical ways that we will see this happen. To prepare for this in your own heart, begin to pray for your fellow Christians, especially for any who have disappointed you or wounded you in the past. Pray for them to be filled with the Spirit of God, to know His peace, and to grow in His faith. If there is anything that you can do to bring reconciliation to any degree, do it.
Add comment January 23, 2009
When THE MOVEMENT becomes THE MONUMENT
Adanya kegerakan Roh Kudus di berbagai tempat di seluruh Bumi ini membuktikan kepada kita bahwa Roh Kudus adalah Roh Kehidupan yang terus bergerak dan tidak akan pernah berhenti bergerak di dalam GerejaNya. Itulah sebabnya setiap gerakanNya dikenal dengan sebuah MOVEMENT.
Tapi entah kenapa adanya beberapa pelayanan yang diawali dengan sebuah MOVEMENT yg besar berakhir menjadi MONUMENT. Mungkin salah satu penyebabnya adalah pelayanan tersebut sudah tidak lagi mengikuti kegerakan Roh Kudus.
Saya tidak sedang membual dalam hal ini. Saat Roh Kudus mencurahkan urapanNya ke atas keluarga saya beberapa tahun yang lalu, ada banyak “perbuatan-perbuatan besar” yang Roh Kudus kerjakan melalui kami. Rasanya hampir semua karunia profetis & kesembuhan dimanifestasikan dalam pelayanan ini. Apa yang dinubuatkan oleh Nabi Yoel mengenai pencurahan Roh Kudus itu benar2 digenapi.
Pada saat itu pandangan saya terhadap Pribadi Roh Kudus mulai berubah. Saya mengasihi Tuhan Yesus, tapi Pribadi yang Satu ini memang unik sekali. Saat itu juga saya mulai mengenal Pribadi Roh Kudus secara pribadi. Buku2 rohani tulisan Ps. Benny Hinn menjadi “kegemaran” saya waktu itu. Anda mungkin mengenal salah satu buku Best Seller-nya yaitu, “Selamat Pagi, Roh Kudus”
Sebuah MOVEMENT yang luar biasa sekali, rasanya seperti ada di “atas angin” waktu itu dimana jiwa2 dengan mudah berdatangan mengikuti pelayanan ini. Bahkan tidak hanya itu, kami juga bergerak keluar dari “gerbang rumah” kami untuk melayani setiap “undangan” pelayanan yang diminta oleh beberapa keluarga pada waktu itu.
Cerita2 mengenai pekerjaan Roh Kudus yang ajaib ini menyebar begitu mudah dan cepat bagaikan sebuah “virus” yang menjangkiti tubuh kita. Kepercayaan yang paling mulia yang pernah diberikan oleh Roh Kudus pada saat itu adalah otoritasNya dan kuasaNya. Rasanya seperti “tidak layak” mendapatkan kepercayaan sebesar itu, sekalipun otoritas dan kuasaNya ini hanya diberikan kepada mereka yang sudah dewasa rohaninya.
Otoritas & kuasaNya ini diterapkan ketika kami berhadapan dengan musuh2 kami di dalam setiap peperangan rohani. Di dalam roh semua musuh2 dihardik di dalam Nama Yesus yang penuh kuasa. Pelayanan ini sudah menjadi sebuah “ancaman yang besar” bagi Neraka. Ada sukacita besar saat kami melihat musuh2 kegelapan ini lari tunggang langgang oleh kuasa Darah Yesus. Tidak ada satu kuasa musuh yang sanggup bertahan ketika berhadapan dengan Tuhan Yesus.
Pada waktu itu juga kami boleh berbagian di dalam penderitaan Kristus bagi GerejaNya, DIA mempercayakan kepada kami untuk mulai “mengembangkan sayapnya” berdoa bagi sebuah gereja lokal, yang bahkan sampai saat ini juga masih berlangsung kami doakan. Ada banyak air mata yang telah terisi di kirbatnya Tuhan menanti dicurahkan pada waktuNya. Ya, “orang yang menabur dengan air mata akan menuai dengan sorak-sorai”.
“THE DARK AGES”
Momen Natal ini mengingatkan kepada saya kejadian 3 tahun yang lalu saat MOVEMENT ini menjadi sebuah MONUMENT… Sangat perih sekali ketika hal ini terjadi, penyebabnya hanya sederhana sekali, yaitu kami mulai disibukkan dengan acara2 natal yang biasa kami lakukan setiap tahun. Beberapa dari kami dalam pelayanan ini begitu disibukkan dengan momen natal ini. Kami seperti kehilangan fokus kami, benar seperti apa yang dikatakan seorang hamba Tuhan: “aliran-aliran sungai yang kecil seringkali menyimpangkan kita terhadap Air Sungai Kehidupan”
Kami mengalami masa2 yang kelam sepanjang setahun berjalan, dimana tidak ada lagi doa2 yang dinaikkan, tidak ada manifestasi Roh Kudus yang terjadi, bahkan kami tidak tahu kemana urapan Roh Kudus yang pernah “tinggal” di dalam kami ini “pergi”. Ini seperti “The Dark Ages” bagi pelayanan ini.
Satu tahun! Buat kami itu bagaikan kami sedang berjalan dalam “lembah kekelaman” di mana kegelapan melingkupi kami. Bagaikan bangsa Israel yang tercerai berai ke berbagai tempat. Kegelapan & kekelaman benar2 telah membutakan pandangan kami kepada Tuhan Yesus. Kami tidak lagi melihat kemuliaanNya dinyatakan, benar2 masa2 yang suram sekali bagi kami pada waktu itu.
Kami seolah2 sedang berjalan di atas panas & gersangnya padang gurun. Ada saat2 di mana kami melihat ke dalam persediaan air yang kami bawa, tapi itu semua sudah habis. Berbagai pertanyaan timbul dalam hati kami, bagaimana dengan kepercayaan yang sudah diberikan oleh Tuhan kepada kami? Bagaimana dengan visi2-Nya yang luar biasa itu? Hingga sampai suatu saat…
KARYA PENEBUSAN KRISTUS
Seseorang dari antara kami mendapatkan sebuah api baru yang siap dinyalakan, dan api itu mulai dibagikan kepada saya untuk kembali dibagikan kepada saudara2 yang lainnya. Desakan untuk kembali memulihkan pelayanan ini kembali bangkit dalam hati kami. Sebuah kerinduan yang kudus untuk memulai kembali dari “kejatuhan yang begitu dalam” kepada “kasih mula2″ kami kepada Roh Kudus.
Mereka terus berteriak: “Kita harus memulainya kembali!!!”.. “Kita harus bangkit kembali”.. Pada saat itu saya tidak ada pilihan lain lagi selain mentaati apa yang menjadi panggilan Tuhan ini. Saya percaya inilah Karya Penebusan Kristus yang luar biasa sekali bagi pelayanan ini.
Tuhan mulai memulihkan hati kami, kasih kami kepada Tuhan kembali mulai bertumbuh dan oleh karena kasih kami yang besar inilah kami memulai kembali sebuah pemulihan bagi pelayanan ini. Bahkan bukan hanya itu saja, Tuhan menambahkan kepada pelayanan ini pasukan2 yang baru yang sudah terlatih di medan peperangan rohani untuk membantu & mendukung apa yang menjadi hasrat Tuhan Yesus bagi GerejaNya, Mempelai WanitaNya.
Tidak terasa sepanjang 2 tahun ini kami sudah kembali memulihkan pelayanan Roh Kudus ini. Semuanya hanya karena anugrahNya. Kami semua bersukacita atas apa yang telah Roh Kudus kerjakan selama ini. Sekalipun kami sempat berhenti selama 1 tahun yang kelam itu, tapi Roh Kudus tidak akan pernah berhenti bergerak memuliakan nama Tuhan Yesus di semua tempat di Bumi ini.
WISDOM FOR YOU
Saudara dapat belajar dari apa yang telah terjadi dalam pelayanan yang sedang kami kerjakan ini. Sebuah MOVEMENT dapat menjadi sebuah MONUMENT yang kaku & hanya menjadi sebuah tugu kenang2-an atas apa yang pernah terjadi.
Tuhan tidak menghendaki saudara bahkan pelayanan yang sedang saudara kerjakan bagi Tuhan menjadi sebuah MONUMENT. Namun, jika pelayanan saudara saat ini berada dalam status “MONUMENT”, Dia Yesus sanggup memulihkan pelayananmu dengan memberikan KEHIDUPAN kepada MONUMENT saudara yang mati itu..
Inilah hikmat bagi saudara, yaitu hikmat untuk memulihkan sebuah MONUMENT menjadi sebuah MOVEMENT kembali bagi kemuliaan nama Tuhan Yesus.
2 comments December 24, 2008
