Is the Ministry of Ephesians 4:11 Optional for the End Time Bride?
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Introduction.
Introduction.
Fall Festival this Saturday at 1:00 pm rain or shine
Fall Festival this Saturday at 1:00 pm rain or shine
-Colby had something come up, George Moore will be here with his family.-
I read a list recently of all the things we were told as children that are not true.
“If you make that face too long it will stay that way.”
“If you turn on the lights in the car the police will think you’re dealing drugs and pull you over.”
“Eat all your carrots or you will go blind.”
None of these things are entirely true.
We should never treat the Word of God like one of these sayings. If it was true yesterday, it is still true today. God doesn’t change.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
And the Bible is true, every Word. And I feel that we can hang our soul on any Word of the Bible. It’s God’s Word, and I may not have faith enough to make it all act out, but I certainly believe that it can be done, if we have faith enough to believe it. 63-1112 - Sir, We Would See Jesus
Ephesians 4:11 is a description of how the Holy Spirit will bring maturity to the body through ministry gifts.
There are some people who don’t believe in ministry at all. Either they have been hurt, or they have been misled to the point they will never come inside a church and listen to a preacher. I’m not preaching to those people. If they want to believe that, let them. We have no popes or bishops, and we will love them just the same, and treat them right.
I want to speak to those people who do believe God uses men, but really only rely on one man, their pastor or some favorite preacher, and also those who believe ministry is optional in our regular church service. They would just as as soon sing all service or testify, or listen to a tape instead of having a live preacher. They could do either one. They may believe in Pastors who preach, but they don’t have one.
(Example: Bro. Branham allows for a separate service for testimonies)
Is Ephesians 4:11 optional? If I went to a church that never or rarely had live preaching, would it matter? If we had no preaching at all, would we still make a rapture?
To know if ministry is essential, we need to know who the Bride is.
The end time Bride is those who will believe and manifest all of the Word for their day.
Now, the Bible is a different Book from all other sacred books. The Bible is a different Book. It is a Book of prophecy, foretelling future events. And It’s also the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All the way from Genesis to Revelation, brings Him out in His fullness, what He was and is.
(Notice: Fullness)
And the whole complete Book, Revelation 1:1 to 3, said the Book is a Book of “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” which is the Word of God. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” the Word of God!
Now, all other books, sacred books, is only a code of ethics, a code of morals, or a code of theology. Something that…How many ever read the Koran, the Mohammedan Bible, and the book of on Buddhists, and so forth?
It’s just a code of ethics, what people should live, how they should live, but it doesn’t prophesy, doesn’t say anything about these things or about any special gifts being given to anybody, anything to take place.
Just like joining a lodge or something. Therefore, when churches come to the place that they make their church just a lodge to join, then they’re plumb off the Word of God.
For the Bible is a living, foretold witness of Jesus Christ. And as the earth has growed into its fullness, and also vines grow into their fullness, the day grows into its fullness, the Bible was manifested in Its fullness in the Person of Jesus Christ.
He was the Word of God revealed, the whole complete Book of Redemption. The Bible is God’s Word, forthtelling the future events. Its believers is commanded by Its Author to read and believe every Word of It, not just part of It. One Word, to disbelieve It, you might as well quit trying until you believe that Word.
Every Word is absolutely a part of Almighty God; God made manifest, wound into His Word, to show forth Who He is. We are commanded, as believers, to believe every Word of It. And It’s wrote by the Author of God Himself. There is nobody can add anything to It or take anything from It. If you would, it would be a freak body of God.
It would have, maybe like six fingers on one hand, or three arms, or something, to add something, to take something away from it and be one arm short, one finger short. It’s the complete Body of Jesus Christ.
And in Christ, being the Male, the Groom, the Bride is represented in Him also. And these two are One. “At that day you’ll know that I am in the Father, the Father in Me, I in you and you in Me.” What a complete picture!
And the true believers in this Word, who accept It that way, believe It, and with patience wait for Its prophesied promises, every one of them to be manifested in its age. Every believer has watched for it. Every believer that’s been on the toes, watching, is the one that’s been revealed to. 65-0801E - Events Made Clear By Prophecy
This Bride cannot accept anything but the Word, the complete Word.
As a seed starts in the ground, it comes up through carriers, the life of it, but it ends up the same seed that it was when it went in the ground.
And the same way the seed of deceit fell in the ground, in Eden, is the same way it ends up in the last days. Just as the Gospel was when it fell to a denomination at Nicaea, Rome, it ends up in a super organization.
Just as the Seed of the Church fell back there, with the signs, wonders, and the living Christ among them, it ends up in the last days under the ministry of Malachi 4, and restores back again the original Faith that was once given.
We find now, this evil age is to prove, to Satan, She is not like Eve, that She is not that type of a woman. And She will be tried by His Word, the Bride, as Adam’s bride was tried by the Word.
And Adam’s bride believed every bit of the Word, all, but confused on one promise, that, “He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever,” today, see; but failed on one promise, under the temptation of the enemy, face to face.
And now, the people that’s called for His Name, of course, is His Bride. She is to come in contact again by the same thing; not by just denominational truth or something, but every Word!
For, in the beginning of the Bible, man was given the Word of God to live by. One Word, misinterpreted by a man called Satan, in a person of an animal called the serpent. Satan, in this person, could talk to Eve, and misinterpreted the Word to her, and was lost. See, It must be every Word.
In the middle of the Bible, Jesus come and said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word,” when He was tempted by Satan.
Now, God telling us here in the last days, that, “The god of this world will rise up in the last days.” “And whosoever shall add one word to It, or take one Word from It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life.”
God be merciful to us! And let us not walk as stiff shirts, chests stuck out, head up, know it all, for we too one time were in disobedience. Let us with grace, and mercy, and feeling in our heart towards God, humbly come to the Throne of grace. 65-0801M - The God Of This Evil Age
To reject the fulness of the Word is to mark yourself as foolish virgin.
Now, just a minute. “Will the foolish virgin be saved?” No! Whatever happens, happens now. After that time she’s in the state…Now, she will have to go through the Tribulation Period.
And the reason of it is, is because she has rejected the Atonement in Its fullness. She is a believer, a professed believer, but she will have to go through the Tribulation Period. 64-0823E - Questions And Answers #2
Bro. Branham said it in a different way that morning.
Now, and then at that time…See, the Gentile Bride is in Heaven, and the sleeping virgin, the Gentile virgin, is not to be saved during that time; she’s already been saved, but has been rejected in the Bride.
And she only goes through the Tribulation Period for the time of purification, because she has rejected Christ, the Word, for her purification.
Then she has to suffer for her deeds, but the Bride who has become the Word, a complete atonement was made of Christ, ’cause He is the Word.
That body was rended, and when that body was rended, the Bride was in that body, because It’s all the Word! Amen! You see it? 64-0823M - Questions And Answers #1
Type: Brass Serpent they made an idol of. Christ was the fullness, they rejected Him.
How could she reject Ephesians 4:11 and go in the Rapture? The Rapture is for a complete Word Bride.
You might say, “I believe what the Bible says, but I believe Bro. Branham fulfilled it all”. That’s adding to the Word. He never said it. We could show many examples where he said the opposite. (Bro. George Moore)
You say “I believe in preachers, but I don’t know any that are correct”. Then you deny the manifestation of the Word.
Just believing in Ephesians 4:11 is not enough.
Now, now look, just to believe It is not enough. To walk around where It’s at, isn’t enough. See, that’s to make yourself worse, “For he that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it’s sin.” 63-0901M - Token
What does this Five-fold ministry do?
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Perfecting “maturity”
A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament καταρτισμός
καταρτισμός, bringing to a condition of fitness, perfecting.
Work of the Ministry “labour of the service”
Literally Waiting on Tables. Someone has to do the work of serving the spiritual food and God chose men to do that. Period.
Edifying “Building Up”
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
These ministry gifts will result in unity of faith and understanding, maturity, and the stature of a Perfect Man. Without these gifts you have rejected the Fullness of the Atonement and place yourself subject to the tribulation period.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
You will be more likely to be deceived by men without the ministry than with it. Why? It was given to us for protection.
Now, God fortified His army. What with? Himself, in the form of prophets, apostles, teachers, pastors. What did He do? What was God doing?
Listen, did you ever think what that offices of the church is? It’s God’s dress, inside dress, an apostle, a prophet, a seer. Foresee, before Satan ever gets to it, done told it.
What is it? God dressed up in His church. These offices is God’s dress-wear. When you see those offices, pastors, teachers, evangelists, what is that? That’s God’s dress-wear, God’s Presence, God’s Spirit working through man.
And if that office denies any of this Word, then it’s not God-dressing. No, not that. That’s that wolf in sheep’s clothing. Watch that fellow. Beware of him.
But when he just takes what the Word says, remember, that’s God, ’cause He’s speaking His Word. See? But if he says, “Well, it isn’t…” Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, my. Get going, sheep; get going! 62-0607 - Putting On The Whole Armor Of God
If you can’t find one of each of these gifts that follows the Word you’ve made God’s Word a lie. Lets believe all of the Word.
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
What have we learned?
Ephesians 4:11 is absolutely essential for the Bride.
If you attend or support a church that doesn’t support and use apostles (missionaries), prophets (New Testament Preachers), pastors, evangelists and teachers then you will never come to the fullness of the Bride in the Bride Age. You have missing parts to the body.
This same thing goes for every Word of the Bible. We don’t want to reject any of it.
“The Family of God”