Beloveds!
Your significance to God is in His Son--in His Blood.
You are accepted in the Beloved.
No title can add any enhancement to you, to who you are in Jesus, or to who you are in the Kingdom!
The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is the flattest organization ever conceived.
ONE is Enthroned---
and
WE are Beloved.
Glory to Jesus--that works for me!
Love and Jesus,
Kelly
"The Apostle and Larry Joe"A Prophetic, Real life Parable
I was just posting on Face Book and some of those 'friend
requests' popped up.
As I was clicking through the requests and confirming
them, Holy Spirit illuminated a parabolic juxtaposition. He more or less
appealed to my heart.
First, I received a request (names changed to protect the
innocent and exaggerated for humor and impact) from a man calling himself
"Apostle John Smyth, PhD, MDiv."
He was wearing a thousand dollar suit and an icon of the entire earth
was imposed on the photo at his right elbow.
Could this have been Atlas himself?
Dunno.
OK. It is
altogether possible that I am judging and if so Holy Spirit take me to the
woodshed of sweet conviction!
My heart response to this person was that I was a bit put
off. How can a schmoe like me be friends
with one so titled and important?
How do we relate, The Apostle and I? Can I approach him directly or is there a
protocol?
I am no good at relating via titles.
But then up popped a friend request from "Larry Joe So and So."
And, my heart response was completely opposite to the one
I had toward "The Apostle."
I wanted to KNOW Larry Joe.
In his photo Larry Joe looked like The Everyman. He looked happy, relaxed, and real. Real approachable. Larry Joe looks like the kind of guy who is an
amazing father and husband--two roles that take a REAL Christ -like man. He had a broad smile and looked like he had
an invitation to come over for a backyard Bar-B-Que on the tip of his tongue. More importantly, there was nothing in his
portrayal of himself that was off-putting, official, or intimidating.
Let me tell you---if Larry Joe e-mailed me a prophetic
word---he would have my immediate attention.
Chances are very good that 'The Apostle' is as godly and
good a man as Larry Joe.
But, and this has been a twinge in my spirit for some
time now... Why put up such walls with
such lofty titles?
It all comes down to this for me: Are we ourselves or are we our titles?
I was talking with an apostolic - functioning friend the
other day (who incidentally has Never called himself an Apostle). We ran through our combined Bible knowledge
and tried to come up with an incident in scripture where Jesus introduced
anyone---Paul, Peter, John--anyone---by Title.
IT DID NOT HAPPEN!
When Paul spoke of the five-fold ministry gifts I do not
believe he was laying out a blueprint for the Christian Corporate ladder or the
Pecking order of the Presbytery. He was
expressing that we are gifted with these anointings in the Body.
They are descriptors of the type of servant we are.
My official title--in case you are unaware---is... "Kelly, Whom Jesus Loves."
If anyone out there has anything better...
Well, keep it.
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