Folks, last week I told you that we had over 340 listed as active readers of this newsletter.  Well, as of today, it is 461!  Now I'm not sure if I just read it wrong or if we are growing that fast, but either way I am "pumped"!!

Please remember to share this with your friends, using this link: 

Recently I received an email from one of the ministers that I am partners with in the Africa region, in Kenya!  He was asking for prayer.  It was obvious that his heart was crushed, and that he was in despair. 

As the story goes, he had confidently stepped up and spoken in a meeting at his church, about some things that he felt needed to be addressed and dealt with.  However, upon doing so a bishop there scolded him, and got angry with him.  Being a man of respect he apologized, and the bishop forgave him, or so he said.  The very next day the bishop was still angry with him and treated him harshly.  He was asking for prayer!     

You have to understand that, as a prophet, I am not given to holding hands and playing with your "pet deal".  If you have a practice or a procedure in your church that doesn't line up with scripture, I am going to expose it!  Just because I'm a cowboy does not mean that I play with "sacred cows".  Those things have to go!  And this one was no different. 

I advised this young pastor that the reason he was having problems was that he had gotten off of the original plan of GOD for his church, and for his ministry.  You see, he is the one who started this church, not the bishop.  He is the pastor of this church!  But, now he has a bishop, who is telling him what to do, and how to run his church.  And that is just not Bible. 

You see, according to the Bible, the bishop is an administrator, an "overseer".  In other words, he helps to manage and run the daily affairs of the church ... FOR THE PASTOR!  The funny thing is, today we have blown this bishop position up into one of being a leader over other pastors!  But the Bible calls that an Apostle, not a bishop.  When you go back and study scripture, the Bible never endorsed a bishop as they are seen today!  In fact, nowhere is the bishop even mentioned in the Five-Fold Ministry, not in my Bible. 

After some thought and time in prayer, I began to speak into his life, as a prophet: 

I reminded him that "GOD" has called him to preach and to pastor that church.  I instructed him to "stand up on his feet" and to "do the word of the ministry"!  "Preach the Word", I told him!  That is what GOD called us to do ... "preach the Word".  And yet we so often get caught up in these hierarchy and leadership battles that really do not matter! 

I told him that as much as we often think otherwise, "we" do not run things down here!" 
That is not our job!  The Holy Spirit is the One in charge here - not us!  And "HE" is the One Who calls the shots.  I encouraged him to let the bishop deal with his feelings, and that his job was to "do the work of the ministry"!  Leave the bishop alone.  He's still got some growing up to do, if he's still hanging on to anger.  That stuff will eat you up from the inside out. 



Turn in your Bibles to:  Ephesians 4:11   (and read it) 
I need you to read this in your Bible.  It is important that you know what the Bible says, rather than jumping on the bandwagon with man and his belief systems.  The Word prevails, and must be first and foremost in your life.  Jesus tells us that if we "remain" in it, then we are truly His Disciples!  It promises that in it we will grow to know the truth, and that truth will set us free! 
(John 8:31-32) 

Ephesians 4:11 tells us (New American Standard Bible), "He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers ..."  And what did He give us these men of GOD for?  "... for the equipping of the saints for the word of service, to the building up of the Body of Christ."   The whole purpose of the church is "for the edification of the saints, for the work of the ministry."  We are here ... for you!  We are here ... to teach, to pastor, the educate and uplift, and to send you out into the world, with the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Make sure and follow us in the month of July as we cover the 5-Fold Ministry.  We will be discussing the offices mentioned here and their purpose, and how it may apply today.  These are always good to know in helping you to better understand the way God does things. 

Until next time ...