Covenanting and DNA

Hey, believe it or not: this morning Saint Nicholas, one of the connectors in the early church, delivered a bag with presents for us and addressed the team in a funny personal letter (Download hey_connect_team.doc).

What is the strongest form of cooperation in the Body of Christ? We sense God saying it's not a platform, a network, an association or a partnership as such - it goes much deeper: covenanting with Him and each other. Could/should Connect Europe develop into a covenant of the tribes? Interestingly God seems to be leading our friends of 24-7prayer on a similar track with their initiative to relaunch Zinzendorf's Order of the Mustard Seed (they just put up this new website).

Several years ago a friend of mine who was involved at a high level in the occult world before he met Christ, told me that from his experience the most powerful weapon in the heavenlies was not prayer or fasting (though a key discipline), but covenanting. This biblical concept stands for a committed relationship that outsiders cannot break. We hope to explore this more over the next months.

In the afternoon Simon Mason talked us through some interesting concepts in Jesus' ministry, related to spiritual DNA, teams, training and multiplication. This is very relevant for Connect if we want to see a reformational movement in Europe that will last. We feel strongly that it's time to move from prophetic events into mobile apostolic teams, and want to create a space for emerging apostles to be trained and multiply. Several nice quotes from our interactive session:

- Jesus was training the apostles to move from town to town, and He's calling us to rediscover this mobile, fluid, organic and dynamic expression of Church. Our authority comes from following Jesus and being sent out.

- Experience is only useful if you think tomorrow will not look different from yesterday.

- The missing link in many revivals (like that of Wales) was the training of Christians to train others. There was a true visitation of God, but no apostolic DNA to multiply in people, leading to new expressions of Church.

- The greatest danger for the apostolic ministry is people who call themselves apostles, but instead of going out build their own church or organisation.

- Jesus didn't just have the twelve, He developed several smaller teams in his team, in which He modelled the key values of the Kingdom and the five-fold ministry.

We finished the day with an excellent curry in the Chesthunt Tandoori.

Comments

[pilgrim]

Hey Marc,

You use the word 'apostolic' a lot. Can you explain what you mean by that please? :o)

pilgrim

[Marc van der Woude]

Apostle means *being sent* into the nations to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It's generally understood as being a foundational ministry in the sense of breaking open new ground and putting the right foundations in place for churches and movements. I'd stick to that definition.

[Diane]

Marc,
totally agree with you so so much. A friend of mine and I are trying so hard to get discipling up and running in our church and the churches in our town. We are praying for the breakdown of strongholds, for transformation and revival to come but realise without dscipling it wont last for long.
And also with the apostolic - the more I hear you and other people use that word in the form of sending out rather than starting a new church the more it resonates in my spirit. It is so true. We need to be sending out rather than starting another movement.
Question - what proof would you say you have to the comment that Jesus had other teams, other than the 12 trained up? I agree with you but would love to Bible verses to prove it too
just keep on and 10000 blessings
Diane

[mannie]

Covenanting is a serious business. I once was in a meeting where God pointed out that the Church needed to re-covenant herself to unity. What followed where prayers of forgiveness, but also prayers of commitment to the Body of Christ as present there.
I am sad to say that I have not seen any change, and as far as I can see, it didn't really mean much to most of the people.

Covenant in the Bible is something strong. Something of making another person part of your family, which also means 'my things are yours and vice versa'. If I am in need, or someone attacks me, I should be able to count on my covenant partner to help me, and defend me.

I am worried that all this talking about covenants will be another hype, with hollow words. But I hope at least some will understand the depth.
And I do think it is something important to God.

So please talk more about it. I'm looking forward to it.

Mannie

[Marc]

Thanks, Mannie. That's one of my concerns too. We can't afford to handle it superficially. I don't think general conferences or church services are an ideal setting for covenanting. A period of preparation (or noviciate like in monasteries) would be appropriate, so that we are fully aware what we're committing ourselves to. Actually we felt that if it happens it's something for a smaller 'band of brothers', and it's a confirmation of what is already functioning relationally then some contract about something that has yet to happen. But as said, we're on a journey and discover new depths on the way.

[Marc]

To Diane: As I see it, sending out would in many cases include the starting of new churches and movements. This is not a contradiction.

Other teams than the twelve: we know there was a group of three within the twelve (Peter, James and John), we know Jesus sent them out two by two, and we know there was a group of women who supported/financed Jesus and the twelve. This is what Simon meant with teams within and around the original apostolic mobile team.

[Charles D. Chalson]

Hello Marc, and everyone:

I like many of the comments I'm reading:

- "putting the right foundations in place" (Yes, an apostle should be concerned about bringing God's order, plans, vision, and purposes to the Church, Christians, and their leaders.)

- "it goes much deeper: covenanting with Him and each other. " (Relationship is what is important to God; with Him and with each other as covenant families.)

- "The missing link in many revivals (like that of Wales) was the training of Christians to train others." (The job of the all the five-fold ministers is to equip everyone for the work of the ministry!)

- "The greatest danger for the apostolic ministry is people who call themselves apostles, but instead of going out build their own church or organisation." (This is no different than what denominations have done.)

The type of government organization a church has will determine both the financial and leadership structure, controls, and dynamics. In the institutional churches, government style is traditional and adopted from worldly goverments. This has resulted in authority being delegated to men by religious organizations.

Only in a church government style that follows the scriptural (Biblical) pattern and example results in true spiritual authority that is authorized by God. The consequences of inordinate (excessive) control of God's people results in religious bondage. Wrong motives are usually an issue; as well as an impure mixture of worship, giving, and spiritual anointing. The ways of earthly kings and individual kingdom-building have replaced the Way of the King and building His Kingdom.

This gives legal right for Satan to infiltrate churches with religious spirits (detected with the gift of discerning of spirits). Their job is to keep God's people in religious bondage.

The result is that routine church work is encouraged; however the real work of the church is not accomplished effectively. Members do not discover their gifts and rise up into their full potential. God's people do not funtion as a strong healthy Body that is rising up into the full stature of Christ (the Head).

Religious spirits will fight the next new move of God. They will not prevail, because the Lord Jesus Christ is building His Church. His purposes and plans will be accomplished through His Overcoming Remnant Church. It will have a Biblical church government structure and New Testatment pattern of Body life and ministry. This will allow the freedom of the liberty of Christ to manifest through God's people. The new wineskin will hold the new wine that God desires to pour out.

Yes, God is raising up an army of soldiers who will be discipled adequately, spiritually mature, and equipped for spiritual warfare. They wil be totaly loyal and committed to their Lord Jesus; and they will be disciplined. Christians will learn the true character and nature of God. They will learn how to enter into an intimate, loving relationship with Him; in the spirit. They will learn how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and their covenant family members in ministry.

The world will see and know Who the true God is; as His unlimited love, wisdom, and power manifests through His people in the homes and streets of their neighborhoods. All will know that Jesus Christ is Lord and King; not man. This will happen when the the liberty of the Spirit of Christ is free to flow through God's people. It's so great to be free!

Love, in Christ Jesus,
Charles D. Chalson
Director of Ministry Impossible
www.ministry-impossible.org