KINGS WITHOUT US

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

How many of us here know that Paul - born into this world as Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee - was not merely an apostle but also a New Testament prophet? It was of him the apostle Peter wrote that his letters, speaking of the things of salvation and of the coming of the day of the Lord, contain some things hard to be understood. When we receive prophecy, the prophets reward is often a matter that we have to wrestle with before the angel will pronounce our promised blessing, and the blessing may be as the children of Israel know accompanied by a wounding. But to continue with Peter for a moment I want to point out that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. The stream of grace that is released through our confession of the scriptures has power even today, to produce the effect that the Lord intended from the foundation of the earth. So I would beg your indulgence to speak together with me these words from Pauls epistle to the church in Ephesus, every joint supplies. Please, everyone together aloud, say it with me, EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES! And again: EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES! It certainly goes without saying that there is a clear and even a pointed difference between the members so joined each one performing its own share of the building-up of one another in love and the joints that supply this love. It is to demonstrate this love that the five-fold gift ministries have been set forth before the body in our times for the perfecting of the saints. Pursuant to the work of service, as a proximate goal, the
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perfecting, or equipping in this Ephesians context means much more than impartation one to another, as if the fivefold ministry were a complex, ornate fountain in a village square to which the population must come to drink or bring their vessels to carry home filled. Because the subject is being addressed in eschatological imagery the effective translation of katartizo here is nearly impossible with any single English word because we dont use the same linguistic form, as the Greeks did, for both perfecting and fitly joined. Neither can equipping fail to portray an image entirely missing from the Greek, an image of material capital with which even a properly prepared team may be outfitted for a task. It is not the outfitting but the in-fitting that is necessary for our faith to work through love. The demonstration of the works of an apostle of which Paul self-deprecatingly boasted in his second letter to Corinth was first and foremost by patience, that is by hupomone, by longanimidad! As we bear with one anothers differences the gates of heaven are opened, and the gates of hell promised to us as our prophetic booty of war in Abraham become ours (in Christ) to shut that no man can open again. A difference that is brought to our attention as a grievance, we have in Christ the wisdom from above to disarm as we show ourselves willing to yield in love. A mans discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.

I say so much to preface my appeal, in this talk, to my elders who have made clear their construction of the theory of church building on the point of spheres of authority. In addressing the point of relationships among presbyters in matters geographical, cultural and functional today, I think it is fair to examine Pauls historical justification of his hegemony over and among the churches at Corinth and Achaia. While some are fairly judging of the fact that our corporate victories over territorial powers and principalities do often result from, and derive common acceptance in the body through declarations by, the prophetic words of prominent individuals, it nonetheless remains true that EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES! This in fact is the very substance of the Tarsian apostles boast. An Asian born, he took that long trail to Macedonia and Achaia not merely to strengthen the souls of the converts, but to demonstrate that, in the government of God, each member of the body is willing to spend and be spent for the love of the brethren. The collection of funds for the saints in Jerusalem required, according to Pauls revealed wisdom, that he should catch the Achaians in their astonishment of seeing his free will at work in their midst. In other words he made his apostleship and superior authority evident to them by contradicting their expectation that they would be called upon to contribute to his support and all this in administration of gifts that were intended to be the fulfillment of promises they themselves had previously made. The measure of rule which we find as a fleeting phrase in I Corinthians 10:13 does not afford to bear the weight of a doctrine on apostolic authority be it spoken as sphere of influence or

as mobile oversight ministry - just because the context plainly declares here that he is tearing down a stronghold of deception that would befall such as might boast of other mens labors, while unwisely comparing themselves amongst themselves*. All of the comparisons explicit and implied here, have only one goal, the increase of the faith of the hearers in Corinth. The increase of their faith, in turn, through the principle that every joint supplies would in turn enlarge Pauls ministry to preach in regions beyond the measure thus far attained. This as I understand it, is in the context of that letter, a strictly geographical point; but practically it drew in with it the entire matter of fundraising and even more apropos of todays gathering, the nature of spiritual authority. To bind the Corinthian believers to an unfettered draw-down from the God of all supply, Paul set them free from obligation to himself by showing himself bound. To this body of believers it was that he spoke of his weakness and tribulations for the sake of God demonstrating in him the power of Christ; to them he was meek in wisdom through the foolishness of boasting. It is no surprise, is it, that his beloved friend Peter would warn us that some of these things are hard to understand? I want to turn to the related matter of spiritual authority because most of you are in practical ministry and because conjoinedness and authority are often an oxymoron in peoples minds. Shall I say that more clearly? Unity and authority frequently seem to work at odds with one another! Not merely does this practically follow from the view I just mentioned, of spheres of authority but from all we know in Hebrews 12 (to

say nothing of Corinthians and I want to return to that) of the application of discipline and correction in the church that peaceable fruit of righteousness looms pretty pale beyond a formidable bulk of not pleasant for the moment! Yet Paul makes it very clear that the Corinthians rule as kings without us! In Romans he wrote, if through one mans offense death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through one, Jesus Christ. To Felix (**) who governed for Caesar in Palestine Paul spoke a gospel that made him tremble and retreat, as he reasoned of righteousness, self-control and judgment to come. The central element of Pauls three-part gospel to the governor was, in the Greek, enkrateia, or inward rule. This rule I would posit to this body is the foundation for every form of church authority. That is why it was so threatening to the keeper of the gates of Palestine for hells authority of that day. We find in Romans 14, regarding the issue of food taboos and of holy days it was one issue only in reality let each one be fully persuaded in his own mind. (v. 5) Turning again to II Corinthians, Pauls admonition to the Achaian saints was, and is for us today, For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not. (8:12) Now the problem of church authority can be rightly connected where it really belongs, for it is completely resolved in how we understand the gift. When we freely receive the gifts of God, and when we truly understand our own right mind and

enkratiea, or self-control to be gifts*** of God, we are then free to forgive, and free likewise to commit ourselves wholly and without reserve to Gods work in the body. Fear of shame for failures is not a stick to be brandished, but neither should it be a topic too delicate to address! For that reason we find Paul explicitly alluding to such in v. 9:4 we say NOT ye. But I am digressing from my purpose. I want to say as a teacher in your midst that the ascension gift ministries are there for one purpose glory and that will result with our mutual honoring of one another for that the whole body should rejoice. There is one final, brief point that I wish to sum up with, and to encourage us in our irrevocable callings; and that is, to bring us back to Apostle Number Two. If we count Noah the first, Apostle Number Two is Abraham. Recently I happened to grab the nearest handy Bible at an odd moment when I needed to confirm a thought that came to me. I found myself reading Jay P. Green, Sr.s Literal Translation published as parallel columns with his Interlinear Bible, and coming to Chapter 17, verse 6 (may I heartily recommend you consult your own Bible immediately?) We read in every English translation thats current and widely accepted in the body of Christ, And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you. I do not mean to make too much of one verse among the entire twenty-one verses that comprise this covenant. But having looked diligently into the Hebrew lexicon for comparative verses and exegeting for myself the grammar of this verse, I cannot agree with this translation any more. Even after looking into the

Thayers Greek-Hebrew Concordance to the Septuagint for every possible variant reading, I find it inescapable to conclude that the ancient Alexandrian Greeks started an unfortunate trend**** that has persisted to this day, in failing to translate what Jay P. Green, Sr. finally did a couple of decades ago, as Gods word of promise to Abraham, to which all Christians and good Jews today are legitimate heirs. For Genesis 17:6 should read, And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will GIVE you for nations, and kings shall come out of you. To each minister whom God has managed to convince that, as Christ gave Himself for the church, and as the Father sent him, so He has given and sent you for the bride, I say just, look to Father Abraham and believe Moses account. We are heirs of promise. Who now can retreat from being given away? Dave Funnell Uxbridge, Aug. 30, 2003 (* 1 Cor. 4:8 & Ps. 110:2) (** Acts 24:25) (*** or perhaps better understood as talents, taken literally as in the parable. Too often we follow vulgar usage and make an unfortunate elision of the abilities and talents, thus losing the Lords point there, which is the generative exchange-value of the masters coin that is only useful for currency of the farm, off the reservation, and outside the confines of the church. Cp. Mt. 10:42)

Postscript, Aug 2008: Subsequent research into the conceptual background for Hebrewspeaking believers - especially those versed in Torah study has made much more meaningful to me the phrase in the Epistle to the Hebrews 11:3, framed the ages as a pattern to provide connotation to all NT appearances of katartizo! A few references will suffice, for the interested. 2 Samuel 7:11 compares strictly to Heb. 3:6; Jeremiah 25:26 and 51:41 clearly exemplify a radical shift from the vertical to the horizontal dimension that scholarly Jews have acknowledged for millenia in interpreting Torah manuscripts of Num. 10:35&36 where the figure of movement by the Prime Mover is embodied in the cloud, we being baptized in. p.s. How surprised I was to learn in the Hebrew of Genesis 15:8 that Abram was on a first-name basis with Yahweh! This undercuts very, very seriously the traditional Jewish testimony of keeping God's name holy, if our first Father of Faith didn't "observe" such a restriction himself -- as witness Moses' own written record. Also look at verse 26:5 where there were 5 elements of God's pre-Mosaic guidance personally to Abraham: "my voice, my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws." From a note to Josimar Salum 10/26/07 Added Sept 2010: note the connection between the five figures (or, fivefold figure) of Genesis 26:5 and the figure of Numbers 10:35-6 is such that the cloud is over and above the degalim (banner groups) as (asher) the voice is over and above the four spoken elements that Abraham walked in. His mdrega was as friend of God: so given as would be his Seed.

**** The same Prince of Greece that influenced the Targum writers of Alexandria to distort the Septuagint to favor Hellenism in the 3rd Century, is still resisting the churchs rapprochement with Jews; I believe the prophecy of Daniel that the same spiritual entity so named in 8:24 is also responsible for the accomplishment of his desire to change times and laws that is, to this day, manifested in Christians failure to read Torah in the appropriate cycles as done by the first apostles (Acts 6:4.) No Jewish Bible that I have found properly translates Genesis 17:6b.