House Church Ministry
Information
Spiritual support for those who are ministering from their homes and in other homes instead of a church buiding.
Website: http://Internationaloutreachministries.ning.com
Location: Roanoke Va.
Members: 76
Latest Activity: Mar 16, 2023
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The Theology of Ordination
"What is the theology of ordination?"
That's a question that got me in trouble at my own ordination. Essentially, I asked the committee, "What theology of ordination?"
Well, I managed to smooth things over with the committee by pointing out the practical value of ordination as practiced in some of the modern denominations--it is a process in which the background of the candidate is carefully checked in order to ensure that, essentially, the requirements of 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1 are met. It keeps--or, at least should keep--predators out of the Lord's flock.
The idea of ordination would appear to have its roots in Acts 13, where the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to the work which I have called them." So we have those who are "set apart." Some are set apart for music ministry, some for the pastorate, and so forth. Those who are ordained for music have musical ability, those who are ordained for missions have gifts for missions. Do we ordain in response to the Holy Spirit, or as a result of a very worldly assessment of natural abilities? Hopefully, we weigh the former more than the latter.
The Laying On of Hands
Sadly, many have added the laying on of hands to their arsenal of pleagian magic--actions in which they would try to force God to recognize a change to a human that results from certain actions and procedures performed by other humans (but see Rom. 11:34, "Who has ever put God in their debt?"). The laying on of hands that climaxes many modern Christian ordination services has its roots in such passages as 1 Tim. 4:14, which recalls a time when elders laid hands on Timothy. But the text describes this action as the giving of a "prophetic message," and Paul refers to it again in 2 Tim. 1:6--this time as a "gift of God." To interpret these passages properly, it is probably best to examine the Acts. In Acts 19:6, the "hands" are associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, not an office. Also, Acts 20:28 is very clear that it is the Holy Spirit that selects "overseers." There is absolutely nothing in the 1 Tim. or the 2 Tim. passages that suggest that the overseers are making of Timothy another overseer by the laying on of hands. We are on much better biblical ground if we interpret the "hands" passages as the imparting of some sort of charismatic gift or, in Acts 19:6, a facilitating of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit himself.
A Blessing or Prayer
So the biblical laying on of hands is more a blessing than it is a rite that transfers authority or office (Ferguson, 5:39). Its usage in Christianity is based on Gen. 48:14 (Jacob blessing his grandchildren), and Mk. 10:13-16 (Jesus blessing the little children). After Pentecost it is associated, quite naturally, with the work of the Holy Spirit.
Banks offers another approach to the New Testament laying on of hands--that of enacted prayer. He suggests that the layong on of hands was a physical action that "did not just accompany the prayer; it was part of the prayer itself."(Banks, 80).
The reader will have to decide for himself what the "setting apart" passage in Acts actually means--but please bear its context in mind.
Is this not really a setting apart for missions?
Is it not a response of obedience to God's Spirit?
Is it not a commissioning into a place of service?
Finally, where in this passage is any kind of authority bestowed on Barnabas and Saul?
Where we understand ordination as prayer or blessing, and where it can be used to police the entry into the pastorate or to recognize and affirm the work that God has done to prepare an individual for a work of service, let's by all means keep ordination. My own testimony is that I was blessed--greatly blessed--by the laying on of hands (God somehow arranged it so that pastors of more than one denomination participated in my case). But let us be very careful that we don't attach too much consequence to whether one is ordained or not ordained. Nowhere in the discussions of gifting and duties of the church does Paul make any such requirement. Why should we?
Conclusion
Here is the bottom line: It would be a shame if a house church wished to bless, commission, or otherwise respond to the Holy Spirit to "set apart" one of its number for a particular work of service, but demurred because they did not have any "ordained" members. When the modern house church movement was born in a house church meeting in Zurich, many who had previously been "ordained" by the Catholic Church were present. Yet when George Cajacob arose and begged to be given "the true Christian baptism"--the act that caused them to break with the state church and would be a death sentence for nearly all of them--it was to the unordained Conrad Grabel that he turned (see "Counter Clutural Discipleship").
House Church Central Home Page
Bibliography
Robert Banks, Paul's Idea of Community, Revised ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson: 1994). [This book is listed on the Resources page].
Everett Ferguson, s.v., "Ordination," The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 5:37-39.
"What is the theology of ordination?"
That's a question that got me in trouble at my own ordination. Essentially, I asked the committee, "What theology of ordination?"
Well, I managed to smooth things over with the committee by pointing out the practical value of ordination as practiced in some of the modern denominations--it is a process in which the background of the candidate is carefully checked in order to ensure that, essentially, the requirements of 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1 are met. It keeps--or, at least should keep--predators out of the Lord's flock.
The idea of ordination would appear to have its roots in Acts 13, where the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to the work which I have called them." So we have those who are "set apart." Some are set apart for music ministry, some for the pastorate, and so forth. Those who are ordained for music have musical ability, those who are ordained for missions have gifts for missions. Do we ordain in response to the Holy Spirit, or as a result of a very worldly assessment of natural abilities? Hopefully, we weigh the former more than the latter.
The Laying On of Hands
Sadly, many have added the laying on of hands to their arsenal of pleagian magic--actions in which they would try to force God to recognize a change to a human that results from certain actions and procedures performed by other humans (but see Rom. 11:34, "Who has ever put God in their debt?"). The laying on of hands that climaxes many modern Christian ordination services has its roots in such passages as 1 Tim. 4:14, which recalls a time when elders laid hands on Timothy. But the text describes this action as the giving of a "prophetic message," and Paul refers to it again in 2 Tim. 1:6--this time as a "gift of God." To interpret these passages properly, it is probably best to examine the Acts. In Acts 19:6, the "hands" are associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, not an office. Also, Acts 20:28 is very clear that it is the Holy Spirit that selects "overseers." There is absolutely nothing in the 1 Tim. or the 2 Tim. passages that suggest that the overseers are making of Timothy another overseer by the laying on of hands. We are on much better biblical ground if we interpret the "hands" passages as the imparting of some sort of charismatic gift or, in Acts 19:6, a facilitating of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit himself.
A Blessing or Prayer
So the biblical laying on of hands is more a blessing than it is a rite that transfers authority or office (Ferguson, 5:39). Its usage in Christianity is based on Gen. 48:14 (Jacob blessing his grandchildren), and Mk. 10:13-16 (Jesus blessing the little children). After Pentecost it is associated, quite naturally, with the work of the Holy Spirit.
Banks offers another approach to the New Testament laying on of hands--that of enacted prayer. He suggests that the layong on of hands was a physical action that "did not just accompany the prayer; it was part of the prayer itself."(Banks, 80).
The reader will have to decide for himself what the "setting apart" passage in Acts actually means--but please bear its context in mind.
Is this not really a setting apart for missions?
Is it not a response of obedience to God's Spirit?
Is it not a commissioning into a place of service?
Finally, where in this passage is any kind of authority bestowed on Barnabas and Saul?
Where we understand ordination as prayer or blessing, and where it can be used to police the entry into the pastorate or to recognize and affirm the work that God has done to prepare an individual for a work of service, let's by all means keep ordination. My own testimony is that I was blessed--greatly blessed--by the laying on of hands (God somehow arranged it so that pastors of more than one denomination participated in my case). But let us be very careful that we don't attach too much consequence to whether one is ordained or not ordained. Nowhere in the discussions of gifting and duties of the church does Paul make any such requirement. Why should we?
Conclusion
Here is the bottom line: It would be a shame if a house church wished to bless, commission, or otherwise respond to the Holy Spirit to "set apart" one of its number for a particular work of service, but demurred because they did not have any "ordained" members. When the modern house church movement was born in a house church meeting in Zurich, many who had previously been "ordained" by the Catholic Church were present. Yet when George Cajacob arose and begged to be given "the true Christian baptism"--the act that caused them to break with the state church and would be a death sentence for nearly all of them--it was to the unordained Conrad Grabel that he turned (see "Counter Clutural Discipleship").
House Church Central Home Page
Bibliography
Robert Banks, Paul's Idea of Community, Revised ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson: 1994). [This book is listed on the Resources page].
Everett Ferguson, s.v., "Ordination," The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 5:37-39.
Discussion Forum
International Day of Remembrance Sept. 19, 2010
Started by Rabbis Aviyah Byers Mar 3, 2010. 0 Replies 0 Likes
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Church Growth Mastery on April 19, 2010 at 11:27am
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Comment by Apostle/ProphetessEvelyn Adewoye on April 6, 2010 at 8:57pm
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Hello Everyone,
This is an awesome gospel message and teaching that God laid on my heart and spirit to speak, read, and teach. The title is "The Original Root/Problem/Restoration of Women Called in Ministry. Please share this with all women that are called to ministry or feel they have a calling on their life. Be blessed my the message as you llisten. Click below to listen
www.talkshoe.com/tc/76266
Thank you for your support and prayers. God bless you.
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Good Morning Everyone,
Be blessed by the Prayer Hour last nigh, The Suffering of the Lord Jesus Christt. Reminder, every Friday night join us in Prayer at 347-934-0732 or www.blogtalkradio.com/hwhm. Thank you for your support and prayers. Click below:
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This is Minister Evelyn Adewoye. Just a reminder of tonight on Talkshoe Talkcast, I will be bringing forth the Gospel Message "God Do Not Discriminate". If you have been rejected, not accepted, told not yet, you are not educated enough, you are not chosen because of your past, backgroud record, race, culture, or gender. For whatever reason, join me on tonight. Even if this is not the case with you, please join us to listen to what God put on my spirit to speak in this message.
The telephone number is 724-444-7444 Code: 76266 #. You can log in on the internet at www.talkshoe.com/tc/76266. The time will be 8:30pm-9:30pm. You will want to call or log in early because the beginning will give you a better revelation of the ending message. Amen. Look forward to you all joining me tonight. Please share this email with others that you feel led to share with that may need to hear this message. Be Blessed!
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Comment by Bishop James T. Dixon on January 8, 2010 at 1:25pm
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Appreciate where God has you, and be patient as He Moves you.
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Hello Everyone,
I just want to share the prayer from last night. Please feel free to listen during your quiet time. It was a blessing! Share with others. We hope you can join us on some Fridays. The telephone is 347-934-0732, or you can log-in at www.blogtalkradio.com/HWHM. God bless all. It was a 5-6 minute silence in the middle of the prayer, somehow it disconnect, but let it play, and keep listening. Thank God for your support, and prayers. Please click below to listen:
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Hello Everyone,
God is Awesome! How excellent is the name of the Lord! Let's give Him the praise! I really love the Lord! Today, I want to give everyone Psalm 95-A Call to Worship and Obedience, v1-Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. v2-Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. v3-FOr the Lord is the great God. And the great King above all gods. Amen. This worship of God is a mood of celebration. The worship of God is obedience. Amen.
I was so heavy in the spirit this morning, I thank God for His presence, and what He is going to do for you, and I. Amen. The Hurting Women Healing Ministries, Inc. One Year Anniversary Date is June 27, 2010. We did our first fellowship service to celebrate the mission, vision, and purpose of the HWHM, Inc on June 27, 2009. We are taking our One Year Anniversary and Women's Conference to Sumter, SC, which the Lord laid this on my heart to do. Get Ready! Get Ready! God is going to do a Miraculous Anointing, Healing, and Miracle during this celebration on June 25-27, 2010. I can't give you the Title of the Service Yet, but it is powerful! Healing will take place. Amen. Mark your calendars for this date. We are praying for Women Preachers, Speakers, Workshop Presenters/Teachers, Prayer Intercessors, Praise Dance Team, Gospel Singers or Group, and Vendors. Please bring your teenage daughters/young adult daughters. Amen. Men can help, and support us set up before, and after the events only. We want this to be a day for the women only. If interested, and God give you revelation to be a part of this celebration, please email me or call me at 240-351-4661. Please share this email with others. We will give more details of the place. We have someone in SC working on it. Thank you for your support, and prayers. God bless all!
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Thank you for all your emails, phone calls on Thanksgiving Day. Please feel free to visit us and share our websites with others at www.hurtingwomenhealingministries.ning.com. Please help support our new business in helping women, men, and children be healthy inside/out by visiting www.ardysslife.com/doorsopen or www.dobodyshapers.ning.com. Our #1 Best Seller is the Ardyss Body Magic(Miracle), which you will drop up to 3 dress sizes in 10 minutes. In our business, we call it the Body Miracle because you will see instant results. I have seen it with my own eyes, and it is Amazing! This is a blessed business that will help resolve a lot of health issues, and problems. We need to thank God for the person who He gifted with this product to help people with their health.
I shared this in a Thanksgiving message, we need to be grateful to God for Jesus Christ. God is the giver, and Jesus Christ is our gift for us. He gave up His life for us. I shared we need to not only look at the gift, and get excited about the gift that we received, but thank God for the person who is the giver of that gift, get excited about the giver like the gift because if it was not for the giver, we will never receive the gift. Amen. We give God thanks for everything, and thank Him for the indescribable gift of Jesus Christ. This is first, and the most important. We need to thank God for who He placed in our lives. He placed family, friends, pastors, leaders, counselors, mentors, doctors, nurses, business partners, employers, strangers, and the list can go on, because there are givers of gifts. God also gives us discernment what to take, and not take. God is Awesome! Thank God for His protection, safety, security, and peace that He gives us. Everything that is meant for the bad, God can mean it for our good. Praise God! I spoke from Luke 17:13-19-Tthe Ten Lepers. How one of the lepers showed his gratitude to Jesus, who is the healer. He was the only one who returned out of 9 lepers to say thank-you. He was so grateful to Jesus for blessing Him! I made a statement before we look at the other 9 with being ungrateful, ask yourself, have we ever done the same thing? I ask that we began to thank God for being the giver of Jesus Christ in our lives for salvation, deliverance, healing, and to set us free. I ask that we thank God for bringing others in our lives to be a blessing. Amen.
We are looking for individuals that will like to do the Body Miracle 2-Step Success Showcase(which is the Body Garments/Levive Juice) or Health, Wellness, and Wealth Success Showcase(Body Miracle 2-Step System/Nutritional Products/Hair/Skin Care/Business Opportunity) in your home, girls night out gathering, family/friends gatherings, part of your business/fellowship meetings, events, conferences, and etc. We will come in other local cities/states. We can make this very fun and inspirational to your gatherings, meetings, or events. If you host a showcase, get 5 or more retail sales on the body garments, you will get a free body garment, or Ardyss Body Miracle for half price. What is this one time fee to lose weight, feel, and look good whether than spending more money weekly, monthly, yearly, or lifetime on weight programs, weight centers, weight doctors, or the gym when you can save money to do the things you really need, and want. Everything is a process, if we are consistent in doing it. Amen. If interested, please contact us at 240-351-4661. God bless all! Thank you for your support.
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