An Open Letter To Those Missing In Action

There is a growing segment of the US population who love God with all their heart, soul mind and strength but have walked away from established "church" as we know it. They have tired of programs, building projects and activities that have brought together a crowd, but in their mind has not created an atmosphere where their giftings and callings could be released.

Somewhere along the lines we have allowed ourselves to become a one man, at the most two man (or woman) show; where all the preaching, praying, prophesying, worshiping, laying on of hands are done by one or two people, paid by the church. And at the end of the day we've gone home totally exhausted by our activity yet with a gnawing feeling in our hearts that maybe we are not exactly seeing happen everything God intended for His children to see!

I have always believed in the five-fold ministry! My Baptist heritage has taught me to "rightly divide the Word of truth…", and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! It wasn't until I became a member of a Pentecostal fellowship, that all of a sudden there was this upheaval about whether some of these office gifts are really for today or not!

I am afraid we have wanted to be accepted so much by our cessationist brothers, that subliminally, we have accepted the argument maybe some of what's in the Bible is NOT for today!

I still believe there are apostles and prophets today! But I also want to stress, not everyone who has apostle and prophet on their business cards are one! Most of them I know don't make a big deal about the title; they simply function in the office and let God show the fruit of it!

Back to my point: I too (like some of you) have complained about these missing in action, scratched my head and said what did I do wrong or what have we done wrong…but I am sensing today, satan is using some of this to cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit He is wanting to flow through the earth today!

I will be the first to admit, there are some people who are simply rebellious and they frankly are never going to accept anyone but themselves as being the one true voice of God on the earth! But also know some preachers and some churches though that think the anointing and the move of God on the earth begins and ends with them! If you are outside their little clique you are simply ignorant or better yet going to hell on the Vaseline slide!

But many are not rebellious, contentious and divisive, they simply are looking for a place where Christ is exalted and they can allow their giftings and callings to be celebrated and not simply tolerated!

I also believe the New Testament makes room for those of us who feel called by God to be (I hate to use this term) professional clergy or (a better term) full time ministers. But somewhere along the lines we have got to stop cursing the darkness and bashing our MIA's and ask the hard questions…are people with different giftings and callings and anointings really welcome in our church? Are they really welcome in our denominations?

Are we willing to make room for them?

Are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to move in such a way that someone else besides the paid pastor may have a word from the Lord today?

Before any of my preacher friends write me and say I'm spreading rebellion, please understand, I am totally convinced this must under the leadership and direction of the set pastoral gift in the House. God has set the pastoral gift to shepherd the local flock of God. But we as the shepherds must mature to the place where we don't become threatened by those God may be raising up to do a mighty work for Him in our midst!

We do cry out for revival, and I believe I am living to see it!

We do need to be relevant to the culture in which we are living in today!

More than anything, we need a revolution that will bring us further into the Divine Order of God!