WALKING IN PURPOSE

God has a divine plan and purpose for everyone, and no matter what we suffer in this life, He is always mindful of and committed to fulfilling that purpose. Above all, the Father desires that man be reconciled back to Him and become partakers of His holiness. To ensure this end, God placed perfectors in the Body of Christ to teach mankind His heart and mind.

Ephesians 4:11-13

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

God has put a government in place to insure the “unity of the faith” and “for the sons to be brought to the perfect man.” This is the five-fold ministry. These gifts were given to the church to equip the saints to work the ministry. It is necessary for these gifts to be functioning in order for the Body of Christ to be brought to a place of perfection, “unto the stature of the man Jesus Christ.” When these gifts are all working together and we are speaking the same thing and being perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment, the church will be transformed and mature into one new man that exists only to fulfill the purpose of God for our lives.

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 1:10

BTI was established by the Holy Ghost to bring about reformation in the church. This end-time move of God is not a “one-man show” where only the pastor is being used, as God desires to use His entire Body. His order must be in place if the revealed Word received by the apostle and confirmed by the prophets, is to be handed down to the Body by the pastors, evangelists and teachers. This order guarantees that we are all on one accord, speaking the same thing.

I. SUBMISSION

Everyone in this reformation must be in submission to the Word of God. In a natural army, there are not only generals, but also colonels and captains. In God’s army, Christ is the Commander and Chief, and then there are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and ministers of helps, intercession and administration. This is God’s government in the church, which is designed to bring about the unity of the faith. At BTI, there are under-shepherds, like the auxiliary presidents, who further break down and piece-meal the Word of God encouraging the members to apply it to their everyday circumstances, situations and relationships. We encourage all members to respect and honor the leadership of this ministry, for this is right in the eyes of God.

Let us consider ;

Hebrews 13:17

17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: For they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: For that is unprofitable for you.

Above all, the Father desires that man be reconciled back to Him. We must honor and respect those whom the Holy Ghost has set in authority, as it is their responsibility to train us in the mind of Christ. We must not see it as submitting to a man or a woman, which is carnal, but see that we are submitting to the Spirit of Christ. When we do not respect the vessel whom God has placed over us, we war against the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

A lack of submission not only hinders the spiritual growth of the individual but also it affects the oneness of the entire auxiliary. It is important to remember that God uses positions of leadership to mature those who are in authority and that they too are being developed along with the members of the board.

II. SERVICE AND HOLINESS

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, HOLY, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2 Timothy 2:21

21 If a man therefore PURGE himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, SANCTIFIED and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

God’s heart and mind must be the foundation of any love unit. A standard of Holiness which is defined as that which is acceptable unto God must be established. This is to be the aim of all members of the auxiliary. Each member must understand that their service is unto God and that it is He who is examining the disposition of our hearts when we serve. We must constantly examine our lives and make certain that we are not in sin in any area if we intend to be used in His service. Whatever God sanctifies to be used in His service is clean and holy, yielded in the Master’s hand and prepared for every good work. Service is essential to true holiness. We are made holy to serve. God’s holiness is demonstrated in us as love. Holiness will give you the desire and energy to make self-sacrifice. Holiness moves us into self-denial so that others can experience God’s love through us.

The will and purpose of God must live in us and be our only agenda if this is to be accomplished by us. The Holy Spirit leads us into true servitude. Members are encouraged to examine their own heart and determine whether their service is led by the Holy Spirit. We must not use service to mask our lack of holiness or apply our hidden agendas, as we will be judged by our motives and attitude. When the Holy Spirit leads us into service, duties are no longer a pressure or an obligation, it becomes a joy and there is strength in knowing that we are in the will of the Father. Our service can now receive power as it is born out of worship of God.

III. QUALIFICATIONS OF DEACONS

The spiritual disposition of a deacon is important and the responsibilities that they will perform as deacons must be taken seriously. Let us go to Acts the 6th chapter to see the requirements that our predecessors had to meet in order to be used in the service of the Lord. Amplified Version

1 NOW ABOUT this time, when the number of the disciples was greatly increasing, complaint was made by the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking Jews) against the [native] Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked and neglected in the daily ministration (distribution of relief).

2 So the Twelve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not seemly or desirable or right that we should have to give up or neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables and superintending the distribution of food.

3 Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty.

4 But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

5 And the suggestion pleased the whole assembly, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith (a strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah) and full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte (convert) from Antioch.

6 These they presented to the apostles, who after prayer laid their hands on them.

The above scriptures give us a guideline as to what we are to expect from those who will serve in any capacity in the Body of Christ. According to the Word of God, those who serve should be men and women of: Good and attested (to affirm to be correct, true, or genuine) character and repute (a good reputation). Full of the Holy Spirit Full of Wisdom Full of Faith and Controlled by the Holy Spirit These are the characteristics that God looks for in those who desire to be used in His service. We must have His heart and mind and submit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit. Then and only then, are we fit to work ministry.

1 Timothy 3:8-13

give us more qualifications of those who would be deacons:

8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found BLAMELESS. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 1

2 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

God calls Deacons to be servants who are:

Grave – Dignified and somber (serious) in conduct or character.

Not Doubletongued – (Doubletongued: Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another). A deacon should be completely honest in word, deed and thought. The heart should be in complete agreement with what is spoken from the mouth. Our speech or actions should contain no hidden agendas. When we are honest in all things and we do what we commit ourselves to, we show those whom we serve that we are servants with integrity and worthy of their trust.

Not given to much Wine – The Apostle Paul warns against the overindulgence of wine. Instead, he admonishes us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

We should not just possess the Holy Spirit, but should actually be controlled by Him.

Not Greedy for Filthy Lucre – The priorities of those who desire to be used by God must not be centered on the accumulation of wordly wealth. He or she must be an example of one whose, though he may be wealthy, focus is on laying up treasures in heaven (St.Matthew 6:19-24).

A deacon must not use unethical, dishonest or ungodly tactics to obtain money. Although, money is not in itself evil, the love of it is. We should not seek after money, but should follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness. Scripture admonishes the poor to be content with what he has and the rich not to be highminded, nor place his trust in uncertain riches (I Timothy the 6th Chapter).

Holding the Mystery of the Faith in a Pure Conscience – A deacon should not be a hypocrite. His faith cannot be merely intellectual but practical. Others should see his faith demonstrated by the way he lives. He should be an example of a sincere heart towards God and display a firm conviction of the truth of God’s Word.

Blameless – The Word of God admonishes us to be blameless in all things. The only way to accomplish this is for us to walk in the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is to walk in love. When we walk in love we have fulfilled the whole law and no one is able to justly bring an accusation against us. g.

Their Wives must be Grave, not Slanderers, Sober and Faithful in all things – The conduct of a deacon’s wife is very important. If any of these mindsets should be found in a deacon’s wife, then he must know how to lovingly minister her out of these weaknesses. He must first start by making certain that he himself in not walking in them. He should then seek the Holy Spirit for direction and wisdom, walk in love and do as the Holy Spirit directs him. h.

The Husband of one Wife – One who holds the office of a deacon must be faithful to his wife if he is married. He should not be flirtatious or an adulterer.

Rule their Children and Household Well – A deacon must conduct his household in a manner that is pleasing to the Father. First of all, he must live a holy life in order to be effective in directing the hearts and minds of his family toward God. In essence, he must lead by example. He cannot exhibit a lack of patience with his own family, but then go to the church and be patient and understanding with the congregation. We must be willing to treat our family members with the same love, patience and understanding that we give to others.