ODE TO BIG BUILDING…MINISTRY
CORINTH
(C)2021 Taveau D’Arcy All copyrights reserved
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Apostle Paul penned his letter….and it was just in time. The First Corinthians Church was carnal and very full of itself. It had a LOT of division and a LOT of mammoth egos.
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So there were plenty of area ministry multicultural Alpha office stallions… amidst servant elder Beta ..however the wide pursuit of mammon chasing was a bit apparent…yet, most were clean living and eager, well intentioned, also most were truly devout…
….Also, nobody in the New Work Plant of the Corinthian Church had ever been deeply pastorally mentored… or who had ever walked that Area “Narrow Way” before..BECAUSE..at that Corinthian Time.. there was NO NEW TESTAMENT, NO preceding Leader Generation and/or any NEW TESTAMENT training BIBLE , CDs, BOOKS…like we each have on hand..today.
Instead..they continually relied on the ongoing revelation of the Most High God, which they sought during times of fasting and deep prayer.
“MINISTRY STAFFÂ APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED, DOWN AT THE APOLLOS THEATER” 102 Corinthian Place . The non people pleasing,non dependent.. need not apply.
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However, it was a BRAND NEW and LEADER EPIC big start and it heralded a new coming Christian NEW ERA type of day..albeit a MEGA ONE…which had never prior to this ERA existed…
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Thus this was the completely NEW STYLE of ministry crop (fresh out of Hebrew Torah, Cult worship, and Heathen, Aristocratic Patrician slave master, owning many people Rome..) and each as highly regarded as the FUTURE of GLOBAL CHRISTIAN PIONEERING MINISTRY..Yet…many were young…at least in their Walk with Christ…
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Thus each one was named among the freshly “Born Again” leaders.. And, as a result..there were tell tale signs…that this elect, mega spiritually gifted…and seaport first church.. displayed MIGHTY potential power ..for much eclectic growth…and mega future branches..apparent SIGNS . Furthermore, the vigorous vital energy and enthusiasm of this newly formed fellowship of rising new believers ran diverse and multicultural…as well as supremely high.
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HOWEVER, just like today…Â as all humans are ‘human” and prone to “carnal wisdom” amongst the Holy Spirit kind..due to the lack of knowledge, lack of true self consecration, even due to (probably the biggest reason) the lack of KNOWLEDGE (as none of them had BEEN THERE EVER BEFORE..)
And none of them back mighty then, enduring amidst the “First Church MIGHTY ZEAL and Fully One First, Holy Ghost filled…inquiring apostolic senior leader ..had little understanding that …in moving forward. the emotional, spiritual and wearing living resistance (which we today would understand as ..”the world, the all knowing adept flesh” and the horrific devil” would try to also move in…to block, to continually ministry thwart and to side track, even to involve in pride and ministry deception.
JUST as he has done today.
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A HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF:
ACTS 13:21 “but the people demanded a king. So for forty years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.”
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And so…highly similar to the Hebrew people who “demanded a KING” to be just like all of the heathen nations around them….
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…SO the very human, intrinsic carnal temptations, real desires and each of our besetting, ever mortal tendencies ..would also attempt to derail the real true purposes of the Risen God… even at the First Church of Corinth…so what resulted as a raise up heros, personal ministry idols, to put on a pedestal, to role model dependable, true Leader, Father, Pastor…yet while nothing is wrong with enjoying a healthy ministry role model..as we all have done…nobody there understood the coming pitfall of keeping one’s eyes on a fellow human and of placing all of their reliance, trust and major confidence in a PERSON ..while sliding into human pleaing, and not FULLY relying on God as their SOURCE…so slowly they turned dependent. Some grew lazy as they no longer believed that it was their job to hear God for themselves. NOT they let the pastor, top ministry do all of that for them.
And as the many believers joined the fellowship, over time, there was a need to become better organized. So while a lot of Holy Spirit revealed directions for infrastructure and leadership training…and order was downloaded..carnal opinions and a need for Greatness, Control also tainted the First Holy Spirit EQUAL VALUED, “everyone being a minister, and responsible for hearing from God for themselves and their family, own ministry..” was now beginning to be devalued, displaced and instead carnal human governing forms, styles, even control would come into the eager First Church.
BUSY HARD WORKING, YET CARNAL ELDERS, THEN SLOWLY ASSIMILATED THE WORLD’S METHODS….EVENTUALLY SUPPLANTING HOLY SPIRIT DIRECT INSTRUCTION, REVELATION FOR “GOOD WORLDLY CHURCH PLANTING, AUTHORITY, GOVERNMENT.
Eventually certain First Churches (Ephesus,Rev. 2) accepted “the doctrines that God hates’ ..’the false Gnostic, worldly teachings referred to as THE DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANS …”NICO” roots word is NIKE, ” to control” LAOS means “the people”
THE FALSE CONTROLLING DOCTRINES relied on human control, force, even false use of ministry authority which is “1 Samuel 15:23 “rebellious as witchcraft” “control by withstanding, carnal, manipulation, psychic or occult demonic pressure) “Matthew 7;22 “lawlessness”. This sets up many innocent to be USED , ABUSE, falsely repeated ACCUSED. just like many carnal user leaders today.
 JUST AS MANY TODAY… the weaker, immature, try to EMULATE a fellow HUMAN (and later CLAIM to be THEY are “UNDER” his/her ministry..to gain much honor and FAVOR)…THEREFORE the silly, big insecure and heightened CLUELESS…will inadvertently covet and also demand similar… unless ..UNLESS they KNOW to be SELF DISCIPLINED , WISE and SPIRITUALLY UNDERSTANDING, EVEN MATURE…will always want to do likewise!!
And for the most part, both God’s ELDERS do not understand HOW to train who “follows after all of them”: ex: MICAH 7:5, PSALM 118:8-9, as perfect examples;
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Thus, the ornery human carnal unastute untamed nature is to want what everybody else appears to already have (the Instagram new word FOMO(fear of missing out) which is the former KEEPING UP WITH THE (CHRISTIAN, MINISTRY) JONESES. PS also creates a dependency on the LAY and the Lay dependency on the TOP GUN PASTOR.. “Codependent Leader People Groups”)
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THUS..there is a real inner desire for the Over Many to set up a HERO to replace their FATHER or with whom the (who feel poverty of esteem, mainly inferior?) can NOW IDENTIFY.(but realizing all of THAT the top leader can give these HOW To be HEALED of all of the deep needy THAT and HOW to “Lean more on the LORD and to PSALM 121.. “rely only upon , only LOOK UNTO the Living Lord” THIS ALSO may include Apostle Paul praising the Jews who were Bereans for picking apart HIS DOCTRINES to see if they truly matched the Bible) NOBLE BEREANS..
THEREFORE..IN LIGHT OF MAINLY CHARISMATIC NOW..AND EVALUATING THROUGH THE FIRST CHURCH OF CORINTH:
WE MUST JUDGE REPLICATED “FRUIT”…AND ASSESS…JUST AS “GOD’S PEOPLE WHO DEMANDED A KING” ..a Popular Regal, Talented Winsome Tall Elite, akin to a prophetic Saul….however “Christian Elevated Elder” who might be viewed,back then as now..as a Rising Up and Ministry Coming…even in our modern day Western views, an regional “POP .CELEBRITY” …
SPECULATING….THEN THIS RENOWN MINISTER might surely burgeon in popularity, spheres of influence, even to becoming very highly acclaimed, advertised, sought after, and well publicized…which NOW and BACK THEN would perhaps tend toward resembling a “apostolic” version of a Head of Fan Base…mega cult and the mesmerizing, charismatic prophetic HIGHLY REGARDED LEADER of a growing following of increasing mega numbers…and amongst the mostly somber these…even influx of the shallow of starry eyed. (in turn breeding bastiens of local, national…FAMOUS” “FANS” which had started to rise up due to PERSONALITIES, superior PRIDE, subtle rivalry, GIFTED PERSONA..and with it the underlying unholy rumble of CONTENTION…. divisive ministry Minister worshipper Cult false accepted Teaching.
SUSPECTING..based on real ministry USA life..that eventually..all of  it would morph into serious , whole heart, fear of the Lord, area disciples into a joyful rollicking celebrity devout, immature overly dependent, divisive (I AM FOR MEGA APOLLOS ONLY) human fan base. Like it is now.
WITHIN THAT would be the UPPER CASTE, THE LOWER CASTE, THE OUT CASTE…MEANING “RESPECTER OF PERSONS CARNAL SPIRIT” then the swelling of many mega amount of sheer numbers of persons would soon elder minister breed that PET, PREFERRED “IN CROWD and the ” OUT CROWD”…and amongst the GIANT CASTE SYSTEM..of course, the dimly viewed atypical, various unusual… and the appearing to be “an unknown evil quantity” ..their own mega social non elite outcast..due to the hurried, far off scanning and the fevered forming of self protective ministry TYPE CASTE
BOTTOM LINE: Human RELATIONSHIPS would begin to be taken for granted, NOT ALL RESPECTED, VALUED and then it would be US AGAINST THE non Pet Wanted Stereotype ..as it is just now!
I CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 1 AND 3 …
I recall that Apostle Paul reprimanded each of those hopefuls in the First Church of Corinth..and when I read it is almost comes across like St Paul is  a might chagrined..even like he was embarrassed …being remotely connect to that less than humble Chosen lot..for that he wonders if he might have baptised a couple of them.
MINISTER PAUL cautions,“Don’t say ” I AM FOR APOSTLE PAUL” or ” I AM FOR APOLLOS” ..each one simply say, “I AM FOR CHRIST”
as we each and all should right now.
as we each and all should right now.
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CLOSING…
And in hindsight Apostle Paul addressed all of that CHIEF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY “MIXTURE”…JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME….(for humor)..
…..for area rumors had started that a big group of devout ministry followers…die hard cultish worship fans were setting up a new theater production on behalf of their OWN Proud Favorite….
For the name on the marquee was supposed to be “SHOW TIME AT THE APOLLOS”
And surely it would cause THEIR FINE FAVORITE PETÂ AND AREA WELL KNOWN MINISTER to Outshine all of the ministry others..which they would all take great pride in!! For as one of HIS followers, it would reflect well upon THEMSELVES and perhaps guarateen being invited to guest minister due to their prophet coat tail riding RELATIONSHIP.
AND SURELY as no one in the bustling, extremely busy, high traffic, metropolitan, educated and diverse, well traveled and vastly experience seaport congregation of First Church Corinth thought anything but MIGHTY BIG…they the FIRST APOLLOS THEATER was a giant facility was built to accommodated 3-4 thousand …yet with many future similar Apollos World Wide MInistry Campuses already planned.
SUCH IS EACH OF OUR “CHRISTIAN LEADER MINISTRY” HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF..if we’re fast asleep…and not really aware.
SOW INTOÂ FUTURE LEADERSHIP
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