Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization (2 of 2)

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Rick Joyner - Koinonia & Eklesia - Church Fellowship & Organization 04.27.14 (2 of 2)

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Properly Joined - The Great Commission - Rick Joyner

Rick Joyner

Properly Joined - The Great Commission, Part 13

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Week 13, 2014

Rick Joyner

        We have been covering how having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life for fulfilling The Great Commission to make disciples, not merely converts. In the New Testament, every new believer’s discipleship began with being “added to the church.” There simply is no other biblical way to walk with God that does not also include being connected to the body of Christ as a member of His church. We cannot be properly connected to the Head without also being properly connected to His body.

         Church life is required for discipleship in Christ. Books are now being written to try and justify not needing to be part of a local church. They say that one just needs to be a part of the “kingdom,” etc., but that is contrary to the testimony of the New Testament, regardless of how wise the rationale might seem. If we are disconnected from His body, we are also disconnected from the Head. He may still bless us as much as He can, and we can still learn about Him and be used by Him, but we will be drifting further from Him too.

         This may be the primary reason why many will come to Him on that day having done many works in His name, yet He tells them to depart from Him because He never “knew” them (see Matthew 7:23). The Greek word translated “knew” in that text is not implying that He did not know who they were, but that He did not know them in the context of an intimate relationship. The Scriptures are clear that we cannot really be joined to Him without also being joined to His body, the church.

         Granted, the church is far from what it is meant to be. Most people I have talked to about why they quit going to a local church say things like: they were not getting their needs met, were not being fed, got wounded or disappointed. No mature Christian or true disciple would ever base a decision on those kinds of things. A mature Christian or a maturing disciple lives to give not to get. If they are wounded or disappointed, they rejoice that they were given an opportunity to take up their cross and forgive others the way Jesus did, growing in love, patience, etc.

         If the local church we have been called to is far from what it should be, how do we know that it was not our presence and input to that church that would help them get to where they are called to be? If we abandon our post, our assignment in Christ, we are departing from His will. We may be abandoning many of His people when they need us most.

         This does not negate the fact that the Lord does, from time to time, call people to spend time alone with Him or send them on new assignments or to a different local church. However, I have never seen Him lead someone out of a situation in defeat. He “always leads us in His triumph” (see II Corinthians 2:14). We are not called to go from defeat to defeat, but from victory to victory, glory to glory. We should get a victory in one place before leaving it, so that we are leaving it in victory.

         We are told in Isaiah 48 that if we are walking in the light, the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard. This means that we will be leaving a trail of His glory behind us, not a trail of defeats. We should always leave something built, not torn down.

         What does the trail behind us look like?

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Worth The Price - The Great Commission, Part 12 - Rick Joyner

Worth The Price - The Great Commission, Part 12

Week 12, 2014

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Rick Joyner

       We now understand that having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life and for fulfilling The Great Commission. 

In the New Testament when someone believed in Christ, they were made disciples, not just converts, and their discipleship began with being “added to the church.” This was far more than just being added to the membership roll. Every part of the New Testament body of Christ is called to be a functioning part of the body to which they are connected. They have a role to play in the life of the body.

         It is hard for anyone to discover their gifts and callings in the typical church service, much less have a place to function. Again, these larger services can have an important part in the life of the body, but the real building of the church, which is the place where church life really happens, will be the smaller groups.        

         Many Christian leaders are fearful of special “clicks” forming from small groups. This can, and likely will happen. But it is part of the maturing process that they will grow beyond if they have a secure and healthy leadership. Our human bodies are formed this way. All of the cells that are meant to be heart cells need to be connected within the heart, and the heart must be connected to the rest of the body, if it is to live.

         If we are overly fearful of small groups separating themselves, then we are not mature or secure enough in the Lord to be in leadership. Without a leadership that walks in faith instead of fear, koinonia will not happen. Without the freedom present that enables some groups to separate, the control spirit will be too great for authentic koinonia. Therefore, a secure and mature leadership is crucial for church life.

         All relationships go through phases and challenges before becoming mature and stable. Churches do too. If we think that we will wait out the problems and jump in when things settle down, we will not fit in when we try to jump in. The process is essential. The more intense it is, the greater we can expect the purpose and koinonia to be. As we enter more deeply into the time when all of society is falling apart, the koinonia in the church is going to be a strong lifeline to many and become one of the most valuable treasures on earth. It will be well worth whatever price we have paid for it.

Source: Rick Joyner's Word For the Week

Rick Joyner: Why is Koinonia So Important for The Great Commission? - The Elijah List

Rick Joyner:

Why is Koinonia So Important 

for The Great Commission?

The Elijah List

Why is koinonia [fellowship] so important when we are talking about The Great Commission? One reason we have failed to fulfill The Great Commission has been our tendency of making converts rather than disciples. 

The Great Commission is to make disciples. If disciples are not being made, then we are failing in our commission.

What a disciple is has been clearly defined by the Lord. True discipleship is rarely found among Christians today. One reason for this is that true discipleship is not possible without koinonia, as we read in 1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship (koinonia) with one another, and the Blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

As we have covered, this Scripture makes it clear that we simply cannot abide in the light without having koinonia. This is also essential for our cleansing.

I often say jokingly, but truthfully, that we simply cannot mature in Christ the way we are called to without all of the frustrations and irritations of Church life. The frustrations and irritations, the hurts and disappointments, are only a small part of what this experience is meant to be, but they are essential to our development. There are certainly far more positives to experiencing koinonia than negatives, but the challenges help us to mature.

The True Church Life

Either idealism about Church life or rejecting the Church will lead us far from the path of life. True Church life, koinonia, can be one of the most wonderful things we ever experience and one of the most difficult, as is true of any relationship, including marriage. As the Lord taught in the Parable of the Sower, many will depart when testing comes. Many depart from Church, and many are now even departing from marriage when the tests come.

You can never pass a test by quitting.

The breakdown of marriage is related to the breakdown in Church life and vice versa. The same thing that heals one will heal the other as well. The Cross is a vertical post that represents our connection to God and a horizontal one that represents our connection to one another.

One thing that taking up our cross means is that we must have both of these in our lives. Of course, our connection to God eclipses the importance of our connection to one another and must always be kept first. But if we have this and keep it first, we will also have the other. As John also wrote, we cannot love God who we do not see if we do not love our brother who we can see (see I John 4:20-21).

So, what can we do to promote koinonia in Church life? First and foremost, we must seek the presence of the Lord above all things. What good is the most glorious temple if God is not in it? Then we need to pursue relationships, not just wait to be pursued. Barnabas had to go and get Paul. Then they needed to get in the right place before either of them could get released into their own ultimate calling.

In those days, this was a supreme effort. It must have taken months for Barnabas to travel to Tarsus and then back to Antioch. Today it is hard to find those who will drive more than thirty minutes to church. What makes something a treasure is that it is either rare or difficult to obtain.

Koinonia is one of the greatest treasures we can have in this life. It is not cheap or easy to find, but it will be found by those who value it enough not to give up on its pursuit. 

The city that God is building, that which Abraham sought, and all true sojourners seek, is built on Jesus with koinonia.

Seeking the presence of the Lord is far more than seeking His blessings, which so much of the present emphasis of church teaching is based on today. He will bless many things He will not inhabit. When He says that wherever two or more are gathered in His name He will be in their midst (see Matthew 18:20), the word "gathered" does not mean merely occupying the same room or space.

It is where they have been "assembled together" like the parts of a bicycle have been assembled together. This is why we are told to "not to forsake the assembling together" (see Hebrews 10:25). This is not just a warning not to miss meetings, but to not fail to be assembled together as we are called to be.

(Photo via Stock.xchange by Timo Balk, edited by Tawny Nelson)

To build a Church where there is actually Church life, koinonia, we must do things to intentionally promote interchange between members. This can include small groups, church fellowship dinners, mission trips, and various other activities. However, gatherings that really lead to koinonia will center on the presence of the Lord. All others can be helpful in getting to this, but just gathering together for activities can fall far short by themselves.

In every spiritual pursuit, we must keep in mind this principle: Between the place where we receive the promise of God and the promised land, or the fulfillment of the promise, there is almost always a wilderness that is the exact opposite of what we have been promised. This wilderness is meant to prepare us for the promised land. Do not be shaken when you start to pursue koinonia and the opposite seems to happen with relationship challenges breaking out everywhere. This is just a sign that you are indeed on the path.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries

Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Website: morningstarministries.org

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History.

He is also the president of The OAK Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.

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Bob and Bonnie Jones: Poison Gourds! Young Prophets to Address Religious Spirit (The Elijah List)

Bob and Bonnie Jones:

Poison Gourds! Young Prophets to Address Religious Spirit

In a vision I saw a group of dedicated people, like the sons of the prophets, but one of them had put green gourds in the cooking pot. Immediately I knew this was a parable from 2 Kings 4 with Elisha and the sons of the prophets.

Elisha came back to Gilgal during a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, Set on the big pot and cook pottage for the sons of the prophets. Then one went into the field to gather herbs and gathered from a wild vine his lap full of wild gourds, and returned and cut them up into the pot of pottage, for they were unknown to them.

So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they ate of the pottage, they cried out, O man of God, there is death in the pot! And they could not eat it. But he said, Bring meal [as a symbol of God's healing power]. And he cast it into the pot and said, Pour it out for the people that they may eat. Then there was no harm in the pot. 2 Kings 4:38-41, Amplified

The young prophets made this pot of stew and partook of it and then cried out to Elisha "death is in the pot!"

These were the next line of prophets that would carry forth the word to the people, but the enemy used this opportunity to try and kill all the young prophets at once.

A lot of people have been gathering that which they think is fruit, but in fact it's a gourd that represents a religious spirit. It looks just like a vegetable but it has death in it. Instead of gathering the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) many of the vegetables with the wrong spirit got thrown into the cooking pot. These have brought forth mixed messages and confusion that leads to death.

Therefore the Body has received stew that contained bitterness, strife and jealousy instead of faith, hope and love.

Just as the young prophets cried out to Elisha (verse 40), I feel the Body is crying out to the prophets of today for the truth. The true prophets have been going through a time of cleansing and purifying to rid themselves of any poison that might be left in them. 

One cannot bring a pure word while they are struggling with infectious spiritual disease that will contaminate the whole Body when they release it. We need to have a more sure word of prophecy being poured out from purified vessels.

Healing Power

Elisha got meal, which is a symbol of healing power (verse 41), threw it in the pot and stirred it and said, "Now eat!" The meal neutralized the poison. The religious spirit has been operating in the Church for a very long time.

But I feel the real prophets are going to come against it in such a powerful way that it will neutralize this poison and bring healing of all kinds to the Body.

Our job is to take the death out of the pot.

There's a lot of false doctrines and heresy being taught right now and once the prophets start dealing with it, it's not going to be pretty. In fact it will be rather messy. But it's going to take a remnant that's dedicated to the Lord to address these false doctrines and heresies. This is not for the faint of heart but for those who have a heart after God's. These untruths are poisoning the Body of Christ and killing it.

Elisha who was chosen by God and mantled by Elijah with a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9-13), returned to Gilgal during a famine in the land.

Gilgal means a place of faith (2 Kings4:38), and I believe that is where this generation of prophets must dwell.

There has been a famine of hearing the inspired word of God because many of the prophetic voices have been eating from the wrong cooking pot.

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord. Amos8:11, Amplified

Now is the time for the tried and true prophetic voices to deliver the "real meal" that will bring healing power and deliverance to the Body and salvation to the unsaved.

Mature Remnant

The Lord is calling forth a mature remnant to promote them with new authority.

They will have the ability to come together in unity because they have settled their affections on Him (Colossians 3:2). Therefore, they can agree with one another in unity. And when they do, they will have koinonia (communion) together for the common purpose of the Church.

When they meet together in unity, a higher wisdom will be imparted. This remnant can be found in 1 Corinthians 2:6-10: "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

The Church has gone through a rather severe testing for the last six or seven years but that time has come to an end. Now is a time of closing out the old books and opening new ones. It's an end of one time and the beginning of a new one. 

Those who've been promoted will become the leaders of the Church and they will minister by what they hear from the Holy Spirit. In this promotion there will be an understanding of what God wants done and how to do it.

Get ready to bury the good and bad past and come into maturity where everyone hears from God in corporate meetings. Then His plans and purpose can be set in motion because the Body has come into agreement with Him. Then at the end of this time the greater works will begin. And one of the things we will do first is glorify the Father in great signs and wonders.

I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. John 14:12-13, Amplified

Father Loves Mashed Potatoes

We're coming to a forty-year timing in the Spirit. In 1974, the Father told me that He loves "mashed potatoes" and that is what He wants out of all of us. He wants all of us to come together in unity as one Body. Then when the greater works comes forth, no one person will get the credit.

It will be corporate because His Body of Believers will function as one under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and in demonstration of His power. The Father wants mashed potatoes – to where love is revealed in a remnant group and the love would be revealed for Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

Tomato vs. Potato

The tomato and potato are of the same family. The tomato grows above ground on a vine and represents revealed love that everyone can see.

Whereas the potato represents concealed love because it grows underground and remains hidden so only the Father can see it. 

Now, get ready for this hidden love to be revealed. 

There's a revealing of the Father's love in His Body and the mashed potatoes are the koinonia.

When the Body comes together in love, there's no distinction between the Believers. Like mashed potatoes, they all look the same and are mixed together for His purpose.

And this love we will have for Him is greater understanding. For all things are in the hands of the Father and He does with them as He chooses. And He chose to give His sons and daughters special understanding that must come concerning the future.

Through corporate love understanding will be given. There were two hundred sons of Issachar and that was corporate understanding. When those who are of mature wisdom come together a higher wisdom is imparted. I would say that higher wisdom is understanding.

The Holy Spirit has been moving for the last forty-five to fifty years in equipping and preparing for what is about to come forth in the Body of Christ.

Once meal is thrown into the cooking pot and the religious spirit dealt with, the Body will heal and come together in corporate love, koinonia. New leaders will arise and take their place and walk in demonstration power. Then we'll begin to see new things coming to the Body of Christ.

Church services like we've known in the past and present are coming to an end because there's going to be a significant change. We can't continue on the same road we've been on and expect the Holy Spirit to anoint it. 

The old system of doing things is coming to an end and we are in for a new beginning.

It's only a remnant that will enter into it.

There's a hunger and thirst for the next step, and those who have remained steadfast through these years of testing shall advance to the next level of authority. 

And many shall be those who follow them because the religious spirit will be put to death. When it tries to raise it's head, the Body will quickly discern it and not allow it to take root in the Body again because Holy Fire will devour it.

Bob and Bonnie Jones
The Prophetic Ministry of Bob and Bonnie Jones

Website: bobjones.org

To contact Bob Jones send your inquiry to:

Bob and Bonnie Jones Ministries
White Horses Publishings
P.O. Box 838
Pineville, NC 28134-0838

Bob and Bonnie Jones: Bob Jones is known as a contemporary prophet with a great love for the Lord Jesus and His truth. His prophecies have spanned over four decades as the Lord has enabled him to foretell earthquakes, tidal waves, comets, and weather patterns. Like Daniel who functioned at an incredible level,

Bob has often told leaders their dreams and experiences, as well as the interpretation. After his death experience in 1975, God sent him back to minister to Church leadership and reach the multitudes with His love and truth, and to equip the saints with understanding of the spiritual gifts.

God promised Bob that he would see the beginning of one billion souls coming into the Kingdom in one great wave of the end time harvest.

Bonnie has a great love for the Lord, the Word and the Cross of Jesus. She loves children and enjoys blessing them with a gift of joy, truth, love, and encouragement. Bonnie moves in a seer prophetic gifting as well as healing and miracles. Her passion is to see women set free from the fear of man and step into their gifts and calling. She is a great advocate of women stepping forth into their rightful place beside their husband.