Before I start, I want to thank @marks and @theefaith for helping to lead me to this post, Iron sharpens iron and good dialogue though we may agree or disagree helps to teach us in fellowship with Brethren.
God is preparing each one of us to be Elders of the faith. As Elders we are the Bishops and the priests of the church. The Latter rain, and the final outpouring of the Spirit is when the church as a whole grows up into him in all things, we become, though we already are, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10).
An elder (Presbyter in Greek) is the same as a bishop as per Titus 1:5-7. The following is a response to @theefaith regarding this.
Elders are Bishops, As Paul equates them in Titus 1:5-7 Read carefully.... parenthesis are my comments...
5. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: (Here we see Titus was appointed by Paul as an Elder, and he was instructing him to do the same in every city)
6. If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. (here he speaks of some of the credentials of an elder)
7. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (Notice how now he uses the term Bishop in the place of elder, meaning they are one in the same. In other words he uses elder and bishop interchangeably.)
This is Biblical proof for this. Now each elder has a Gift of the Spirit, and not all of them will be shepherds and teachers, some are Prophets, some Evangelists some are Prayer intercessors. Some are in front of the church, while others are in the background supporting the church.
The reason why I am bringing this up is that I believe the final outpouring of the Spirit, The Latter rain is when corporately as a body we all realize our calling as elders and thereby bishops of the church, we are endowed with the gifts of the Spirit to carry out the great commission all around the world, Not just by a priestly class of leaders as the church has been run by in the past but all of us acting as elders will embrace that role as the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached once more throughout the whole world (See Matthew 24:14).
Part of this outpouring as I have previously shared on this Forum is the outpouring of the gift of discernment of spirits, It is not that we do not have Spiritual discernment now, but that Gift will be fully evident in the elders of the church and they will be able to discern the wheat from the tares, the faithful in Christ Jesus from whatever denomination they come from, and the ones who are religious for their own bellies, who preach "gain is godliness" (1 Timothy 6:5.
It is my belief that the gifts of the Spirit and the latter rain spoken of in scripture will happen when we reach the fulness of Christ, not just individually but as a Body. We each individually can reach being elders ourselves here and now, but many are still being prepared for this. I Know for myself personally he began preparing me in 2007 for this, and am still a work in Progress. I have spoken to many others who feel the same way, that the Lord took them into the wilderness and has begun to prepare them for an end time ministry of some sort though most cannot pinpoint what that is.
There are two big obstacles that prevent this final outpouring from occurring, One is the Nicolaitan doctrines that have created a class of clergy and Laity, where one is never meant to become the other and the other rules over the laity (Literally the meaning of the word Nicolaitan in the Greek Nico to lord over or conquer, Laitas the Laity the people) These doctrines prevent the People from rising to eldership in the church in that they keep them suckling on the milk of the teachers as opposed to digesting the meat of the Word of God. (See Hebrews 5:12-14).
The Second Problem is that the people believe they are in need of nothing, this is the Laodicean attitude of complacency. Part of this is fostered by the Nicolaitan doctrines, part of this is fostered by the people not wanting the responsibility and accountability of becoming elders. It is just easy to live and suckle on the milk as opposed to learning to digest the meat.
It is these two obstacles that hinder each of us from achieving the high calling of Christ in our lives, and it is overcoming these two obstacles that will precipitate the latter rain from those clouds and eventually lead to the final harvest of the wheat, and the exposing of the tares amongst the wheat. The tares themselves being the waterless clouds (Jude 1:12) amongst us.
Is God Preparing you for an end time ministry? Do you see yourself as a Royal priest? Have you been anointed as an elder? That is what the latter rain is all about. We are all sent ones, we are all called to fulfill the great commission not just a select few, but all of us.
Prayer:
If there is one prayer in scripture that begins this process in a believer it is Paul's Prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23. Meditate on these words as you pray them. also Pray Psalm 143:10-12 as this is a prayer of learning and protection. I Pray the Holy Spirit Will guide you, and teach you, in Jesus Name, All glory is God's, Amen.
God is preparing each one of us to be Elders of the faith. As Elders we are the Bishops and the priests of the church. The Latter rain, and the final outpouring of the Spirit is when the church as a whole grows up into him in all things, we become, though we already are, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10).
An elder (Presbyter in Greek) is the same as a bishop as per Titus 1:5-7. The following is a response to @theefaith regarding this.
Elders are Bishops, As Paul equates them in Titus 1:5-7 Read carefully.... parenthesis are my comments...
5. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: (Here we see Titus was appointed by Paul as an Elder, and he was instructing him to do the same in every city)
6. If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. (here he speaks of some of the credentials of an elder)
7. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (Notice how now he uses the term Bishop in the place of elder, meaning they are one in the same. In other words he uses elder and bishop interchangeably.)
This is Biblical proof for this. Now each elder has a Gift of the Spirit, and not all of them will be shepherds and teachers, some are Prophets, some Evangelists some are Prayer intercessors. Some are in front of the church, while others are in the background supporting the church.
The reason why I am bringing this up is that I believe the final outpouring of the Spirit, The Latter rain is when corporately as a body we all realize our calling as elders and thereby bishops of the church, we are endowed with the gifts of the Spirit to carry out the great commission all around the world, Not just by a priestly class of leaders as the church has been run by in the past but all of us acting as elders will embrace that role as the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached once more throughout the whole world (See Matthew 24:14).
Part of this outpouring as I have previously shared on this Forum is the outpouring of the gift of discernment of spirits, It is not that we do not have Spiritual discernment now, but that Gift will be fully evident in the elders of the church and they will be able to discern the wheat from the tares, the faithful in Christ Jesus from whatever denomination they come from, and the ones who are religious for their own bellies, who preach "gain is godliness" (1 Timothy 6:5.
It is my belief that the gifts of the Spirit and the latter rain spoken of in scripture will happen when we reach the fulness of Christ, not just individually but as a Body. We each individually can reach being elders ourselves here and now, but many are still being prepared for this. I Know for myself personally he began preparing me in 2007 for this, and am still a work in Progress. I have spoken to many others who feel the same way, that the Lord took them into the wilderness and has begun to prepare them for an end time ministry of some sort though most cannot pinpoint what that is.
There are two big obstacles that prevent this final outpouring from occurring, One is the Nicolaitan doctrines that have created a class of clergy and Laity, where one is never meant to become the other and the other rules over the laity (Literally the meaning of the word Nicolaitan in the Greek Nico to lord over or conquer, Laitas the Laity the people) These doctrines prevent the People from rising to eldership in the church in that they keep them suckling on the milk of the teachers as opposed to digesting the meat of the Word of God. (See Hebrews 5:12-14).
The Second Problem is that the people believe they are in need of nothing, this is the Laodicean attitude of complacency. Part of this is fostered by the Nicolaitan doctrines, part of this is fostered by the people not wanting the responsibility and accountability of becoming elders. It is just easy to live and suckle on the milk as opposed to learning to digest the meat.
It is these two obstacles that hinder each of us from achieving the high calling of Christ in our lives, and it is overcoming these two obstacles that will precipitate the latter rain from those clouds and eventually lead to the final harvest of the wheat, and the exposing of the tares amongst the wheat. The tares themselves being the waterless clouds (Jude 1:12) amongst us.
Is God Preparing you for an end time ministry? Do you see yourself as a Royal priest? Have you been anointed as an elder? That is what the latter rain is all about. We are all sent ones, we are all called to fulfill the great commission not just a select few, but all of us.
Prayer:
If there is one prayer in scripture that begins this process in a believer it is Paul's Prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23. Meditate on these words as you pray them. also Pray Psalm 143:10-12 as this is a prayer of learning and protection. I Pray the Holy Spirit Will guide you, and teach you, in Jesus Name, All glory is God's, Amen.
