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A Church Triumphant
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A Church Triumphant
Copyright © November 31, 2011 Douglas W. Jerving.
All Rights Reserved.
Now is the time to take the Kingdom
Rise up, be strong is Christ's command;
For every power, might and dominion
Is given now into your hand.
He that has ears to hear the trumpet;
He that has heart to understand.
Now is the time to take the Kingdom.
Rise up; be strong. Possess the land.
These are the words as I remember them from an early praise song we sang in the ‘80’s in many charismatic
congregations. If this song is not “dominion” oriented I don't know what else it is. We sang songs like
this heartily even as charismatics holding fast to a premillenial vision of the end times. In reality,
it is much more of a post-millenial vision that is portrayed in the lyrics. Still, we gravitated to songs
like this because they offered a true characterization of what the Word of God that we read daily in our
Bibles distilled into our hearts. We had not yet come to the understanding that our theology did not match
our liturgy (worship). But God has a way of using our worship to conform us to a more Biblical theology.
Since the ‘80’s, many others besides myself have found that our theology has aligned itself closely to
that early worship.
Still, for many in the Church, I have to ask what has happened to the optimistic faith that God would
cause the Gospel to ultimately triumph over the darkness of the kingdoms of this world? We sang these
songs because we believed them, whether we were pre-millenialists, amillenialists, postmillennialists,
or not sure what! Do we set them aside now because we no longer believe in the ultimate triumph of the
Kingdom we are serving? I, for one (probably among many other hidden remnant Christians) still believe
that God's purposes in the earth shall yet be fulfilled (despite labels).
There is a remnant today among all Christians, not just charismatics, who believe the Church is a
triumphant entity on planet earth. I still identify myself not as an old-line Pentecostal, but as a
Spirit-filled, full-gospel Christian looking for the latter rain anointing promised by the prophets of
the OT. At the same time, I am absolutely convinced from the Word of God that the power of the cross will
be made manifest yet more and more as history moves forward because of the uncompromised authority of a
Church that does not deny the move of God's Spirit.
When charismatics deny, refute, or minimize the gracious gifts of God meant for their edification,
exhortation and comfort, they deny by implication the very Holy Spirit Who alone is capable of bringing
us into the unity of the faith. Many charismatics today are ashamed of the supernatural gifts in the midst
of the Church. Some even reject or anathematize those who operate in the gifts.
At this present time God is stirring up the hearts of his rejected ones. Some have been outside the Church
for a long time but not outside fellowship with God and other believers. None of us have neglected the
assembly of the saints, so much as shied away from the persecutions received from our own brethren. We are
not the un-churched so much as the de-churched. We are a remnant of believers who refuse to compromise with
the spirit of denominationalism.
It has become obvious to most of the de-churched that the mainstream churches and old-line charismatic
churches have rejected us as an affront and an embarrassment to their quest for religious acceptability.
They fear our challenge to the hierarchy of so-called pastoral authority. The strength of their position is
tenuous, being based on an autocratic form of church government not found in the New Testament. The true
Church is based upon the Holy Spirit's anointing upon every member of the body, independent of the pastoral
leadership, even while recognizing his coordinating authority. While a pastor has leadership gifts that help
direct the Church, never do they become autonomous and authoritarian in New Testament Christianity.
As a matter of fact, the charismatic gifts become a source of regulation over the pastoral and leadership
gifts to some extent in the New Testament. The gifts of the whole body of Christ challenge, correct and
clarify those presented by the pastoral leadership. This is proof of the necessity of the charismatic gifts
that belong to the whole body of Christ. In essence, it is not the responsibility of the pastor to regulate
the gifts of the Spirit in a charismatic church. It is the responsibility of the charismatically involved
members of the church to first regulate themselves and second, to regulate the leadership of the church,
including the pastors.
It is my contention that charismatic body ministry is the basis of the true Church, and that this implies
the priesthood of all believers, and a denial of any High Priest excepting Christ Jesus Himself. As such,
the true Church of God is only regulated by God's Holy Spirit in full accord with the Scriptures with no
other added "revelation". The role of the pastor in the NT is that of a shepherd and guardian of the flock,
but also as one of the sheep and not an authoritarian, an autocrat, or a ruler over the people. For a more
in-depth discussion on this see my
A Charismatic Christian Manifesto
I think I have ably set forth the fact that even the pastors in the local church are regulated to an extent
by the ministry of the whole body of believers in the local assembly. A charismatic Church that allows the
ministry of every believer becomes a check upon the pastor/leader who might have a tendency to usurp the
priesthood of every/any believer in the local church. The dis-allowance of the use of the charismatic gifts
of the Holy Spirit is equivalent to the autocratic rule of the pastor over the Church. Nowhere in the NT is
the pastor given regulatory control over the manifestation of the charismatic gifts exercised by the people
(the whole assembly). The regulation of the charismatic gifts is exclusively reserved to the whole body of
believers, who are judged by the NT to have enough spiritual discernment of their own.
God is in the process of restoring the Church to its full capacity. Maturity means a people who know the
Word of God and are capable of discerning truth from error. It is not hard to agree that a man who speaks
mellifluous words but sexually abuses his step-children is not speaking by the Spirit of God. It is obvious
that a woman who has been faithful and pure in doctrine and practice for forty years who brings forth a
revelation by vision that is not contradictory to the Scriptures should be given consideration.
Again, it is obvious that a pastor who disallows personal and predictive prophesy and vision that is in
line with Scripture and always comes to pass, is probably opposed to it because it is a threat to his own
pre-eminence in the Church. This to me is evidence enough of a leader who is more concerned for his own
kingdom rather than that of God's.
Now is the time to take the Kingdom
Rise up, be strong is Christ's command;
For every power, might and dominion
Is given now into your hand.
He that has ears to hear the trumpet;
He that has heart to understand.
Now is the time to take the Kingdom.
Rise up; be strong. Possess the land.
Is it not now, if ever, the time for the Church to rise up and declare her authority over the autocrats
that have denied the priesthood of all believers? We will possess the land only after we realize our calling
as priests and kings in the earth. This must start with a judgment of the errors in the Church. Once the
Church is free of the domination of denominationalism and pastoral authoritarianism we will finally experience
the glorious liberty of a Church without spot or wrinkle. To this end I write and pray. God deliver us from
the oppressors of a Church that is manifesting the full image of Christ.
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Doug Jerving is the publisher of the NewEdisonGazette.com. You may contact him at
dje@newedisongazette.com.
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