A wheel in a wheel in a wheel.
Last night in a vision with insight I saw a wheel in a wheel in a wheel describing how a church body works together. The good success and even the bad success depends on whether or not at least two wheels operate together. If there is no wheel but only a hub, then all we see is potential. The hub is the potential core group of a church. One person is a beginning with a promise not the fulfillment. A healthy hub is 5 men and women, three will end up crippling the hub into a power struggle. God is able to work in a trinity because they are all of the same essence, power and will. The design for the building up of a church body is a five fold ministry in which all have the same goal, all working together with the same harmonious unity. It is not necessary for the five fold ministries to be singular, such as one ministry calling for each person. In real life believers generally weave two or 3 types of callings into one, with one primary. Then when these men and women are joined together in a hub there is available all the ministries with the attached gifting of the Spirit, and the ministries interweave supporting and giving strength. That kind of a hub is powerful. It is powerful when each believer is respected, honored, encouraged and released into their callings and gifts. Generally the one with an apostolic calling is the fulcrum of the nucleus. But without the interworking of the other five ministries, life is minimal and cannot grow.
It is necessary to have some understanding of the five fold ministries. They are life callings, not gifts or grace effects of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Of course those personal callings will grow and must have the support of whatever gifts the Holy Spirit chooses to equip them. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that Jesus Himself personally calls those in the fivefold ministries.
The first wheel around the hub is the beginning of the life of the Body of the church group. It is composed of those who are supported, encouraged and held together by the core group. Jesus painted a picture of service and leadership in Matt. 20:25-28 in which Jesus suffers death (came to give His life for us) and came to serve and support life in others. This is how life is brought forth. If the core group in strong unity does not call forth, encourage other's (outside the core) into service themselves, then there is no life, only the potential for life. The first wheel is composed of elders and deacons. These are people who desire to work in the ministry of the church and who join "hands" with the core like the spokes of a wheel. They must be individuals with good character, mature in Christ. My understanding is that elders are more mature individuals having been in Christ longer, who hold enough wisdom and example to be good role models for new believers. Deacons do not need to be older or as mature, but must be as dedicated to serve. But they must have something to contribute. Elders may not have a life calling to teach or evangelize but they must be able to do so on some level. There must be wisdom learned from being a long time believer. The deacons are often the ones who faithfully keep up the daily work of worship, Sunday morning services, keeping up the church grounds, kitchen service, helping in all areas of the daily needs of the church. All must be ready and willing to faithful lift up a body of believers in prayer.
A church can be strong even though small with this one hub and one wheel. The second wheel are those who come supporting the ministry of that church. Many churches have a crippled hub and a crippled first wheel, or even no first wheel, only the second wheel which is those who attend. That is like a wheel with missing spokes and missing spots on the wheel. Those who attend need the personal support of dedicated spiritually anointed elders and deacons. They are the hands that reach out in the personal lives of believers to fill in the areas the hub/core cannot reach or fulfill.
Throughout this picture of interlocking wheels attached to a center hub must be men and women with not only a true commitment to Jesus as savior and Lord but the hub and the first wheel need to be dedicated believers who have the anointing of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. If we only have one gender in the hub and in the first wheel, then the church is imbalanced. And since the one gender is usually male, the imbalance is usually one of authoritarianism. But that imbalance can happen even with a good mixed group and must be diligently guarded against. If we have true believers in these places but who have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit then we are imbalanced and flesh will work against the Spirit.
This is the vision and the insight I saw. I will update as I see things I may have missed.
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