May 20, 2017
I had intended to write this post when I arrived home yesterday, but I was so tired that I decided you would receive a better summary if I could think clearly. So here we go for the summary of our final day at Conference. I will not try to include everything we heard or even every session for this day – but two of the most outstanding presentations I have ever heard on their topics.
Our First major presentation of the day was by Pastor Carol Ball, Director of Women’s Ministries of Elim and wife of President Christ Ball. Carol is an outstanding preacher of the word and a very effective communicator. She co-Pastored with her husband for 27 years. Her topic was “The Role of Women in Ministry.”
I quote, “Any woman truly called of God only has a heart to fulfill the call God has placed on her life, not to usurp anyone’s authority.”
“A key in the end-time church is for both men and women to be released in freedom of ministry in the world and in the Body of Christ. Only then can we have the true counsel of God.”
She worked to raise an awareness today that the ceiling that has held women in the “under” position in ministry must be broken. Then she did a marvelous tracing through Scripture – beginning with Genesis 1 of the testimony of the Word. “Women were not “cursed” with submission. The only curses were to the ground and to Satan. The things cited there to women were the consequences of her sin. Originally “man” included both.” This is a key point. I rejoiced to see that her research into the Hebrew had produced clarity on this. This is the truth according to the Scriptures.
She then went on to work with the testimony of history and the personal testimony of our own hearts. Everything that produces fruit takes both man and woman. One only has part of the total needed. It takes both of us working side by side in harmony and power to produce the fruit that the Lord intends for His Body to produce.
Carol then worked with Ezekiel 37 and the valley of the dry bones. It was a prophetic teaching that was excellent in every way. She called on the church, specifically the men of Elim, to begin to speak forth the release of the women. To that end, she asked for all men who were willing to speak forth that release to stand. Most stood. (oh glory – my heart was so full of joy – my eyes began to weep). They then repeated a declaration to totally release and to actively train women to be leaders, pastors, teachers and other positions of leadership. The resolute sound of the men echoed throughout the sanctuary, as hundreds of men shouted together! (I sat and wept!)
She closed with an acronym for ACT which is the main word in ACTIVATE.
A – Allow for the release of the women!
C – Call them forth!
T – Take up the charge!
“When men and women function together then the World Wide Revival we all long for can come!”
It was earthshaking and preciously received. I am deeply thankful I am ordained through Elim.
*The last presentation of the conference was by John Spyker. He is an elder in Elim and a missionary in Mexico who has established churches and now teaches in many of them throughout Mexico.
He began by letting us all know of his love for Elim. He attended Elim as an eighteen-year-old (his oldest son also attended Elim and returned to Mexico to lead a large church). He has served as an Elder in Elim for many years.
(For those reading who do not know, Elim is governed by a group of Elders. Three of those Elders are the ones responsible for carrying out the decisions of the Elders – that is the President, Vice-President, and the Secretary – all of which are Elders).
Pastor Spyker spend some time giving us a history of the revivals in the world and then reminded us of Elim’s role among those movements. This was excellent.
He said there are two important sermons to always preach and always have ready to release. Those passages are Acts 2 – Pentecost and Acts 6 – A new way of doing church.
Then he spent the rest of his time working with the importance in that understanding of World Wide Revival. We must always understand that the only way revival comes is a move of the Holy Spirit. It is His to do. We do not do it – we follow Him. He then outlined the need to have an intimate relationship in Jesus through the Holy Spirit – to nurture that and become that.
The second half was on always expecting the Lord to give us a new way to do church. The same ole’ same ole will not work today nor tomorrow. Just like in Acts, they had to lean into the Spirit for re-arrangement of how to do things – so must we. A new way – a new revival – a new revelation – requires a new way of doing church.
When we move into intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we find within us a new love for the total Body of Christ and unity within her. That will then lead us into a new move and a fresh expression of evangelism.
(This was an excellent conference in every way. Thank you for reading and for commenting as you have been led. It has been an enjoyable experience of posting. I will close this series with the greeting at the end of 2 Corinthians 13:14. It is my heart toward you.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” NIV
Mannaword 