EQUIPPING THE SAINTS ....... HIGH PRIORITY....... [ September 2017 Newsletter ]

September 2017 Edition

Dear Beloved,

It is such a special delight to be in touch with you again. We are in the last quarter of the year, and racing to accomplish all Papa has in store for us this year.

We are entering the Hebrew year, 5778 (2018). This is said to be a year of increased emphasis on the apostolic office.. There is also the citing of the glory of God ,with the governing authority..

In this Newsletter we have our regular features which include " In His Presence". Papa has been speaking about equipping the saints. This is so big on His Heart at this time. Our big Kingdom conferences serve to come alongside the churches to help with equipping the saints. We are however being called to do more. Plans are being put in place to run some workshops on Healing and the Prophetic.

In His Presence

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS
....... HIGH
PRIORITY.......

There seems to be a real urgency for the Body of Christ to place a higher priority on equipping the saints.

Paul (Ephesians 4:11-13) tells us that the saints have to be equipped so they do the work of ministering towards building up Christ's Body. This may sound strange as the word 'saint' conjures up a picture of having achieved the mark, rather than a status that we have been given. In other words, we may think that as saints, we know it all. Paul uses the term saints to refer to all those in Christ and recipients of His righteousness and holiness.

The word 'equipping' may imply preparing or building up. It's derived from the Greek word 'katartismoi', from which you get the English word artisan, an artist or craftsman.

The whole point of equipping is for the Body of Christ to become mature, complete and perfect in our faith (Ephesians 4:12, 13). Much as we will not become perfect in this world, we can press forward toward the mark. In order for us to achieve this, we have to be intentional and purposeful. We also have to understand that this task does not belong only to the senior or ordained Pastors, but is the responsibility of each member of the body to help. We owe it to ourselves to seek out resources that will equip us.

Jesus' model for equipping, as we see with His disciples, was relational, as also seen with the Godhead. It was about family, where love is central. Paul spoke of how to tend, and guide but not by coercion, or manipulation (1 Peter 5:3-4). We are encouraged as believers to come together, worship, receive teaching and celebrate things that bind us together, without hierarchy or pulling ranks. (This is something Lapis Lazuli Ministries invests so much in.) Jesus spent time with his disciples teaching and training, so we will have to give more time than just a Sunday or midweek service to be trained and equipped.

In the passage in Ephesians 4:11, Paul speaks of Jesus having gifted the Church with certain spiritual gifts, often referred to as the 'Five Fold Ministry'. These include the apostles (special messengers) and the prophets (inspired preachers). These two see and activate heaven's blueprint more clearly on earth. Then you have the evangelists (preachers of the gospel), pastors and teachers. Each of these gifting are very important and are supposed to be represented and valued in the church. These men and women should not be in competition with one another but rather complement one another. Together they exemplify Kingdom principles, bringing refreshing to the Body of Christ and thus helping equip of the saints.

Jesus' desire is that we function in our gifting and model to other people to do the same. For example, the prophet who functions in his/her gifting as a prophet, also has to learn to recognise this gifting in others and teach, activate and train others up to function in their gifting. In the same way, an evangelist who always spreads the Good news but never helps others learn how to share the good news is not doing the full work of an evangelist. Paul speaks of the household of Stephanas who were first converts in Greece, (1 Corinthians 16:15,16) and then played a great role in equipping the saints.

We also ought to remember that Joel 2:28 says The Lord would provide a fresh outpouring of His Spirit on all in these days. This implies that there is an empowerment available to all, through dreams, visions or prophecy in these days to further equip the saints.

We also need father/mother figures in the Body who keep us accountable and speak into our lives. There is a stirring in the spirit for 'Mentors' to arise. These are trusted figures, who will disciple, teach, encourage and empower others. The need for equipping is so great that many are using social media to reach hundreds and thousands in a much quicker time. Patricia King's link below helps to explain this point.

https://www.destinyimage.com/blogs/news/patricia-king-mentors-arise?platform=hootsuite

Some major aspects that the Body of Christ needs to be equipped in include, firstly knowing the person of the Holy Spirit and also establishing higher priority for the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). A better understanding of both the Spirit and the Word, will bring us into the fullness and power that is available to us. Thirdly we need to desire to hear God's voice, and involve Him in our decision making. Fourthly, we need to understand biblical basis for healing and partner with Jesus with high expectation and boldness to contend for people's healing. Lastly, we need to learn to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). The emphasis always has to be about bringing heaven to earth.

The best part of all this for me is that it is Papa's desire to give us spiritual shepherd's after His own Heart in these times. (Jeremiah 3:15). These sound like the best mentors to me.

He goes on to say that these will be people who will feed us with knowledge and understanding and judgement. It is my prayer that we seek Papa for the fulfilment of this promise.

May the Lord help us to really prioritise getting equipped so that we can step out to help equip others. May we truly make sacrifices of our time, such that we heed the call for mentors to arise.

Mina x

Recommended CDs & DVDs

Do you want to learn to pray for the Sick? Would you like to build your faith? Would you like to slay the giants in your life? Do you want a revival in Nigeria? ...

If your answer is yes to any of these questions, kindly contact us at Lapis Lazuli Ministries, 109 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos to buy copies of 2017 Kingdom Conference Audio and Video messages by seasoned speakers from the Global School of Supernatural Ministry, USA and Global Awareness Mission, USA at N200 per CDs and N800 for each DVDs.

Some messages available are: Praying for the Sick by Dr. Tom Jones; Supernatural Key of Love by Leif Hetland; Bread of Life by Paul Martini; Giant Slayers by Leif Hetland; Healing in the Covenant by Tom Jones; Reigning in Life by Leif Hetland; Living Your Destiny by Tom Jones; Revival in Nigeria by Tom Jones; Healing Breakout by Paul Martini; Healing the Orphan Spirit; e.t.c

Bethel Sozo DVD Training for September/October, 2017

The Bethel Sozo DVD Training Session started on Thursday 21st of September, 2017 at the Bethel Sozo Network Nigeria Office, 109 Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.

Participants viewed Disc 1: Welcome, History, Background and Forgiveness. Guides were available to take comments and questions from participants at the end of the session. The training sessions will continue on Thursday 28th of September, Other dates are Thursday 5th of October, Thursday 12th of October, Thursday 19th of October and Thursday 26th of October, 2017. If you are interested in joining the ongoing class, kindly send a mail to [email protected]

2017 Voice of Apostles Conference

We would like to recommend the Voice of Apostles Conference holding at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA from Tuesday 17th of October to Friday 20th of October, 2017.

This is a conference by Dr. Randy Clark where he brings together mighty Apostolic Leaders. This conference will provide spiritual refreshment and great teaching. For more information, please visit: https://voa2017.com/