THURSDAY, JANUARY 5
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11, Revelation 19:15

In Ephesians 4:11 we are told, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,…” In this verse the “…He Himself…” seems to be the term of major emphasis. But the “…He Himself…” of Ephesians 4:11 sounds strangely familiar. The same “He Himself…” appears in Revelation 19:15, “And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Would we have ever connected the Ephesians 4:11 “He Himself…” with the Revelation 19:15, “He Himself…He Himself…”? It gets even more interesting in confronting our traditional understanding, when we look up the word translated “pastor,” in Ephesians 4:11. It is the Greek word poy-mane. In Ephesians 4:11, poy-mane is the noun that discusses the ministry group who are called in the specific function of pastor. In Revelation 19:15, poy-mah-ee-no is the verb of the same word, but is translated as “rule.” So from the noun of Ephesians 4, describing God’s intent for a group of men and women called pastors, to the action of Revelation 19:15, we have the transition in the verb. Pastors in action, in the last days look like the Jesus of Revelation 19:15. “He Himself…He Himself…” How many of our pastors have been taught to “…rule with a rod of iron…”? “He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Our seminaries and Bible schools have robbed our leaders of who they are in Christ. We have failed to teach them to walk with Jesus the Judge. We have failed to impart function and operate judicially, displaying how pastoral authority looks. How would a pastor feel reading this passage and looking at the Greek, and coming to the realization that for however many years he or she had been in ministry, as a pastor they had been robbed of the authority required for a harvest? I believe the greatest transition that is needed today is a transition for the men and women of God who are called to the ministry of the Shepherd. They must discover who they really are in Christ and what is available to them. Heaven is ready to back up the church if and only if the leaders of the church can come forth into the fullness of who they were created to be. Our nations can look very different in a short period of time with a Holy Spirit invasion. Pray with me that our pastors will come to a full revelation of who they are in Christ and walk accordingly!