1 I told you that Israel was the greatest place of physical and spiritual prostitution on the whole face of the earth. More abominable than Hollywood and the Vatican. You see? That is what Israel is today. If a country blesses Israel, it is very good but the Israel that one must bless to be blessed is spiritual and it is the living Church around the Message of one’s time.
2 If not, I am not telling you not to feel compassion for Israel but if you are against Palestinians and against Hezbollah, it means that you are against God and that you will be against Elijah and Moses at the time of the ministry of Revelation 11 because these two will also express in words what Palestinians and the Hezbollah are doing today…
3 And this evening, I would like to read something to you: [Ed: Brother Philippe reads on a sheet of paper…] "Thousands of homosexuals are preparing a parade on this Friday, November 10, 2006 in Jerusalem… The Attorney General of the State of Israel, Menahem Mazouz, authorized this procession on Sunday evening ‘so that the principle of the freedom of expression may be respected.’
4 ‘It is a victory for the Israeli democracy and tolerance’ the representatives of the Jerusalem Open House (JOH) ― the Israeli organisation of lesbians and homosexuals― claimed immediately. ‘We are determined to take action for this parade to take place. It will not be provocative. There will be neither carnival tanks nor naked men in the parade. And it will not take place in the neighbourhood of churches, synagogues or mosques," the president of the lesbians, Elena Canetti told the AFP.
5 "We are going to deploy more than twelve thousand policemen this Friday in Jerusalem to protect the participants of this parade of homosexuals," declared the commander-in-chief of the Israeli police, Moshe Karadi, on the military radio. A few months ago, during the preparations of the parade, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Moshe Amar, sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI to ask him for support against this parade.
6 These last months, flyers have been distributed throughout Jerusalem, with the promise of a 4,500-dollar reward to any person who kills a sodomite.
7 In 2005, during the fourth parade of homosexuals in Jerusalem, Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-orthodox Jew had stabbed three parade participants and was given a twelve-year jail sentence. Paradoxically, the ‘Gay Pride’, the parade of homosexuals and lesbians takes place nevertheless every year in Tel Aviv without incident, in an atmosphere of carnival.
8 Israel legalised homosexuality in 1988 and the rights of homosexual couples are recognized by Israeli courts"… [Ed:Brother Philippe spoke about Israel in the sermon: Epistle to the Bride of Christ.] I think that it is rather these things that the Christians should seek to fight rather than going on pilgrimage to Israel.
9 Now I would like to answer two questions… the first question is: “Brother Philippe, the Message says that there cannot be two prophets on earth at the same time while Acts 13:1 says, "Now there were in Antioch, in the assembly which was there, prophets and teachers…". And Acts 15:32 says… ‘And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brethren with much discourse, and strengthened them’.”.
10 Well, it’s very simple! To the best of my knowledge, there is the exceptional case of Elijah and Moses that the Bible announced since Genesis and through each book of the Bible up to Revelation 11. And God announced that in advance so that it may not be a confusion. If not, since time immemorial there was only one prophet messenger to one people. You see? But despite that, Elijah and Moses will be together, in the same work, the same Spirit like you and me here.
11 And even the fact that there are Elijah and Moses is a mystery that God willing I will explain one day… and there is a second mystery in the fact that they came in the vision of April 24, 1993. It is the same mystery in Daniel 12:5, Zechariah 4:11, Matthew 17:3 and other in fulfilment of Zechariah 12:10. You see? It is different! If not, there is only one prophet messenger who is the father of the age or the generation. And this ministry is worked by only one person at a time on the earth! [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
12 But apart from that, there can be hundreds of apostles, hundreds of prophets of churches, hundreds of teachers, hundreds of evangelists on earth in relation with Ephesians 4:11. Notice that the verse says, "Now there were in Antioch the assembly which was there, prophets and teachers…" You see? "Prophets and teachers"! It’s Ephesians 4:11. They may have received some kinds of calls but if they are of God, their Message will be that of the prophet messenger of their time.
13 In the Old Testament the Bible calls them: "the sons of the prophets". God can even tell them, "You shall preach the pure Gospel" or "You shall light the earth" referring to the Message of the prophet messenger of their time. And if that Ephesian prophet is not patient, he will dash into it before the time and bring death like Moses…
14 God can speak to them as to the sons of the prophets in 2 Kings 2 but if they are really of God and they have the Spirit of God, no matter their fame, their wealth or their height or their education level, they will come towards the prophet messenger of their time. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
15 In 2 Kings, we can see that they were already prophets before Elisha but when Elijah left the scene and Elisha took over, they came towards Elisha and said to him, "Send us here! Send us there! Come with us!" And not in the days of Elijah but it was especially in the days of Elisha that they appeared a lot. You see?
16 And God put on their heart to go and search for Elijah and they urged Elisha as one urging a friend of his. God did that in order that when they would not find Elijah, and they would know that, Elijah is no longer on the earth, they may respect entirely the authority of Elisha’s ministry. And they conformed to the Word because they were animated by the same Spirit as Elisha [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
17 And in the whole world, in every nation, in every city there were some! The Bible says: The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel went forth towards Elisha… The sons of the prophets who were at Gilgal went forth towards Elisha… The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha…
18 And when Elijah was caught up, the Bible says that the sons of the prophets went towards Elisha and bowed to the ground before him! And one day, it was one of them that Elisha sent to anoint Jehu. You say, "Brother Philippe, they are not prophets!" Yes Brother! They are prophets but Church prophets. Prophets inside the Church. It is different from the prophet messenger.
19 Let’s read 2 Kings 9:1 to 4: "And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead. And when thou art come thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him rise up from among his brethren, and bring him to an inner chamber.
20 Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head and say, Thus saith Jehovah: I have anointed thee king over Israel; and open the door, and flee, and tarry not. And the young man, the young Prophet, went to Ramoth-Gilead. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
21 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting. And he said, I have an errand to thee, captain. And Jehu said, To which of all of us? And he said, To thee, captain. And he rose up and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel: I have anointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, over Israel." Amen! What is it? The Bible says the young prophet. Thus, the sons of the prophets are prophets, but they are the mouth of the living prophet messenger of their time. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"]. You see? No one can serve God unless he brings this Message! There can be hundreds of prophets, some having assemblies but if they are of Jehovah, the day when they come across this Message, they will not turn away from it! [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
22 The second question is: "Brother Philippe, what should a Brother or Sister who works on a computer connected to the Internet in his workplace do"? Brothers, I did not say that we cannot use the Internet. And in the beginning, if I said that the Internet could serve us as a post office box, and if that is and remains what it is for us, it is because we are in the world without being of the world as the Lord said.
23 Well, I now want to talk about the subject: the order in the Church. But bear in mind that Ephesians 4:11 talks apparently about five ministries and I always thought of five ministries like you but at the time when I have got to preach on the order in the Church, the revelation came to me because they are the ministries that keep the gate of the Church and I have received that they were four ministries and not five. It’s not to trouble you but they are in fact four ministries of the Word and not five. If you believe it, say, Amen! [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"]. Thank you! Thus, I will go straight onto my subject and God permitting, I will come back on it to show that a little bit.
24 I know that you do not believe because you do understand but you believe because the prophet that God has sent has said it. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
25 Thus, bear in mind that there are not five ministries but four ministries of the Word which are: apostle, prophet of Church, evangelist, and teacher. Thus, pastor is not a ministry of the Word. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
26 It is not today that you believe it, or on April 24, 1993, or by a clear explanation but you believed in the mind of God before the foundation of the world! And a son of the posterity of the serpent cannot imitate that! It is a gift from God, it is by grace! And God willing, I will come back on that at the end! This evening my subject is: the order within the Church and in the assembly.
27 A ministry of pastor is mentioned nowhere in the New Testament and when Jeremiah talks about pastor, he means the whole of the priesthood and not a particular ministry. You see? And one of the four ministries can be sent on a mission to visit some local assemblies but a pastor cannot be sent. They are the four ministries of the Word who are missionaries. The four ministries are directly related to the Word.
28 The evangelist takes the Word and spreads that, the teacher takes the Word and explains it to the people, the prophet takes the Word and reveals it to the people, the apostle takes the Word and goes to found assemblies. But what about the pastor? Pastor is not related to the Word but he is simply a shepherd, he is an overseer. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"]. The four ministries of the Word are the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are the four streams in Genesis, are the four cherubim around the throne. There is not a fifth.
29 And if the four ministries of the Word are the four Cherubim that is to say the four living creatures, we think that this revelation will help those who think that a woman can have a ministry. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
30 And the question that is often asked is: "What is my ministry"? You see? The most important thing, it is not to try to know if we are a fig tree but to bear fruits. Prophecies can designate a ministry but nothing will be more credible and truer and in blessing to us as the ministry which manifests itself more clearly. It’s not good to indicate the ministry which is not in its maturity or which is not operational to avoid any imitation.
31 The pastor must thus be able to solve all human problems in the assembly and in all meekness. He must be able to visit and know each church member personally. He is the comforter and the one to whom all the assembly resorts.
32 Well, after the pastor, the elders! The elders deal with the issues the pastor entrusts to them. They are designated by the pastor.
33 Now, how does somebody become a preacher, pastor or one of the four ministries? It is the pastor or one of the four ministries who chooses the preacher in the assembly, but it is somebody who does already open-air preachings or who did open-air preachings or who was already a preacher in the assembly when the Message came over. And the blessing and the will of God is not that somebody who is eloquent or who is presentable or honourable goes to preach everywhere in the other assemblies but that one of the four ministries does it and that is the point we have to reach one day. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
34 I would like to specify that each pastor must be recognized in the assembly where he has been established. For any kind of problem, it is the pastor whom one must address. Not another ministry or the prophet messenger but the pastor. Whatever the problem.
35 And if the faithful of an assembly notice the incapacity or deviation of their pastor regarding the Word, the elders of that assembly will inform, not the pastor of another assembly but one of the apostles, whether these apostles listen to the pastor or not, they will be able to decide on his case and he has to accept it.
36 But in one fixed assembly, there is the pastor, the elders, the deacons to set order, the stewards for the treasury so on... And all these are designated by the pastor alone but their revocation must be proposed by the pastor and decided by the congregation. There must always be two or more stewards in an assembly. And a pastor or preacher cannot be a steward.
37 And know that in an assembly all those who have a responsibility are elders. So the preachers, song leaders, deacons and stewards and those that the pastor has appointed are elders. The elders need a spokesman. The number of the deacons and stewards is at least two and depending on the size of the congregation. In an assembly, I do not wish that there be such things like a choir, youth group, ethnic groups and others … I do not want these things in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
38 Also, each assembly is entirely autonomous on all plans with respect to any other assembly. But an assembly can ask another assembly for assistance. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
39 As for the conduct of the service… At the beginning of the service, the leader comes up… Then the overall prayer then the public confession. Then, you can read a passage of the Message and briefly comment on that before the praise songs. Thus, after the public confession and prayers and testimonies, the worship, then the praise songs and you get to the preaching.
40 In the absence of the prophet messenger, to know the will of God, the four ministries and the pastors and those who have the gifts of the Spirit and visions will meet at moments of retirement and fasting and prayers under the direction of the recognized ministries.
41 And if an assembly wants to organize a vigil of prayer with or without taking the Holy Communion, it can do it and all those who can come from the other assemblies will come and as of next year, that’s what I wish us to do. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
42 May God bless you! Now, why did I say that there were only four ministries of the Word? It's a new revelation and a new revelation needs much more light for the people of God. I neither saw nor heard it somewhere but I received it just two days ago. Thus, three days ago, I did not know it to be so, and I never wondered about it, and it is always this way.
43 If man could simply recognize the place of God and let Him interpret his Word, there would be no discussion and no false doctrines on the earth. The truth can never come out of a debate or discussion on the Word but the truth which comes from God, always comes by the spiritual revelation. And the Lord Jesus Christ said that He would build his Church on the spiritual revelation. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
44 When Peter said that, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God", He said it is not flesh and blood which revealed it to thee but my Father who is in Heaven revealed it to thee. And on the spiritual revelation, I will build my Church.
45 And in a generation, God alone is the Interpreter of his Word through the living prophet messenger of that generation. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
46 Well. It is not to be in disagreement with people or make new doctrines but actually, there are not five ministries of the Word but four. There are only four ministries who give authority to one of them and who establish him shepherd to watch over souls and it is this shepherd who has also the capacity to take care of the souls that is called a pastor; if not, all of them are pastors. You see?
47 The apostles have the capacity to evangelise, gather, feed… they are thus evangelists and can be pastors. As for the prophets, they are preachers whose messages will tend to reveal mysteries in the line of the Message. The teachers will show through the Bible or nature, the depth and the truthfulness of the Message. What the evangelist is concerned with is the propagation of the Message and that’s what he does. You see? And what place thus will you give to the pastor in the Word? None! There isn’t! The pastor is not directly related to the Word, but it is a responsibility of shepherd, of overseer of souls. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
48 But he himself the pastor is absolutely one of the four principal ministries of the Word and he holds the keeping of the souls that the four have acquired. So, a pastor is whether apostle, Church prophet, evangelist or teacher. And often he that is in good position to be a pastor is a teacher; with the gift of exhortation as our beloved Brother Akobé does it. You say, "Brother Philippe, there are five ministries of the Word!" No Brother, pastor is a mere task in an assembly like deacons and elders. He visits the souls and settles problems beside his own ministry which is: apostle, teacher, evangelist or prophet. You see?
49 The four cherubim of Genesis keeping the way to the tree of Life are the four ministries of the Word. The four satellites turning around Jupiter are the four ministries of the Word. And Jupiter is symbolised by the eagle which is the prophet messenger. The four horns of the Ark of the Covenant keeping the tables of the law are the four ministries of the Word keeping the law.
50 The four Gospels which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are the four ministries of the Word. You see? The four living creatures in Ezekiel and the rest of the Old Testament are the four ministries of the Word as the four living creatures, the four Cherubim of Revelation 4:7 are also the four ministries of the Word.
51 There are four ministries of the Word, not five ministries. Even the four branches of the river in Genesis 2:10 are the four ministries of the Word. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"]. One must not lead a church like a village chief but by one of the four ministries of the Word, and a true Church needs these four ministries.
52 If you are a church led by only one ministry, it is like a person full of calcium. You are filled with calcium, you are sick. You see? But you need the four ministries and then you are a balanced church. [Ed: The congregation says, "Amen!"].
53 Thus there is no ministry of the Word called pastor. Pastor is a mere responsibility in the assembly as deacon and elder. A teacher can be a pastor, an evangelist can be a pastor, a Church prophet can be a pastor, an apostle can be a pastor as Peter was and you see that it was a mere responsibility that the Lord entrusted to him. And he that can understand let him understand!