Team Integrity

When God put Adam and Eve in the garden, a paradise of heaven on earth was his goal. Unfortunately, an evil interloper interfered with God’s ultimate intentions. Satan slithered into camp, caused a disruption in the harmony of God’s team, and cost mankind our inheritance. Thankfully, God’s grace has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ to repair the breach, restore our relationship, and return us to our rightful inheritance.

How did Satan succeed in infiltrating God’s first apostolic team? If we can understand this, then we can uncover his tactics today, because Satan hasn’t changed. He is still attempting to disrupt harmony and disqualify headship. He uses one basic tactic: lying accusations. His lies provoke sinful reactions which in turn dissolve our unity and erode our vision. Divided we always fall, and the devil knows it. So, doubting God, we fall from grace. We no longer experience the grace of God helping us overcome and achieve. Absent God’s blessing and presence, w are on our own and it isn’t easy. The way of the transgressor is hard. God means it to be. He wants us to repent.

If Satan can insinuate his doubts, then he can divide our team (marriage, company, church, etc.), divert us our direction, delay our mission, and destroy our effectiveness. Satan did this with Eve and then with Adam when he distorted God’s word and caused them to doubt God’s motives.

Satan kissed up to this Primary Couple, our progenitors on planet earth. The Master of Deceit led humanity down a trail of tears and sorrows that have caused untold suffering for six thousand years. It is time we learned how to live in the light of God’s word rather than the darkness of deception. We need to decide if God is true so we can stay in agreement with God’s word (and with each other) so that we can possess our inheritance and enjoy God’s blessings.

The components of the fall are these: Eve was deceived; Adam was disobedient. On this First Team, Adam represented headship; Eve represented the heart of their relationship. Both head and heart need to be guarded from deceit. They momentarily turned away from the words of their loving Creator who had been walking and talking with them every day. They listened to the lies of a fallen angel. His whispers seduced them into unfaithfulness by means of independent action, rebellion against the rules of Eden, and ultimately, a fall from life into death.

Team integrity disintegrated due to doubting the words of their Leader, God. They allowed seeds of doubt to take root. Discord, deception, and disaster ensued. Did this fall begin with a thought subtly sowed into someone’s mind? At what point could Eve have taken every thought captive and confessed God’s word instead of Satan’s lie? How far did she go before there was no turning back? When did the insanity of sin control her thinking? When did Adam disbelieve the warnings of His Eternal Father? At what point did he forfeit his leadership and abdicate his responsibility to husband Eve to guard Eden? Could he have said something to stop the downward spiral? Who he listened to eventually affected what he believed.

Never forget, the words you incubate today will be the words you are controlled by tomorrow. Your future circumstances are being forged in the furnace of your beliefs today. What you believe is critical, but who you believe is just as important. Adam and Eve didn’t need to know everything in order to be safe. They just needed to know the One they were believing, their Savior. By turning away from Him, they chose soulish knowledge rather than spiritual life, pride rather than humility, self-government rather than holy headship. We have all been on a long road trying to find our way back from confusion ever since. It will take the return of Christ to finally put back everything that was lost. But look at the price we have paid in the souls that have been damned and the damage that has been inflicted. Sin extracts a terrible price.

The integrity of this husband-wife team under God’s headship could have been preserved. Unlike Adam and Eve, we are no longer naive concerning evil. We now have something they didn’t have: a Savior, God manifest in the flesh, and a Bible, God’s infallible word, to give us wisdom and power to overcome Satan’s campaign of discord and deception. We also have a decisive edge only possible since Christ’s death and resurrection: the new birth, whereby we are given a new nature, one that is empowered to freely choose to do God’s will. By God’s grace and indwelling presence, we can, if we want to, walk our talk and maintain our integrity.

Our Lord is the ultimate realist. He knows that sin will enter in, that confession will need to be made, that reconciliation will have to occur. God has already made provision for us to be restored to Himself and to one another into righteous relationships. God wants the "tie that binds" to remain intact. When it fails, He wants us to repent so we can be "super-glued" back together.

In the gospels, it seems to me there are three primary directives from our Lord. Jesus gave us very few commands, but the few He gave us are crucial. Here are three I consider most vital: 1) Follow Me. Nothing else works if Jesus isn’t front and center in our faith and conduct. 2) Love one another. Perhaps the hardest of all His commands, this one requires building bridges of trust and community under the watchful eye of our Chief Shepherd. 3) Go with the gospel to every creature. This is our great Commission, to preach the good news to the whole world. Three basic things: Follow Jesus. Love each other. Go with the gospel. If we do these things, we can be saved, we can serve one another, and we can send out workers and be faithful witnesses. These three things are also the basic ingredients for the success of an apostolic team.

Jesus fulfilled his mission by calling together disciples whom he built into a functioning team. Team-building enables a leader to multiply his efforts. Jesus used the "principle of twelve" to reproduce his ministry. He gave away everything he had to 12 trusted followers, then told them to go do what he had done. The purpose of Pentecost was to empower them to obey that command. Pentecost did not occur in a vacuum. It did not happen to super individualistic ego-driven loners. It happened to an Upper Room community, a team that had come into unity and prayed through to power, together. God has all power and can repeat the outpouring of the Spirit anytime and in any place. The question is: where is the upper room community? Can we get our act together?

Togetherness is not a fancy word for a "touchy-feely" group hug. It is the secret ingredient of supernatural power to defeat Satan. So, how do we keep our team together?

King David sought togetherness with his band of followers. God had anointed him. Saul was pursuing him. Pressure was forming them into a team. Loyalties were being decided. In the midst of this sorting out process, men of valor joined themselves to David. They saw the favor of God on him and were drawn to swear allegiance. The Bible says they "helped David with an undivided heart." (1 Chron. 12:33). An undivided heart is the opposite of being double minded. A double minded person is unstable. Leadership teams can’t be composed of unstable individuals without disastrous consequences. God builds his kingdom based on covenant love from commitments made by stable people.

Sorting out relationships sometimes requires sifting through our commitments. Often we find that we really are "our brother’s keeper." And sometimes only loving confrontation will rescue our brother from the error of his ways (James 5:19-20). What do you do when you see someone self-destructing? What do you do when you see unity disintegrating due to sin? Does cordiality make us cower behind a facade of politeness, or does covenant love compel us to speak out in love? Biblically, we have no choice: Love covers ((1 Pet. 4:8) and love confronts (Gal. 6:1-3).

We are to speak the truth but only in love, not harshly. The Apostle Paul said his ministry to the Thessalonians included aspects as gentle as a nursing mother (1 Thess. 2:7) and as firm as a forceful father (2:11). Both are appropriate at different times in a person’s life. A friend will risk the relationship by speaking the truth. True friends can tell each other the truth without destroying the friendship. In fact, real friendship can’t exist without truthfulness, otherwise it is an illusion built on shifting sand.

Here is a key I believe God has shown me to undergird honest mutual commitments. Realize that God is watching between us. He is the author of righteous relationships. He superintends our fellowship so that God’s light, love, and honor are reflected in our links with one another. This works best in community, where we "know no man after the flesh." We don’t follow leaders or love our brothers because of worldly reasons, but because of God’s grace and purpose. In Christ, we order our relationships around the joints and ligaments the Holy Spirit creates (Eph. 4:16).

Fellowship together as maturing Christians naturally progresses from superficial contact to affection enjoyment to covenant love to functioning together as a team. Part of the process involves permitting others to speak honestly into your life without recoiling in rejection. Wholesome fellowship, free of co-dependency or any spirit of control, has a wonderful sanctifying effect on us. We don’t lose our individuality, but we begin to enjoy our diversity. We distinguish the differing grace gifts and find that we are stronger togther than we are apart. This is the miracle of Christ Incorporated, the Living Church.

Proverbs 27:5-6 provides a pattern for integrity in relationships. "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." The Lord wants us to ask ourselves these questions: Do you want friendship or enmity? Do you want faithfulness or deception? Do you want wounds or kisses. The open rebuke can be manifestation of great love, while cordial concealment of true feelings may be great treachery.

Team building is not a social experiment invented by corporate presidents. It is an intrinsic part of the kingdom of God modeled by Christ and urged by the apostles. A New Testament team can build a New Testament church. But New Testament churches can only be constructed of materials that measure up, believers who are refined in the fellowship-furnace of truth and love, not pampered in splendid isolation.

© 2001 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.

Holy Spirit Baptism

As I continued praying, I became aware of an enveloping warmth coming upon me. The hair on the back of my arms was standing up. I tingled like I was in a mild electric field. It seemed to increase when I lifted my hands toward heaven in worshipful surrender. I had been praying alone in my darkened bedroom. I had lost track of time. I was hungry for more of God. I told him so. I said I wanted more. I couldn’t stand to live without the awareness of his presence. I wanted to preach with power. I travailed to see people healed when I prayed for them. These things had driven me to secret, persistent prayer.

The room seemed somehow filled with light. The presence that had been around me now began to fill me up, like a water pitcher with a rising level. It felt like liquid love. I was intoxicated! No words can describe the joy that flooded my soul as God himself came and answered my cry for more of him.

As I was filled up to the brim, my praise became inadequate. My throat was choked with emotions and words that seemed to jumble together, like I was trying to speak in two languages at once and it wasn’t working. My heart was bursting with praise and love and mere words were no longer able to express the depth of my adoration.

With trembling lips, I gave vent to the gushing of heartfelt worship deep in my soul. I began to pray in the Spirit aloud with words I had never learned.

Since that momentous day in my youth, I have discovered that this precious gift of prayer is always available to me anytime I take time to wait on God and yield to him. Two words describe what began in my life that day: power, for service and prayer; and rest, for a new relationship with Christ whereby he does his work through me. I would hate to think that I would have to live my Christian life without this treasure.

I believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the missing ingredient in the modern church. It is the critical key to successful evangelism of this lost world, to a satisfying personal prayer life, and to the development of true community among believers. Anything that helps us win more souls, have more intimacy with God in prayer, and develop stronger ties of love with fellow believers must be a desirable thing. We need the gift of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.

Being baptized in the Spirit was the expected experience–not the exception to the rule–for believers in the Bible. This baptism is often overlooked by modern Christians due to wrong church traditions. Here are three issues that need to be addressed—

"I got it all." Some believe that you get all you can get when you are first saved, that being born of the Spirit is all there is. If that is the case, then why did Jesus, when he first met the disciples after his resurrection, breath on them and say, "Receive Holy Spirit," (John 20:22) then on the Day of Pentecost pour forth the same Holy Spirit on them again?

We are born again by the Holy Spirit at conversion. We are baptized in (immersed, filled with) the Holy Spirit in a subsequent event. It is a separate experience from being born again. This was established in Acts 8 when new converts were baptized in water and then received the gift of the Holy Spirit in a separate experience through laying on of hands.

"It isn’t for today." Another problem some believers encounter is the idea that gifts of the Spirit ceased about the same time that the apostles’ collection of letters was compiled into our Holy Bible. But Peter said in Acts two that this gift was for all who were "far off" and for the last days. No scripture anywhere states that gifts of the Holy Spirt are to cease. Has the Holy Spirit left the church?

Church history shows that there have always been in every generation those believers who were filled with the Spirit and displayed God’s gifts in their lives. On a global scale, half of all believers today are now charismatic Christians.

"Tongues cause confusion." Finally, there is confusion among some regarding the initial evidence of speaking in tongues versus the similar but different gift of unknown tongues for the assembly. This latter public gift is a manifestation of the Spirit that should normally be accompanied by the gift of interpretation, thus being equivalent to prophecy. Indeed, the public gift is not for everyone. "Do all speak in tongues? The answer, at least for public ministry, is "No." But privately, "Go for it!"

How do you know if you are filled? The evidence is the fruit and the gifts. (See Galatians 5 and 1 Cor 12). The primary fruit is love. Anyone who claims to be filled with the Spirit but doesn’t have love is deceived. Fruit validates gifts. In the book of Acts, the most common initial sign that believers had received the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. This is a valuable gift to edify believers in their private devotions.

The gift of tongues is a spontaneous utterance in a heavenly language, an overflow of the Holy Spirit which liberates the prayer life of the believer. (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Cor. 14:4) It flows from the heart, not from the head. Another manifestation of being filled with the Spirit is prophesying. This is declaring the mind and heart of God in a known language, flowing up out of your heart, not composed logically in your mind. (Acts 19:6) This distinguishes it from preaching.

Prophecy is the primary gift of the Holy Spirit for the church. We are all encouraged to seek this gift so the church can be built up in the Spirit.

What is the normal pattern for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit? For you, there may be no pattern! God may fill you in a way that is unique and wonderful. Yet we do see God repeating certain aspects of this experience. Peter defended the Holy Spirit coming upon the Gentiles by saying, "As on us at the beginning..." (Acts 11:15) He appealed to an authentic pattern.

This pattern is laid out for us in Acts chapter two. Let’s examine this pattern and see how it applies to us today.

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Verses 1-4 NASB)

Remember, they had just been praying, waiting on God for his presence and power. They were all in one accord. They were expecting something from heaven. They were not disappointed!

Here is the sequence of events–four stages, if you will–of Pentecost.

1. The presence of God came into the place where they were.
2. The power of God came upon each person in a bodily way.
3. Each one was filled internally with the Holy Spirit.
4. Each one began to speak forth the Spirit’s promptings.

Do you see the stages of God’s increasing manifestation? God’s presence (not just his omnipresence, but his tangible manifest presence) first came into the place, then came upon them physically, then filled them up inside, then overflowed through them with supernatural praises in a language given by the Spirit. It had discernible stages.

In my experience of assisting people to have faith to receive this wonderful gift, I have noticed that anyone can halt this progressive pattern at any point they wish. For instance, the Holy Spirit can come upon a person and we can notice the trembling, the flushed face, the heat of God’s energy, and stop right there and go no further. Or, the Holy Spirit can fill someone and they can sense the supernatural joy, the explosion of peace, the rising song of the Spirit in their heart, and stop right there.

The Holy Spirit is a gift offered to us, not a force that controls us. In fact, when I am being filled with the Spirit (an on-going repeatable experience- See Ephesians 5:18), my mind is clear and I am fully aware of my circumstances and in control of my faculties. I choose to yield to the Spirit. If we say, "No more, Lord!" he will respect our wishes.

Jesus said in John 7:37 that those who thirst and believe will be filled with the Holy Spirit. The secret to an overflowing heart is having a desperate thirst for more of God. In one sense, the overflow of verbal gifts is simply the visible icing on the cake to the invisible power and presence of God that fills your soul. Are you really thirsty? Then come to Jesus and ask him to fill you. He is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit!

In my experience of over forty years, this gift has magnified my love for Jesus, given me power to pray heart-felt prayers, prompted me to know the will of God, and "primed my pump" to prophesy mysteries. My personal prayer language is a precious source of edification to me. With the apostle Paul, I can say, "I thank God I speak in tongues" (1 Cor. 14:18) and "do not forbid to speak in tongues." (1 Cor. 14:39)

Let’s realize that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is healthy and normal. Maybe our Christian walk has been sub-normal for so long that when we see normal we think it is strange!

Be grateful for God’s manifest presence. His wonderful love-gifts are signs of grace. They should produce a sense of awe, a reverential fear and acknowledgment that God is here, that his kingdom has come among us in power.

© 2001 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org