The discovery of all of this has made me go back and ask the question, “Who am I and where do I fit within the greater identity of the body of Christ?” I always assumed I was an apostle because I was told the Great Commission mandated it. Upon conversion I got immediately involved in ministry and have been there ever since. And yet, most of my attempts at going into all the world baptizing have proven futile. I never really considered myself an evangelist, I was just led to believe we were all to be evangelists, so why didn’t I figure this out a long time ago? Answer: I was operating under a false assumption as is every believer who has not spent years in solitude with the Holy Spirit figuring it out. It’s sort of unsettling, after almost five decades of being a Christian honestly seeking God, serving, writing music and books and blogging, now wondering what I’m going to be when I grow up 😊. But the only thing worse than not knowing and waiting would be to pursue my current course while wondering what exactly was holding me back, only to waste the rest of the few years I have left on this earth.
How do you know whether you are apostle, elder, or sheep? When Elizabeth was first approached by Mary, both being pregnant, “the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumped” for joy! After reading these articles, consider which group has caused “the baby” of the Spirit in your womb to leap? Is it going into all the world preaching and baptizing? Is it going into the body of Christ to disciple or engage in the other gifts available to you there? Is it just to enjoy all the benefits the sheep of the Church of Acts pursued? Where does your heart tell you that you belong? If you haven’t considered it up to this moment, don’t feel bad. Most believers today cannot even find grounds for making that decision because there is so little authentic community they can look to as a point of reference.
Take heart, O weary sojourner! The Spirit of God is even now tearing down “the beautiful bricks and stones” of the structures of religion, which He will complete to bring forth the Phoenix! It will literally be hell on earth for the flesh, but as with that famous bird of Greek mythology, the authentic body of Christ will arise from the ruins! I found the following description of this mythical “immortal bird associated with the sun that regenerates by dying in a self-generated fire and rising from its own ashes—symbolizing resurrection, renewal, and eternity.” Could we not say the church, which has been with God ever since He created Adam and Eve, is associated with “the Son” that has for the most part died through self-generated fire of religion, but will arise in the resurrection, renewal, and eternal reestablishment of the true body of Christ?!
What I was shocked to discover was this: the arising of the Phoenix is what excites me far more than being an apostle. I have always known my calling is to be a watchman on the wall for the body I so dearly love and, as Simeon yearned for advent of the Christ-child, so I eagerly await its awakening and revealing. I now know my calling is to be a sheep—a watchman in the body of Christ, and I’m good with that. It’s what makes the baby in my womb leap! And, if the Sprit leads the body to think me worthy of such a high honor, I may be a shepherd as well. Until that time, I will as a good sheep aspire to “make it my ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to my own business and work with my hands…in all godliness and dignity…behaving properly toward outsiders…as this is good and acceptable in the sight of God my Savior” (1 Tim. 2, 1 Thess. 4).
He Goes Before Me
On a Sunday evening in March of 2026, nearing 50 years as a follower of Christ [over 35 of those writing books] the revelation of all you have read in this series led up to an amazing one, proving my identity, that blew my mind! I was sitting in a hotel bar and grille with three close brothers discussing the issues contained in this series. I had brought along copies of my three authored works to give to one of the men when, as I briefly described them to him, it dawned on me that everything I had been writing all that time was designed to cater to community! As with Joseph, God had gone before me to help prepare His sheep when the famine of the great persecution comes. Remember, the sheep’s response at Pentecost was to “steadfastly devote themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, to fellowship, the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
Taking my books in order: The Pass[ed]over Table [originally The Lost Supper] sets forth a biblical way to observe Communion that is the ultimate gift God gave to secure unity, integrity, and a bond of love within the community that has been lost in our modern observances that elevate grace at the expense of truth. Today’s church cannot abide the discomfort of truly “examining ourselves” which requires transparency, vulnerability, integrity, true repentance and confession within the body. In This has removed the power of it to heal and set free the sheep from their bondage to their “secret sins” that wound and cause isolation. In other words, it is the supreme gift for “fellowship and the breaking of bread.”
Then came my devotional set of four books entitled Praying Today’s Psalms, which “newtestamentizes” the beloved prayers of David and the other Psalmists, allowing NT believers to pray them in all their power. This devotional is particularly helpful for men who suffer from my disease, “Mindusconstantwanderitis,” as it provides focus, passion, and communion with God we struggle with here in the land of plenty. This aids greatly in the “prayer” the sheep of the Church of Acts engaged in constantly.
Finally, my latest book The Kingdom Election fulfills the final piece of the Church of Acts puzzle, “The Apostle’s teaching.” I’m not saying it’s Scripture but rather that Jesus said in the time we now live in called The Birth Pangs a very specific gospel would be preached to the whole world, and that is “the Gospel of the Kingdom,” which this work is all about. Coming to forsake the kingdom of man and religion and understand and fully engage the kingdom of heaven on earth, will be absolutely critical to anyone who wants to maintain peace and find the endurance that will be necessary when the suffering Jesus promises as part of those Birth Pangs comes upon us.
I always wondered why my books never sold very well and attributed it to the fact that they always swam against the tides of popular western Christianity. And while that is partially true, the more palpable reason dawned on me that night! For the past 35 years I have unbeknownst to me been writing for what my spirit has always been most passionate about: The coming authentic communities of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit! I believe I will live to see it, but there’s no guarantee. And when it comes, it will be solely a move of God that any of my works will get distributed because Christian writings will be banned and churches will be forced to sell their souls to the Beast or go underground. I’ve heard it said that the concept of glory is people witnessing something and proclaiming, “Wow, only God could have done that!” May He alone be ultimately glorified for anything I have penned, for I can take credit for none of it.
Benediction
That’s me. I hope this series has led you to ask yourself, “What is my greater identity in the body of Christ?” As you consider, I stand to boldly declare as Jesus did “release of the captives and to set free those who were oppressed” (Luke 4). So, now I stand before the vast majority of you to proclaim freedom from captivity to the misrepresentation of the Great Commission! I set you free from its oppression to a mandate very few were never commanded to fulfill. Fill that space with engaging as shepherd or sheep and seek to establish a house church and other deep, regular meetings of the body where you can “continue steadfastly, with one mind, in the apostle’s doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread with gladness and sincerity of heart and praising God in prayer!” Fulfill your lot in the Great Commission through the visible authentic body of Christ, minister to and provide for the apostles, and leave the rest up to God.
Shalom, my fellow sheep and be content to hear His voice and to know and follow Him. He will give you eternal life and nothing will snatch you out of His hand!