Wwm - Church of God of Prophecy

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Feature Holistic Integrated Leadership Development I applaud the sound decision by the plurality leadership of this church to endorse and support leadership development in order to strengthen the core value of global harvest. This decision is a major paradigm shift in the COGOP, for it was only a few decades ago when there was still a strong element of anti-education among our constituency. A position of anti-education has not served us well, but neither will it be wise to now swing to an all cognitive/didactic position in leadership development. There are some things that the head can receive, but the heart will not absorb. There was a season in renewal history when the traditional churches accused the Pentecostals of being all fire and no light, while the Pentecostals would accuse the traditional churches of all light and no fire. Those days do not need to be repeated; however, if one extreme does not serve the universal church well, neither does another extreme. A balance between light and fire is biblically sound. In the quest for the COGOP to enhance its biblical leadership development, a holistic integrated experiential knowledge formation for leaders is advisable. The Daniel paradigm addresses the issue of cognitive process and experiential knowledge. Daniel and his companions were captive exiles who were brought to Babylonia to receive special training in order to serve in the king’s palace. Daniel 1:4 gives some of the traits of these young individuals: they exhibited “aptitude for every kind of learning, well-informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve” (NIV). In other words, they had a holistic educational base in order to render holistic service; however, these young individuals were religious Jews who served the true God. Daniel and his companions did not forget their roots in the midst of higher learning. The greater part of their learning is captured in Daniel 1:9 “To these four young men, God gave If there is something worthy to remember from renewal history, it is that the Pentecostal movement still believes that the “Maestro” of the kairos visitation is the Holy Spirit. knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kind” (NIV). In kairos times, more often than not, it will be experiential knowledge and wisdom that will lead the way. Divine guidance in discerning God’s will in a kairos visitation is not going to be found in a classroom book! As the COGOP forges forward in reaching the lost harvest while preparing leaders, a balanced, holistic epistemology of integrating sound biblical and theological tools with experiential knowledge will bring empowerment in a kairos environment. As much as we desire better and greater scholarship in this church, we must not forget that our present and past development have not been by scholars, but by field generals who built the work—often riding on bikes, eating mangos and drinking water! Guidance and empowerment of the Spirit do not mean depreciating the laborers with less preparation, but affirming what has been accomplished and preparing for a greater future. The Daniel paradigm reveals that when all the learned personnel could not assist king Belshazzar when a kairos visitation occurred in the palace, Daniel was called because he was “found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems” (Daniel 5:12 NIV). The phrase “explain riddles and solve difficult problems” in Hebrew connotation translates as “explanation of mysteries and dissolving knots.” In the process of developing a global ecclesia, the problems to be solved will often be “intensely knotty.” In a global kairos visitation, the solving of difficult problems is not going to be found in a human written book! Discerning wisdom through guidance of the Holy Spirit will be the resounding method in solving difficult global issues. This will mean that over-dependence on all kinds of human designs and systems can cause some serious miscarriages in decision-making. If there is something worthy to remember from renewal history, it is that the Pentecostal movement still believes that the “Maestro” of the kairos visitation is the Holy Spirit. All the preparation in the world cannot, should not, must not displace the principal guide, the Holy Spirit. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NIV). When one has a guide, he also relinquishes control, for there is no neutrality in the guide who gives guidance. A guide leads and others follow! In such a time as this, our earnest prayer should be, “Come, Holy Spirit, be our guide into the splendor of fulfilling the sovereign will of God!” Come, Holy Spirit, we welcome you! ____________ 1 Donald K. McKim, Westminister Dictionary of Theological Terms, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996) p. 152. 2 Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew Chaldee and Greek Dictionaries, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1980) p. 47. 3 Keil, C. F., Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 9, (Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985) p. 186. 8 WWM AUGUST 2011 WWW.WHITEWINGMESSENGER.ORG
The Center for Biblical Leadership with the School of Practical and Advance Studies has been a blessing to our people in Latin America. These schools have brought new inspiration to those who have participated, both leaders and members. Our CBL logo states: “Come Holy Spirit, be our guide.” We are most grateful to the Holy Spirit for the way He has helped us in all the schools that we have had. He has come to baptize, to inspire, to teach, and to bring us under conviction. One sister testified to me: “After you taught, I could not accept some of the ‘changes’ that had happened in the church, but I prayed last night, and the Holy Spirit gave me the understanding and assurance that I needed to receive this teaching, and now I have peace within me.” The aid of the Holy Spirit has been pivotal in our teaching work, guiding our dear people in their understanding and acceptance of the classes and giving them guidance and comfort. One of the benefits of CBL in Latin America has been the provision of a better connection between the International Offices of our Church in Cleveland, Tennessee and the field. We have heard testimonies of our brethren, highlighting the importance of our presence among them, bringing that necessary link between the International Offices and the field. The Lord has helped us to instill new inspiration within our ministry regarding our church. The pastoral class has been a source of new motivation for our pastors to continue their ministry, stressing the fact that they are a gift from God to the church, according to Ephesians 4: 11. The teaching of our particular history and theology has served to bring understanding and knowledge of how our church has developed her teachings, organization, and form of government over the years. Some, who are newer members of our Church, have acquired a definition of our identity as church. Others, who are older, have received a reaffirmation of our identity as the Church of God of Prophecy. It is rewarding to see the response of our people, when they realize that we are an “international family.” The Center for Biblical Leadership is stressing also the need to build a trans-generational bridge, according to Acts 2: 17. In Latin America, we have a great potential of young leaders who will lead this church if we train and teach them. It is rewarding to hear the testimonies of our brethren wherever we go, as the one of a sister, who after the teaching about “divorce and remarriage,” was explained, testified that she was in the middle of a divorce process, and that she was going to stop that process immediately, and that she was going to keep her family together. We give God the glory for this and other testimonies, because they show the work of the Holy Spirit in our people. I appreciate the great privilege that the Lord has given me to be a part of this great ministry of the COGOP, and “. . . thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12). Elias Rodriguez Cleveland, Tennessee WWM AUGUST 2011 9
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