“Called to Serve by Function, Not Title” with Joseph Mattera

We serve by function, not by title.

Our Guest: Dr. Joseph Mattera

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally-known author, consultant, and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church in New York, and leads several organizations, including The U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. Dr. Mattera is the author of 13 bestselling books, including his latest, The Purpose, Power, and Process of Prophetic Ministry, and is renowned for applying Scripture to contemporary culture. To order his books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his newsletter go to www.josephmattera.org.

Scriptures and Key Points to help us serve:

No leader sets out to fail.
We need Godly and courageous leaders like never before.

“That one act of obedience resulted in everything that has transpired over the last 44 years.” – Dr. Mattera speaking about the young man who led him to Christ

“Bananas for Jesus!”- Keith Green

Revelation 12:11 NKJV And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

There is power in the simplicity of the Gospel.
The Gospel of the Kingdom lifts whole communities, not just individual sinners.
The Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets lifting people up to create an environment that is conducive for people to take the Gospel forward.
As you continue on with the Lord, some of the latent gifts, or potentialities, of your calling and serving will come forth and your focus will change.

Acts 13 NKJV Paul being sent out as an apostle

Apostolic is a function or an adjective, not a title.
Jesus’ walk was a way of life.

Romans 1:1 NKJV Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.

Apostle=Servant

Function of an apostle means you have a calling to serve the body of Christ.
There is a heavenly conspiracy of changing and transforming the Church.

Acts 5:39 NKJV But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

Cultivate faithfulness and perseverance.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have all the results right away.
God is using this season as a pruning and a sifting.

John 15:2 NKJV Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Matthew 13:23-25 NKJV The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Ephesians 5:27 NKJV That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

As hard as the pruning is, it is necessary for God to have a Church that can represent Him in the world.

God is the Baal Perazim, Master of the Breakthrough.

The battle is not yours. We’ve tried to do it in our own strength.

2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

The battle is the Lord’s.
We need to align ourselves with God in His Word, in His character and Spirit.

2 Chronicles 20:9 NKJV ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

The enemy is trying so hard to divide and conquer the Church, getting us away from the place of worshiping God and gathering together for corporate worship and prayer.

1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

We need to walk with purity of heart.

1 Peter 1:15 NKJV But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct

Romans 11:6 NKJV And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

There is something about corporate gathering in agreement through fasting and prayer and worship that brings breakthrough.

2 Chronicles 20:14-15 NKJV …Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Prerequisites of Breakthrough:

Prayer: communication with God
Worship: as living worshippers
Intercession
Praise

The importance of our posture is critical for God to win the battle.

Matthew 9:17 NKJV Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

There has been supernatural expansion by divine intervention in the midst of the difficulties.

1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

It’s not just about prayer and fasting and waiting for an awakening. We serve as well.

We need to do a lot of studying not only the Word, but of culture and society.
What the devil means for distraction, God can use to further the Gospel.

Genesis 1:27 NKJV So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

We need to discern what God is doing and work hard at it.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

We need to work.
Also, we need to study.
We need to plan and strategize.
Therefore, we need to primarily seek the face of God.
Finally, we need to combine fasting and praying with a collective effort to be on the leading edge as fellow workers with God.

2 Corinthians 6:1 NKJV We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

“Revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat.” – Charles Finney

The miracle is not in the planting of the seed.
The miracle is what happens after we do our part and plant the seed. It is in the seed, in what God does beneath the surface.

God does supernatural expansion when we take those steps of faith as His servants.

Our hearts must be pure and in alignment with God.

Luke 9:62 NKJV But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The analogy of a farmer: he plows the ground, seeds the ground, and working day and night prepares for the harvest. He doesn’t just pray and ask God for an abundant crop.
We need to look at every challenge as an opportunity for God to get glory by utilizing our gifts, redeeming the time, and by understanding the purpose of the time.
Some churches are going “out of business” because they weren’t making disciples, they were making a crowd.
God is not impressed with how many people show up to a church on Sunday. He’s impressed with how many the church sends out on Monday.
Our liberty should not become a license to sin.
The institution has tried to be relatable, rather than the church changing the culture.
The early Church turned the world upside-down, yet they didn’t have the Bible and study tools. Today, we have all the “stuff”, yet we haven’t turned our world upside-down.
We’ve built on the institution rather than the incarnational, authentic relationship with the Creator.

When we come back to that authentic relationship, God can do something with us.

Many people leave the world and go to the Church, yet find the world in the Church so they go back to the world.
If everybody was as committed as you are, would Christianity survive?
The more responsibility you have, the higher the level of spiritual warfare and resistance.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

If you’re not in war, you’re a civilian and mingling too much in the world.

2 Timothy 2:1-6 NKJV …You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier…

I’m more motivated by knowing Jesus than by ministry.

Proverbs 4:19 NKJV The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

1 John 4:4 NKJV You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Romans 8:31-39 NKJV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28 NKJV And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Books:

The Purpose, Power, and Process of Prophetic Ministry by Dr. Joseph Mattera
Sodom Had No Bible by Leonard Ravenhill
Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill

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“Called to Serve by Function, Not Title” with Joseph Mattera (Ep. 154)