It was forty years ago this summer that the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco ignited the counter-cultural revolution, and with it began one of America’s greatest identity crises. Some of her strongest foundations were shaken, eroding religious faith, morality, devotion to family, and basic integrity.

This week we are continuing our study of the equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4:1, and will take a brief look at the ministry of the evangelist.

In the New Testament, there are over twenty people referred to as apostles, only a few who are referred to as prophets, and only one who is called an evangelist—Philip (see Acts 21:8). Timothy was instructed by Paul to “do the work of an evangelist” (II Timothy 4:5), but was never called an evangelist.

Certainly our ministry titles have a place in helping the church understand the ministry we have. However, the overuse and misuse of spiritual titles has terribly devalued our spiritual currency in recent times. It is hard not to meet anyone in ministry now who does not claim to be an apostle, bishop, or prophet. It has become so outlandish that when I see those whom just call themselves “pastor,” I immediately have respect and trust for them just because of their modesty.

         The first sentence in The Great Commission is the foundation upon which the rest of the mandate is based:

        “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (see Matthew 28:18).

        As we just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, let us resolve to live by this truth. Spurgeon once said, “Very few Christians believe in the resurrection.” When I read this, I thought it was a misprint, but I immediately had the witness of the Holy Spirit that it was true. We are told in Romans 10:10 that we must believe in our hearts, not just our minds, for it to result in righteousness.

     As we have covered, prophecy is never given to establish doctrine. The Bible is the only source of doctrine. Prophecy may be given to reveal the strategic or tactical will of the Lord but never for establishing doctrine. Therefore, our basic understanding of things such as God’s judgments must come from the Scriptures, not prophecies, and certainly not from our own opinions, desires, or prejudices. 

     As we continue our study of the prophetic church at Thyatira (538-1798 AD), understanding Jezebel is a key to understanding what happened to the church in this time. There has been much teaching in the church about the “spirit of Jezebel,” which is derived from the biblical character who was King Ahab’s wife. Ahab was one of the wickedest kings in Israel’s history. It seems that Jezebel influenced many of his evil ways.

I was told that this coming year was going to be a year of miracles for us, and that we were going to see