Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Christ's Continuing Voice in the Church

happened. 36 Ordered forms of ministry replaced unpredictable and enthu siastic ones. The rite of ordination now controlled the Spirit. 37 Leader ship became more priestly than prophetic. This emphasis shifted ministry from every member of the Body of Christ to only certain "ordained" ones, giving birth to the clergy-laity division. As in ancient Israel, the priests overpowered the prophets. Standardization of practice, service and wor ship occurred. Creativity was stifled.

5. Perpetuating Apostolic Authori-ty

To keep connection with her founders without "endangering" the Church by depending on unpredictable prophetic manifestation, the lead ership decided to let the office inherit the apostolic authority, even if the man occupying the office lacked the power of the Spirit. Thus was the authority passed from one generation to another. Called "apostolic suc cession," it merely represented the passing on of a religious family busi ness rather than the fresh impartation and call of the Holy Spirit. This sealed the demise of the ecstatic prophet. 38 It was the time of the sophis tication of the Church and the domestication of the Spirit. The responsibility for worship shifted increasingly from the people to the clergy. The focus of worship changed to the minister and to sacra mental objects and actions. The greatest aid to maintaining spiritual gift activity in the Church-worship in Spirit and truth-was lifted from the congregation. In its place a more rigid, liturgical approach to worship allowed form and pattern to snuff out the spontaneity and givenness of prophecy. Personal participation was no longer extemporaneous and demonstrative. Sacramental unity replaced spiritual unity. These developments assured continuity and longevity and forestalled any excesses or extremes that might alienate the mainline Church from the secular community. At the same time believers experienced a tragic loss of expectant faith. Holy Spirit activity was quenched by abandoning the atmosphere of anticipation in which spiritual gifts flourish. The Church had become institutionalized in the sense that she no longer served God and the people in the manner originally planned. Even a shift in what con stituted salvation (that is, the substitution of religious works for salva tion by faith in Christ) had taken place. 258 6. Unifying and Formalizing Worship 7. Establishing Tradition and Practice