Hello to all

[Ananias]

Hello everyone! I've been wanting to find a forum like this for a long time, and it's great to be a part of such a great apostolic network.

I chose the name, Ananias, not in reference to the one struck dead by God. :) I chose it in reference to the one who won the Apostle Paul to the Lord. Acts 9:1-19. He was not a "card carrying preacher". In fact, so far as we know, he never even preached a message and his influence is often overlooked by most (if not all) everyone who studies the Bible. We often speak of "those whom we'd like to meet in heaven one day" and Ananias rarely comes to mind. Yet here he is hidden in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. His name only mentioned in relationship to one occurance, yet his influrence unquestionable. He won the Great Apostle Paul to the Lord and possibly may have saved Christianity from being stamped out (arguably). When Paul was recounting his testimony in Acts 22, he mentions how Ananias baptized Paul in Jesus Name. He never wrote scripture, he never went to a foreign country (as far as we know) yet he was a Great Teacher/Mentor who trained Great Men.

All that being said, I think we have a problem among us apostolics. I'm sure it's not "everywhere". I have been preaching for almost 20 years. I have Pastored and at the present time coming out of an extremely painful Pastoral situation which I will not get into here. But suffice it to say the Lord is majorly redirecting me right now and my ministry. I'm not sure where I will land and what I'll be doing. But it has been, and still is, a very painful experience. My heart is burdened for all of our young ministers who are being told that they are nothing ministry-wise unless they Pastor. This is not true! Have we become a "one fold ministry" church? Has the other ministries of the Evangelist (many of which are merely traveling preachers looking for a church), Teachers, Prophets, been swept under the rug? Where are the Ananias who will stand outside the "ministerial spotlight" and be the one who will mentor and train the young Apostle Paul's? Should we have a greater focus on "the ministry of the Body"?

Blessings to ALL!
Ananias Ministries

[Cindy]

Welcome. God bless you in your new endeavor.

[StillStanding]

Welcome! I'll be interested to hear your comments and opinions on different issues. :)

[tstew]

Welcome and I already like the way you think.

God Bless

[Withdrawn]

Welcome! I'm glad you're here. I hope you find the discussions engaging and challenging.

I like how you think and how the Lord has dealt with you and redirected you. He has done that with me as well. I don't know the whole path laid out before me, but He never fails to provide me with direction for my next step!

[Falla39]

Hello everyone! I've been wanting to find a forum like this for a long time, and it's great to be a part of such a great apostolic network.

I chose the name, Ananias, not in reference to the one struck dead by God. :) I chose it in reference to the one who won the Apostle Paul to the Lord. Acts 9:1-19. He was not a "card carrying preacher". In fact, so far as we know, he never even preached a message and his influence is often overlooked by most (if not all) everyone who studies the Bible. We often speak of "those whom we'd like to meet in heaven one day" and Ananias rarely comes to mind. Yet here he is hidden in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. His name only mentioned in relationship to one occurance, yet his influrence unquestionable. He won the Great Apostle Paul to the Lord and possibly may have saved Christianity from being stamped out (arguably). When Paul was recounting his testimony in Acts 22, he mentions how Ananias baptized Paul in Jesus Name. He never wrote scripture, he never went to a foreign country (as far as we know) yet he was a Great Teacher/Mentor who trained Great Men.

All that being said, I think we have a problem among us apostolics. I'm sure it's not "everywhere". I have been preaching for almost 20 years. I have Pastored and at the present time coming out of an extremely painful Pastoral situation which I will not get into here. But suffice it to say the Lord is majorly redirecting me right now and my ministry. I'm not sure where I will land and what I'll be doing. But it has been, and still is, a very painful experience. My heart is burdened for all of our young ministers who are being told that they are nothing ministry-wise unless they Pastor. This is not true! Have we become a "one fold ministry" church? Has the other ministries of the Evangelist (many of which are merely traveling preachers looking for a church), Teachers, Prophets, been swept under the rug? Where are the Ananias who will stand outside the "ministerial spotlight" and be the one who will mentor and train the young Apostle Paul's? Should we have a greater focus on "the ministry of the Body"?

Blessings to ALL!
Ananias Ministries

Bro. Ananias,

After Ananias obeyed God in ministering to Saul of Tarsus who be-
came the apostle Paul, Paul fathered young Timothy and Titus in the
gospel. He told the Corinthians that though they might have ten thou-
sand instructors in Christ, yet have ye NOT many fathers: for in Christ
Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. In other words Paul had
sowed the seeds (Word of God) that had caused them to come to Christ.
He besceeched them to be followers of him. He also told them for that
cause he had sent Timothy, his beloved son (in the gospel) and faithful
in the Lord to them. Timothy would bring them into remembrance of Paul's
ways which be in Christ, as Paul would be teaching everywhere in every
church.

Today, there is SUCH a need for teaching. Indepth teaching of the
Word of God.
When we realize the impact of Ananias obeying God and the results
that it wrought in the great Apostle Paul, because of this humble man's
obediece to God, it is very encouraging. Ananias did his part, not a lot
maybe seen by human eyes but simply doing as instructed by God in a
vision. As a result of his obedience, many were brought to Christ.

We all have those we can or could influence and bring them to Christ,
if we will be sensitive to the Spirit of God and listen for His instructions.
Being willing to do what He would speak to our hearts.

Dear Brother, may God direct your path as you seek His directions in
your life. Wait on Him. Never allow what has happened in the past to
cause you to become bitter. Allow Him to help you to become BETTER!
I know whereof I speak! It will pay great dividends in Christ Jesus!

Blessings,

Falla39

[Jack Shephard]

Welcome!

[Ananias]

Bro. Ananias,

After Ananias obeyed God in ministering to Saul of Tarsus who be-
came the apostle Paul, Paul fathered young Timothy and Titus in the
gospel. He told the Corinthians that though they might have ten thou-
sand instructors in Christ, yet have ye NOT many fathers: for in Christ
Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. In other words Paul had
sowed the seeds (Word of God) that had caused them to come to Christ.
He besceeched them to be followers of him. He also told them for that
cause he had sent Timothy, his beloved son (in the gospel) and faithful
in the Lord to them. Timothy would bring them into remembrance of Paul's
ways which be in Christ, as Paul would be teaching everywhere in every
church.

Today, there is SUCH a need for teaching. Indepth teaching of the
Word of God.
When we realize the impact of Ananias obeying God and the results
that it wrought in the great Apostle Paul, because of this humble man's
obediece to God, it is very encouraging. Ananias did his part, not a lot
maybe seen by human eyes but simply doing as instructed by God in a
vision. As a result of his obedience, many were brought to Christ.

We all have those we can or could influence and bring them to Christ,
if we will be sensitive to the Spirit of God and listen for His instructions.
Being willing to do what He would speak to our hearts.

Dear Brother, may God direct your path as you seek His directions in
your life. Wait on Him. Never allow what has happened in the past to
cause you to become bitter. Allow Him to help you to become BETTER!
I know whereof I speak! It will pay great dividends in Christ Jesus!

Blessings,

Falla39


Sis Falla,

I appreciate what you said about indepth teaching and the need for that. What do you think the difference is between "teaching" and "preaching"?

Does anyone else have any thoughts on that, also? :)

Blessings to ALL!
Ananias Ministries

[Sister Alvear]

blessings to you.

[All4one]

HELLO!
I thought at first this said "Hell to all" - I thought maybe Obama was posting or something.

[shag]

Sis Falla,

I appreciate what you said about indepth teaching and the need for that. What do you think the difference is between "teaching" and "preaching"?

Does anyone else have any thoughts on that, also? :)

Blessings to ALL!
Ananias Ministries

Welcome Ananias, and I enjoyed reading your opening comments.


I believe preaching per N.T. scripture is,

bringing the good news of the kingdom of God, and of the salvation to be obtained in it through Christ, and of what relates to this salvation.

Where as teaching is more,

the breaking down and explaining of something in depth to bring clarity and understanding on it.


Act 28:31 (Paul was) Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

[Falla39]

Sis Falla,

I appreciate what you said about indepth teaching and the need for that. What do you think the difference is between "teaching" and "preaching"?

Does anyone else have any thoughts on that, also? :)

Blessings to ALL!
Ananias Ministries

Bro.Ananias,

Please allow me to give you a little background of how our family
came to be Apostolic Pentecostals. Here is a link that begins in the
1920's with my paternal grandmother, Lizzie Blakey, being healed
as she lay dying of typhoid fever.

http://apostolicfriendsforum.com/showthread.php?t=15547

There are three pages that gives you a little background.

Even while a Methodist, Grandma Lizzie loved to read her Bible.
After receiving the Holy Ghost, she, with her young son, Robert,
(my late father), who was 15 yrs. old when he received the Holy
Ghost, They studied the Word of God, wearing out Bible after Bible.

When we were young children, we had nightly family alter. Dad
would read the Bible and we would sing hymns together. We older siblings
would learn to memorize passages, like Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. My
brother, just older than myself, could quote the entire chapter at about
ten or eleven yrs of age.

Dad founded a new work in our small town in 1958, and we would have
Bible study, only this time we shared it with our community in a small store-
front building, just off the main downtown area. Then six years later we
purchased a pre-owned church building (11 yrs. old) Someone had donated
land for that group to build a new church and we were able to purchase the
older one. So Bible study, (teaching) and preaching continued. On Wed. Dad
taught the Word in depth. On Sundays, morning and evening, the preaching
was more evangelistic, and that is when those who wanted the Holy Ghost,
would seek God or be baptized in Jesus Name.

I loved those Bible studies. Dad would use many examples of the stories
found in the Old Testament and how God intervened and brought His people
through many ups and downs of life. Then he would tell how many times,
God took care of him in miracleous ways, while serving in the U.S. Army in
WWII. These studies caused faith to spring up in our hearts. We knew God
could and would deliver us too! My late father was a tremendous in depth
teacher of the Word. By indepth, I mean he would go into detailed study
of the subjects he would teach.

I developed a love for God's Word also. After we raised our six children, I
have continued to study God's Word indepth, not just reading, but digging
deeper and deeper as my hunger grew to know HIM more. To know Him is
to love Him. How can I be like Jesus if I don't know what He is like.

You can tell when a teacher or preacher has spent time preparing and
praying and fasting for the anointing to the Word when delivered. Without
the anointing of the Holy Ghost, it is lacking.

I don't know if this has answered your questions or not. Let's dialogue
some more and we both can perhaps learn more together. As a senior
sister my desire is to encourage and help those along life's journey!

Do you have a website! What is Ananias Ministries!

Blessings,

Falla39

[Ananias]

Sis Fella,

Thank you for your encouraging words and PM. I apologize for not being able to post a reply before now but this week has been quite hectic for me.  I appreciate your love for the Word of God. I, too, have a deep desire for “in-depth” study of God’s Word. There isn’t nearly enough of that! And too many homes depend on the local church and the pastor to “feed” them but there needs to be altars at home. What an opportunity we have to teach our children to pray and love the Word of God.

God has been very good to me. I've been married for 10 years and am in my late 30's. The recent painful experience I referenced was a church plant which my wife and I started. Time wouldn’t allow me to give the gory details here but in a nutshell, when the church was young I took in 3 “transfer” families from another local apostolic church. The pastor over there is a fine man whom I continue to admire, respect and love. These 3 families left their church home to come and “be a help”. They left in rebellion to him and I took them in because I thought I could help them. Boy was I wrong. I did succeed in starting a church and they currently have a building but their attitude infected much of the body and as new souls came in and got saved. After a 4 year constant battle, spiritually weary and weary in mind, soul and heart, I felt like God has released me one evening in prayer. I resigned the following Sunday. There was no “going-away party” for us, no “parting gift”, nothing, from the people. Let me say that I am definitely not a hard man. While I’m not as seasoned as some of our elders who have been preaching for 30-40 years, I understand their rebellion and rejection of authority is not “me”. The people rejected Samuel in his day, etc. Some Home Missionaries go into an area and they “fail”. In their mind it’s failure but not God’s so long as they did what God told them to do it’s not failure. But it feels like that because when they leave they did not succeed in planting a church. When you do succeed it creates great sense of pride, similar to a “new parent” feeling. You are holding the newborn baby and you’re so proud of him, showing him off, when suddenly he gets ripped from your arms and there is an ache in your heart the size of Texas. That’s the only way I can describe the pain. We are getting through it because I know that God is for us, but it does feel like the “end of my ministry”. I’m in a church right now just sitting for a while and healing up and waiting on the Lord for direction. Even Elijah was fed by ravens and told to “wait”. So there are times when God wants us to wait.

What is “Ananias Ministries”? It’s something the Lord is birthing in my heart, right now. I’ve always been more of an “in-depth” teacher versus an “evangelistic” style of preaching. Ananias was one who stood outside the ministerial spotlight. He wasn’t a preacher, nor an apostle. It is never recorded he was responsible for a major healing. His name was never in lights. Yet 2 Corinthians 6:9 gives reference to those who are “unknown, yet well known”. I believe Ananias was one of those men. We need in the apostolic ranks those who are willing to not seek the lime light, preach at the big conferences, or pastor the large, well established churches, but those who are willing to seek the one out and disciple and mentor him/her into maturity and give them a deep foundation of Truth. That is my vision of what Ananias was. I can see him as an older and wiser man who could take some young preacher or convert, put his arm around their shoulders and be their spiritual mentor. If you will study history, I think we would find that the greatest of men are names we will never know because they led and mentored great men who did great things, although it may never be recorded that the greatest of men did the greatest of deeds. Such was Jesus. In the end, He only had 11 and didn’t He say “greater things than these shall ye do…”?

I envision “Ananias Ministries” as putting more focus on the “ministry of the body” instead of the “ministry of the ministry”. We have become a “one fold ministry” organization. It has even been said, “those who can’t – teach”! Thus it was said of Solomon of old, “I have a little sister who hath no breasts”. Have we become a church without the ability to nurture the newborn and bring them into spiritual maturity? Where are the “teaching priests” the Lord said He would send us! We have to come to a realization that WE ALL have a place in the Body. If we could see how the Lord sees His last day army, it would be countless numbers of people all marching to the same beat, in the same direction, in perfect order and harmony and I believe we would all be FACELESS. I say faceless because “who we are” isn’t important. There is no “big I’s” or “little u’s” in the Body of Christ. If God doesn’t call me to be a Pastor, I want to be an Ananias!

Blessings to you!
Ananias Ministries

[Falla39]

Sis Fella,

Thank you for your encouraging words and PM. I apologize for not being able to post a reply before now but this week has been quite hectic for me.  I appreciate your love for the Word of God. I, too, have a deep desire for “in-depth” study of God’s Word. There isn’t nearly enough of that! And too many homes depend on the local church and the pastor to “feed” them but there needs to be altars at home. What an opportunity we have to teach our children to pray and love the Word of God.

God has been very good to me. I've been married for 10 years and am in my late 30's. The recent painful experience I referenced was a church plant which my wife and I started. Time wouldn’t allow me to give the gory details here but in a nutshell, when the church was young I took in 3 “transfer” families from another local apostolic church. The pastor over there is a fine man whom I continue to admire, respect and love. These 3 families left their church home to come and “be a help”. They left in rebellion to him and I took them in because I thought I could help them. Boy was I wrong. I did succeed in starting a church and they currently have a building but their attitude infected much of the body and as new souls came in and got saved. After a 4 year constant battle, spiritually weary and weary in mind, soul and heart, I felt like God has released me one evening in prayer. I resigned the following Sunday. There was no “going-away party” for us, no “parting gift”, nothing, from the people. Let me say that I am definitely not a hard man. While I’m not as seasoned as some of our elders who have been preaching for 30-40 years, I understand their rebellion and rejection of authority is not “me”. The people rejected Samuel in his day, etc. Some Home Missionaries go into an area and they “fail”. In their mind it’s failure but not God’s so long as they did what God told them to do it’s not failure. But it feels like that because when they leave they did not succeed in planting a church. When you do succeed it creates great sense of pride, similar to a “new parent” feeling. You are holding the newborn baby and you’re so proud of him, showing him off, when suddenly he gets ripped from your arms and there is an ache in your heart the size of Texas. That’s the only way I can describe the pain. We are getting through it because I know that God is for us, but it does feel like the “end of my ministry”. I’m in a church right now just sitting for a while and healing up and waiting on the Lord for direction. Even Elijah was fed by ravens and told to “wait”. So there are times when God wants us to wait.

What is “Ananias Ministries”? It’s something the Lord is birthing in my heart, right now. I’ve always been more of an “in-depth” teacher versus an “evangelistic” style of preaching. Ananias was one who stood outside the ministerial spotlight. He wasn’t a preacher, nor an apostle. It is never recorded he was responsible for a major healing. His name was never in lights. Yet 2 Corinthians 6:9 gives reference to those who are “unknown, yet well known”. I believe Ananias was one of those men. We need in the apostolic ranks those who are willing to not seek the lime light, preach at the big conferences, or pastor the large, well established churches, but those who are willing to seek the one out and disciple and mentor him/her into maturity and give them a deep foundation of Truth. That is my vision of what Ananias was. I can see him as an older and wiser man who could take some young preacher or convert, put his arm around their shoulders and be their spiritual mentor. If you will study history, I think we would find that the greatest of men are names we will never know because they led and mentored great men who did great things, although it may never be recorded that the greatest of men did the greatest of deeds. Such was Jesus. In the end, He only had 11 and didn’t He say “greater things than these shall ye do…”?

I envision “Ananias Ministries” as putting more focus on the “ministry of the body” instead of the “ministry of the ministry”. We have become a “one fold ministry” organization. It has even been said, “those who can’t – teach”! Thus it was said of Solomon of old, “I have a little sister who hath no breasts”. Have we become a church without the ability to nurture the newborn and bring them into spiritual maturity? Where are the “teaching priests” the Lord said He would send us! We have to come to a realization that WE ALL have a place in the Body. If we could see how the Lord sees His last day army, it would be countless numbers of people all marching to the same beat, in the same direction, in perfect order and harmony and I believe we would all be FACELESS. I say faceless because “who we are” isn’t important. There is no “big I’s” or “little u’s” in the Body of Christ. If God doesn’t call me to be a Pastor, I want to be an Ananias! Blessings to you!
Ananias Ministries

Bro. Ananias,

I discern a beautiful spirit in your post, although it has been painfully
wounded! But HE was wounded for us! They included stripes for our
healing! HE provided everything we need!

I loved your words in the bolded!

Sent you a PM to encourage you more!

Blessings,

Falla39