13 July 2008, 8AM

Teacher Esther De Gruchy

We are moving away from having leaders like Moses or Amos, because God's Spirit is now poured out on every one. It is no longer one person that has the anointing. Moses heeded the instruction of his father in law to appoint other people to help him and not be alone in ruling the people.

Num 11: 16-17 – the Lord instructs Moses to gather seventy men together whom God would anoint to help him. God's Spirit was poured out onto the seventy, but it was once off. Now, we have God's Spirit that has been poured out onto us, and it remains. Yet, sometimes we still walk in the mind set that 'Moses' must talk to God for us, and hear from God for us, we are not prepared to consecrate ourselves to commune with God. It is more comfortable to sit in the pew and not be held accountable. The Israelites continued to do just what they were doing – murmuring, complaining and moaning.

Num 11:4 – the mixed multitude is also translated as 'rabble.' The rabble ( a mob, a noisy crowd of people ) were not Israelites – they left Egypt when the Israelites did. They were 'hangers on', and not part of the chosen nation. We all have 'hangers on' in our lives that cause trouble. They are the things that we have brought with us from where we come from.

When we start to discern the body of Christ, we must look away from the old mind sets that we have.

People shouldn't just look to the main preacher of the church. Then they are not discerning what God have given to the church. If the people have been fed with the right doctrine, then they are also able to feed others. This is how the manifold wisdom of God is displayed through the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Eph 3:10). when we display the manifold wisdom of God , the powers and principalities take note – whether angels of demonic forces. In the manifold wisdom, we have dominion over the powers and principalities of the dark. Col 1:16-18. It is not what we do, but it is because we display the manifold wisdom of God.

Manifold means: marked with a great variety of color. Joseph had a cloak of many colors, but it brought him more grief than joy, because it caused envy, hatred and jealousy. When he received the cloak, all those feelings came to a head. When we as a body display God's manifold wisdom, it will bring things to the head, and people are going to take not and they are going to respond. They will either respond in a positive or negative way.

Manifold also means: multi faceted. A diamond has many facets, and display many colors as light falls on it. So there are treasures in earthen vessels (us) and we display Christ when His light is shining on us. So now we have all these colors that we display, and add to one another, but it means nothing if it's not done in unity. It is not many BODIES, but one BODY. We all do not display the same colors in the same way or in the same intensity – so we need each other to add where the other lacks.

Wisdom: James 3:16-18

Carnal wisdom is: earthly, sensual, demonic, envious and self-seeking. When we have this wisdom we are not selfless, and we have hidden agendas. This is often brought in by new converts – businessmen joining the church and wanting to make it grow by using business plans and motivational speeches. This is not conducive to how the Lord build His church.

We need to discern where people are coming from and what they say. We all have reference points of various things that determines how we respond to a situation. Sometimes, when someone says something a certain way, we take it up the wrong way because of incorrect reference points. Obviously we have been hurt with the same words of situation and have not been healed yet, and thus we react in a carnal manner. We need to discern in the body when someone says something or reacts to something you have said, where are they coming from? What is causing this reaction, and how do I respond to it?

When you are in a household or church, and someone is voicing a difference of opinion with you concerning whatever, it is either because they've had a bad experience of church and are now not happy with what you are saying to them, or they are trapped in a religious mind set where self is still in control. They have not yet gotten to the point where they've committed to “it's not necessarily what I want, but lets do it for the sake of the body, that God's manifold wisdom may be displayed”.

We also need to discern whether the carnal wisdom in someone is demonic that it needs deliverance or if it just needs to be taught out.

Godly wisdom: first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Once we have changed from the self-seeking side, and we realize what Godly wisdom is, then we can take it further. Being prepared to be yielded to Christ also means that you are prepared to have Godly wisdom.

Because God is merciful to us, we are also able to show mercy to others – this is also Godly wisdom. Mercy flows out from us, because God has filled us with it. He is merciful to us, and His Spirit is in us, so we cannot not show mercy to someone once we have been filled with His Spirit. Godly wisdom is without partiality. Partiality means to be biased or prejudiced in favor of a certain person or something. Partiality comes out of envy and jealousy, and that needs to be worked through. God Himself shows partiality to no man.

We discern the body through what they can add/give towards it. Everybody can give something. We sometimes tend to think that the people who give are in the five-fold ministry (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) are the ones who give, yes they give, but the person that scribes the songs or notes gives just as much, and the person that does the sound checking also gives just as much, and the person that leads the worship in song or dance also gives just as much. Watching your children dance in the worship can be ministry to you just as the most profound words spoken from the pulpit. This is all part of God's manifold wisdom that forms part of the body and that we need to discern. It might just be one aspect of an entire service that would speak to someone on a day, but that reveals God's manifold wisdom to that person.

Unfortunately we sometimes do not know how to discern the body. When you are part of a body and commit to serve that body, and staying faithful in that. If you are not faithful in it, then you are not discerning the body. Then you are thinking that your part is not important enough for you to do all the time. Discerning the body then means that you have committed to do your share no matter whether you feel like doing it at that moment or not. What is the share that you have committed to do? Do that, and be faithful in it.

We often do not know what we are good at. We come into a body, and we have been told by the world that we are certain type of person etc. it is in the body that we discover who we are and what we are good at. It is fine to ask to be released from a certain orbit when you have been faithful in it and have found that it is not who you are, and want to move into doing something else. If you decide to be an usher, for example, you do not have to be an usher for the rest of your life, you can do it for a season until God tells you to do something else. In the Foundation Course we learn about dead works. Don't keep doing something just because someone has told you to do it, and you will feel as if you are letting the team down if you stop, but at least discern the body by going to the leader of the orbit and asking to be released.

Not everybody are good at being 'on stage'. But behind the scenes, there are people doing the catering, and caring for the member in the