Help On Site For Start Up Churches (1.12.12)

"He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead." Mark 9,9

"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Acts 20,27 

 Has the Holy Ghost got you too starting up something?

Have you already started and need some counsel and fellowship?

At Mark 9,9 Jesus tells Peter, James and John, who had just seen Jesus transfigured, not to tell anyone of the more real and eternal Jesus thay had just seen until he was risen from the dead.   

The World Needs Post Resurrectional Churches

Jesus' command to wait on telling of the vision is at first curious, but upon reflection it becomes understandable (Oswald Chambers helped with this insight "Why Are We Not Told Plainly" from "My Utmost For His Highest", Discovery House, 1991, p. 70-71).

The vision of Peter, James and John of the transfiguration is sort of like a vision to start a church.

As we have all experienced, our testimony regarding revelations from God are more convincing, as Oswald Chambers notes, after Jesus is risen in us. If we have not personally experienced Jesus' resurrection, and had it come into us, our personal or church-starting testimony will fall flat.

So the upshot of Mark 9,9 is that  we can't show and tell much "church," let alone start a new one, until after the resurrection and Pentecost power of Jesus gets into us, and then spreads among those called to the church.

Now I'm not saying that all the practical and human based plans we have about starting a church are unimportant.

But surely they are less important than the resurrectional matter of Jesus fully inspiring and living in the leaders called to start the church.

One leader might still need water baptism (John 3,5). 

Another might need further healing, to know how to work in the gifting of healing.

One has not tidied up a past or present relationship or responsibility with humble surrender and prayer.

Both might need to explicitly forgive somebody in their life.

Some in the core group might not want or understand baptism in the Spirit or the need for water baptism too.

The lines of pastoral authority might (according to scripture) be too fluid or too rigid and need some discernment, tweaking or clarification.

All these discernments are about important post resurrectional matters. Sometimes these discernments are best made within the group, but perhaps someone outside the core group might help.

My focus is only on spreading the gospel, and the whole counsel of God, and respecting the authority of the local pastor according to Acts 15 when the local pastor-apostle James made the final decision as to gentiles not needing to get circumcized.

I'm also willing to mentor pastors and apostles- especially those called outside the ordinary course- as the Lord leads us. 

I'll provide telephone numbers for references.

Br. Tobin

203.200.9177