COMMENTARY: Counter Rejoinder to Konu's Divisions and Multiplications of Ghanaian Churches in Canada - Rejoinder by Apostle Mawuetornam Dugbazah - Saturday, 19 January 2013

PART 1

"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us" (2 Thessalonians 3:6 KJV).

In the above passage, Apostle Shaul who often went by the Roman name of Paul, gave this command to a community of believers in Yeshua. These believers dwelt at Thessalonica (a Roman city). Paul's command clearly deals with a matter that the "Reverend" John Konu did not successfully resolve in his rejoinder: church division. By the way, there is only one tradition in God's church; this is the apostolic tradition based on Christ's original teachings. To deviate from Yeshua's teachings or "apostolic doctrine", is to reject the authority of scripture, and those who teach it soundly. In the service of Yahweh, the Most High, Father of Yeshua the Christ, I will use scripture to provide insight to serious believers about DIVISION in God's church.

Division is sometimes God's Will

You may be wondering how division can be the "will" of God? I will tell you. God's will is always rooted in His principles of righteous government. When God's principles of righteousness are rejected, it leads to division. Some will choose right. Others will choose wrong. Nonetheless, we may all accept Yeshua as "Lord".

If you did not know it, as believers in the gospel, we must accept that we were never born into a religion (called Christianity), but rather a government. Every message that Yeshua the Son of God ever preached and taught revolved around a government called the "kingdom of heaven". Heaven is a literal place. It is therefore written, "...Jesus [Yeshua] began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matityahu/Matthew 4:17). The origin of righteous government is heaven, the seat of God's throne. The opposite of righteous government is Satan inspired government. Yes, based on the Bible Satan has a throne!!

All manifested division among people who say that they have been "born again" into God's Kingdom is the result of refusing to yield to God's instructions. God's instructions are set out in the Torah, Nebim, and Ketubim (what is now called the Old Testament) and the New Testament gospels and epistles. Both the Old and New Testaments provide detailed accounts of division within the ranks and among the general mass of God's people. As well, Yeshua himself spoke it plainly: "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay [no]; but rather division..." (Luke 12:51). In other words, division among God's people has been happening for a long time now. Notable are scripture stories like that of Eliyahu (Elijah) and the false prophets of baal. These false prophets divided God's people between what Elijah called "two opinions" (1 Kings 18:21).

So how can division be the will of God? Simple. Some Bible believers are in revolt or "apostasy" against their Father's government!! Such people prefer their own opinions to what God has clearly stated in His written word. This is what happened in the Garden of Eden when Hawa (also called Eve) rebelled against a simple command of the Most High.

That human rebellion against God's government began with a disobedient woman should provide insight into how one rebellious agent can contribute to division among God's people. If you are discerning, please, keep reading. If not, the rest of this article will not do you any good.

To conclude this section of this commentary, please consider the words of Paul the Apostle: "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there MUST be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Corinthians 11:18-19). So you see, the presence of "heresies" or opinions that contradict God's righteous principles of government is God's way of approving those who actually take His written word seriously.

The Apostolic Leadership in "the Kingdom of God" or "Body of Christ"

The terms Kingdom of God and body of Christ are both used in scripture. They actually mean the same thing. Both terms refer to the human beings who have received God's Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) upon repenting of sins and believing Yeshua's Kingdom message as taught in the gospels. Following from the definition of the previous terms, let us accept that God, being that He is the all-wise governmental head, ordained a leadership for His Kingdom people. Where does scripture talk about this leadership structure?

It is written, "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments [administrative directors], diversities of tongues" (1 Corinthians 12:27-28). This passage gives us a complete list of all the administrative callings or "ministries" associated with God's vesting government in His church of human beings that have been born again.

With regards to leadership, the previous passage tells us that God has set in place (by His own appointment) FIRST apostles, SECONDARILY prophets, THIRDLY teachers...the list goes on. However, consider that there are NO ordinal numbers indicated in front of any of the ministries except the first three: apostles, prophets and teachers. Why? It is because God is a God of order. Yahweh is the Ruler of all rulers (i.e. King of kings). He is therefore wiser than any man claiming to be a "Reverend". Also, God knows why He ordained these three ministers as the tri-fold leadership core for the earthly extension of His heavenly Kingdom. In fact, the three leadership ministries associated with God's earthly Kingdom reflect corresponding roles of the three persons in the Godhead: Father (Apostle), Son (Prophet) and Holy Spirit (Teacher).

Now, since I brought up the term Reverend, let me ask the serious believers in Yeshua's Kingdom gospel, have you ever seen the leadership office of Reverend in the written word of God? And before you start to think that my concern is with titles, think again!! We do not refer to worldly government offices such as President, Prime Minister or even Togbe (southern Togo), Naa (northern Ghana) or Oba (southern Nigeria) without recognition of the fact that these terms have a "constitutional" significance. These titles define the mandate, responsibility and authority of the persons who hold them in terms of a government. So tell me, if Yahweh's holy truth is contained in the Bible, and this truth outlines that the global leadership of His people consists of apostles, prophets and teachers, where did the Reverends come from? And if we ask where the Reverends come from, we should also ask what their constitutionally defined role is (among God's people). We must base our answer to these questions on the truth of scripture.

The Worldly Church (or spiritual harlots)

It is written, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Yakob/James 4:4). According to the Apostle James (or Yakob), "friendship" or acceptance of the world's inspiration of government-it is the spirit of anti-Christ-is to make oneself an enemy of, or to oppose God's government. Let me contrast the world's government to God's Kingdom government in order to illustrate. The major focus of the world's democratic government is economics in the form of mammon worship (i.e. food, clothing, cars, housing...etc.). Yahweh's government on the other hand prioritises justice-another term for righteousness-and order. This is why the Apostle Paul stated "...the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).

It is the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Godhead that inspired the Bible. We can therefore confidently conclude that the Holy Spirit ordained or ordered the existing ministries of apostle, prophet and teacher for the New Testament church. The church consists of Yehudim (Jews) and believers from other nations around the world. The church collectively owes allegiance to Yeshua, Yahweh's heir to the heavenly throne.

So where did the Reverends come from? They certainly did not get their roles from God. Whether they be VERY Reverends, MOST Reverends, RIGHT Reverends, VENERABLE Fathers or even Reverend Mothers, they certainly did not get their full job descriptions from the Most High. From the early manifestations of God's government on earth, we must accept that Yahweh's people have always been led by prophets; Abrakham (Abraham), Yitsak (Isaac) and Yakob (Jacob), all the way to Moshe (Moses), they were all prophets of God. And it is written: "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). If Yeshua has not changed, why then would his Father's instruments of leadership have changed? Malachi 3:6 notes "For I am the Lord, I change not..."

The priests and prophets of old who walked in righteousness did not lead by their own understanding acquired from degree-touting Bible Colleges and the like (i.e. Masters of Divinity etc.). Rather these men were trained and tested by the Most High in the furnace of affliction. And they actually passed their tests!! The result of passing these tests is that they learned humility - meaning dependence on the regulating power of God's Holy Spirit. This regulating power of the Holy Spirit is the definition of the term grace.

Finally, let me inform the reader that the concept of a Reverend comes from the European worldly church systems also called denominations: Catholicism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism and the like. Christ is not divided and therefore goes by one name: Yeshua. These worldly church systems, in the past, tried to merge the Kingdom of God (a Holy Spirit led institution) with the ant-Christ spirit of Roman monarchical government. The mix is candidly described here as Yahweh dancing Togo's agbadza dance with Satan? Now that is not kosher considering that darkness and light have nothing in common. More later...

Source: Apostle Mawuetornam Dugbazah, Apostles Revelation Ministry (ARM)