Opening Statements
There tends to be some confusion regarding the nature of elitism and pharisaism in the Prayer Movement, due to the polarizing language of Nazirite consecration, radical obedience, abandonment, forerunner spirit and the like. We hope to bring some clarity with this statement with regards to the seeming tension between whole-heartedness vs. self-righteousness. For both the outsider and the insider to the prayer movement, we hope this would help us reconcile the walking out of our call with confidence in regards to whole-heartedness, yet with fear and trembling in regards to self-righteousness.
The Culture of Righteousness
The culture within different streams of Christianity is largely determined by what the group as a whole believes will be esteemed by Jesus at the Day of the Lord. For instance, in the streams associated with missions, righteousness (i.e. Jesus saying well-done) is translated as the number of churches you planted or the amount of people you successfully evangelized. Streams that are distinguished based upon their theology, uphold a culture where the issue of righteousness is the adherence to the right system of beliefs. Admittedly, without guidance, the prayer movement can also fall into a culture where prayer and fasting is equated with righteousness.
What Ultimately Matters
Ultimately, the culture of righteousness becomes a detriment to the whole, when it undermines our understanding of the cross. What will ultimately matter concerning our justification before the Lord is not what we did with our hands, or even what we believed in our minds, but primarily the repentance of the heart, unto faith in the Messiah and His finished work on the Cross.
In light of the Day of the LORD, there are three groups: the wicked, the self-righteous and the righteous. The wicked may or may not acknowledge their depravity. The bottom line is that they do not come to faith through repentance and are therefore sentenced to a Lake of Fire. The self-righteous, do not acknowledge their depravity, they relate to God on the basis of their own works (Luke 18:11-12) and are condemned alongside the wicked. The righteous acknowledge their inward depravity towards God and repent before the mercy revealed at the cross. They continue relating to God on the basis of His righteousness (Isaiah53:5-6), and therefore are justified at the Day of the LORD (Luke 18:13-14).
The Culture of the Cross, the Value of Humility
IHOP-EG acknowledges that salvation is on the basis of faith alone. (Romans 2:16, 3:21-24; Phil. 3:9, Titus 3:5). IHOP-EG acknowledges that justification before God is not earned on the merits of works inherent in our culture (i.e. prayer and fasting, eschatological views, prophetic gifting, evangelism effectiveness). As leadership we acknowledge and uphold that the culture of whole-heartedness must ultimately concede to the culture of the cross. Whole-heartedness must always be the response to justification and not our means unto justification.
We also acknowledge the reality of rewards, suffering loss, and the varying levels of glory in the resurrection (1 Cor. 3:14-15, 15:41-42, Revelation 2 and 3). But these also are based on the foundation of the heart. This is where some streams may have the correct focus on the cross, so they get saved at the Day of the Lord. However, the wrong beliefs, distorts their missiology, in a way that they get saved as one escaping fire (1 Cor. 3:15). As a missions base, we value the right heart (orthokardia), escorting us into the right doctrine (orthodoxy), unto the right practices (orthopraxis).
As part of our heart values, we call believers to actively do our part in embracing God’s divine restraint on human pride (i.e. fasting). We believe activities, such as fasting, or abstaining from worldly but legitimate pleasures, are ultimately for the purpose of repentance, an outward response to the inward condition, and by no means a reason for the flesh to boast. We also believe in bearing the fruit of the Spirit as a better outward sign of inward righteousness than the gifts of the Spirit (Matthew 7:22-23, Galatians 5:22-23).
The Pharisee vs. the Forerunner
In Jesus’ day, there were two groups of people, both had the same theological hope, and the same outer appearance of righteousness (i.e. signs and wonders, giving to the poor, prayer, fasting). However, the Pharisees were ardently rebuked, (Matthew 23) while John the Baptist was called the greatest man born of woman (Luke 7:28). Expression of holiness cannot be done out of a pharisaic spirit, where we love to be honored among men, (Matthew 6:1) yet inwardly indulge in sin. Our expression of holiness must be inward, beginning with repentance and the turning of the heart where only the Lord can see (Matthew 5-7).
The Inward Nature of Holiness
The works of our hands in ministry are to be done, from this posture of the heart, (Matthew 23:26) where we continually acknowledge what is in the heart of a man, receive the mercy of God, become filled with gratitude, and in turn offer mercy to our neighbor (Matthew 18:23-25). We build our ministries out of the overflow and abundance of our heart, alongside the partnership of the Holy Spirit. We want our ministry to be tested with fire and found pure, so that we will receive a reward (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). The ministries of the IHOP:EG are birthed from the place of prayer, and are built as a thanksgiving memorial unto the Lord.
Dealing with the Outward Nature of Holiness
We believe that there are blatant issues of immorality, which are easy to recognize and must be dealt with accordingly. Regarding, the “gray” issues (i.e. secular music) we have the word of God, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the counsel of the Church and our own conscience to determine how we walk them out. That said, we do not live in a vacuum and our decisions will impact others in different ways (1 Cor. 6:12). Jesus did not use equality with God for His own advantage, but instead used His divine nature to serve us (Philippians 2:6). In the same way, although we may have a clean conscience regarding a gray issue, we consider others first as bond slaves to Christ (1 Peter 2:16). Our decisions in these areas have the power to lead others down a road of compromise that ends in a Lake of Fire (1 Cor. 8:13).
In regards to confrontation over gray matters, we must be careful not to sway someone one way into compromise or the other way into the delusion of self-righteousness (Romans 9:30-32, Mathew 23:15). We can always test our counsel related to these issues, it should ultimately direct them into loving God and loving their neighbor.
The Calling of the Forerunner
The forerunner calling is not an elitist call for those who are gifted in prayer, prophesy or miracles. As the Lord did with John the Baptist, there will be other voices crying out in the wilderness before His second coming. We believe the Lord will call forth a generation of forerunners who love much because they have been forgiven much (Luke 7:47). The eschatological drama, will draw out the motives and allegiances of the heart, and reveal what has been sown in the secret place. The call of a forerunner is to prepare the earth (Luke 7:29) for the coming of Jesus, both Bridegroom, King, and Judge, by first preparing their own hearts. The call of a forerunner is not to a platform, but to a lifestyle of hiddenness (Isaiah 40:3). The qualification of a forerunner is not gifts and talents, but a secret life with God.
Closing Statement
IHOP:EG acknowledges that one can go two ways in the prayer room. It can either puff up pride, or put a check on pride. It’s the same with the nature of fasting, listening to sermons, or any other spiritual activity. We cannot regulate the intentions of people’s hearts, nor undermine the biblical prescription and God-given desire for whole-heartedness. For this reason, as a Missions Base we pursue the heart values of the the sermon on the mount, stand upon the word of God, humble ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and submit ourselves under the culture of the cross.
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