The most mature Christians will be evidenced by their ability to appreciate and embrace those who are different, but are of the same faith in Christ. Only when we start to understand and appreciate the differences in the different parts of the body will we ever fit together properly, learn to function together, and thereby multiply our fruitfulness.

We need to understand and learn to separate our Phase I, II, and III operations. People who are best in each one should keep them vitally connected so that the fruit of one is built upon by the next one. It is in the transitions between operations that we need the most wisdom. We need to see Phase II apostles, teachers, pastors, and so on, as missionaries just as much as the Phase I evangelists who we tend to only recognize now. For this to happen, we need to revamp our understanding of the church as well.

Most churches remain one-gift churches. They are built around the one gift of the pastor, and everyone else supports them. If we are going to be true to the biblical model of the church, the tabernacle, every church should have three phases of ministry all happening at the same time, with a clear path to increasing maturity and development laid out for all believers.

If you are thinking that most of what I'm addressing in this study is for leaders, it is. All Christians are called to be leaders. That is what it means to be "the light of the world" (see Matthew 5:14), to be able to show the world the path, which is leadership. We are called to be conformed to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29) and He is foremost the "King of kings," which is the ultimate leader. Those who are growing close to Him are growing in leadership.

Zechariah 12:8 prophesies of a dramatic growth of leadership in Jerusalem when it is surrounded by enemies: "In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them." In the time of this great crisis, a primary way that the Lord defends His people is by increasing their anointing for leadership. We often want a great external miracle to come to our aid, but the Lord may be doing this by sending us!
 
In C.S. Lewis's classic science fiction book, Perelandra, the messenger from earth to Venus, who is named Ransom, gets into a life or death struggle with the demon-possessed man who is trying to seduce the first man and woman on Venus. When Ransom cries out to God to do something, God replies, "Ransom, you are what I'm doing." Ransom found just enough strength to win and save that new world from a fall. In this same way, you may be the one He has sent to save your church, your city, even your country, from a terrible mistake or fall, or to lead it to the purpose of God.

We are blessed today with some of the greatest prayer movements of all time. This is a high calling, but we can miss God if we keep praying for Him to come and do something when we are what He is doing, and He is trying to send us. There is a time to leave the prayer room and to go engage the enemy. There are also times to leave the frontlines and get in the prayer room.

We can expect in the great crises to come that some of the most feeble Christians will rise up like David as a warrior, and the mighty ones will be like the angels of the Lord. Great authority will come upon the church as the great darkness comes upon the world. We do not need to look at ourselves and our weaknesses; we need to look to the Lord and His strength.

Even so, the wise give themselves to preparation and to day by day faithfulness. King David was prepared to shepherd Israel by being a faithful shepherd of his father's flocks, learning how to kill lions and bears that would attack them. Do not despise what little domain you have been given for now. Just be faithful, and do not waste your time.

The Lord did not come to condemn the world, but to save it and to help it. If we are following Him, we will look at every situation that we are in as an opportunity to help. What can we do to make our churches better? What can we do to make the offices we work in better? What can we do to make our cities and nations better? We are here to serve, to be lights that help to show the way, and to be salt that preserves. Those who are faithful now, even in the small things, will be trusted with much more in the time to come.