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The Church's Pecking Order Is About To Topple
John Paul Jackson, Stream Ministries International
October, 2002

The pecking order presently seen in the Church today is about to topple. Its collapse is already in motion and a whole new order in God is going to be established.

"I AM GOING TO START PROMOTING 'UNKNOWNS' TO THE FOURTH ROW

Early this past spring, the Lord spoke to me and said, "The pecking order in the Church is about to topple. I am going to start promoting unknowns to the fourth row." I shared this with my staff at Streams and have been praying through the implications. I am now convinced it is time to release this word.

To fully understand the gravity of this simple word that was spoken to me, you must understand the history of what the Lord was referring to about promoting leaders to the fourth row. Reference to the fourth row came from an earlier encounter I had several years ago with a heavenly messenger who took me to the third Heaven and told me about a great move of God that was coming to the Earth.

"AN ANGEL AWOKE ME AND TOOK ME BY THE ARM TO HEAVEN"

In this encounter, an angel awoke me and took me by the arm to Heaven through an opening in the sky. There, I entered a huge, white expansive room. On one side of the room were four tiers of pure white rock bleachers. The first three rows were filling up with church leaders. Some leaders on the third row were very famous, but those on the first two rows I did not know at the time.

Typically, I refer to this encounter as the Romans Four Principle, because the angel boldly stated, "The key to the next great move of God in the Earth is found in the book of Romans and in particular, chapter four. Contained therein is an un-embraced truth that will mark and distinguish this move in the Church from all other moves."

In this encounter, I understood that each row represented the established pecking order in the church, and that one day there would be a sudden and great change. The angel told me that one day the Lord would suddenly catapult the leaders on the first two rows over those on the third row who "lorded" their ministries over them. These unknown leaders would then stand on the fourth row, where no one had stood since the Early Church.

THE LORD DOES NOT RESPECT THE CHURCH'S PECKING ORDER

Consequently, I understood that the Lord does not respect the Church's pecking order. Instead, He respects those with humble hearts and contrite spirits, who are true to Him. Mankind has imposed a self-made system of supposed spiritual acknowledgment. If one does not fit into this layered hierarchy (pecking order) and wait to be acknowledged, they are ignored.

So what is the Romans Four Principle? Simply put, it includes all the promises to Abraham found in Genesis 19-22 as well as those found in Hebrews 11. Thus, it involves the following:

1. These leaders will be able to admit they were wrong; acknowledging that they actually birthed an Ishmael, claiming it was an Isaac--the thing God was anointing. Pride will cause us to try to make our Ishmael look like an Isaac, so that we do not look like we were wrong.

Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." (Romans 4:18)

And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"(Genesis 17:18)

2. These leaders will embrace "looking foolish" in the eyes of their peers, as they boldly proclaim what the Lord has given them.

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. (Romans 4:19)

3. These leaders will not promote their ministries, but will wait for the "fullness of time" in God.

And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4:21)

THESE LEADERS WILL BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEIR ISAAC

4. These leaders will be willing to sacrifice their blessings (Isaac), what they have worked all their lives to obtain, their reputation that they have carefully crafted and built.

"Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." (Romans 4:18).

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:9-10).

5. These leaders will embrace the reality that Sarah, who represents the ministry that God gave them as a result of Him placing them in their social and geographic position, will release what God created them to be. They will recognize that it is through God their promise will come, not through their own abilities, strategies, or schemes.

GOD MAY ASK US TO KILL OUR MINISTRIES

In summary, God may ask us to kill our ministries to determine if they are His or ours. If we have built our own ministries, it will be nearly impossible for us to kill what we have built and promoted. Why? Because it will feel as if we have to live up to the reputation we have built. It will be necessary to offer our reputations to the Lord, to do with our lives and ministries whatever He wills.

In the coming days, God will raise-up unknown and humble men and women of faith who have patiently waited for God to do the miraculous and promote them as leaders. These men and women will be refined by years of making good choices that reflect strong character, ethics, and morality.

These leaders will not be recognized for their titles or ministries, but for the presence of God evidenced in their lives.

Supernatural power and miracles will return to the Church. It will not be limited to one man, to one church, or to one geographic area. God will scatter His manifestations of miraculous power over many cities and nations.

DENOMINATIONAL BOUNDARIES WILL BECOME INSIGNIFICANT

As this thick presence of the Holy Spirit infiltrates the Church, denominational boundaries that have separated churches will become insignificant. A fresh emphasis will be made on having a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. People will be known for walking humbly with God and man. Past issues that God has permitted to exist will come under greater scrutiny and conviction by the Holy Spirit. A new wave of holiness will fall upon all believers. Repentance from self-righteousness will become a stronger focus. Meekness- "which results from sacrificing the right to be right-" will be evidenced in the lives of those the Lord's anointing rests.

This coming move of the Holy Spirit will not be dependent on a certain man's gifting or anointing. Rather, the Holy Spirit will sovereignly release it. We simply need to be ready and full of humility, transparency, vulnerability, hunger, and brokenness, so we do not tear apart when the weight of the presence of the Lord touches us.